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DutyCat

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Everything posted by DutyCat

  1. His eyesight and pilot aptitude scores were all fine. Here is a clip from the other tread I started on this which explains what I think happened. We are trying to figure out what to do next, if anything. "The basic cause of the non-select was his failure to participate regularly in ROTC military leadership roles/drill. He focused on getting a high GPA as an engineering major instead. He somehow got the impression that was more important. This may have been partially my fault and the Naval academy interviewers fault way back when. Before AF ROTC, he was a Congressional Naval Academy nominee.
  2. CSO to pilot? There is a program for that? At this point, he is leaning towards space. The basic cause of the non-select was his failure to participate regularly in ROTC military leadership roles/drill. He focused on getting a high GPA as an engineering major instead. He somehow got the impression that was more important. This may have been partially my fault and the Naval academy interviewers fault way back when. Before AF ROTC, he was a Congressional Naval Academy nominee. Both of us emphasized the importance of an engineering major as a break out factor for pilot select for the Navy.
  3. Well, he isn't going to give up what he has unless he has a flight training slot in writing from the Navy. If he stays USAF, he has decided that he would rather be a space operations officer than a CSO. We are here in Florida and both my sons and I are big into NASA, Apollo, STS, and the SLS/Orion program. If he stays the path, he goes to Vandenberg AFB in CA for his first tour, but would end up at CCAFB/KSC at some point, so that would be good for family. He is under contract to the USAF, so the Navy may not even talk to him. I will find out next week. BTW, I never had a recruiter lie to
  4. Sorry to start a separate thread, but my son is a senior in USAF ROTC and will graduate next December. He is a Civil Engineering major at the University of Central Florida. He has been selected for CSO (what the USAF calls back seaters these days), but wants pilot training. He has a high GPA, and high pilot suitability test scores. He is physically fit and looks and acts the part. He wants to be a pilot. Is swapping over to the Navy feasible at this point if they will grant him pilot training? I will contact a Navy officer recruiter here in Jacksonville, of course, but I wanted to find o
  5. Some of you may remember that my son is an ROTC cadet at the University of Central Florida. He had put in for pilot, but today he was notified of his selection for CSO (combat systems officer), which is what the USAF is calling back seaters these days. Before the rated board met, he had already been selected for space operations, which is itself a difficult to get job. Now he has to chose between the two. If you had to chose between being a back seater and being a space operations officer, what would you pick? We have also entertained the possibility of calling up the Navy to see if there
  6. Men for some time now have been complaining about the cost of owning and operating the latest Gillette high tech razor..the most recent of which introduced us to a dyson ball type thingy that is supposed to help keep the cartridge flush to the face for maximum closeness. I have one, and it works. How much closer the dyson ball thingy gets, if at all, I can't say. It feels a little closer. Gillette has always been first rate and I have no complaints, except for the cost of replacement blades, which as we all know, are very expensive. If you were changing out once a week during your Sunday
  7. Oh, yeah. They are kind of our unofficial ARC band. Think about it. Most of us are guys. Most of us are smart. Most of us prefer quality over hacked out crap and their music is very craftsmanship like. They have intelligent lyrics. Most of us are about right age to have been influenced by them over the years, and they are the last real band standing from the classic/early progressive era of rock. They are a thinking man's band. We fit their demographic perfectly. They even have a song about the space shuttle. I was an Aerosmith fan in high school until they pretty much lost it in 7
  8. I wonder how many of those Airfix 737's have been sold over the years. It has to be the best selling airline kit of all time. It seems like you see at least one at every show. There were two at the show on Saturday, and I have one in progress sitting on my workbench.
  9. The Holy Trinity is putting together a 34 city 40th anniversary tour for the Summer. I have my tickets already for the Tampa show May 24th. I don't know how long these guys can keep going. They are already making jokes on stage about how old they are. In any case, they are clearly approaching the end of their career, so if you have never seen them live, there may not be many more chances. They good news is they have made an effort over the past 20 years to thoroughly document the second half of their career. We will always have that. I see myself down the road, retired, sitting in my "r
  10. I want to send a hearty shout out and extend a very sincere thanks to all those who attended JAXCON 2015 yesterday. The show was very successful, our largest ever, with in the order of 500 models on the tables, a lot of happy participants, and vendors from as far away as Dallas and Cincinnati. Here is a link to an extensive gallery. JAXCON 2015 PICS
  11. I am becoming skeptical about the skeptics. Whenever we attempt to develop a new, expensive weapons system, there emerge hugely divergent opinions within the supposed "expert" community on the cost effectiveness of the system selected, the seriousness of what faults the system/design appears to have, or whether we even need the system at all. You see it over and over. However, assuming a program does not get cancelled or severely curtailed (think B-2, F-22, Seawolf submarine), we almost always end up with a superior weapons system that operates well for the next 30-40 years. The only time
  12. Well, if he lost #1, he most likely VMCd the plane. I have a buddy that used to fly ATRs. Heck, if I had signed with Eagle, I would have flown them as they were my first choice out of Miami. Anyway, I will ask him what the deal is. The plane should have been controllable single engine with a properly trained and proficient crew.
