Ninety Thousand Views

Somewhere around 1200 hours local time, I got viewer number 90,000. Good Grief Charlie Brown!
Again, many, many thanks to Buck, Jeff, Kath, Ann, Cindy(My Sweet Georgia Peach), Opus, My Sister and Joy!
Wow! Next stop is the Big 100K!
Thanks to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hot girl A-10 high-res checkers…we should play (34 HQ Photos)

Awesome goodness high-res checkers from The Brigade!
Keep Calm and Chive On!








The above are to generate some interest. The rest are at the link!
Chive On, my Friends and Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
http://thebrigade.thechive.com/2011/12/28/hot-girl-a-10-high-res-checkers%E2%80%A6we-should-play-25-hq-photos/#close

A-29 Super Tucano Wins Air Force Bid for Light Air Support Mission (Updated at 1100-31December2011)

The Brazilians got the deal. Hawker Beechcraft is going to court and all to stop this as they got left out of the process. Hard to believe since most of the IAM&AW rank and file there voted overwhelmingly for the current administration. I was working there at the time.

And Hawker Beechcraft is in some trouble, two of the small jet lines are not shut down but not building anythng. The King Air is at half the rate it was when I was there.

That being said, I think the Super Tucano is a better platform for what is needed. The AT-6 is a trainer with hard points. The Super Tucano is a derived from the original trainer but is a larger, more powerful aircraft. I am trying to be objective here, folks. Combat Airplanes have made up a significant part of my adult life. Even now, I am a crew chief on F-16's at Edwards AFB.

The final assembly for these A-29s will be in Jacksonville FL on the old NAS Cecil Field.
Now for the caveat as it were. Seems that some time back I read an article on Air Attack, I do believe that had Brazil buying a fair number of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E & F aircraft for their Air Force. This is good for the folks in Saint Louis should it come to fruition.

But here is the article from MSN Money on it. There are all kinds of articles on the net about this and I am sure we haven't heard the last of it by any stretch.
http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=PR&Date=20111230&ID=14656335

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_EMB_314_Super_Tucano#Specifications_.28EMB_314.29

http://www.hawkerbeechcraft.com/military_and_special_mission/light_attack.aspx This link has no specifications on the AT-6.
I also have an ex son in law at Hawker Beechcraft. He pays support for my eldest grand daughter. I understand the ramifications of the situation all to well.

AT-6 Artist's Conception

EMB-314(A-29) Super Tucano.

I think the Army would have liked to have a hand in this. I think there are infantry company commanders who would like to have such aircraft at their disposal in combat situations. The fast movers do have all that neat techno blasting stuff. I see the test munitions and the systems engineers every day. But the favorite close support aircraft of the grunts tends to be the A-10. It does it very well, kill the bad guy that is.

I hope I have maintained some objectivity on this. I always remind myself that the F4 went into service over the F8U-3 for having two guys and two engines even though the Crusader out flew it.

This link has some new info at Aero News. I saw it a while ago. Figured it was appropriate to add it in as I am trying to be objective in this fracas.

http://www.aero-news.net/subsite.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=bf570077-b074-45fb-ada7-bed1955d0747

Video Tour of ANA’s First Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Just a link to a few month old post at this particular site.
But, hey it is a good looking airliner........in my most humble estimation!
http://www.airlinereporter.com/2011/08/video-tour-of-anas-first-boeing-787-dreamliner/

Impossibly Rare 'Flying Dorito' (A-12 Avenger II) Canopy For Sale On eBay!

This was at AirPigz. Most interesting indeed. I remember when Cheney cancelled the A-12 program. I wound up with a new phase branch officer. He was a Atlantic Fleet type before coming west. VA-128 was to be the primary lead in for the A-12 program.
http://airpigz.com/blog/2011/12/27/impossibly-rare-flying-dorito-a-12-avenger-ii-canopy-for-sal.html

A War Hero Is Vindicated–Again

Front Page Mag.
This needs to be spread around. The MSM, and the scum we have inside the beltway need to have this shoved in their faces like rubbing a dog's nose in his own crap.

................Seven long years after he allegedly committed “premeditated murder,” Iraq war veteran 

Ilario Pantano, who gave up a comfortable life on Manhattan’s Upper West Side to fight for his country following the September 11th attacks, has been thoroughly vindicated. Thus ends a saga highlighted by an unconscionable rush to judgement by the military, and the subsequent trashing of Mr. Pantano’s reputation by leftists who never miss an opportunity to denigrate American soldiers based on nothing more than unproven allegations...................

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/12/26/a-war-hero-is-vindicated-again/

Europe’s Judenrein Universities

By ROBERT J. AVRECH | DECEMBER 21, 2011

This is the opening three paragraphs from this post. Read it carefully. Then make up your mind.

Since the inception of this blog in May 2004, we have maintained that anti-Zionism is camouflage for Jew-hatred.

During World War II six million Jews were systematically murdered by Germans and their European collaborators. After the war, in a flicker of shame, European Jew-hatred went into a brief eclipse.

But Europe has returned to its ignoble roots.

The rest is at the link below.

http://www.seraphicpress.com/europes-judenrein-universities/#more-6723

Early Afternoon Randomness: My 2011 Christmas Wish List (22 HQ Photos)

Got this at The Throttle which is part of The Chive. I usually have pics of scantily clad lasses posted from The Chive, etc.
Today is a bit of a wish list. I am giving my two favorite toys right here for you all.




Follow the link to the rest and Keep Calm and Chive on!
http://thethrottle.thechive.com/2011/12/22/my-2011-christmas-wish-list-22-hq-photos/

CHRISTMAS 1944 - BASTOGNE

From Stormbringer. Excellent. As Always.
I cannot add anything to this. His prose has it covered quite well, I think.


http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-1944-bastogne.html

Peanuts Christmas at our house.

Spiffy ain't it?

 The Missus found the Charlie Brown Tree at the Rite Aid here in Cal City. Kind of neat, I figured. So I decided to share it with all.

So, from Our House in The High Desert, A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!