Firefighter Training for UFO Response

An intriguing report going around the Web again a few months after this news report was originally posted ... about a chapter in a training manual about emergency response to UFOs

.

Ohhh, If Only These Planes Could Talk!!

Ohhh, If These Planes Could Talk!! What stories they could tell..of people,of lives,of events our imaginations might not be able to grasp.

Near Tucson, Arizona, there is a resting place that houses monuments that chronicle American history from a unique perspective. It is officially called the Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Center, or AMARC - but it is more widely known as the Airplane Graveyard. AMARC is a joint service facility managed by the US Air Force Material Command located in Tucson. It is an aerospace storage and maintenance facility adjoining Davis-Monthan Air Force Base which provides a service to all branches of the US military (Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Army), as well as other national agencies. It is the largest "airplane graveyard" in the world, currently housing over 4,200 planes.

The facility was originally established in April 1946 as the 4105th Army Air Force Unit, designated as a storage location for the large number of aircraft no longer required following the end of the Second World War. This location was chosen because of its dry, arid climate which reduces corrosion - as well as the hard earth that exists here, which enables the storage of thousands of heavy aircraft without having to pour acres of concrete. In the 1950's the center supported the US in the Korean conflict by providing aircraft and aircraft spares. When the hostilities ceased, storage was once again provided for the surplus aircraft. In the mid 1960s during the escalation of the Vietnam conflict, the center was again tasked with providing aircraft and parts. As this conflict started winding down, vast quantities of aircraft were once more funneled back for storage and reclamation.

In 1981 the center once again widened its role by taking on the responsibility of preserving TITAN II, THOR and ATLAS missiles used by the Space Division for its satellite launches. A new storage facility was added at Norton Air Force Base in California, specifically for this purpose. The center's name was changed in October 1985 to the Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Center - its current designation. Despite its tag as a graveyard, planes are not necessarily sent here to die. Aircraft are carefully prepared for storage, with efforts made to preserve them for possible reinstatement into active duty. Even planes that may not ever see flight time again may provide valuable replacement parts for other aircraft currently in service. Prior to storage, aircraft are made safe by the removal of hazardous and dangerous components or materials. High-pressure systems are bled and spring-loaded systems are relieved, survival kits are removed and any remaining weapons are removed for specialized storage. During this process a complete inventory of the aircraft is performed to document any missing items. Classified items are removed and sent to a secure storage area. Items subject to deterioration are placed in storage or are disposed of. The aircraft's fuel systems are drained, the resulting fuel will be stored for future re-use. The empty fuel tanks are filled using preservation oil. The oil is pumped through the entire fuel system to preserve all of its components (tanks, pipes, pumps, etc.). The engine is run to fully circulate the pure oil, and then the surplus oil is removed and recovered for future use. The aircraft is then thoroughly cleaned and inspected for corrosion.

Most of the aircraft at AMARC are protected by a vinyl compound called Spraylat which is sprayed on as two coats. The first coat is black in color and seals the aircraft to protect its systems from dust, moisture, animals and insects. The second coat, which is white in color, helps to reflect sunlight and heat to protect the aircraft from excessive internal temperatures. Before the Spraylat is applied the engine intake and exhaust areas have desiccant material installed into them, and other openings are filled with barrier material or barrier tape. All access panels, doors, plates and other small openings are sealed using tapes. Brushable Spraylat is used in conjunction with the barrier materials and tape to ensure a complete seal. After all this work has been completed the internal temperatures will remain within 10 to 15 degrees F of the outside air temperature. Without this protection the internal temperatures would reach in access of 200 degrees and this would result in the rapid deterioration of the plastic, rubber and heat sensitive components. The aircraft are then towed to the designated storage position and are secured. Because of the reclamation efforts that go on here with aircraft sometimes being stripped down to their frames for spare parts - the facility is also often referred to as "The Boneyard." However the AMARC works hard to promote the fact that it performs a very key service for the military, and is a cost effective and tax saving operation - and it doesn't just work in spare parts. Many of the stored aircraft can be returned to an operational status in a short period of time and there is a continual process of anti-corrosion and re-preservation work which keeps the aircraft in a stable condition during their stay.

But AMARC does indeed do a lot of reclamation work, as well as the eventual disposal of spent airframes. Some aircraft leave the reclamation area to become instructional aircraft, targets on Army or Air Force ranges, museum exhibits, or display pieces. However, most end up being smelted down into ingots by nearby metal processors. The Pima Air&Space Museum, adjacent to AMARC, offers exclusive tours of the facility Monday-Friday. In addition, independent pilots in the area also offer "fly over" tours - which may be the best way to see the vast size and significance of this living piece of history.

To roam around the AMARC facility with the help of Google, check out the link below:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.150899,-110.834026&spn=0.009034,0.015192&t=k&hl=en

another Joke for Saturday

Not many people know it, but the Devil actually wears a hair-piece.

Anyway, down in the world of fire and brimstone one guy did find out,
and he decided to have a little practical joke. So one night, he
sneaks past the guardian demons and manages to get all the way into
Satan's bed chamber, whereupon he steals the hair-piece and makes good
his escape.

Well, of course the Devil was most displeased by this, so he calls a general
meeting of everyone in the underworld: everyone has to attend.

The meeting is held in a huge cavern, and it's absolutely packed.
As Satan steps up to speak, everyone sees that he's got no hair, and peals of
laughter start echoing out around the hall.

The devil bellows at them to be quiet, and a deadly hush falls.

