Author Archives: Chris Penningroth

Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead!

    The breaking news all over the world right now is the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, along with six of his associates.  Here are some links to news stories:  FoxNews.com, CNN.com, Air Force … Continue reading

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Quickened Pace

    Let’s see, what’s happened since Memorial Day? At "work," my classmates and I flew Tactical Intercepts (TI), Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM), Air Combat Tactics (ACT).  This week we moved on to the air-to-ground phase and have accomplised Basic Surface … Continue reading

Posted in F-16 Operations | Comments Off on Quickened Pace

Happy Memorial Day

    My thanks and prayers go out to those serving, especially the folks downrange, and to our families.  Special thanks to those who’ve gone before in service.  Thanks most of all to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to … Continue reading

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BFM Complete

    Yesterday I flew my last BFM ride in the re-qual course.  It went fairly well.  The jet I flew was fairly heavy, and on a hot day with a Pratt & Whitney 220 engine, it wasn’t really as intense … Continue reading

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After the Mount Soledad Cross

   When I die, I want a cross marking my grave.  I want everyone to see the symbol of my Lord and know that there is little else I want people to remember about me than that I was a … Continue reading

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The Right Filters

    Some of my left-of-political-center friends are surprised when they find out I like to watch Fox News whenever I can, partly because it’s often not available in the countries in which I’ve lived.  I usually quip "It’s nice to … Continue reading

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Basics

     I flew two basic fighter maneuver (BFM) hops this week, one offensive, one defensive.  I’ve managed to prove to myself I can turn high-G circles in the sky and shoot down a bad guy or keep a bad guy … Continue reading

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I-Check Complete

    Yesterday I finished my instrument checkride.  I’m once again technically qualified to fly an F-16C/D wherever I might need to go.  I won’t have another hurdle like that until my mission checkride, which ought to take place in late … Continue reading

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Food Critics ‘R’ Us

    Tonight I’m going to try my hand at explaining what I ate.  This ought to be interesting.  I’m the most utilitarian eater I know.  In general if it’s food, cooked, and isn’t made from something rather gross, I never … Continue reading

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More Flying

    Yesterday was the first formation flight I’ve done in awhile.  Today was the first flight in a C-model since January 2004.  Both flights were pretty vanilla, but it’s always a good day to fly!  

Posted in F-16 Operations | Comments Off on More Flying