Stan The Man

2008-06-03T07:04:00.003+09:00

So what do you do when people want you to post new stuff to your blog but you haven't taken any pictures? Rearrange your old pictures to a cool song...enjoy! Two more days and a wake up!

2008-06-01T14:58:00.002+09:00

It's not a very good picture but it's something. From left to right we have AT2 Scaff (my nugget for the trip), Me (aka "mission commander")...kidding... and LT Moeser (brand new Patrol Plane Commander) and pretty decent pilot. Wait a minute...who's flying the plane!?

2008-05-27T14:04:00.002+09:00

I was looking through the pictures I have taken during this deployment (and looking for something to post on my blog to make the women in my life happy) and I stumbled across this picture I took during one of the plane washes. I don't quite know why this picture stood out but I think it looks pretty cool. Like a happy accident, you never know when a cool picture is going to happen!

2008-05-27T13:40:00.003+09:00

When it rains, it pours!!! I have seen this several times since I've been here but this is the first time I have thought to take pictures of it. The flooding you see here is after about 30 minutes of rain. In fact during the storm I couldn't even see across the street. This is the view from my room.

The base of this building is sitting in about 4 to 5 inches of water...

...this is the same building only five minutes later!! Surf's up dude! The funny thing is, some of the guys are complaining about going back to Washington because, "it rains all the time!?". Weird..

2008-05-16T19:42:00.004+09:00

Ahhhh! There's nothing like a day on the golf course. This is the course on Kadena Air Force base, Okinawa; and here is the line up for twilight golf.

For all you golf savvy people out there, no laughing. This is my fourth time on the course and I'll have you know the second time I EVER played I shot two holes for par and out drove my buddy's two hundred some odd dollar driver with a set of cheap rental clubs!! For all of you non-golf savvy people that means I'm freaking awesome!!! Well, all until my tee-off on this 198 yard par 3 which ended up with a lot of top spin and barely made it past the ladies tee block. Note: also for all of you non-golf savvy people, if a man doesn't clear the lady's tee on the first drive he has to play the rest of the hole with his pants down! Hey, I don't make the rules.

Meet Aric. The man responsible for introducing me to this wonderful sport and teaching me the ways of the course. Under his careful guidance and instruction I have learned how to tee-off, hit a fairway wood, an iron, a wedge, and a putter. I can judge distance, choose the correct club for the occasion and sort of aim in the right direction. Next lesson: how to tell your wife you want to buy a set of golf clubs. Apparently there really is no tried and true approach to this lesson. It really is more about trial and error. (I love you honey!)

Observe the exquisite form and intense concentration as I try to crack my ball out of the rough to attempt 200 yards to the green. I also used this same method to trim the weeds on the back nine! There is nothing more satisfying than really connecting with a ball and watching it sail in the direction you intended it to go, and I'm really hoping to experience that feeling some day! I really did have a great time golfing and yes, I'm hooked. Speaking of being hooked I have noticed a striking similarity between golf and fishing...a bad day on the course is better than a good day at work...Go Navy!!!!!

2008-05-08T19:38:00.002+09:00

This is the view from the window in my room. I thought the sunset was pretty cool looking and I wanted to share it with all of you. That is the coast of Okinawa over looking the Pacific Ocean.

Annie, I want to thank you for the package you sent. I was going to post a picture of the contents of the package but they never left the hanger. You have made a lot of sailors very happy and slightly fatter;-D. All I have left is this cool card you made, and just to jazz up the picture a little I threw some of my patches in to the mix. You see, I always open my packages at work and share the contents. Noel has used this fact in the past to play some pretty funny tricks on me! You will have to ask her about that in a less public setting!! Anyway, when my fellow sailors peered into the box full of goodies you sent there was no holding them back, from my commanding officer on down, everyone enjoyed! Thank you for lifting the spirits of a few homesick sailors.

2008-04-26T18:00:00.002+09:00

Sometimes we need to take a moment and reflect on the things that are NOT; and be grateful! For example, I am grateful I am NOT a crewman on this HS-53. Although it is very cool and one of the most powerful helicopters in the world, its glide slope during an engine failure or heaven forbid a gearbox failure is not so impressive. They also have a wonderful tendency to roll over and sink quickly in the event of a ditch. However, these babies are impressive and are used to transport troops and equipment into battle. When I say equipment I mean like Humvee's, armored transports, large guns...you know, big stuff! The most impressive aspect of this aircraft...

