A New Contest

August 28, 2007 | | Comments (33)

Relax, Cassie -- it's *not* a caption contest (mmmm, technically, it might be -- but it's not the one she's gonna damage me for).

Whatzis helicopter and why does it have a balloon on top?

Every month or so, I get an e-gram with the correct answer. OH-58D. Kiowa *gag!* Warrior.

Unfortunately, it's not supposed to be a serious question. Y'see, a couple of years back, when John first dragged me squalling and scratching into this mess suggested I start doing actual posts, rather than sending his spam filters into overload mode merely e-mailing him vignettes, he asked me what I wanted above my sidebar pic.

And he attached a jaypeg of a KW. If I hadn't thought he was kidding (I've never even been off the ground in one), I never would have replied with the phrase

Whatzis helicopter and why does it have a balloon on top?

because it's sort of an "in" joke in the fling-wing community, to wit -- "The aircraft's got such a high c.g. [translation -- it's so topheavy] it needs helium in the MMS to keep it from rolling over on the helipad."

If I'd known he was so freakin' Machiavellian serious, I would have come up with a cooler meme. Something like,

Proof that there *are* old, bold aviators! Ummm -- *old* ones, anyway...

Soooooo, that's the contest -- "Give Bill a new sidebar blurb." Winner gets brag rights and a free Urdu pronunciation lesson *or* a hi-res pic of a Cobra you can PhotoShop your face into and impress your friends, especially if they think you've never been in the Pakistani Army.

Changing the pic out will be the object of a future contest.

*waving hiya to Cassie*

Meantime, go for it!

Share This Article:

Categories:

33 Comments

By AFSister on August 28, 2007 6:12 AM
Aw, come on, Bill! I LIKE IT!
 
By BillT on August 28, 2007 6:18 AM
*That* is why we need you for the comment parties. Meantime, get back on subject...
 
By BillT on August 28, 2007 6:28 AM
And hang around if Cassie shows up with a heating pad on her throwing arm, Twin. I might *need* the Red Cross...
Absorbing sexual harassment so you don't have to!
 
By Cassandra on August 28, 2007 6:38 AM
[tapping foot]...
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 28, 2007 7:09 AM
[quickly tosses the trivet to divert Cassie's attention (she's easy that way)] BTW, newbies (or even not-so-newbies, it's been a while since the trivet was tossed around here)... Don't let all this insidery-blog-joke stuff deter you. Jump in. Participate. *That's* how you become a Denizen/ne! We won't scorn you for not knowing all the inside jokes - like the trivet that used to hang over the lintel at Cassie's joint - speaking of Cassie's joint - don't ask about *why* that marmoset is so scared. Just, well, let's just say Cassie has a *history* with marmosets that hasn't been good. For marmosets. Really. Get with it, people! The man needs taglines!!
 
By bad cat robot on August 28, 2007 8:07 AM
Okay, I'll play ... "Ignoring the law of gravity since 1857!" "If you throw yourself at the ground and miss really fast, you might be in a helicopter."
 
By Trias on August 28, 2007 8:14 AM
One day i'll get half these injokes, then my conversion to true insanity will be complete. taglines? for that pic? hmm? Bills new copter with its Advanced Bill Correction Device (ABCD). This fantastic marvel of engineering automatically adjusts helium levels to make the CG move around wildly thereby providing Bill with normal operating conditions. AI could, unfortunately, not be included in the extensive feature list due to it's propensity to eject before takeoff. Is suggesting a new pic a faux pas?
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 28, 2007 8:18 AM
Certainly not, Trias - Bill alluded to a new pic in the future - so, suggest away!
 
By AFSister on August 28, 2007 8:36 AM
that's the way, uh huh uh huh, I LIKE IT, uh huh uh huh.... OK all you Photoshop Jockies out there... I have a mission for you. Take Twitchy Bill's picture, coat the bird with candy dots, add some feeee-male passengers and a title bar "Chief SugarButtons and the SugarButtons Brigade".
 
By NevadaDailySteve on August 28, 2007 9:00 AM
Kiowa airlines motto: "If you build it, some idiot will fly it." I hesitate to list my only other motto, it might run afoul of "Da Rulez" but it could be paraphrased as "I have big spheres, you have big spheres, we all have big spheres, but I have the biggest spheres of all."
 
By MajMike on August 28, 2007 9:22 AM
i'm kinda partial towards that part about "fiddly bits flying in formation". kinda sez it all...
 
