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Things you have done, most others haven't


woodsman

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This should get interesting, as we have a very diverse group here.

Share with us some things you have done that most people never would have a chance to do . As in designing a major project that affects the life of many. Meeting a celebrity, having been to the moon. You guys get the idea. I will start off with a couple.

Met and had Chuck Yeager fly my jet. Well the one I was in charge of in the Air Force. Was in 1987 and over in England. Chuck had the right to fly almost anything he wanted to at almost anytime. He wanted to fly an A-10 one day while he was touring Europe. This was shortly after his book was written and I guess was out promoting it. Also got my copy signed by him. What an awesome guy, heard some great stories from him. Was and is a legend in aviation.

One other. Have passed 6 kidney stones now in the past 8 yrs. Most are lucky to not have a one. Somehow I turned into a stone making machine. Three were passed with no pain medication and 3 were with some stuff darn near heroin. I would prefer the medication. I do not wish one on anyone.

OK folks, let's here some stories.

Jeff

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Uh.... Ok, I'll play. I once rode a dirt style motor-cikle NEKED down a diserted runway in the desert. It felt kinda funny having air blowing in places that don't normaly get air blown on them. Also, the spiked footpegs tended to hurt my feet. I do have a pic. Ifin you all are good, I just might post it[:D][:o][;)] LOL!

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Most others on this forum??

Gave birth [:)]

(great topic, Jeff, I like it! Chuck Yeager...very cool!!)

I got to meet and talk to a woman who was one of the Iran hostages in the late 70's. Very interesting spin on life when you're a 16 year old.

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Got maced by the cops at a Led Zeppelin concert in 1977.

Got to photograph the Indy500 while suited up in the pit crew area of the team I was working with.

Met and photographed Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife at a reception in Indianapolis.

I think Amy's got us guys- that's about the most awesome thing a human could ever do. But let's have fun with the topic anyways.

Michael

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Running landings in a helicopter. Lightly crash land 180 helicopters with the engine off, from a height of 300 feet, speed of 160 knots. This was done to test the deflection of the landing gear.

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I got to go back seat in an F-15 at Holloman AFB, NM back in 1984, my father knew the guy (he was the son of the commander at Webb AFB in Laredo, TX which has long been closed) and I got the thrill ride of a lifetime. No theme park even comes close when you are pinned to your seat and the conrails are coming off the wings in banked turn.

I witnessed the mid-air disaster at the Ramstein AB, GE airshow in 1988 when the Italian jets finishing the stunt collided in mid-air hurling one plane into the woods and another into crowd - Whoa!

I have been to all three of King Ludwig's castles in Germany, Hitler's Eagle's Nest, Dachau concentration camp, went atop the Zuchspitze (glacier) where you can see Germany, Austria and Switzerland from the same vantage point.

I have been to the Salzburg, Austria salt mines where the water is so laden with salt that if you have a size 12 shoe you can literally walk on water.

I have been over 260kph in a BMW 633csi on the Autobahn in Germany.

I got to shoot an M-60 machine gun freehand Rambo style while in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1986 wild to watch the small trees fall from the barrage of bullets. I qualified as 1st class gunner while at Nellis AFB, NV and we even got to fire at a small remote controlled airborne plane. Night fire with the tracers was awesome.

I have done things in a deuce and half that no sane person would ever try, man those things can climb some steep hills.

Man I could go on and on with this, I have seen and done some wild and crazy stuff in my lifetime.

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I rode my bicycle (yes, 10 speed pedal type) cross county from Va Beach <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Virginia to San Francisco then down the coast to San Diego in the summer of 1988 with 65 pounds of camping gear. No cars following, no day to day plans, no support of any kind except the kindness of strangers and my credit card.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Crossing the Rockies at over 10,000 feet was crazy slow going up and wicked fast going down.

Only stayed in a hotel one night of the entire trip.

Met some interesting people along the way. Time of my life.

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SpeakerFritz reminded me of one with his Helicopter crash landings.

I worked at Gates Learjet when I was in 20's. When they installed a new stall warning device in the Lears, there was always a test flight. I got to go up in one. With a mechanic on board tweaking the warning device, the pilot would bring the private jet almost into stall, it would start shaking, then he'd bring it back down. Did this I think three times in that flight. Very cool.

Michael

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AFF - Accellerated Free Fall

Back in '94 I and 8 of my co-workers took a skydiving class . This is the one that lets you freefall from 11,000 feet unteathered to anyone else .

You take a 6 hour class on the ground then you go up with 2 jumpmasters . You jump and they jump out after you . While falling you communicate procedures with them . If at any time they feel uncomfortable with the way you are doing things . They will reach in and pull your chute for you .

It's a pretty neat experiance . You feel the rush of the speed yet at the same time it's very peacefull .

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Ok I'll jump on board.

I've played my high brass instrument in front of 83000 screaming fans in Bryant Denny Stadium. Of course, they were there to see the game, but then again so am I. Still, a great rush to be enveloped and surrounded by the deafening crowd levels when we march on a field with so much legacy and tradition.

post-12107-13819304741372_thumb.jpg

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Flew in a Stearman biplane once, not an F-15 but still a thrill ride.

Member of the first team to pedal a human powered vehicle (fully fared recumbant bicycle) from San Diego to Washington DC.

Trained astronauts.

Visited Sen. Barry Goldwater's home a couple of times, actually the part that housed all of his ham radio equipment. He was there one of the times, he could really tell some great stories.

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