CF-18 Hornet Down

This was one lucky pilot with a great ejection system. This CF-18 was lost a few days ago while practicing for an airshow in Alberta. While making his high angle of attack pass the Hornet apparently lost an engine causing the excess yaw and forcing the pilot to eject. A board of inquiry from the Canadian Air Force will be investigating the crash to determine the cause.

Pic Of The Day

Nice shot of the welcome ceremony for the F-22 at Hickam AFB with the Hawaii ANG
Photo USAF

Apache's 2 Terrorists Zero

Via Weasel Zippers. It is amazing that one terrorist survived the Hellfire shot. Nice work with the 30MM

First Rig Leaves Gulf

As predicted many weeks ago when the one shut down oil drilling in the gulf, the first rig is leaving for Egypt. When these deep water rigs all go so will numerous high paying jobs in the Gulf. More of that hope and change for you.

WASHINGTON — Diamond Offshore announced Friday that its Ocean Endeavor drilling rig will leave the Gulf of Mexico and move to Egyptian waters immediately — making it the first to abandon the United States in the wake of the BP oil spill and a ban on deep-water drilling.

And the Ocean Endeavor's exodus probably won't be the last, according to oil industry officials and Gulf Coast leaders who warn that other companies eager to find work for the now-idled rigs are considering moving them outside the U.S.

Devon Energy Corp. had been leasing the Endeavor to drill in the same region of the Gulf as BP's leaking Macondo well, which has been gushing crude since a lethal blowout April 20.

But Diamond announced Friday it will lease the rig through June 30, 2011, to Cairo-based Burullus Gas Co., which plans to send the Endeavor to Egyptian waters immediately.

Devon is one of three companies that has cited the deep-water drilling ban in trying to ease out of contracts to lease Diamond rigs. Diamond, a drilling company, said it expects to make about $100 million from the deal, including a $31 million early termination fee it recovered from Devon.

Larry Dickerson, CEO of Houston-based Diamond, signaled that other of his company's rigs could be relocated, too.

"As a result of the uncertainties surrounding the offshore drilling moratorium, we are actively seeking international opportunities to keep our rigs fully employed," Dickerson said. "We greatly regret the loss of U.S. jobs that will result from this rig relocation."

It was unclear how many U.S. jobs could leave with the Ocean Endeavor, but typically more than 100 workers are on the rig at any given time, doing everything from drilling to cooking meals. Onshore, a network of businesses supplies the rigs with groceries, equipment, uniforms and drilling materials.

"It's not unusual for an energy service company to have 1,000 vendors that they buy from or purchase services from," noted Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands. As a result, Brady said, the economic damage from the moratorium stretches far and wide.

Fearing for investment
Brady and other oil-patch lawmakers have been pressing President Barack Obama to end the six-month moratorium he imposed on 33 deep-water projects May 27 after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig that was drilling a well for BP.

Obama said the ban was needed to allow time for new safety standards to be implemented and a commission to investigate the cause of the April 20 blowout at BP's Macondo well.

Although the administration on Thursday lost its second bid to keep the ban in place while it appeals a federal court's decision to strike down the moratorium, federal regulators plan to try again with a revised version soon.

Dan Pickering, a financial analyst with Tudor, Pickering Holt & Co. Securities, said the legal uncertainties surrounding the ban - and the administration's plan to issue a new, revised moratorium - ensure that no companies will resume deep-water drilling in U.S. waters anytime soon.

"Are you really going to spend $5 million … getting ready to drill a well that someone would then probably block you from drilling?" Pickering said.

Lawmakers complain
Pickering added that prospects are high that a dozen rigs ultimately could leave the Gulf of Mexico because of the ban.

Brady said the rig owners are searching for revenue - even if it means relocating to get it.

"There are two types of rigs in the deep-water Gulf today: those that are leaving the country and those that want to, because with this moratorium hanging over their heads, they simply can't go back to work," Brady said. "I'm afraid this is the first of many rigs and many American jobs to leave the Gulf."

Once the rigs relocate, it could be a minimum of five to 10 years before they return, predicted Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land.

"We cannot afford to lose these jobs or the energy they provide," Olson said. "President Obama should allow this moratorium to remain lifted and let Americans get back to work."

During trading Friday, Diamond Offshore stock fell 86 cents - or 1.32 percent - to close at $64.40. It has fallen 29 percent from its closing price of $91.20 on April 20, the day the Deepwater Horizon exploded.

jennifer.dlouhy@chron.com

Back in gear

Back for some regular posting I was getting a little burned out at work, but now I'm back and I'm highly motivated with the fool in the White House marching the USA off a cliff giving me renewed energy.

USMC warrior song

Semper Fi

Pic Of The Day

Somali pirates on the deck of the Russian tanker they captured being held by the Russian Special Forces unit that took the ship back. The Somali's are now complaining that these guys did not make it back to shore. To bad I bet no other Russian ship is messed with for awhile.

Last SEAL Innocent

In a trial that should have never happened Navy Seal Matthew McCabe became the third warrior found not guilty of assaulting a killer terrorist today.