...it folds up nice and neat to be tucked away when we are all done with it. Next thing you know it'll fold up into a brief case so you can carry with you on your way to work at Spacely Sprockets!

2008-04-25T19:23:00.004+09:00

This is my "nugget" AE3 Jenson (that is how we refer to our unqualified engineers). She has proven to be a pretty good protege and is promising to become one of VP-1's better flight engineers. The book she is reading that looks a lot like a giant coffee table bible is our flight manual and we are required to have most of it committed to memory. My job is to make sure Ms. Jenson is very familiar with the contents of that manual. So our flights go something like this; "Hey Jenson, how many engines do we have on this plane?" "Hold on AD1, I'll look it up!". This dramatization was highly simplified to enhance your comprehension of the events that actually take place in flight!

Alright, some of you have been giving me a lot of grief because I haven't posted on my blog in a while. I won't mention any names Noel, but I am here to prove I have been busy protecting the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. For example, do you see the boat in this picture? We are flying about 200 ft above this boat. You know that the fishermen on this boat are going to have to clean out their undershorts after my GIANT plane came screaming by at 200 knots. And do you know what they saw when they looked up? "NAVY" painted right on the side of the aircraft. That fisherman will think twice before messing with us! Consider yourself protected.

I know, enough with the pictures of an engine shut down already! I just never get enough of the fact that this is a standard practice of ours.

This is from the back of the plane looking toward the flight station. I can't tell you what any of this stuff does so don't ask! Just kidding. The plastic cylinders with the brass nubs sticking out of them are sono-buoys. We shoot them out of the plane and listen for things in the water... you know, like underwater things...OK submarines!!

The best part of being a flight engineer is the rack in the foreground is the pilot's and the one in the back is mine! Works out well on those long 12 hour flights through the night. When you are responsible for safety-of-flight, you get a place to sleep!

I know what you are thinking, Stan is using his Jedi powers to levitate the aircraft so maintenance can repair the landing gear. Close! Actually the plane is on jacks; really big jacks, and this is a procedure that is required any time you change a component of the landing gear.

So this is all fine and dandy, but what actually happened to place an aircraft up on jacks, in the hanger, with its landing gear in a compromising position?

This is a landing gear door, and the rod that is broken in half is responsible for closing this particular landing gear door. The manufacture does not issue these rods in this condition; this one is broken. Guess who found it like this...yep and to think, I was getting ready to take the plane up for a test flight!

OK, I know this picture looks like I slaughtered my crew. Although the thought has crossed my mind I have decided against that course of action. This is what it looks like when you have preflighted your second plane for the night, it's close to midnight and #2 engine failed to start because it's spewing fuel all over the ground. Yes, the fluid on the deck is not blood, its fuel. So now you know why I have not had the time to update my blog. Remember; terrorist beware!!!!

2008-03-31T17:20:00.003+09:00

Now don't jump to conclusions...this is not a modified P-3; it's a C-2 Cod. This is the plane you want to see if you ever find yourself floating around on one of those aircraft carriers. This aircraft represents either a ride off of the boat or transportation of mail onto the boat. Either way, these guys are a lot like Santa Clause year around. I know what you are saying, your saying, "Stan how good can a plane be if the darn wing is broken?". Well, believe it or not it's designed to do that! They can fit a lot more planes on a carrier deck if the wings fold up. Right, just one more thing to go wrong in flight! "Sir! we seem to be loosing altitude!" "Well no kidding, you forgot to unfold the wings!" That's a conversation I could do without; however, the P-3 does have a red guarded wing jettison switch in the flight station...hmmm, better leave that switch alone!

2008-03-30T16:28:00.015+09:00

Well I promised to post some pictures when something exciting happened to me and out of the blue an opportunity to take a trip to a couple must see spots on Okinawa opened up. This is Shaikinaen, an Inn where royalty would house and entertain their guests.

This is one of the main rooms in the Inn. It looks pretty cool but the walls are paper-thin! HA!!

Outside I found Yertle the Turtle of Solla-ma-sond. I'm not quite sure if he is king of this pond!

