Why? Because I Can, That's Why.

Five minutes of P-38 Lightning goodness:



Along with the P-51 and the F4U, the greatest American fighter of WWII.

Hattip: Theo.

They Came From "Shangri-La"...

...And 69 years ago today these 80 men flew into history.

Fun With Tornados.

RAF Tornados messing about in the Falklands. And, at about 2:30, one of the best examples of extreme ironing I've seen.

Reading Between The Backscatter.

In trying to remind our government that 'gate rape' doesn't comport with that pesky Constitution thingy, some folks have painted slogans on themselves and some have stripped down to their skivvies. Others have worn only swimwear. One fellow, in a move I intend to emulate, wore a kilt.

Well, a company has come up with an even better way to let Janet and the Junk-grabbers (sounds like a great band name... -ed.) know that we don't appreciate being electronically strip-searched and/or sexually assaulted just to get on a plane: The 4th Amendment printed on underwear with metallic ink, so it will read clear as day in the X-ray. They also make them for kids that say, "Read the 4th Amendment, perverts".

Though, I guess great minds do think alike...

Help You Make It To Your Flight.

Another TSA parody video. Honestly, these things almost write themselves.



Hattip: Theo Spark.

Security - Team Hopenchange Style. (UPDATED, AND UPDATED AGAIN)

I Got Nothing.



I'm a dad. The moment one of those blue-shirted bastards started taking off my son's clothes in public and feeling him up, there would be more than words. I'm sorry, but there are some things worth going to jail for; and the safety and security of my children qualifies. What would it say about me as a father, and an American, if I allowed them to be humiliated like this?

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UPDATE 22Nov2010: Double click on the video above to go to the Youtube link, and read what the video taker (lukemtait) said happened after he took the video. That will make you as mad as the video itself. Expand the description that begins "Lets get the facts straight first. Before the video started the boy went thro..."

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Here is a rather creative way to get back at the Blue Shirts:



Me, I'd spend a bit more time and put this on the inside of the T-shirt:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated...

Hmmm. I see a lucrative commercial opportunity here.

UPDATE: "It's not a grope. It's a freedom pat." New TSA Slogans. ROTFLMAO!!

Happy Birthday, Jack!!

From an old ground-pounder who will be happy if you sit behind this desk in a few years.



P.S. No staying up too late playing, OK?

Enhanced Logic Of The Police State. (UPDATED)

Oh, sorry. I meant the TSA:



Thanks to Comrade Janet Napolitano, our family - and I suspect millions of others - will be driving this holiday season.

UPDATE: Comrade Janet and Team Hopenchange don't get it, but Free Range Anglican does:

Faced with the minuscule chance of having to confront a terrorist on an airplane or the guarantee of being repeatedly assaulted in an airport every time I try to travel, I'd rather deal with the terrorist. If I defend myself against the assault of a TSA agent, I'm going to jail. If I defend myself against a terrorist, I'm a hero.

And FRA has the image that puts it all into, um, perspective:


(image: david wolf / flywithdignity.org)

UPDATE 18NOV2010: Here is a link to Flying With Dignity. How sad it is that we need such an organization.

Shouldn't There Be Big, Green Signs That Say, "This Groping Funded By The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act"?

There is a bit of a backlash against Janet Napolitano's crash program of putting "strip-search scanners" in airports - you know, the ones that let the TSA see your goods in the name of "security". I don't know what Jan and the guys expected the response to be, considering the abusive and degrading treatment meted out to those who "opt out" of the process.

But here's the real kicker - know how all these let's-see-your-goods machines were funded? According the first link above, this invasion of your privacy was paid for by... Stimulus! But the only thing we seem to be stimulating here are the TSA goons when they get to cop(!) a feel.

To be fair, the TSA is a Bush idea. But Team Hopechange sure do seem to be playing the same tune, and even turning up the volume. Along with TARP, the TSA is the worst legacy we have of the Bush years. (No, Robert Gates as SecDef and banning incandescent light bulbs tie for a close second.)

Being an unrepentant capitalist, I see a way to make a few bucks off this problem: I propose opening up a series of kiosks just ahead of the strip-search scanner security line, called 'Package Foods'. It would sell things like cucumbers and zucchini (and grapefruits by the pair for the ladies) for those who felt, um, a little shy about what God gave them being seen on the scanner screen. We'll have an IPO out next week...

For Jack.

Your dream is safe - you can still go Hog wild. Until 2028, that is.

Plane Porn - Battle of Britain Style.

We will likely never again see together in the skies over England so many of "so few". Just bloody amazing.

Sunday Mustang Porn.

One can never tire of watching the P-51 fly. So, here's a threesome:

Friday Mustang.

Because it's my blog. That's why.



Via Theo Spark.

Braveflier.

What with one's unmentionables now a threat to National Security, I have a solution for the refined gentleman when he flies - one of these. Think of the time you'll save at the security checkpoint.

I'll be winging it across the country in a few weeks; I'm game. Plus, I have the legs for it.

30 Seconds Over A Deprived Childhood.

Back when I was a kid in the 60's, my dad had the opportunity to purchase two B-25 Mitchell bombers and several extra engines that had been abandoned at an airfield in Picayune, Mississippi. $2,500, and they were his. $2,500. But my mom said no. (Actually, I think she said my dad was bloody insane.) So we never got to do, this.

Hattip: Theo Spark.

An Old Plane Weekend.

I spent the weekend with my dad and my son in Shreveport, Louisiana, visiting the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base. (Barksdale is headquarters of the 8th Air Force and is an active B-52 base.) The outside exhibits are a bit worse for wear these days, but it is still pretty neat to wander up under a real British Avro Vulcan. If you like such things, I highly recommend as visit.

After that sojourn, this seemed timely: the last helicopter used in the famous 1970 Son Tay prison raid in Vietnam is being retired after 38 years of active service. That's impressive.