Fron FOX
A Virginia military jury found a Navy SEAL not guilty Thursday on all charges he punched an Iraqi suspected in the 2004 killings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah.

“I’m really happy right now,” Matthew McCabe, the Navy SEAL, told Fox News shortly after hearing the outcome of the court martial. “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m on cloud nine right now.”

McCabe, a special operations petty officer second class, called the proceedings “troubling at times,” adding “having your career on the line is not an easy thing to handle.

McCabe was the third and final Navy SEAL to be prosecuted in the case. He had faced charges of assault, making a false official statement and dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee. McCabe was accused of punching last year is Ahmed Hashim Abed, the suspected mastermind of the grisly killings six years ago.

After the court martial, the 24-year-old from Perrysburg, Ohio, thanked the public for its continued support.

Navy Seal Matthew McCabe thanked Americans for their support.

Poles in the Baltic

The latest rotation of NATO's Baltic air policing mission is being conducted by the four Polish air force MiG-29s, the Lithuanian defense ministry announced. The Polish AF has done this mission bfore but with Mig-21'a.

Pic Of The Day

F-16I from the IAF, Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah commanders have nightmares about these guys.

SEALS Court Martial Starts

I cannot belive the Navy is going through this sham court martial. Since the terrorist was and is dirt bag scum it’s shame they took him captive alive. The message this trail sends is a bad one and I can almost guarantee in the future these captives will not be taken care off and brought in for interrogation. My hope is the Navy wises up and dismisses all charges since the prosecution main witness is the scumbag terrorist

From the UPI
Prosecutors have dropped lying charges against two Navy SEALs implicated in an Iraqi detainee abuse case.
Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe still face courts-martial in Norfolk, Va., for allegedly not protecting a reputed terrorist after his capture in Fallujah, Iraq. Huertas also faces a second charge of impeding an investigation.
Charges that the men lied to an investigator were formally withdrawn Tuesday in response to earlier testimony that they were not read their rights.
The case against them and a third Navy SEAL stem from the 2004 detention of Ahmed Hashim Abed. Keefe’s trial is set for April 19, with the case against Huertas will follow. The third defendant, Petty Officer 2nd class Matthew McCabe, is to face a court-martial in May for allegedly hitting Abed in the stomach while Keefe and Huertas were in the room.

M60A1

I had a request to post a pic of the tanks I used to crew on while in the USMCR. Here is a decent pic of an M60A1 medium tank like I was a crewmember on. You know your getting old when the tanks you crewed on are either static displays or on the known distance ranges getting blown away.

SPECS
Weight- 60 tons
Length- 32'4"
Width- 13'6"
Height- 12'6"
Ground Clearance- 18in
Track Width- 28in
Forward speed- 30 mph
Reverse speed- 10 mph
Engine- 750 hp Continental AVDS-1790 V-12 diesel
Vertical- obstacle climb 49 in
Maximum width ditch- 108 in
Fording Depth- 48 in
Main Gun- 105mm/51cal M68 rifiled gun with 63 rounds
Coaxial machinegun- M240 - 7.62mm with 5,950 rounds
Commander's machinegun- M85 - .50 cal antiaircraft gun with 900 rounds

I've been slack

I've been slack over the last few months but I still have a lot to share so I'll be blocking a little time every day for some updates and pics.

A real first pitch

This is how a first pitch should be thrown, not the rainbow that the one threw, soon after he threw our Nuclear deterrent under the bus.

First USAF not Army Air Corps MOH Award

Major Benard Fisher the United States Air Force's first medal of honor recipient

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

MAJOR

BERNARD FRANCIS FISHER

AIR FORCE

For service as set forth in the following:

CITATION:

For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Major Bernard Francis Fisher, United States Air Force, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Pilot with the 1st Air Commando Squadron, 14th Air Commando Wing, in action near Bien Hoa and Pleiku, Republic of Vietnam. On 10 March 1966, the special forces camp at A Shau was under attack by 2,000 North Vietnamese Army regulars. Hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Other hostile troops had surrounded the camp and were continuously raking it with automatic weapons fire from the surrounding hills. The tops of the 1,500-foot hills were obscured by an 800 foot ceiling, limiting aircraft maneuverability and forcing pilots to operate within range of hostile gun positions, which often were able to fire down on the attacking aircraft. During the battle, Major Fisher observed a fellow airman crash land on the battle-torn airstrip. In the belief that the downed pilot was seriously injured and in imminent danger of capture, Major Fisher announced his intention to land on the airstrip to effect a rescue. Although aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt, he elected to continue. Directing his own air cover, he landed his aircraft and taxied almost the full length of the runway, which was littered with battle debris and parts of an exploded aircraft. While effecting a successful rescue of the downed pilot, heavy ground fire was observed, with 19 bullets striking his aircraft. In the face of the withering ground fire, he applied power and gained enough speed to lift-off at the overrun of the airstrip. Major Fisher’s profound concern for his fellow airman, and at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.


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