In true Japanese, I'm sorry, Okinawan' style(the people of Okinawa do not consider themselves Japanese), shoes must be removed before going inside. I should have worn my flip-flops. Yes honey, my new socks already have holes in them!! :-).
I was fortunate enough to be there at the same time a wedding party was showing up. The bride and groom were gracious enough to allow me to take a picture. American tourists...man!

Before our next stop we had lunch at the mall. This my friends is fast food Okinawa style! Delicious noodles and beef with sprouts and ginger cooked up on the grill before my very eyes. The dish on the left is octopus balls. Now let's keep it G-rated gang! This dish has nothing in common with Rocky Mountain Oysters! Oh, and the drink is Green Tea Soda.
Shurijo Castle...perhaps the most rebuilt structure on the island. This structure has been burned down and rebuilt four times! Not to mention it was reduced to rubble when the Japanese invaded and again during WWII. What you are seeing here is what was rebuilt after WWII. It is an important symbol to the Okinawans' and is considered a national treasure. With this kind of history I'll bet it is real hard to keep an insurance company...maybe they should switch to Geico!

So my buddy Jeremy and I noticed that every time the locals take pictures of each other they flash the peace sign. So we thought we would blend in a little...Oh yeah, that's the King's throne in the background!
Hey! Who is that guy? I don't know but his face sure rings a bell! This bell is called Tomoya or the "Bridge to the Nations Bell".
This guy is the local sheriff in town keepin' law an order in these parts. He guards the Kobiki gate to ensure tourists strictly adhere to the law of the land.

Afterwards we went to the AC/DC concert and totally rocked out!! No these guys aren't AC/DC, they were the opening band, "Boys to Men";-). Alright, that's not true either. This was a little production of Japanese theater, don't ask me what it's called...I don't know, but it was pretty cool and I got to hang out back stage with the band after the show...right!
I can neither confirm nor deny allegations of impersonating a lion statue outside the Zuisen gate. I don't know what the definition "is" is and I refuse to comment further.
How to win friends and influence peo...well...water foul?? "Hey mister ducky you sure do have a nice bill!" Well, its a start anyway. So if you like to go sit in the park and feed the birds, who do you feed when the birds decide to sit with you? All in all it was a great day. I have been deployed to this area three times and this is the first time I ventured out to absorb this much culture. There is a lot of history here and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area.

2008-03-23T20:50:00.003+09:00

Alright! There is a nasty rumor going around about me not doing any work on deployment. You know who you are and don't even try to deny it! I would just like to prove with this simple picture that I am in fact working my tail to the bone. Do you see any toys or play things in this picture? NO! Just work stuff! Work, work, work, work!!! And this poor gentleman comes to me, why? Because he doesn't know how a P-3 works. So I'm showing him how it "works". See, lots of work...nothing but work. Man I'm tired.

2008-03-20T20:56:00.005+09:00

Ahhh...a meal fit for a king sitting atop a grand dining table with only the finest cutlery. By the way that is the same knife I clean fish with and perform light maintenance on my aircraft!

Now watch as the king rules his domain...all 70 square feet of it! Well, cheers!

2008-03-10T13:23:00.004+09:00

Emma and Daddy loving the great outdoors.
Torrey and Daddy having a great time!

My little girls have been reminding me that I haven't posted anything on my blog for a while. Well, I don't have any recent pictures but I do have some pictures of a hike I took the girls on just before deployment. I hope this will do.

So my beloved wife has asked me to participate in a questioner that originated on her friends blog and so on and so forth and you get the picture. So to ensure continued martial bless I have agreed to this rather "girly" activity. I only hope that I will still maintain my masculinity and dignity and that no one will hurt my feelings and make me cry!

What is your full name? Stanton Allmen Culbertson; although my middle name was supposed to be, Allman, but there was a little typo on my birth certificate. I was named after my two grandfathers Stan and Allman. My Grandfather on my mom's side was actually Edwin Stanton Miller the II but that's too snooty of a name for a Naval flight engineer! It's like having a guy named "Charles of Exxon" change the oil in your car. No thanks! Have Chuck do the work. No offense Charles.

How long have we been married? 8 or 9 years or so but who's really counting? Can't we all just live in the now? I'm glad I've got the most wonderful woman in the universe to stand by my side and keep track of such things. :-D

What is your dream job? A P-3 orion flight engineer! Oh, I'm sorry, I miss-understood the question. I thought you said "ream job"...my bad! Ok, I'll try again. I think a float plane pilot/flyfishing guide.

