Putting on the Dog

Check out this wonderful photo, sent yesterday by a Dutch friend and fellow aviator:

It’s an aerial view of an open house at Twente Air Base in the Netherlands, taken on September 15, 1979. Smack in the middle of the static display lineup is an F-15 Eagle from the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron at nearby Soesterberg Air Base, where I was stationed. I don’t remember which of my squadron mates flew it over to Twente for the air show, save that it wasn’t me. Air shows and open houses are a lot of fun for visiting aviators, and I have wonderful memories of the ones I did over the course of my career, particularly Canadian Forces Base Edmonton-Namao in the mid-1980s and Nellis AFB in 1997 for the 50th anniversary of the USAF. Host bases and nations really put on the dog for demo and display aircrews, and that was doubly true of the two I’ve mentioned.

Photo credit goes to the RNLAF. It’s a great illustration of the variety of fighter, attack, and other aircraft types flown by NATO nations in the 70s and 80s, and spotters can have some fun sorting them all out. Several then-active NATO fighters are missing, among them the Draken, flown by Norway and Denmark, the Lightning, flown by the RAF, and the trusty old Super Sabre, a few of which were still flying for Denmark at the time.

You may spot, toward the bottom left, a small utility helicopter. These were operated by the Dutch and other NATO allies, and were built by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm. I know because I once represented the USAF at the funeral of a Dutch F-16 pilot at Leeuwarden Air Base — the Dutch flew me up and back on one of those MBB helos, and let me try my hands and feet on the controls (to be sure, only in straight & level flight over the polders — when it came time to hover and land, I was evicted to the bench seat in back).

Take it from here, eagle-eyed aviation fans!

Our friends Bill and Terri wheeled into town last week, setting up their 5th-wheel trailer at the Davis-Monthan AFB FamCamp, an RV park for active and retired military travelers. The one at our local air base is part of a network of KOA-styled camps operated by the military. Bill and Terri came over to our place for dinner and a visit, and later during the week Donna and I drove to the base to visit with them and eyeball their huge trailer, a most impressive rig. We were also impressed by the FamCamp itself, which has full hookups for every slot, a mini-mart, plus restrooms and laundry facilities and showers and everything but shade (they really need to plant some damn trees). The camp had a lot of open spaces when we were there, but from the end of November through March or April, every space will be occupied by snowbirds from up north.

After our FamCamp visit, the four of us headed into town for dinner, and here we are:

You know, it’s been a while since I’ve let my beard and mustache grow out. Being around Bill always gets me thinking about it, but then I remember those times when a piece of fluff or something would get caught on an eyelash and my mustache would prevent me from blowing a puff of air at it, and I talk myself back out of it.

They’re on the way to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio now, and we’ll probably see them again some time next year — they sold their home in Virginia a couple of years ago and have been full-time nomads ever since. As for our nomadic proclivities, we’re taking a road trip to Palm Springs for our anniversary in early December, staying two nights in a downtown hotel. There’s an art museum across the street and an air museum at the nearby airport, and I’m sure we’ll find other things to do during our stay. The doggies will be home with Polly.

Speaking of whom, she seemed to have gotten hired by Costco to work in the bakery, but after two interviews and a drug test they haven’t called with a start work date, and now she has get off her ass and find some other job. Which sucks, but it’s not a total surprise, given her very spotty employment record. What will become of her when we’re gone? Who knows!

Photos from yesterday morning’s walk with the girls, Fritzi and Lulu (Mister B stayed home in his warm bed):

Hope you don’t mind me including a watch photo. It’s my latest, a Chinese-made homage of a Tudor Black Bay 58, a handsome piece with a Seiko movement and no complications — basic and old-school, the way I like ’em. Gotta say, I’m also loving the flannel shirt I got for my birthday, and the cooler weather that justifies me wearing it.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends & readers!