No VW's over here

[Sylvester]

Well it took a few days to get my pictures off the camera. Here we are waiting for clearance to take off, this is the Afghan ground crew.





This is the ground crewman and my pilot. The plane behind them is a Russian Il-76 taking off.



Here we are flying in a valley, the views are breathtaking. If you could start a ski lodge up here, I bet you could ski year round!



The side with snow are the North side, the sides without of course South.



This is a shot on the way back, we had to turn around due to bad weather. I am sure this is more fun than flying in the Grand Canyon! No Taliban in the Grand Canyon though.

[Amskeptic]

Well it took a few days to get my pictures off the camera.

Gorgeous sho. . . photographs. I love seeing the Russian hardware.

You are our ambassador.
Colin

[Sylvester]

Ok I was wrong, there will be at least one SMALL VW here. A few of us are starting a RC car club here on base. Two guys already have RC planes, and two others have RC cars. It is neat to look above our compound and see a model F-22 flying around, and now an F-4. I think I mentioned the Taliban must think they are small drones.

The RC planes are kind of expensive, so I went the RC car route. I ordered mine today, and had to go with the Baja Bug.



A couple of the guys already built the track. One RC company is sending us spare chargers and batteries, that is pretty nice of them. I am not sure how good I am with RC, I guess we will see. I will post some pictures of my Baja when it gets here, I will be behind the curve a bit since the others already have theirs, or they have already been ordered. We have already named the track Atlanta Speedway. Boys and their toys, I know.

[Amskeptic]

Ok I was wrong, there will be at least one SMALL VW here. I went the RC Baja Bug.

A couple of the guys already built the track. We have already named the track Atlanta Speedway. Boys and their toys, I know.

A little bit of weight ballast, down low in the chassis, gives you a slight advantage in stability on a rough surface at a small cost to performance. Don't tell anyone.
Colin

[Sylvester]

Ok I was wrong, there will be at least one SMALL VW here. I went the RC Baja Bug.

A couple of the guys already built the track. We have already named the track Atlanta Speedway. Boys and their toys, I know.

A little bit of weight ballast, down low in the chassis, gives you a slight advantage in stability on a rough surface at a small cost to performance. Don't tell anyone.
Colin

I will keep it in mind. I have the skinniest RC car so far, I am hoping I don't have a need for the roll cage. Any RC car racers in here?

[Sylvester]

Ok proof I am getting out and seeing the Afghan people. Here we are about to take off, I think everyone was talking and taking pictures at the same time.



This is the valley near Herat. Years or the mountains slowly eroding have created these wonderful flows. I want to print this poster size and hang in my house, not a glamor shot but so unique.



This is the other side of the valley 10,000 feet up. There is nothing but snow on the other side of these mountains.



I have taken over 2000 pictures so far.

[Amskeptic]

Ok proof I am getting out and seeing the Afghan people.
I have taken over 2000 pictures so far.

That is amazing landscape. It looks almost like shuttle sho . . . photographs. Is the mission executing according the plan?
Joint Chief

[glasseye]

Is the mission executing according the plan?
Joint Chief

Yah on the photos. Awefrigginsome!

And the mission? What zacly IS the mission? Or would you have to kill us?

[Sylvester]

Is the mission executing according the plan?
Joint Chief

Yah on the photos. Awefrigginsome!

And the mission? What zacly IS the mission? Or would you have to kill us?

To have Glasseye say my pictures are awsome is like winning a prize. Anyone can take a picture of something, I am certainly trying to get the shots that are different. I can bet there have not been that many pictures taken here of all this. And when we leave, it may be awhile before anyone can do it again. I hope not, I really do. The mission here is to train Afghan pilots to fly. Plus for the area NATO provides support for the population, as well as the Afghan military. As I see it we are doing a great job, I myself contribute by flying and being an escort, to teaching the pilots to speak better English, all in my off time. Are we doing good, as I see it? Yes we are, rest assured. Are we making a difference? You bet, everywhere we have a presence, there is peace and life. I have seen it myself. Will it continue when we are gone? I don't know, it depends on how determined the people are who want to rule this land, wether the Afghan people I see, or such as the Taliban. Whomever wants it more will win.

Here is the valleys right before Qal-i-Naw, you land between hills. There are villages in the middle of nowhere, on valley floors and mountain tops buried in snow. To fly above a villager walking down an icy road on a plateau with a flock of goats, and have him wave at you while probably never have seen a car, or a TV, is incredible. I will probably never again see such a land so beautiful, so I am trying to see as much as I can. Every picture you see here, I have taken myself.

[dingo]

awesome pics and awesome scenery !

are those Ilushin leftover from Soviet occupation ?

[Sylvester]

awesome pics and awesome scenery !

are those Ilushin leftover from Soviet occupation ?

I looked up that airliner, it was run by Arab company in Dubai I think if I remember. Actually a lot of countries fly those jets over here, and Afghanistan has companies flying in here all the time. Heck the Afghan military equipment is primarily Russian. From the Mi-17 helicopters to AK-47's. They use Italian transport planes too.

[Amskeptic]

Are we doing good, as I see it? Yes we are, rest assured.
Are we making a difference? You bet, everywhere we have a presence, there is peace and life.
I have seen it myself.

I will probably never again see such a land so beautiful, so I am trying to see as much as I can.

=D>

[Sylvester]

I got the Baja today, after ordering it on 02/06 it came in today. I ran it for roughly an hour before it developed transmission issues, now go figure that one out! I will have to crack open the case and adjust it if I can. Certainly not the 1966 Bug transmission I was expecting it to live up to! Colin, how much for an IAC visit to near Herat Afghanistan for some transmission help?

Here is part of our track we dug out of the gravel. When it rains this floods over completely, and is right next to our port a johns. However, we love it, you have to have some distractions over here, and heck they ship just like in the States it just takes a bit longer. We even have had some companies ship free batteries and gear.



Here I am with a dog on the FOB. We were just passing through, and the dogs were happy to see us. Heck there are no critters here but ravens and small birds, so petting a friendly dog sure is a great thing to do. There were two that looked like each other, you know they were saying "New People New People New People"!

[Amskeptic]

I got the Baja today, developed transmission issues, now go figure that one out!
Certainly not the 1966 Bug transmission I was expecting it to live up to!
Colin, how much for an IAC visit to near Herat Afghanistan for some transmission help?

Not a problem:

Itinerant Air-Cooled Day . . . . . . . . . . $470.00
shipping Chloe to port in Karichi . . . $3,243.88
trucking Chloe through Zahedan. . . . . $850.00
driving to Falsalabad . . . . . . . . . . . . $424.65
bribes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $697.00
new gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39.95
(please allow 16 weeks from deposit to your tent)

[Sylvester]

Never mind the visit, I fixed it with some help here. Here is my Baja, this was before I ran it for two days and scuffed the hell out of it. It is fun but I am definitely running with the big dogs here, my little Bug is slow and a bit top heavy. I will not, however, be the last to finish the race!



Here I am with a K-9 dog taken today, boy I am sure missing having a dog, especially a German Shepard.