What is your favorite Car? A 57 Chevy Bel Air, two door, hard top with a tricked out 350 under the hood all restored by yours truly!

What is your claim to fame? This is a tough one. I have accomplished so much "fame" worthy stuff in my life. Like I threw my mother-in-law out of my sailboat, I have a special affection for cats!!! (like in my gun sights), I am extremely anal (just look at my toolbox), but I think the kicker is my wife is friends with the scrapbooker of the year.

What do you like to do? I love to hang out with my family. We just got a new camper so I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time with them in the woods after this deployment.

What's your biggest fear? Failure...but my first biggest fear is something happening to my family while I'm overseas.

What animal describes you? A cat! Just kidding. A Honey Badger. I'm stubborn and I must achieve my objective even if it kills me.

If you could live in any era which one would it be? The late 1700's because I would have loved to be part of the forming of our country.

What is your guiltiest pleasure? I love to wash the car. I know...weird! Think about it. I get to fire up the pressure washer, play in my garage with all of my tools, watch the kids play in the water and try to stand up when they use the pressure washer and at the end of it all my car has bling bling!!

What do you love about your spouse? Everything! Even the things that drive me crazy I love. Most of all she always bring a smile to my face and keeps me from taking myself too seriously. She reminds me to take a breath and enjoy the simple things in life. And she is HOT!!!

I don't have any tags so there!

2008-02-28T20:54:00.005+09:00

Welcome to the first annual VP-1 Screaming Eagles fashion show! We have lots of new and exciting outfits to strut the hanger deck in style so just sit back and enjoy! Here our CMC shows off a new line of military casual wear. Note the swimmies and snorkel to accessorize this stunning ensemble.

Terra shows off the latest in semi-formal beach/rain wear. Note the sleek lines and color coordination. You go sister with your bling-bling! This will certainly turn some heads and attract the kind of attention you deserve!

Alright...you caught me horsing around. What do all of these individuals have in common? They all won a popularity contest! That's right. You know the kind where you put your favorite person on a list to take part in a plane wash and then back it up with some green. Well these people really know how to bring in the green!
And here is our group of celebrities. You may be asking yourself why I'm not standing there...well, people like me! Actually I won the contest last deployment. Yep, nothing more fun than washing a plane...except maybe slamming your finger in the door!

P.S. If you haven't figured it out yet...I'm back in Japan...

2008-02-13T08:26:00.001+09:00

This place is a local favorite. Great food and atmosphere, let me introduce you to our chef.

Chef Rico starts out with some potatoes and onions, yum.

So I'll bet your wondering how I knew my chef's name. Well, my investigative skills are highly refined. And the egg was a good clue too.

If your chef arranges your fried rice into a heart shape it can only mean one of two things, either he wants your phone number or a good tip!

It's hard to believe that explosion on the grill is my steak...and it was gooooooooood!

After a while chef Rico taught me some of the tricks of the trade. Let me just say based on the final destination of that bowl of rice, I think I'll stick with airplanes!

...and this is my sensor 3 radar operator...yeah... We are so proud of him!

2008-02-12T16:12:00.001+09:00

So today my crew decided to blow off some steam at the go-cart track and we had a blast! There are some differences between American cart tracks and the third world tracks. You'll get a better sense of this as you look further into this post.

I got the mean, green machine! It was pretty fast and handled in the corners pretty well. It is an unwritten rule that the foot never comes off of the gas pedal in the world of go-carts...unless you're a pansy, then its okay.

Look closely, yes that is a goat in the middle of the track. How to tell you're in the third world lesson one; goats are everywhere!

Lesson two; the goats family is forever enshrined in the furniture. Dude, this bench really bites!

Lesson three; Although one may be so inclined to blame the condition of this cart on my navigator's driving skills (notice the steering wheel bent forward and the front tires slightly out of alignment; oh yeah, and the giant dent in the front bumper), we can look to lesson four for more wisdom on this subject.

