If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that every January 26 I make reference to the helicopter crash my buddy John Strayer and I survived on that date in 2013. It got one of the heaviest reader responses in the history of the blog…and of course, was a watershed experience for each of us, and our pilot.
An interesting update. John and I used to shoot International Practical Shooting Association (IDPA) matches together at the Central Florida Rifle and Pistol Club in Orlando whenever we could. John still does; I got out of “run and gun” shooting matches when the prophesy of old age that “the legs go first” proved true for me. I still “gun,” I just don’t “run.” John is about 17 years younger than me and still, God bless him, continues the competitive spirit.
Well, the club got hold of a clapped-out helicopter as a prop for their range, and knowing about John and me losing the helicopter hunt to the hogs we were after that day – who knew wild hogs had anti-aircraft capability? – put their new prop into use for the first time last month. I was teaching in Pennsylvania, dammit, but John was able to make it, and here’s the video of him shooting the stage with fast, accurate deployment of a Smith & Wesson .45 ACP revolver, an all-but-caliber clone of the four-inch barrel Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum he was hunting hogs with on the “fateful day.”
In the stage description, you are John Strayer. The helicopter has crashed. But in this alternate universe, it has landed right-side-up instead of upside down…and you have landed amidst some really pissed-off hogs, and assorted other life forms that want to kill you, and you have to shoot your way out. But before you do that, you have to shove Mas Ayoob out of your way to clear the downed chopper.
The stage director emailed me and said he hoped I wasn’t offended by the dummy that looked like me. I replied, hell no, that dummy was the first depiction of me that ever made me look buff!
Life can be funny. So was the helo crash…once we got away from the damn thing alive.
Buff and apparently still with black hair.
Decades late I still recall how I felt when the young(er) lady told me I needed to come in for a new security badge. I asked “Why/” since the photo was still clear. “Bill, your hair isn’t brown anymore.”
WR Moore,
This may sound odd, but I absolutely LOVE white hair. Not gray hair, white hair. I think it looks good on both sexes and all races.
Look at young Cary Grant, with his black hair. Then look at photos of him in the 1970s. He never lost one hair, but they all turned white and he looked absolutely marvelous.
Recently I saw an old, (70s) overweight woman in a Friendly’s restaurant. She was ugly, but she had a lot of long, fluffy hair, that was perfectly white. Her hair looked better than Farrah’s.
Wouldn’t a more true to life scenario have the shooter strapped in as the helicopter gets inverted as said assailants get eliminated? ? ? ? ?
That is some great shooting and a pretty impressive revolver reload. I don’t shoot revolvers often, so maybe it’s not that fast, but it sure seems pretty quick.
Hahaha !! Love it. Though John could have been a tad gentler pushing you out of the way. Payback as they say is a….. well you know 🙂
Cool! Love it!
Okay. I gotta admit that when I saw the story headline I thought, ‘Oh no. Not again!’. Glad it was not a repeat of your brush with the afterlife. I love the activator for the swinger. Yup, it does make you look pretty good.
Mas, a 47 year old long-time reader and fan of your books and writing. Just a quick note of appreciation for your body of work. You are by far my favorite author. Over a decade ago, you came to the Eastern Nebraska Gun Club, and somehow I missed it! I kick myself for that. God Speed.
Nietzche said if it didn’t kill you, it made you stronger.
Two weekends a year a shooting range in Knob Creek, Kentucky had a machine gun and cannon shoot. They also had a Huey. I think some people, probably Vietnam vets, got to fire a machine gun from the Huey. Others could just go for rides without shooting. What a great country!
@ Roger Willco – “What a great country!”
As I noted, America (as a global power) peaked in 1959 and had been in a decline since 1960. I base this upon 1959 being the last year that America expanded and upon the view that, once something stops growing, it starts declining and dying. It is true for life-forms and it is true for empires.
The decline was slow at first but is increasing at an exponential rate. Only someone in denial (or brainwashed by ideology) could look at the history of America, over the last 50 years, and not see the obvious decline.
So, to be accurate, we should speak of America in the past tense. The way we do of the Roman Empire or the British Empire.
America WAS a great country! Today, it is a rotten ruin of its former greatness. Left-wing ideology is eating away at it like a cancer. Wokeness, Political Correctness, and the rise of Political Corruption, crime and violence, open borders, and multiple generations of ill-educated youth, are all just symptom of the rot.
The Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot is (itself) emblematic of the rot. It was held for decades. Now, it is finished. The last Machine Gun Shoot was held in October 2021. I was there to attend the funeral.
