Hey guys!Long time no talk to.How

Hi Cap'n,Some great shots! Do all US registered airlines participate in CRAF flying? What callsign do you assume while flying these military charters? They sound like they beat the company routes by adding some new airports to your routine. Does NWA provide specific sim training for these airports, given that you've likely never been there before; or is there a "fam" ride you guys do, or is it just like us humble :) Part 91 guys and you look at a set of charts real close before going somewhere new?Great shots, BTW. Flying over AK must be really something else!Bruce.

I can't see any pictures. Is it just me?Lee Hetherington (KBED)

Must be you Lee. Try refreshing a time or two.

Fantastic shots Captain. We have not forgotten about the "PIC on Vatsim - The BBall Run" flight. I am just waiting for the spring/summer lull in flight sim activity to get past before hosting it. Sometime during the first half of August I will begin organizing the event and drop you an email for some additional thoughts.Thanks for visiting the forum and posting these. It is much appreciated. Time and time again I hear the same sentiments as yours regarding these fine young men and women. We raise our children the best we can but somehow the training these people go through brings out an appreciation and respect for life well beyond that which we try to convey through their early years. And this is true no matter what country one is speaking of. The commitment, devotion, respect, attitude, and potential for terrible harm brings a tear to your eyes when you look in their eyes and think about it all.

Captain,welcome back to the forum. Are you still planning the transition to the " Transatlantic Bus" ?

About time you appear!!! :-beerchug Wow that second pic is really Inspiring very very nice Keep em coming don

Wierd. Mozilla running in Linux won't display the pictures, but it and IE under Windows will. First time I've seen that.Great pictures.Lee Hetherington (KBED)

Hi Captain!You got me into this 767 stuff real bad! :(I'm anxiously awaiting your second "abnormals" PIC review on Frugal's - wasn't that a promise?!(You can send those kids on holiday camp you know... they'll love it! ;)Regards,Charlie N. (AKA Puma257)

Hey guys,Thanks for the comments regarding the pictures. Again, I can't seem to pull the gear up without wanting to get the camera out and start snapping. I'm planningon writing up a BBall's Logbook for Frugalsworld concerning that CRAF trip. Someof these pics will be included, some won't and some I don't put up here will be in the article.Bruce,No, not all airlines participate in the CRAF program. The military folks are primarilyinterested in using widebody A/C for their operations, but (obviously) the 757has been selected to share some of the duty. Our 747s get quite a workout movingfolks in and out of Kuwait. Airlines like Southwest, etc. don't participate at all (I don't think).Yeah, it's cool to go into some "spaceports" you've never been into before, it takes me back to my charter days in the late 70s. NWA does not provide specific sim training for those new locales (I'm sure they don't have visuals for say, Grey ArmyAirfield at Ft. Hood), but we do get a "briefing" from the Instrument Procedures folksa few days before we leave. We get pretty damn humble too on these things, andend up scrutinizing the charts and approach plates pretty closely.Lastly, yeah, flying over AK is incredible. Most times it's cloudy the last few hours inbound to PANC, buton the days it's clear....it takes your breath away.Mike,I'm looking forward to your email. I'll be happy to help anyway I can.Re: you comments about these fine young men and women. I grew up on Armybases all over the world, and I loved it (I don't think my sisters loved it as much...go figure :) ). I was raised in what some would say was a rather "strict" environment, butfor the life of me, I can't see where that affected me in a negative manner. I was taughtto respect authority, say "yes sir or mam" or "no sir or mam" to my elders, and to do my chores and take responsibility for my words and actions. I wave two banners as a parent:1) lead by example, and2) if one screws up, admit you were wrong and take responsibility for your actions.It seems (at times) that some of today's young folks (and yes, grownups too) have forgotten those values. The military tends to hammer those back into you, and IMHO....that can be a good thing.(rant mode off)Mark McG,No, actually I pulled my bid for the A330 the night before they ran the numbers to see who was going to be awarded the training slots (I would've been pretty closeto the top of the Captains list). I would love to fly the jet, but my decision was based solely on the fact that they will be flying it from our Detroit base exclusively for the firstcouple of years. I did the "commute to work " thing for 13 years, and it makes a job thatrequires travel even tougher. You spend more days at work, and it can be a huge stress inducer. I'll probably bid to fly it when they finally base some here in KMSP.Thanks Roberto..Charlie,Well, don't hold your breath on the "second installment" to the 767PIC reveiw....it maybe awhile. I'm extremely busy doing the job/family thing, and I barely have time forflight sims. I'm afraid I haven't even re-installed 767PIC since my last format a few monthsago. I'll get to it someday, I just can't say when.thanks guys,I'll be throwing up more pics in a new thread later,BBall-------------------------Capt. William "BBall" BallBoeing 757, Northwest AirlinesSenior Editorwww.Frugalsworld.com

Bball!!glad to see you and your family in good health Captain,i was really starting to wonder if everything was allright,it's good to see it is!!i never thought i would say this,but i'm glad you're staying on the 75,it is just a beautiful bird.here in Holland it is quite well too,and that about wraps it up for the evening ;-)thanks for the pictures,and to Mike:i echo your thoughts about raising kids and being in the military...you would not believe what you come across here in Holland...or maybe you would ;-)regards

Interesting cockpit shot, Captain Ball.... I see you have the new Integrated Standby Flight Display. Just wondering what that heavily decal-ed switch is above it???Thanks.Cheers.Ian.

Awesome pics! Looks like some very interesting flying.

Hiya Captain Bill....So, you gonna bid the Orient then since they gave the 757 runs to the MSP base???? (knock your socks off on THAT trip.....!). I'd just be happy if they get the bids squared way without all of these uncovered days. Wish I had taken my digital camera to document the ACARs traffic.Rolled by the new a330 at MSP....it is a "mega-poodle".Glad to see you kicking the tires here-wondered where you went to.You gonna be in DAY or OSH? Tim757

BBall is a lucky SOB :-lol