Lesson four; never trust the maintenance practices of an organization that can't be sued! This rod is responsible for connecting the steering wheel to the front tires. In the picture it simply came unbolted, not broken...UNBOLTED!!!, which put my navigator in a ditch on the other side of the tire fence with the cart on top of him at about 35 mph...OUCH! He's pretty shakin up, but I think he'll live. Funny, when track owner saw what the problem was he let us go without paying for damages to his cart! Image that, what a guy.

2008-02-07T11:14:00.000+09:00

Here is a little something I put together for all of you who have faithfully visited my blog. I hope you enjoy!

2008-02-04T12:43:00.000+09:00

Even on this side of the world we can still get a live feed of the Superbowl! We had a little party at work with TONS of food. Funny thing is there are a lot of guys with the stomach flu so there was a lot of food left over. Unfortunately, I was only able to catch the last part of the fourth quarter which was the defining moment in the game anyway! Go Giants! What do you think life in Vegas is like right now?

2008-01-29T14:44:00.001+09:00

Just some more pictures from my office. This is what a short final to landing looks like. If it is too short of a final we call it a crash!

You know how you see shapes in nature and they look kinda familiar? Well I saw this arrow in the water and I thought I would photoshop a heart shaped island into the picture. Pretty good, don't you think?

2008-01-23T22:50:00.001+09:00

So I got a little bored during my twelve hour flight today so I thought I would mess with my camera. Mostly because I wanted to surprise my wife with my mad camera skills!

2008-01-21T15:27:00.001+09:00

So Noel asks me the other day, "If Mount Pinatubo erupted out there, aren't there any damaged buildings, and if there are can you get a picture of one?" Yes honey, there are; and yes honey, I can.

Does anyone recognize this Vietnam relic. It's the UH-1 Huey, the work horse of the war. The PAF (Philippines Air Force) still flies these things...and you thought P-3's were old!

Don't be fooled by the Ferrari emblem on this hood. There are other indications that this may not be the real thing.

WATCH OUT!!!! If the 2008 elections don't go well, this could be the future of the HumVee:-0

...and now for something completely different! A man riding his bike with a giant box on his head...rrrrright. What else needs to be said?

2008-01-20T13:31:00.000+09:00

Well howdy folks. With the high operating cost in commercial travel let me show you what some airlines are doing to cut their overhead in the name of competitive airfares. When the airlines cuts costs, you win...or crash...but let us not focus on such negative topics. Well, enough stalling...on to exhibit A.

Can you spot the cost savings in this picture. Some would think shedding unnecessary weight would result in fuel savings but some would be wrong. NO! This entrepreneurial airline figured if you remove enough necessary weigh (like the propulstion systems) the aircraft will go nowhere and burn no fuel, thereby passing the savings on to its passengers. Genius!

...how about the cost saving technique used in this picture? If you answered maximized economy class seating, pat yourself on the back! You are correct!!!

And finally, there is no reason an airline (even an economy airline) can't offer free coffee. However, you can drive away at least half of your potential coffee drinkers by using a real gay looking coffee pot! (By the way, this is our coffee pot at work...Hey man, don't worry! I'm secure!)

2008-01-17T13:23:00.001+09:00

Just some more flying pictures. My beloved wife requested more of these and I am more than happy to accommodate!

And finally I thought we could enjoy a nice romantic sunset at 29,000 feet together. Can you see the strobe light reflecting off of the engine nacelle? I think it really adds to the mood. I wish the picture would have turned out a little more clear, but its hard to focus my camera at 405 knots!

2008-01-16T23:23:00.001+09:00

FREEZE! Or I'll give you a ridicules smile and see how many chins I can make while I'm listening to my ipod.
Here are the tools of the trade. My flight manual (NATOPS) and my 9MM pistol. The flight manual is for keeping the aircraft in the air, and the pistol is for when the flight manual fails. So far, flight manual: over 1700 hours, pistol: zero! Life is good:-)
If you were my flight station looking at me, this is what I would look like, a king upon his throne, ruler of his domain, and severally over-exposed...
Finally, there are those of you who are fascinated with the speed of my aircraft (and you know who you are!!!). For you I give you the airspeed indicator. That's right, the one on the top left. Although we are capable of speeds up to 405 knots at sea level, you can see we are only doing 220 knots at the moment. Sorry for the disappointment:-(.

