How many of you on this forum work in aviation?

I fly a Lear 45. I think there are several on here in aviation. 

On the Defense and Arrospace side of things. Since the early 80s. From Ballistic Missiles to X & Y vehicles. From USN Ships and Boats to a/c Missiles and Hornets and on to Lightning IIs. 

It was a gas back in the 80s and 90s. Went out on my own in the 1st week of ‘95 (So that I could retire from “Lockheed”…not the conglomerate industrial complex monster now known as LockheedMartin. FUCK THAT). 

Lockheed = the U2, A11-12/SR71 and on thru the Raptor (conceptualized and developed by Lockheed in the early 90s)

Lockheed-Mart = everything that’s wrong with Defense from hidden programs and agendas to spying on us with our own assets.

So, I retired from Kelley Johnson’s LOCKHEED 

I’ve been a straight-up carbon-fiber geek since then and have made and sold a few co’s. I’ll keep this current joint until…2030-2035ish…? 

Work in the UK making large engine fan cases. Started in aerospace straight out of school, did 15 years, spent 15 years in motorsports before coming back to aerospace 2010.

But i have zero interest in aviation though, well no more than a casual passing.  My neighbours kid knew more at 10 than i do now, about what engines go on what planes, i could probably identify half a dozen planes, tops, that arent WW2 planes. 

But as with everything i have worked on, i dont need to know, i just need to make sure its what its supposed to be, and it doesnt fall out of the sky. 

I also didnt fly until i was 35.  

Props to the guys that fly and work on them day in day out, that's a lot of responsibility, there is an army of people that everyone else takes for granted while folks moan about flights being 15 mins late. 

Ballistics for me. Confined to golf ball flight. I'm really bad at it too.

Just retired in March after 37yrs as a pilot of a major airline. It was a great career, but I’m happy to be retired. I’m working part time in flight operations to give me something to do. 

I looked at where you were from, and believe it or not I flew an old Cessna 441 Conquest to La Grange about 8 years ago. 

I remember that trip well because when I landed, I had several messages  that my house got broke into while I was in the air and my wife was at work!

Luckily he didn’t get much. I had some OTR trucks at the time, and one of my drivers drove in and scared him off. But he did get a 40cal Springfield XDM and a laptop. 

I'm retired now but I have busted my knuckles on a plane or two.  I enjoyed the experimental defense stuff the most.  Having some "maintenance friendly" input adopted before production is every mechanics dream.  

USAF 5 years as a crew chief: KC-135 & KC-10. Airline for 4 years as a heavy check mechanic: DC-10, 747, A-300.

7 yrs as Ops Manager for a large fleet of medium sized helicopters...AB204 & B205 series.

PPL ( currently lapsed) with close on 1600 hrs mostly turbine..R22, R44, S313- Alouette11, B206, AB204 & B205/ UH-1H

Congratulations Sir.

The stuff I’m talking about is the LOBBYING by co’s like Lock-Mart that have/are doing whatever it takes to get funding…to pass legislation…

To Spy On Us.

And, know this, there are people…in here…that support this shit. You can tell by their absolute support for The Deep State and all things Big Government. 

Bret’s new nick-name…

Fueler

What ac types…yes, 37 years certainly requires…

“Types”

🤣

Is that your Maico? 

Boom’s a Huey Jock!?

It is. I have had it since 1982.

Yes Sir...sadly...no longer. To expensive to maintain the licence.

Danny would be…is…proud to see that! 💪🏻🤜🏻

I've been in aerospace since 2008.  First as an engineer,  then as a Program Manager.   I've worked for a few companies in that time.  Currently,  I work for Northrop in their Rocket Motor Division.   Look up Amazon Kuiper.  That's the program we supply to, with ULA as our direct customer. 

I've been a welder in aerospace for 30 years.

does that count?

Was  involved in a remanufacture project for the Olympus engines in Concorde, 2 or 3 stages of compressor vanes, as they were close to running out , we had to do 30 engine sets if i remember rightly.

Interestingly, you couldnt build this today because the computer says no.