No VW's over here

[Amskeptic]

Never mind, I fixed it.

boy I am sure missing having a dog, especially a German Shepard.

Phooey. I was all packed up and waiting to drive onto the gang-plank.

Beautiful shepard. Is he/she trained in a specific way? Friendly?
Colin

[Sylvester]

Never mind, I fixed it.

boy I am sure missing having a dog, especially a German Shepard.

Phooey. I was all packed up and waiting to drive onto the gang-plank.

Beautiful shepard. Is he/she trained in a specific way? Friendly?
Colin

Very friendly. Those dogs are trained based on the need, some sniff for bombs, some attack. Some I saw in Korea were specifically trained to find anyone coming anywhere near the base from the outside. We'd have exercises where aggressor forces would start off base with a goal to get through the fence anywhere and get to a point on base. They would never make it through the fence, the dogs found them every time.

We are getting to go to a class for a demonstration on the attack dogs, and sniffing dogs. I will get a picture of that.

[Sylvester]

Well I am not going to the dog and pony show, I am off and flying again tomorrow. Here is a couple of pictures of me in Kabul earlier this week. It's not just a job, it an adventure!

SSgt Mingledorff and myself in Kabul.



Be Hind me the infamous Russian made Hind attack helicopter. It is so very BA, I will try and get closer for a better photo!



Shepards tents in the crosshairs!

[glasseye]

My gawd. Look at all that concrete.

[Sylvester]

My gawd. Look at all that concrete.

Indeed if you were a concrete dealer here, you would now have a very large mud house and walls.

Mural on concrete wall.



Another one.

[Sylvester]

No Hinds today, maybe next week. There is some wild landscape out there, we flew over mountains, through valleys, over the rivers, the lakes, the villages. I will never get tired of the flying I do here, and when I leave I will miss it terribly. I will certainly wear out my camera here.



Lake and dam. Wonder what kind of fish are down there? No ski boats!



A valley east of Ferah. The river is pretty big, there were rapids all down it. I bet if the Taliban weren't shooting at you, you might have fun in a kayak down there!



This is just full of minerals that make the many colors. I bet there aren't 100 in the scope of this picture, it is very desolate out here.



An Italian Land Rover. Wait until I get a picture of one of their MRAPs, they are monsters!

[Amskeptic]

I will never get tired of the flying I do here, and when I leave I will miss it terribly. I bet if the Taliban weren't shooting at you, you might have fun in a kayak down there!

It is so beautiful. I wish we Earthlings would BEHAVE! it seems like the least we could do while on this amazingly gorgeous Earth.
Colin

[Sylvester]

And we are back with RC Baja racing info. I had ordered a Baja Bug that beside the other RC cars here, really is a Bug like the real world. It is smaller, with a more narrow frame, and a brush motor. Only superior driving will get me past the monsters I face here, we start racing for points next week. Here is the test driver I have, I learn what breaks on this one, and how to handle it in the dirt, the sand and the rocks:



Here they both are, the racer driver has not been tightened up yet. Also a plug for IAC way over here in Afghanistan:



The track is brutal. It has broken $400 cars in a matter of hours. Nothing like seeing a car down hard, and the driver walking away with it.



I know you are all pulling for me and not the other drivers, even if they have two Hummers in there. I will let you know how I am coming along in points and repairs. Everyone loves the Bug, but there is no mercy on the track.

[dtrumbo]

Maybe since Colin appears to be fully booked for this year's itinerary, he may be able to spring for hood-sponsorship (trunk in the case of a VW Beetle)!

[Sylvester]

Maybe since Colin appears to be fully booked for this year's itinerary, he may be able to spring for hood-sponsorship (trunk in the case of a VW Beetle)!

Sponsers? I did not think of that! Colin, you need a logo I can paint.

[Amskeptic]

Maybe since Colin appears to be fully booked for this year's itinerary, he may be able to spring for hood-sponsorship (trunk in the case of a VW Beetle)!

Sponsers? I did not think of that! Colin, you need a logo I can paint.

You can do the fan housing logo in Afghan desert colors.

Engine might be a bit demanding to get all those stupid fins.
Stupid air-cooled engines.
Colin

[Sylvester]

Drove the Baja today and busted a ball joint. Stay tuned to see if my replacement actually works and I get number 64 back on the track! In the meantime here is todays dust storm that hit very quickly. Notice I said dust, not sand. Gads it get everywhere. Here is is coming, tall and wide.



The wind was blowing hard when it hit, but like a rainstorm in the Spring, the wind dies down in an hour and a lot of it settled. If you were outside like me taking pictures, you got the dust in the eyes and crunch of grit in the teeth, Yuck.

[Amskeptic]

Drove the Baja today and busted a ball joint.
wind dust in the eyes and crunch of grit in the teeth, Yuck.

!*%@! Lemforders! Don't make 'em like they used to.

The joys of desert living. I remember one in Pheonix a couple of years back that was so severe the locals were calling it the middle east term, a haboob.
Colin

[Sylvester]

I am late in posting, very busy week downrange this week. We had our race last Sunday, my little Bug did not fare well. Three laps in out of twelve it lost a tire, not the rim just the tire. It took me two tries to get it back on where it stayed, by then the race was over. However, one of the $380 cars lost a screw (For the lack of a nail...), it went out, I finished, so I was not last. We get points based on time every week. All I have to do is keep finishing, and I am in there. I did drop an axle yesterday in some trials with bigger tires, will have to fix tonight. Here is our lineup, notice the #3 car.



The other cars will absolutely fly! I bet they could do over 40MPH on level pavement. My little Bug is like a true VW out there in life, I have some tricks up my sleeve for improvements but I need it to stay in one pice long enough to do it. I have already destroyed one motor too.

Here I am doing the two lap trial.



My Bug can't take the hits like these others can, my avoidance does not work in tight situations. I am working on that too.



We'll see how it goes tomorrow.


Here is the Italian monster I was talking about, we got our picture next to the MRAP behind it but not this one. You could sure pick up some girls on Daytona in this thing.

[Sylvester]

A day after the race and I did not do too bad! Kirby the Baja Bug did all 24 laps and came in second the first race, then last out of four the second but that was my brushed motor against brushless. This is my highly modified Baja before the race. I did not have time to learn it's behavior before we started, it was on the job driving in a race.



Here is the brushed car on landing on the bridge. These cars take a beating and show it from all the duct tape, glue and other frame workarounds we do when they break and there is no hobby store for 7,000 miles.



This is what I avoid like the plague, messing it up with another vehicle. They smash and push aside, when they hit me it is like they are trying to mate. I lowered the Baja (Purists beware!) and cut the front to allow the front wheels to sit lower. The lower center of gravity did wonders, no flip overs and a few wheelies on the wood bridge.



I tell you I see why this hobby can be addictive. All you want to do is go faster and get better control. My Baja suffered another ball joint issue right after I finished the last race, will I get it repaired before next week?
Will I finally win a race?
Will I beat this Kirby the Baja Bug into scrap well before next Sunday?
Stay tuned for more exciting updates from downrange in Afghanistan!