Celebrity Backseaters

So which jet was Bill Elliot in? The F-15 or the F-16?

Bill Elliot was in the F-16. the F-16 returned, the F-15 crashed.

I launched out nick lachey when him and jessica were in germany

Did you see miss Jessica? Did you get to talk to them at all? That had to be a good day at work

Kevin Millwood (Major League Baseball player) was at Luke Air Force Base yesterday (March 28th) for a spin in an F-16.

A loser, has been, alleged "star" like Nick Lachey gets an incentive ride, while troops (esp. the Crew Dogs) continuously get denied. What the Foxtrot is this world coming to?

Hope that little fairy had to use several "travel bags".

Of course, I can't b#tch too loudly I guess...I got my rides.

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

I'm just a nobody (USAF type maintainer) but this last Viper ride gave me a total of 86 hours in the B-Model, another 15 in the D-Model...WoW - How lucky was that!

Not bragging, just being very Grateful for the time and experiences I was lucky enough to have...I sure miss the adventures.

Enjoy... Salute to you all...
SMSgt. Tom Wharton (Retired)
A.K.A. Meathook

(thanks to my buddies on the Thunderbirds giving me that nick name back in 1988)

Your worth is a million times more important than some fat congressman or GD celeb. I would have liked to see one of those pukes be a part of one of the 4 jets that went down recently I sincerely believe it is money well spent ( if we had more flying hours. ) to give at least the CC's a minimum of one ride if they wanted to.

Cool photo.

I agree in spades, every aircraft maintainer should get the chance to fly at least once during their tour of duty.

Heres another one, with the Blues....talk about Lucky (I think I have a Four leaf Clover somewhere stuck in my body)

Younger days as an F4 Phantom, Tow Target Operator, Edwards AFB, California (75 and 76).

Old photo would not scan well...sorry

Well, all those wonderful experiences and now I have settled for these experiences, Cessna 340... life goes on for us all.

All the best to you all...
Salute

Meathook, part of the deal for you is you look the part! Heh heh...

Anyhow, going waay back to the ROTC thing, the ride in the T-37/38 is no guarantee. I was totally qualled and didn't get to go

Back my senior year, I was supposed to have flown down at Luke a grand total of 6 times. And 6 times my ride magically disappeared. Oddly enough 6 times the Wing King signed off on me getting to go up. I even had my chamber card too.

I swear the only incentive ride I have ever gotten... hell, the only Air Force aircraft I have ever flown in was a KC-135R back in my second year of high school as a cadet in JROTC. Yes, you can dog me for not having deployed yet (a fact I am very bitter about), but its not for lack of trying.

While I was at Aviano, we gave rides to tons of cadets and celeb types. I don't remember any of the celebs, but the Cadets really pissed me off. Or some of the other CGOs for that matter. The Operation Air Force Cadets actually told me on a tour through the MSA that they "Have to fly AGAIN...." later that afternoon. Like it was some sort of a burden to them. In the two or so weeks they were there, they flew so often, I couldn't believe it.

Then there was this one fella from Intel, because he was in good budy budy with the schedulers, he was flying nearly once a week, just because he had connections. Yet my anual award winners, hell my USAFE Airman Of The Year never got her ride. It took an act of God to get our Shirt a ride.

I just keep telling myself that someday I'll get a ride...

It's one of those "whatever gets you through the night" scenarios.

The backseat of my D models were a source of much frustration over the years. If I wasn't buckling the straps together to keep them from flopping around the empty backseat, I was strapping in some schmuck who didn't deserve to be there in the first place. Then there were the pilots who whined about having to ride bitch. At Moody I launched the CEO of Georgia Power, many student from Valdosta State Univ., our orderly room guy, who forgot to buckle the crotch straps of his harness. Reminded him when he was already in the jet. The guy who lived next to me in the dorms was a one striper, less than a year in, pharmacy puke, and he had been up! If memory serves me correctly, the only maitainer I ever launched was a crew chief from the A-10 squadron in Korea.

This is a pic of my jet in Osan. Flying in the typical D model cockpit configuration, backseat as empty as the day it was built!

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But I'm not bitter, no not me.

You know, in these trying times of forced reductions, budget cuts and generally stressful times, you think the USAF would try everything in its power to give a ride here and there to help keep the morale higher.

I know times have changed and not always for the best, that I am sorry to say but the job at hand is more serious now then ever in recent history.

I am proud of all that wear the uniform and wish to high heaven that all of you could experience that high-G environment at least once during your tenure or tour of duty.

Maybe when things calm a bit (whenever that will be) the USAF will start to reward their troops again with additional incentive rides. I got my fingers crossed for all of you, my youngest son and oldest daughter are both in, I am sure they will never see a ride (sorry to say) but then, their not maintenance related positions.

Keep your fingers crossed folks, work hard (as I know you all do) and maybe one day soon, the USAF and her supervisors, commanders will realize that incentive program is worth more then gold to their troops and get that ball rolling again.

I am hoping that happens sooner rather then later.

Check Six and be cool....Salute to you all.

Go Air Force