2008-01-15T17:39:00.001+09:00

This one is for my woman. There is nothing she likes more than HOT SWEATY GUY fresh out of the gym. Well, maybe a hot sweaty guy that figured out how to use the auto timer on his camera;-)

2008-01-12T21:49:00.001+09:00

Just to prove that I am working, here are some pictures of the view from my office. Man! That looks like a good fishing spot...errr...right! I was talking about work.
I have been accused of having my head in the clouds. Now come on...is that such a bad thing?
For those non-aviation types, this is what a 20 degree angle of bank looks like with a volcano outside...just in case you wanted to know.
And finally, look at all of the switches buttons and levers I get to play with. I wonder what that red one does!?

2008-01-10T15:08:00.000+09:00

When the going gets tough, the tough go to Rodizio's Brazilian Barbecue, where the tough can eat a ton of meat and become fat and lazy, at which point...

...the tough can retire to their quaint little hotel room for a good nights sleep and wake up to...

...a beautiful view from the sixth story overlooking the golf course and the mountains, at which point the tough gets out of bed and...
...roams the hotel compound in search for a really cool car to pose like a retard in front of. Yeah, it's not easy being tough as nails and living in these conditions, but I think I'll manage!

2008-01-06T14:07:00.001+09:00

For Sale: One slightly used, low mileage F8U-1 Crusader. Act now to become the proud owner of the A-7 Corsair II's older brother. But wait...there's more...if you order your Crusader in the next 2 hours...
...I'll outfit it with a real big tailpipe. That's right! Be the loudest jet at the stop light and impress your friends. The bigger your tailpipe the cooler you are!
That's right friends, come one down and see me for the deals of a life time! Don't let these babies "fly" (yeah, right) off the lot without you. Void where prohibited, some restrictions apply, offer limited to dealer invoice. wings not included.

2008-01-04T20:59:00.001+09:00

Ok, so my IFT and I went to great lengths to ensure my blog will contain quality photographs and the ballistic helmet and flack jacket were just the items needed to spice up an otherwise boring picture.
Hey! Stop working and get to clowning around! My IFT gives his best "Captain" pose. We are so proud of him;-).
A good military man knows when to use protection. Hey, get your mind out of the gutter, this is serious business!

2008-01-01T23:46:00.001+09:00

To all who frequent this blog, I apologize for the tardiness of this post. So here we go...the VP-1 Screaming Eagles do Christmas in Okinawa; and what could be more merry than a happy sailor in a Santa hat enjoying the egg nog or what ever...
...or my flight surgeon and intel officer in really festive attire...
...or Chief Bryant with a rather feminine looking gift bag...
...or the secret Santa gifts (all under $10.00 a bag)...
...or joy of seeing my O-4's having a good time (it's kinda like the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future, but no bah humbug's this year...we are having a Christmas party!). What ever it is that makes you merry have a great Christmas and a happy New Year! P.S. somebody left the OPS officer a lump of coal on his desk for Christmas...and we still had a party. What a guy!

2007-12-23T18:14:00.000+09:00

A wise man once told me that the woman behind the man is the woman mentioned on the vat board...behind the man! On behalf of the VP-1 Flight Engineers from half way around the world, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOEL!!!!" I hope you have a great birthday honey. I love you. December 23, year and age are classified...sorry.

2007-12-23T17:33:00.000+09:00

Here is a special post to honor the men and women that roll up their sleeves and maintain the aircraft I fly. Here is their office...the hanger.

At first glance this may appear to be a game of ping pong. However, this is an important tool to measure ones worth and establish a pecking order. Now you may ask, "what does this have to do with maintenance?"...Nothing, but a happy maintainer is a productive maintainer so there!

These are the guys that keep the engines running and ensure the wings don't fall off. I like these guys...although it may appear there is a lot of lounging going on, don't be quick to judge...I took this picture during one of their union mandated breaks ;-).

Ok, my job is to put warheads on foreheads, but who's going to put warheads on my airplane? The answer; these guys...the Ordnance Men! If you like to lift heavy stuff and blow stuff up these guys might be able to help you out!

Should I be alarmed that the only shop in the hanger that has a plastic scull is the guys responsible for maintaining my personal survival gear? Maybe I'm just over reacting...

...and here is the guy responsible for the plastic scull and my survival equipment. Keep it real brother! I am a big fan of your work. To all the the maintainers of Patrol Squadron One, thank you for all your hard work.

