Grayhawk saying Hi!

[Grayhawk]

I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello.  Don't build ships as a rule but have been a avid Naval Aviation Fan so, a bird needs a place to land - at sea that means a Carrier, ergo I like ships and ship models.  I'm a long time member of the IPMS and my first kit was a Lindbergh "Tin Can".  I was 7.  It was fun and before long I had a small fleet of ships.  Then I built Armor and finally my greatest love Aircraft.  I'm a now a retired pilot and have a decent collection of built models but I haven't completed a ship model in a long time.  Have several in the yard but nothing ready to launch.  Look forward seeing the work on this site.  Cheers!

[mtaylor]

[Keith Black]

 Gray, welcome to MSW. I'm glad you've landed in our little patch of heaven. 

[Jim Lad]

Hello, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

John

[Dave_E]

Greetings, welcome. Naval Aviator I assume? What platform?

[Grayhawk]

Dear Dave,

 

Not a Naval Aviator but a dedicated Naval aircraft enthusiast - so much so that I wound up in the rarefied air of Fallon, Nevada.  If NAS Jacksonville is the cradle of US Naval Aviation, NAS Fallon is the pointy end of the spear!  This is not the place to live if you don't like jet noise (THE SOUND OF FREEDOM!!!) as we have air battles fought between the Blue and Red Forces almost daily during the week.  There's always some form of aircraft aviating during the day time, though I must confess it's been rather quiet this week.  Between the Christmas Holiday and the snow (yes, we really get snow here in the high desert) the boys and girls have been slightly quiet.  The only folks I've seen have been the Longhorn's SAR birds.  They're ALWAYS busy!  I've talked to their fly guys and gals on a number of occasions and discovered that 85% of the actual rescues they perform are 'civilian' rescues.  Between car crashes on Interstate 80, and High Sierra rescues, they're always busy.  Gotta keep that point sharp.

 

You asked what I flew well that's a sad tail.  I was studying at Embry Riddle in Prescott, Arizona, for my BS in Aviation Studies.  I was working on my commercial license.  I wanted to get my attack card so I could go to work for Calfire or BLM (bad eyes and knees kept me out of the service).   One day I was visiting the Flight Surgeons office renewing my medical for my Pilots License.  He was checking the number of parts I had and, satisfied they were all there, he said, "how long since your last blood work-up".  It had been a while and I needed to get some fresh numbers so he had me do the usual - pee in a cup, offload a bunch of blood and I was on my way.  Later that same day he called me and dropped the bomb on my future.  DIABETES, type 2!!!  I felt like my world had imploded.  I did all I could to fix the issue, but to no avail.  Apparently it runs in my Mom's side of the family.  As long as I was Diabetic I was never going to be able to hold a commercial rating - so much for that.  I got my private pilots license but, what with the cost of rentals and LL100, unless someone else is paying the bills it's not worth the money to fly - unless of course you're a doctor, lawyer or something else that pays big.  So I packed up and moved to Reno, NV.  At the time housing was cheep and what a great atmosphere.  I love the high desert.  I've moved twice since then.  Once to Fernley (East of Reno) to get away from the growing big city troubles - crime, drugs etc.  The second move was to Fallon.  What a great place to live.  If you know anything about Nevada, you know that it tends to be high and dry.  There are a couple of garden spot however and Fallon is one.  It is literally refereed to as the Oasis of Nevada.  The Carson River runs through town so a couple of miles either side of the river there are Cattle Ranches, Dairy Farms, green fields of corn, alfalfa, the odd patch of wheat and the biggest cantaloupes you've ever seen.  And the people - I just can't tell you how friendly this town is.  Between the Military folks and the Ranchers it's like the way the USA used to be everywhere.  I can only equate it to living in the southern part of USA - where kids respect their parents and say. "yes sir" and, "no mom", etc.  Next to all but zero crime and almost all the amenities of a big city, It really is a pleasant place to live.  For anyone passing through Northern Nevada you owe it to yourself to spend the night and soak up some of the scenery, culture and food.  Oh, the food - in Northern Nevada food is something that has to be experienced.  I could tell you stories of some of the spreads that the Casino's put on (all you can eat - I might add) Sea Food, Steaks side dishes as far as the eye can see.  It's unreal. 

 

Sorry I rambled a bit but I thought I should give you a bit of my non-modeling history.  Anyway, I hope you're Christmas Holiday was a good one and all your family and friends are safe and healthy.  Cheers to all!  FTOSOTP  (that's, "From The Other Side Of The Pond") my normal sign off.

 

Doug

[CDR_Ret]

Hello Doug and welcome to MSW!

 

After my commissioning into naval aviation in 1973, I was assigned to an A-7E squadron as a non-flying intelligence officer.  Made several det deployments to Fallon for pre-deployment workups. Never made it into town, but according to my aviators, the main attractions were bars and houses of ill repute. Go figure.

 

I imagine all that has changed, and for the better, I'm sure!

 

In 1975, I got my heart right and switched to nuclear submarines....