Sorry to be “Debbie Downer” again but I see too much “head-in-the-sand” denial in this country. This denial, this unwillingness to face up to the truth, this effort to put on “Rose Colored Glasses” for looking at the World of Today, is why the American Left gets away with its crimes. It is why the decline continues.
Hunter Biden should be in prison. His father should be impeached. However, it won’t happen as long as the American People remain in denial. See this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf0NwQyiWko
TN_MAN,
I agree with every word you typed. But, when I remarked, “What a great country!,” I was referring to the fact that most of the 195 countries on this planet don’t even allow their subjects to own firearms of any kind. Here I was in Kentucky, shooting machine guns, watching cannons be fired, and knowing I could go for a helicopter ride if I wanted to pay for that, too.
I am reading a book, (“In Order to Live”) about Yeonmi Park, who escaped from North Korea. At times in her young life, she would have been full of joy to have a handful of rice. In my 60 years, I have never spent one second worrying about food or clothing. Hunger? What is that? I have to push food away from me, and it ain’t easy.
So, yes, we are in decline, but we are still the greatest. The only other country I could live in and still feel comfortable, like I do here, is Switzerland. There are several very fine countries, but they all have problems which lessen their attraction to me.
I’ve been waiting for Doom & Gloom to appear since April 2010, but it’s not here yet. It may be close at hand, but it’s not in my county, not yet.
@ Roger Willco,
I suppose that it is true. I am a “Glass half empty” kind of guy. I look around and see problems, corruption, and ignorance everywhere. I have a knowledge of history that allows me to see just how far we have fallen.
It takes a long time (typically) for a Great Nation or Empire to truly hit rock bottom. It took Rome several centuries. It took Great Britian more than a century. Even as a decaying corpse, America still has a lot of benefits. We have not hit “rock bottom” yet although we are surely headed in that direction.
I tell myself that, maybe, things will hold together long enough for me to reach the natural end of my life. It is clearly our children and our grandchildren that will truly see what “rock bottom” looks like.
So, I will try not to be so negative. I have mostly unplugged from the Anti-American Media. That helps since the propaganda, that they push 24/7/365, is pure mental poison.
I should strive to be more philosophical. Great nations rise, and then they fall. Human stupidity and human folly are a constant force (we are Homo Insanus, after all) and that will not soon change. Perhaps in a million years, if our offspring are still around, we will evolve (as a species) beyond our current foolish nature. However, it is not going to happen by the 2024 Election! 🙂
It reminds me of a line from the TV series (based upon the Cadfael novels written by Ellis Peters).
Quote of the Day:
“We go from where we stand and leave the rest to God.” – Brother Cadfael
Ultimately, Cadfael is correct. That is all we can do!
Didn’t watch the video initially, had some time pressure. Seemed to me the reload was about 4 seconds, maybe a tad over 5 to get off any rounds from the reload. Not bad at all for conventional speed loaders.
Rejoice they weren’t shooting for, “Center of Mas.” Better to have your buff dark haired alter bod pushed out of the way.
TN_MAN wrote:
Hunter Biden should be in prison. His father should be impeached’.
Trump was president for months after this laptop revealing his and his fathers crimes, was supposedly discovered and never lifted a finger to do anything about it.
Doesn’t it ring any alarm bells that I keep referring to things that actually happened and all you can do is quote another pack of lies?
Nothing plus nothing is nothing. Lies on Fox, backed up by lies from the republicans, backed up by lies from another conservative source is still just invention.
I refer to the fact that the republicans never do anything about all these dem crimes they have so much evidence of. No one who ran the elections, including all the republicans, found no evidence of rigging. Every legal action is laughed out of court. if the dems really did have control of millions of ballots to elect Biden, they’d have given him a majority in the senate. Last year with no change in the election administrators, he lost the house. How? if they were all cheating dems.
The republicans spent more time ‘investigating’ Benghazi than 911. Then did absolutely nothing to Hilary. Common sense should tell you the Sec of State who is responsible for the US’s relationship with every nation on earth doen’t dictate the security for ever single consulate.
The only incident of the FBi being against a political party is when they announced they were investigating Hilary and kept quite about investigating Trump.
A moments thought demolishes these absurd conspiracy theories.
As soon as you look at the real world, that exists outside the right wing echo chamber, all these claims are obviously false.
Nicholas Kane – “Doesn’t it ring any alarm bells that I keep referring to things that actually happened and all you can do is quote another pack of lies?”