2007-12-21T16:27:00.000+09:00

2007-12-19T20:22:00.001+09:00

Finally I got a break in the flight schedule and it's time to go out on the town an indulge in some local cuisine at Yoshie's sushi bar, a long standing favorite ...and yes we do have snowmen on subtropical islands.
Here is the Yoshi's spicy tuna roll with sea eel at the top for dessert. Yum! (why ruin perfectly good fish by cooking it)
You can't see it very well in this picture but some of the tables have holes in the floor below them for those of us who are not used to sitting cross legged at the table. I'm thinking they reserve those tables for us Americans. It's just a thought.

Just remember your manners and remove you shoes before dining...it's more sanitary that way...the smell of dirty feet goes well with raw fish;-D. It's a Japanese thing.

2007-12-17T15:53:00.001+09:00

General Patton once said, "Patriotism is not dieing for your country, it's getting the other dumb bast#@! to die for his." Well general, it's good to be a patriot! I'm going hunting.

2007-12-17T15:27:00.001+09:00

A lineman keeps the area around the aircraft safe while engines are running. These things have been known to chop up birds, animals, and Chinese aircraft! Where was the lineman then ;-D.

2007-12-15T12:58:00.001+09:00

So Santa does come to Japan! Funny, I didn't know he had a Japanese accent.

2007-12-14T17:37:00.001+09:00

Okay, so I'm not a photographer...but I think this picture turned out pretty darn good. Look at that big ______ plane!

2007-12-12T15:22:00.000+09:00

No that engine is not broken, I am simply employing a simple fuel saving technique. At low altitudes it is a common practice to loiter (shut down) an engine in order to reduce our fuel burn. You should try this technique in you car. If you're burning too much fuel simply shut down one of your four engines and watch how much fuel you save!

2007-12-12T15:08:00.001+09:00

Here is a picture from deployment past. Meet your pilots; on the left, LT Mabbit, and on the right, LT Mabbit. That's right, husband and wife. You don't see that every day. So the story behind this unusual event starts towards the end of my last deployment when LT Mabbit's squadron (on the right) was in the process of taking over for LT Mabbit's squadron (on the left) and we were tasked to fly the admiral to deja-do Korea just days before my flight back home off of deployment. There was a lot of brass on that flight to include my commanding officer, the commanding officer of VP-46 plus the boss man himself. It just goes to show that with that much brass around, anything can happen.

2007-12-09T17:47:00.001+09:00

You may be saying to yourself, "for being deployed, there sure is a lot of playing going on", but I assure you this was business of the most serious type. This was a face off between my crew and Combat Aircrew 5. This was a duel to the death, to determine who really is the best. I'm am proud to announce that we beat them twice, but they sure put up a good fight. It's not easy being the best ;-).

2007-12-09T13:48:00.001+09:00

Here is my family for the next six months....Combat Aircrew 10 (yeah baby!)

2007-12-08T20:58:00.001+09:00

Home sweet home! Nothing beats geographic batcher billeting! FYI; Habu is a type of poisonous snake that lives on the island. What a great place to hang my hat...or flight suit...what ever!

2007-12-08T07:11:00.002+09:00

After my crew finished a platter of lumpia (dog, cat, or some kind of meat, wrapped in little burrito looking things and deep fried...yummy!) we discovered the platter this amazing dish came on had certain aerodynamic qualities. Pictured is my IFT (In Flight Technician) demonstrating his "discus" pose in lieu of our intense on board game of Frisbee.

2007-12-07T16:54:00.000+09:00

Some pictures are worth the trouble one goes through (or gets into).

2007-12-07T16:44:00.001+09:00

So this is the face of my wife, Noel, while I'm on deployment. Thank God for web cams! Isn't she pretty? Right now she is talking me through the "blog set up" procedures. Smart and pretty! I sure am a luck guy.

Welcome to My Blog

2007-12-07T15:55:00.001+09:00

Hey everyone! After much persuasion my beloved wife has talked me into starting my own blog. Because I love her and it is in my best interest to keep her happy, and because I live an exciting fun-filled life packed with adventure, danger, and romance; I have decided to share my experiences with you via my blog (all except the romance, that's private!). So Enjoy!

2007-12-07T13:46:00.000+09:00

Here is my new blog. I don't have anything to post right now, but give me time.