On 04 Feb 2004 02:00:52 GMT, (B2431) wrote:

From: Ed Rasimus

People often ask, why I didn't go with the airlines and my answer is
always the same, "would you ask Mario Andretti why he didn't start
driving for Greyhound when he retired from racing?"

But Ed, just think of the fun you could occassionally have had flying a
tactical profile with a fully loaded 747 as a way of brightening the day. Just
think of the screaming passengers as the noisemaker on your old 105.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

Got a ride of a lifetime in a VC-9 while at Hq USAFE running
exercises. Took a site survey team of twenty guys to Ovar Portugal to
look at the base for an F-111 deployment. On departure the F-111 guys
wanted to get some airfield photos, problem was a 500 foot ceiling in
light rain.

Sitting in the big leather first class arm-chair after takeoff with
the steward handing me my first scotch on the rocks, we took off (the
base is right on the Atlantic Coast) stayed low over the water, bent
around and return to overfly the base. Did three circuits, all below
the 500 foot ceiling. Thought he was going to put the wingtip in the
water, but that guy could sure make that ol' heavy dance.

The only part attractive about the 747 run came up when I was asking
ex-F-105 type Cal Tax, now Delta Captain what he grosses. The answer
was about $375K per year, but he does some extra on-call flying for
time-and-a half so it goes up nearer to $450K. I could do that, yes I
could! Nahh, too old now.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8