Mounted M60 photos

m151dave · Unread post by **m151dave** » February 14th, 2008, 9:23 pm

A few shots of my pig in the gun mount

Unread post by **rickf** » February 15th, 2008, 8:07 am

Great lookiing setup but I have to say that the first thing to catch my eye was that school in the background. In these times that is probably not a good backdrop to use! As it is they want to take our guns away thinking it will stop the problems.
Rick

moose53 · Unread post by **moose53** » February 15th, 2008, 1:49 pm

rickf wrote:Great lookiing setup but I have to say that the first thing to catch my eye was that school in the background. In these times that is probably not a good backdrop to use! As it is they want to take our guns away thinking it will stop the problems.
Rick

The schools being declared gun free zones are what makes them shooting galleries... bad guys know they will be the only ones armed there. hehehe a couple mutts with m60's might be a good deterrent hehehe

Jim

Unread post by **rickf** » February 15th, 2008, 1:53 pm

Having instructors and support people armed and trained woud be the best deterent.

m151dave · Unread post by **m151dave** » February 15th, 2008, 5:01 pm

The vehicle is actually just off the school property next to a tree line that runs along side of it. Also taken pre-911 about 13 years ago on a Sunday afternoon, things were a little different then. You can see the trees in the second picture, kind of blurred in the background. I drove over there through the (then) empty field east of my housing development. It now has more houses in it and folks have thrown so much contruction junk back in the tall grass it is not safe to drive in.

The elementary school services the McConnell AFB base housing which is just on the other side of the school building. The base Security Police and I were a very friendly basis (again pre-911 - differnt world) even talked to each other on our military radios. I am invited to their reunions, as long as I bring the jeep, guns and all.

But I do understand what you are getting at. In todays environment the picture would not have occured in that setting.

Same day that picture was taken, I decided to head east of the school, it was rumored an old farm house had been out in the field near a street intersection. I drove through a lot of broken ground that had not been farmed in years, found the farm foundation and a pond along with the ever present farm junk pile. Managed to pick up a section of electric fence wire in my left rear drive axle and wound up about three feet or so and drug another 40 feet or so behind me for a short while before noticing in the mirror I was mowing grass down behind me in a big arc. Took me about an hour with my leatherman pliers cutting away the mess under the body. Busting through the bush is over rated. Took me days to get all the crap out of the front of my radiator.

moose53 · Unread post by **moose53** » February 15th, 2008, 6:01 pm

How are things now with the Security Forces there Dave? Do you still have access to the base with your jeep?

Jim

mrdibbles · Unread post by **mrdibbles** » February 15th, 2008, 9:19 pm

Dave-
Those are some sweet pictures. Thanks for posting them. Keep the photos coming. Pictures really add to the flavor of this site.

Stupid question here... how does the ammo can fit into the cradle? Do you take the lid off and fit it under the "loop"?
Matt-

m151dave · Unread post by **m151dave** » February 15th, 2008, 9:22 pm

Things have cooled in the last two years. They did not have a reunion last year and they have canceled this years air show. The Security commander, seen manning my 60 in one of the pictures on my web page has shipped out to the desert. The security detail has started using patrol cars instead of hummers on the base housing perimeter so they do not have radios we can chat on. No more driving along the fence line chatting on the radios. I was out driving my mutt last fall and stopped at the housing gate next to the school and talked a while but wasn't the same.

All and all, not like it used to be.

mrdibbles · Unread post by **mrdibbles** » February 15th, 2008, 9:26 pm

Dave your avatar lacks tits but even then it's still pretty cool.

m151dave · Unread post by **m151dave** » February 15th, 2008, 9:42 pm

Thank you I am pretty proud of it.

My son made it for me. I used to manage ground operations for flight lines at air shows, my nickname/callsign was Tinman. So my son who is a very good artist made me a picture of his rendition of me as the Tinman.

Here is the whole figure.

Cobra5 · Unread post by **Cobra5** » February 16th, 2008, 6:55 pm

Dave,

You aren't by chance a USAF veteran? Possibly a sheetmetal troop? The last time I used the call sign tinman was when I was in need of a sheetmetal guy.

Tim

m151dave · Unread post by **m151dave** » February 16th, 2008, 9:14 pm

Ex-Army. Small arms repairman 45B mos. 1974-77. 1st Infantry Co. C 701st Mt. Bn.

I am from Kansas. Wizard of Oz and all that stuff

These days I am a mild mannered WLAN (wifi) engineer for Boeing.

Cobra5 · Unread post by **Cobra5** » February 17th, 2008, 11:33 am

Dave,

I lived down in Derby. I was stationed at MCConnell from 10/03 - 10/05 when I retired. I always wanted to stop by the musuem but never had the chance. I enjoyed my short visit but didn't care much for the storms with the tornadoes. The old pucker factor would would hit especially at night when you can't see the damn things coming.

Tim

m151dave · Unread post by **m151dave** » February 17th, 2008, 7:13 pm

Except for when I was in the Army and a year in Texas (where I requisitioned my wife), I have lived in Kansas.

You get used to the tornadoes and hail storms. Thought now and again it gets a bit spooky. Night tornadoes are the worst. My house was built on the north edge of the footprint of the tornado that hit the air base back in 91, we built several years after. Not a tree newer than about 13 years anywhere in sight.

I graduated from Derby, class of 72. All in all it is a nice place to be. Wichita was listed as the cheapest place to live in the US last week by some agency. I think they were refering to rental property.

Nice to find someone on the list that knows the area! I was real good friends with a tanker pilot, name was Tom Wood, I think he was a Captain back then. Heard of him? Tom helped me to get a few thousand pounds of B52 parts flown here from the bone yard in Tuscon. Then there is the civilian line rat from the transient line named Clarence, grisly old fart. Knows more about ramp ops than I will ever hope to learn. He always tugged our B52 when we had to move it.

The Kansas Aviation Museum has come a long way since you were here. I am the crew chief for the B52D and KC135. We have also picked up a B47, though it is not yet assembled. The Lear Jet model 23 is special for me as well as my father built most of the tail end on the plane himself. He was one of the first 100 or so hired into the company. I have been with the museum since 89.