Now we're Cooking!

Very hot with scorching sunshine; extreme heat can be dangerous for outdoor activities

108 °F

Now how is that for a forecast???

Well I am sorry I have not updated this thing but I have been flying my butt off!!! Once I landed here at Bagram AB I have done nothing but try and keep up with the pace. We have been flying nonstop and during my down time (what down time) I have tried to get back in shape and do a little geocaching.

So what’s it like, well you can start off with HOT. I had an emergency today as our air conditioning went out, after much calling/walking/searching I found the breaker box and the tripped breaker and “Saved the Day” by restoring some cool air to our home.

I am living in what they call B-Huts. It’s basically a shack made form 4’x8’ sheets of plywood. The neat thing is that I have my own little cubical inside the shack, but the not so neat thing is there is more than just my crew in one of these buildings so there is always people walking in an out. I am pretty lucky as the maintainers are doubled up in the same size rooms and there are Army folks that are living in huge, and I mean HUGE tents, yea so big that 800 soldiers call one tent their home, yea now that is crazy!

The flying is great, it’s what the C-130 was made for, or at least it is pushing its performance envelope. We are landing at fields that have less than 4000’ of runway and at a field elevation of over 7500’! For you folks that don’t understand how airplanes fly let me help you: airplanes need air to fly, these places don’t have any and when it’s 40 degrees Celsius outside (about 104F) let’s just say aircraft performance less like a sports car and more like an overloaded dump truck trying to drive up Waipo Valley (very step road) with flat tires. Also flying around here you have to keep your eyes (and radar) out as 15-18,000 foot mountains are the norm, and 20,000’ plus do exist!

My crew is doing very well, I have a new copilot and navigator but they are learning quickly and are a valuable asset as it takes everyone to make it work when you are flying in an environment like this.

Well I will try and update this a little more frequently and I’ll try and post pictures when I can. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and think of me when you think it’s getting hot where ever you are. Aloha!