LibHawk Down

On Feb 23, 11:24 am, "Blueskies"
wrote:


This was not a civilian flight. The pilot did need someone's permission...

Hunh? What does that mean?

On Feb 21, 10:40�pm, Bob Noel
wrote:
I hope Kerry, or anyone else, doesn't think the pilot needed their
blessing to exercise his authority as PIC.

Maybe, since two of the three were vets and all know how power works,
were on record backing up the pilot's decision in case it came up in
his next review.

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:40:34 -0500, Bob Noel
wrote:

In article ,
Larry Dighera wrote:

"The weather closed in on us," Kerry said. "It went pretty blind,
pretty fast and we were around some pretty dangerous ridges. So the
pilot exercised his judgment that we were better off putting down
there, and we all agreed."

I hope Kerry, or anyone else, doesn't think the pilot needed their
blessing to exercise his authority as PIC.


************************************************** *****

I guess you haven't had any experience hauling Congressmen around in
Military aurcraft? Especially out in the boon docks?


Big John

In article ,
Big John wrote:

I hope Kerry, or anyone else, doesn't think the pilot needed their
blessing to exercise his authority as PIC.


************************************************** *****

I guess you haven't had any experience hauling Congressmen around in
Military aurcraft? Especially out in the boon docks?

True. When first reading about this event, I couldn't help thinking
about the Ron Brown "accident". Fortunately, the pilot didn't repeat
that mistake.

--
Bob Noel
(goodness, please trim replies!!!)

On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:49:40 -0500, Bob Noel
wrote:

In article ,
Big John wrote:

I hope Kerry, or anyone else, doesn't think the pilot needed their
blessing to exercise his authority as PIC.


************************************************** *****

I guess you haven't had any experience hauling Congressmen around in
Military aurcraft? Especially out in the boon docks?

True. When first reading about this event, I couldn't help thinking
about the Ron Brown "accident". Fortunately, the pilot didn't repeat
that mistake.


************************************************** *

Bob

Agree. We have been losing about one bird a year in Afghanistan due
to Wx.

Mickey Leland

Congressman Leland was on a boon doggle in Africa and was scheduled to
fly on a local aircraft to a isolated refuge camp in Ethiopia during a
period of marginal Wx.

The pilot was a local and pointed out that the flight should not be
attempted. An initial report of accident by a local reporter stated
that Leland put pressure on Pilot to attempt flight against the pilots
better judgement. Of course Wx was worse than forecast and bird flew
into a cloud with a rock inside and crashed and Leland and all 15
aboard died.

I submitted a FOI to get that bit of data on pressure and only thing
that was released was the Embassy report of accident and death of
Leland and statement that accident investigation would be run by
Ethiopia not USA so congressional pressure has been hidden again in
this case. With what we give Ethiopia no way would they besmirch
Leland.


I have also heard from congressman "we vote you (Air Force) millions
of dollars for your operations and equipment and you can't fly if
there is a cloud in the sky".

Also complaints if there was not booze and gourmet food aboard. No box
lunches for them.


Big John

In article ,
says...
On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:39:41 -0800, "gatt"
wrote in :

"WASHINGTON (AP) - A helicopter carrying three senior U.S. senators has
made an emergency landing in Afghanistan.




Follow up: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=116&sid=1349495

No one was injured, Kerry said. The senators and their delegation
returned to Bagram Air Base in a motor convoy, and left for Turkey.
They had been visiting some foward firebases in Afghanistan before the
emergency landing.

"The weather closed in on us," Kerry said. "It went pretty blind,
pretty fast and we were around some pretty dangerous ridges. So the
pilot exercised his judgment that we were better off putting down
there, and we all agreed."

Kerry actually thinks he had a choice ?
He is dumber than I thought.



Kerry said the lawmakers were lucky because there happened to be a
road nearby.

"We sat up there and traded stories," Kerry joked. "We were going to
send Biden out to fight the Taliban with snowballs, but we didn't have
to do it."

Typical.




Added Kerry: "Other than getting a little cold, it was fine."

"We were fine," said Kerry. "The pilots were outstanding. The military
handled it superbly ... It was as clean and as smooth as any landing
anywhere."

In article ,
says...
"WASHINGTON (AP) - A helicopter carrying three senior U.S. senators has
made an emergency landing in Afghanistan.
Sens. John Kerry, Joseph Biden and Chuck Hagel were aboard the aircraft.,
according to Jon Summers, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The lawmakers are on a trip this week that includes stops in India, Turkey
and Pakistan.

Kerry and Biden are Democrats from Massachusetts and Delaware, respectively,
and the Republican Hagel is from Nebraska. "

WTF?! Is this something that needs to be reported before they're secured
and recovered?

No....

;')