"Whoever stole it," he shouts, "had better return it immediately!"

And here he paused for effect. ... "Or else there'll be Hell Toupee!"

ty Patty

the Word for Saturday

PERFIDY

1 : the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal : treachery
2 : an act or an instance of disloyalty

Synonym: faithlessness

a Joke for Friday

A Catholic Priest, an Indian Doctor, a rich Chinese businessman and an Aussie were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers in front of them.

The Aussie fumed, 'What's with those blokes? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!'

The Indian Doctor chimed in, 'I don't know, but I've never seen such poor golf!'

The Chinese Businessman called out 'Move it, time is money

The Catholic Priest said, 'Here comes George the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him.

''Hello, George! Said the Catholic Priest, 'What's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?

'George the greens keeper replied, 'Oh, yes. That's a group of blind fire fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime.' The group fell silent for a moment.

The Catholic Priest said, 'That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight.

'The Indian Doctor said, 'Good idea. I'm going to contact my Ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them.

'The Chinese Businessman replied, 'I think I'll donate $50,000 to the fire-fighters in honour of these brave souls.

'The Aussie said, 'Why can't they f*cking play at night?'

Airline crew overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles

Two Northwest Airlines pilots failed to make radio contact with ground controllers for more than an hour and overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles before discovering the mistake and turning around. The plane landed safely Wednesday evening, apparently without passengers realizing that anything had been amiss. No one was hurt.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew told authorities they became distracted during a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location, but federal officials are investigating whether pilot fatigue might also have played a role.

The National Transportation Safety Board does not yet know if the crew fell asleep, spokesman Keith Holloway said, calling that idea "speculative." The pilots didn't become aware of their situation until a flight attendant contacted them through an intercom from the cabin to the cockpit, said a source familiar with the investigation who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named.

Flight 188, an Airbus A320, was flying from San Diego to Minneapolis with 144 passengers and five crew. The pilots dropped out of radio contact with controllers just before 7 p.m. CDT, when they were at 37,000 feet. The jet flew over the airport just before 8 p.m. and overshot it before communication was re-established at 8:14 p.m, the NTSB said.

The FAA notified the military, which put Air National Guard fighter jets on alert at two locations. As many as four planes could have been scrambled, but none took to the air. "After FAA re-established communications, we pulled off," said Michael Kucharek, a North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_on_bi_ge/us_northwest_airport_overflown

a Joke

A young man, shipwrecked on a small, deserted island, found an old oil lamp sticking out of the sand. He picked it up, and looked at it, thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if there were a Genie in here?" He knew that Genies did not exist, but figured he had nothing to lose, so he dutifully polished the lamp.
To his amazement, an enormous Genie emerged from the lamp in a cloud of smoke. The Genie announced, "Thank you for freeing me from the lamp. In accord with the customs and principles of my profession, you are entitled to precisely three wishes. Wishes will be granted in accord with the laws of the State of California, and any claims, disputes, or disagreements relating to the wishes shall be resolved by binding arbitration applying California laws."
"That's weird," said the man, "I never thought a Genie would sound so much like a lawyer."
"But I am a lawyer," replied the Genie, "I am both a lawyer and a Genie. You should be aware that, for every wish you make, I will not only grant your wish but will grant every attorney in the world double what you wish for."
The man didn't care much for attorneys, and he wasn't sure what to make of the Genie, but what was the worst that could happen? He decided to take the Genie's offer, and make his wishes.
"I wish for fifty million dollars," he said. As money poured down around him, the Genie reminded him that every attorney in the world had just received one hundred million dollars.
"My second wish is for a luxurious mansion, more stunning than Versailles, fully staffed and furnished with fine antiques." The ground rumbled, and a mansion slowly rose from the earth. It was astonishingly beautiful. A butler approached him with a tray of fine food. He ate hungrily, thinking, "It really can't get any better than this."
But then the Genie reminded him, "Every attorney in the world just received a mansion twice as nice as this one."
The man thought carefully about his last wish. He appreciated what the Genie had done for him, but it burned him to think that the attorney who had botched his divorce case had fared even better. And there was the attorney who had stolen from his mother's estate. And wasn't the President an attorney? The man shuddered, realizing what people like that could do with this kind of wealth and the power it could bring. And it was then that he made his final wish.
"I really want to give something back to society," the man said. "I wish to donate one of my kidneys for transplant."

the Word for Thursday

NUGATORY
1. Of little value; trifling.
2. Having no force; ineffective.
Synonym: worthless,useless,futile,insignificant

a Joke for Thursday

A Gift for the Mother-in-Law

Two guys were talking at work.
"I've got a problem," said the first one.
"What is it?"
"My wife has done it to me again. I'm supposed to buy my mother-in-law a present for her birthday, from the two of us. And, I am fresh out of ideas. I mean, it's HER mother, why can't she buy it?"
"What did you buy her last year?" the other one asked.
"Last year I bought her a VERY EXPENSIVE cemetery plot."
"Hmmmm, hard to top that one," said the other.
The two guys couldn't come up with anything. So the son-in-law didn't buy his mother-in-law anything for her birthday.
When the big day arrived the next weekend, she was a bit upset. At the family gathering for her birthday, she announced out loud to everyone, "Thank you all for the wonderful gifts. Too bad my daughter and son-in-law weren't so thoughtful!"
Thinking quickly, the son-in-law responded, "Well, you haven't used the gift I gave you last year!"

STEALING YOUR KODAK MOMENT

stolen..that special moment