EVER WONDER ?
About FLIEGERABWEHRKANONE?
Flieger, (flyer) + Abwehr, (defense) + Kanone, (canon) = FLAK...
First allied bombing raids over Germany during WWI resembled milk-runs. Small arms fire from German troops posed little threat to mission success or safety. Bad news came with the development of the Fliegerabwehrkanones, (anti bomber cannons). Can you pronounce Fliegerabwehrkanones? Neither could Allied pilots when bragging to their comrades about their rough times over enemy territory without being able to name their nemesis. So they resorted to an abbreviation: F.L.A.K. to describe what was fired from those guns.
Flak also becomes a metaphor for criticism fired at prominent people. PR people also use it. We veterans still use it.
JOHN CORDERO, M/SGT, LAANG
Armament Chief, 122nd Bombardment Squadron ( L )
HOW MUCH IS AN INCH OF RAIN?
Given:
1. One acre = 43,560 square feet.
2. One inch of rain falling uniformly over one acre would result in 6,272,640 cubic inches of water or 3,630 cubic feet.
3. One cubic foot of water weighs about 62.4 pounds.
Therefore:
1. A uniform one inch rainfall over one acre would weigh 226,512 pounds, or about 113 1/4 short tons.
2. One gallon of water weighs about 8.345 pounds.
3. One inch of rain over one acre equals 27,192 gallons.
Now you may measure rainfall where you live.
JOHN S. CORDERO
Meteorologist, Metairie, La.
WHY THEY CALL IT "THE RUPTURED DUCK?"
The origin of the term "Ruptured Duck" is unknown, it is one of the most famous phrases to come out of WWII. The "Ruptured Duck" logo is based on the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, issued to every WWII service member who was honorably discharged between September 1939 and December 1946. The small badge was affectionately nicknamed "Ruptured Duck" by more than 12 million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who returned to civilian life after WWII.
After the war, veterans proudly wore this small symbol of service on their civilian lapels, and to this day, still remember the standing eagle and the special pride they felt when wearing the "Ruptured Duck." We in the Army Air Force called it the "Raped Duck."
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1950-1951
WINDS OF WAR
Prior to the Federal call to active duty of the 122nd Bomb Sqdn., the cold war had erupted into a shooting war when the Communist North Koreans invaded South Korea at 4:00AM June 26, 1950. Funding and training were increased for most air reserve organizations and the 122nd Bomb Sqdn. responded right in line. One effort, I recall, was to enhance the training of aerial gunners. To accomplish this we developed an additional seat, with communications, for the instructor to be in the gunners compartment. To compensate for the additional weight of the seat and instructor the armor plate and a few cosmetic features had to be removed. This scheme worked very well for getting the student gunners through their first series of gunnery training. I credit M/Sgt. John Brandt, S/Sgt. Oscar Jones and T/Sgt. Ross Ewart for this unique modification (which by Air Force Standards was illegal).
Finally, the Winds of War blew over Lake Pontchartrain and into Hangar 101 at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The call to active duty created a beehive of excitement and wonder, but that's another story. Looking back to those years with the 122nd, I realize what a wonderful and fulfilling experience we enjoyed. The gung-ho and can-do spirit of those men was astounding.. This was duly noted by letters of commendation from Commander, 4400th Combat Crew Training Group at Langley Air Force Base.
JOHN S. CORDERO
A LITTLE HUMOR!!!!!!
RULES OF THE AIR:
1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.
2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.
3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.
4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.
5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.
7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.
8. A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.
9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
10. You know you've landed with the wheels up when it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.
11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.
12. Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
13. Stay out of the clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.
14. Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take offs you've made.
15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
16. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
17. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.
18. If all you can see out the window is ground that's going round and round and all you hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not at all as they should be.
19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
20. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.
21. It's always a good idea to keep the pointed end going forward as much as possible.
22. Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.
23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not subject to appeal.
24. The three most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you, the runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.
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About those TV weathercasters who forecast the next 24 hours with every weather possibility? I believe in meteorology school they must have read Mark Twain's forecast which reads:
"Probable nor'east to sou'west winds, varying to
the southard and westard and eastard and points
between; high and low barometer, sweeping round
from place to place; probable areas of rain, snow,
hail and drought with thunder and lightning."
MARK TWAIN
John S. Cordero
Meteorologist
Metairie, La.
About those Military Weather Forecasters? A weather forecaster is a person who passes as an exacting expert on the basis of being able to turn out with prolific fortitude an infinite series of maps and forecasts calculated from incomprehensible formulas with infinitesimal precision from vague assumptions based on debatable figures taken from alleged observations made with instruments of problematic accuracy by persons of dubious reliability and questionable mentality for the avowed purpose of annoying and confounding a hopelessly chimerical group referred to all too frequently as pilots.
John S. Cordero
Meteorologist
Metairie, La.