Jesus they're loud

[Grits]

He actually got out of prison and was a commuter airline pilot in Texas last I heard. We lived in El Toro town, so we came in the South gate over by the golf course.

[BlkKnit]

well, I worked the checkpoints inside the base.  as you would come into mag13 area, you'd have to go through a checkpoint on weekends and at night.  It was just detail duty for me for about 5 months.  i was a mechanic and this was when they were first getting MP's to do the job.

I miss Carmels   big honkin burrito's

[JB66]

You know...it's funny.  My brother was in Mag-42, attached to VMA-142 (flying Gators) as a weapons (something).  Well, they deployed to El toro instead of Yuma.  He hated Yuma because it is so hot, however, it provides easy access to Las Vegas.  He voluntereed to go to El Toro because it would be something different.  Long story short, it was worse than Yuma.  I think it was this deployment they lost one of their planes during refueling, apparently it took some fuel down the intake and caught on fire.  The pilot rolled inverted and punched out.  At that point they had over 10,000 hours without an accident.

He told me the story about the guy in VMA-214 stealing the A4 and taking it "joyriding".  I thought the guy who did it was a Sergant.  It either happened right before they deployed there, or while they were there.

Those A4's of the 214 looked cool with the low vis grey black sheep emblem on their tails.  Now I've got to go and dig up the pictures he let me have.

[JB66]

I just found the pictures...stupid memory...The plane is low-vis gery but no emblem.  With 214 blacksheep markings

[BlkKnit]

yep, I remember the A6's with the playboy bunnies on the tail too....was that 211?

[REP0MAN]

I used to fly out of Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Scottsdale, Az alot when I lived back there. Flew their pattern like a Nascar driver. This airport is primarily corporate and private/ student activity. Never anything bigger that a G-20 Gulfstream. The noise abatement procedures are a nightmare due to close proximity to very large, expensive houses.  Best rate of climb, immidiate turn out, that sort of thing.

About two or three times a month, the Navy F-18's stop by for some go juice and a breather on navigational training runs. They thunder down from fl300 and make quite a stir in suburbia. Then they take off, side by side and climb nearly straight up as to limit their noise. They usually use burner for about 20 seconds and they dissappear very quick. Its quite a show. Very loud.

[VgasX]

Originally posted by BlkKnit
I did the same at ElToro when I was in.  oh, some 20 odd years ago

They went to 18's after I got out, but some of my buddies had the chance to join them as maintenance.

I used to refuel them at ElToro airstation Ca. (About 16 years ago)I worked for Maytag fuels.

[VgasX]

Originally posted by BlkKnit
I was in 314 (BlackKnights...get it? ) 82-86.  Did guard duty for a few months, walked the 214 flight line a few times lol.  214 was still A4's back then, no harriers when i left.

Man I miss the egg burgers they used to make over at the control towers little cafe.

WOW i forgot about those egg burgers they were great! We used to send someone out to the tower for food runs!

[Grits]

VMA-211 was another A-4 squadron, the "Wake Island Avengers". Dad flew with 211 in '71-'72 out of Chu Lai in Vietnam. 214, 211, and 311 were the A-4 squads at El Toro. I remember the Playboy bunny emblem but I dont remember which squad it was.

[VgasX]

Originally posted by Grits
You remember LCpl Foote? He's the "Follow me" truck driver that stole an A-4 from El Toro in the middle of the night, took it for a joyride and was going to land it at Nellis in Las Vegas and walk away, but he scared himself and came  back to El Toro. That was one of my Dad's 214 A-4's, we could hear him circling looking for the runway (lights were off because it was 4:00 AM) and he couldnt find it. A Gunny broke down the door to the tower to turn the lights back on for him. Dad was CO from '85-'87 so you might have been there.

I was just going to post that I remebered i lived in Laguna Hills under flight path woke everyone up! He was a legend around there i wonder what ever became of him?

[VgasX]

Originally posted by BlkKnit
well, I worked the checkpoints inside the base.  as you would come into mag13 area, you'd have to go through a checkpoint on weekends and at night.  It was just detail duty for me for about 5 months.  i was a mechanic and this was when they were first getting MP's to do the job.

I miss Carmels   big honkin burrito's

Sorry about all the posts Carmels rocked! The first place with the big burrito:aok at El Toro road and Rockfield

I'm getting home sick thats my home town living in Vegas for past 13 years:rolleyes:

[VgasX]

Originally posted by Grits
VMA-211 was another A-4 squadron, the "Wake Island Avengers". Dad flew with 211 in '71-'72 out of Chu Lai in Vietnam. 214, 211, and 311 were the A-4 squads at El Toro. I remember the Playboy bunny emblem but I dont remember which squad it was.

I think it was VMA 242 they switched to A6 radar jammer AC's

I grew up in Laguna Hills went into the Marine corps in 1984 at Camp Pendleton and when i got out I worked for Maytag fuels at El Toro air station it was a lot of fun refueling all the jets. They were in the process of changing to from A4's to F18's I fueled every air craft at that base Used to know thier plane numbers and crew cheifs from a lot of them.

Well salute and semper Fi to my El Toro airstation friends

[BlkKnit]

I think this Hijack has become official.

JB42, put 500 perks in a brown paper bag and drop it behind the refuel pad at A69.....and we'll give you your thread back

yup, sometimes I miss civilization.   El Toroians

err......Blue Angels are awesome dude!:p

[Enduro]

Originally posted by tactic

They also have a plane museum , once or twice a year you can go and sit in the  sr71, and  get you pic taken    also in the plane thats like the sr71 but its the first one called something else (yb71 err something like that)  and it escapes my mind at the moment.  they get more cool planes in there every year.

what city is the museum in?

i thought skunk works was in Long Beach, CA.  i'm probably way off on that, though.

????

[Wolfala]

Interceptor version of the SR-71 was the YF-12A. Missile design was a Hughes and was the basis for what became the Hughes AIM-54A Phoenix for the F-14A and F-111B Navy varient at the time.