  13. Ok, folks...JAXCON is only a week away, so those of you in the SE get those finishing touches on your latest masterpiece and find your way to Jacksonville, Florida next Saturday. Aside from about a hundred categories, which I believe is probably about as big as it gets except for at the national convention, we will have a boatload of venders in attendance, from garage kit sellers to mainstream distributors of airbrushes, tools, and finishing materials. We will also have the traditional raffle. JAXCON traditionally kicks off the annual show schedule in Region 11, and is the largest show in t
  14. I just want to put in a pitch for JAXCON 2015, coming up fast on Feb 7. JAXCON is one of the largest shows in the southeast, featuring about a hundred categories. Details are here: JAXCON 2015 We are pretty much all set. Our awards are similar to the coins we used last year, except this year we went with a polished finish instead of antique. We also are doing something a little extra this year. To show our appreciation for the support we have received over the past ten years or so as the show has grown and improved, we are giving out 3/4 inch commemorative pins to every entrant (while su
  15. Yeah, but they are awesome, and really good for teaching.
  16. Ok, guys, here is a little video I just put together
  17. I have never had a parcel...incoming or outgoing, lost by the USPS. Everything got where it was supposed to go in a timely manner. I have had a couple of things damaged. I suggest that, given the huge numbers of parcels moved by the USPS, significant mistakes make up a small percentage.
  18. There was nothing wrong with the S-3's first life. Retiring its ASW capability was potentially a big mistake had we gone toe to toe with Rooskies. For those who say that is very unlikely, okay, but you guard against your potential enemies capability, not the current political climate, which can change much more quickly than you can field a new major weapons system. That is why we continue to field new fighters like the F-22 an F-35. Russia continues to build and operate advanced nuclear subs, although at a much reduced rate. To leave the protection of our CVNs entirely in the hands of dire
  19. Got one in the mail today. I will do an in box video review on it when I get a chance.
  20. Well, as good as Brady turned out to be, I agree about the stupidity of the "tuck rule." Once the ball leaves the QB's hand, it is a pass. If the ball is knocked out prior to that, it is a fumble. The only exception would be if his arm is moving forward, he gets hit, the ball comes lose, clearly has passing momentum, and travels forward, it is an incomplete pass. But that is not what happened. Brady was in the process of throwing, felt the rush coming, decided to pull the ball down, and got hit and FUMBLED the ball before he could secure it. I don't like the Raiders, but in my view, Brad
  21. Who, the MOD for thinking about buying P-8, or MPA capability?
  22. A couple of years back I ordered some SNJ Spray Metal and polishing powders from Hawkeye's Hobbies. I just wanted to give it a try. Not long after that, there was an announcement from the owner that he was shutting down production and moving on to promote his Scale Modeling Hour internet radio show. "Thanks to all of our customers, etc." So I am on Sprue Brothers today and I notice they are carrying the line. Is this just old stock from several years ago? Has someone bought the product and is still producing it? There is no mention of a resumption of production on the Hawkeye website.
  23. Ok, here is the answer to your question. If you are using gloss white, it isn't so much the white that is yellowing as it is the gloss in the white. Use flat white, with lacquer thinner (covers better). Once you have adequate coverage, lightly rub down your flat white with 0000 steel wool. It will smooth down to a nice satin. Then apply your gloss, but use a clear lacquer or acrylic, not an enamel that looks too amber in the bottle. It should gloss up nicely and your coat should be thin so that any yellowing that takes place over the years will not be visible. Works for me!
  24. Well, there are always going to be haters. I remember them with the F-14, F-18, SuperHornet, and F-22. Funny thing is that usually the same folks that hate on one program are quick to transfer their hate to the next program when the previous one proves itself. It will be the same with the F-35, which I am certain will enter service and turn out to be a much better jet than its critics think. Also, about this critical comment, "When it enters service it will be a 20 year old jet." As was pointed out, the B-2 and F-22 are already that old, and the F-35 is over 100 jets in. No other country
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