By Pat on August 28, 2007 10:13 AM
(Channeling Mick Dundee) "That's not a TINS, this is a TINS"
 
By WereKitten on August 28, 2007 10:34 AM
And he attached a jaypeg of a KW. If I hadn't thought he was kidding (I've never even been off the ground in one) PHEW! I hadda read that twice just to make sure it said 'KW' and not 'WK'. As far as I know, you've never been off the ground in WK either. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that.
 
By Boquisucio on August 28, 2007 11:04 AM
Well WK - How 'bout THIS fiddy bit.
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 28, 2007 11:32 AM
BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
 
By Ymarsakar on August 28, 2007 12:11 PM
Don't let all this insidery-blog-joke stuff deter you. All the inter-blog-joke stuff as well. I might *need* the Red Cross... Either that or you'll be on the Cross.
 
By ymarsakar on August 28, 2007 12:14 PM
Don't let all this insidery-blog-joke stuff deter you. All the inter-blog-joke stuff as well. I might *need* the Red Cross... Either that or you'll be on the Cross.
 
By AFSister on August 28, 2007 12:41 PM
ohhhhh my... ymarsaker, you have *no* idea how much that made me laugh! You see... I'm in the Red Cross. SO. If SugarButtons is ON the cross... I have a lot of 'splainin to do! Boq... that's AWESOME.... Now, if we can only make that blonde a brunette! With red highlights of course.
 
By NinjaFluff on August 28, 2007 4:24 PM
You guys are great... This is why I love this site so much! Playing off of AFSister's suggestion, how about "Chief Sugarbuttons... flying the helicopters American's won't!" Or how about "Bill, the Rotorhead - STILL flying faster than his Guardian Angel!"
 
By jim b on August 28, 2007 4:43 PM
The balloon is on the top cause putting it on the bottom created a rocky situation at best. I prefer to think of it as a Flying Bullet Magnet.
 
By BillT on August 28, 2007 5:15 PM
...flying the helicopters Americans won't! Considering the Army sent the last flyable Cobras up to jim b's bailiwick in 2001, you're closer than you realize, NinjaFluff.
Dodging hostile fire semisuccessfully since 1969!
 
By Pogue on August 28, 2007 7:24 PM
How about "Four decades of combat operations."
 
By Ymarsakar on August 28, 2007 7:56 PM
How about Bill needs a helicopter to escape Cass's wrath.
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 28, 2007 8:49 PM
Bill - do you have *any* idea where Jim B lives? Methinks... not. You've got him confoozled with someone else, I'm guessing.
 
By BillT on August 28, 2007 9:05 PM
Bill - do you have *any* idea where Jim B lives? He *used* to hang around Wheeler-Sack AAF, but it's been a while. Short-term memory loss and all that. And I've just *begun* to rummage through the Dufflebag of Useful Excuses...
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 28, 2007 10:13 PM
Look up, Wyandotte County. Or, Dennis Moore. ;^)
 
By Ymarsakar on August 28, 2007 10:28 PM
You see... I'm in the Red Cross. SO. If SugarButtons is ON the cross... I have a lot of 'splainin to do! That's one way to look at it ; )
 
By BillT on August 28, 2007 10:53 PM
According to Grim, there are two hundred and thirty two ways of looking at it...
 
By BillT on August 28, 2007 11:01 PM
Look up, Wyandotte County. Or, Dennis Moore. Jim B is John Cleese? Uses for Lupins * Sit on them * Sleep in them * Feed the cat them * Burn them * Wear them * Eat them Ways to Cook Lupins * Lupin Soup * Roast Lupin * Steamed Lupin * Braised Lupin in Lupin Sauce * Lupin in the Basket with Sauteed Lupins * Lupin Meringue Pie * Lupin Sorbet
 
By HomefrontSix on August 29, 2007 3:37 PM
You could always go with the old faithful statement, So Ugly the ground repels them. And I'm not sure which is funnier-looking...the KW or the 'Hook...it's a toss up.
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 29, 2007 5:21 PM
KW. Of course, I'm prejudiced. The Flyboys let my branch spend all the money to develop the thing, then stole it from us.
 
By BillT on August 29, 2007 10:00 PM
Hey, *you* were the ones whining about not being able to use the Copperhead because you couldn't get a parabolic arc out of a laser...
 
By BillT on August 29, 2007 10:03 PM
So Ugly the ground repels them. Are you saying the reason I fall down a lot is because I'm *cute*?