It is all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? You have, obviously, totally bought into the narratives being peddled by the propagandists of the Left-Wing media. It is called “Confirmation Bias”. You are, subconsciously, “hardwired” with a left-wing worldview. Therefore, when the propagandist media feeds you narratives that reinforce your worldview, you buy into them uncritically. They become “things that actually happened” and any evidence that debunks these narratives becomes “another pack of lies”.
Even when evidence surfaces that directly contradicts these media narratives, you reject it. The Hunter Biden laptop was labelled as “Russian Propaganda” by the media in order to protect Biden’s Presidential campaign. Now, it has been shown (beyond any reasonable doubt) that this narrative was (itself) propaganda, and that the laptop is real. Or do you think that Sky New Australia is a shill for the Republicans here in America?
The Steele Dossier (and the Russian Hoax that it inspired) has been shown, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be totally false. Yet the media used it as anti-Trump propaganda for more than three years.
It is the American Left (and the larger Global Left) that has been feeding the People of the World a “Pack of Lies”, Sir. It is pure projection for anyone on the Left to make that charge against Conservatives when all we are doing is pointing out these numerous deceptions.
Your final “Ace in the Hole” is always the same. You always point out that nothing has ever been done to hold the Left accountable for their crimes. They have continued their “Crime Spree” unpunished for years now. Therefore, you conclude, they must be pure and innocence since they are never charged for their crimes.
This is nothing more than the old “Might makes Right” doctrine. See this link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Might_makes_right
The Left, currently, is in power in Western Europe and North America. They have the “might” to do as they please and get away with it. Nobody is in a position to hold them accountable since they control the media, education, most of big business, and almost all of the Government Bureaucracy. Even when Trump was President and the Republicans had some legislative control, the Bureaucracy and the intelligence Services, were all under the control of the Left. President Trump was continually back-stabbed by these actors with “anonymous leaks” to their allies in the media plus numerous bogus “investigations” and other “dirty tricks”. The Left is still continuing with these tactics to this day. Why not? It has worked so far.
The Left totally runs America and his done so, despite the Republican Party, for at least the last 50 years. Their power was shown when they forced President Nixon to resign and made the Republicans accept it. The Left still celibates this victory to this day. Why? Because it marks the date they assumed full control of America.
In fact, about half of the Republicans have decided that “if you can’t beat them, then join them”. Thus, the “Uni-Party” and the flock of “RINO’s” is explained.
The “Might” of the Left has only grown stronger in the last couple of decades. Therefore, you say that makes them “Right”.
Sorry, I don’t accept the philosophy of “Might makes Right” despite its sad prevalence in World History.
nicholas kane,
I think most of what you typed is correct. I can even add to your argument. While campaigning, Donald Trump said Hillary should be in prison. Then, when he became President, he didn’t try to bring her to justice. People said he was being nice to her, or he didn’t want to get distracted from making America great again.
Republicans are pretty decent, and EXTREMELY tolerant. America is the most diverse, the most tolerant, and the most generous country in the history of the universe. The American military does not fight for America, it fights for other countries. There is no need to fight for America, because America is never attacked, except December 7th, 1941, and September 11th, 2001.
People complain about how racist we are, with their mouths, but watch their feet. They will never leave America to live somewhere else. They won’t even move to Canada, which is where progressives should go.
Even if we complain about something, that is all we do, talk. I am against certain groups of people, but I will live and let live, I refuse to bother them.
Trump also had many Republicans against him. He is like a Hercules, or a Samson, struggling against numerous enemies. He could be like John Galt.
Remember, the Republicans know most of the media are hostile to them. We remember what happened when we impeached Bill Clinton for lying to Congress about oral sex with Monica Lewinsky in the oval office. Bill Clinton’s popularity increased, because Democrat adults are OK with all kinds of sexual deviance, and they are OK with public schools and hospitals mutilating their minor children. Democrat parents take their children to Drag Queen Story Hour at their local libraries.
nicholas, you appear to be good at argumentation, and you don’t get crazy or emotional. Your arguments make sense, you are not a crazy Squad member. You probably like America. You may be kind of moderate, like RFK, Jr. That is a good thing.
I predict we Republicans will continue to talk, talk, talk, and analyze problems, but take no action, until the DemonRats come to take our guns. Then, some of us will take action, maybe. The Left and Right are slowly, peacefully, separating, as we move to areas where there are like-minded people. The answer to America’s troubles is federalism, states’ rights. Unity, in such a diverse country, is an illusion.
You wrote, “Democrat adults are OK with all kinds of sexual deviance, and they are OK with public schools and hospitals mutilating their minor children. Democrat parents take their children to Drag Queen Story Hour at their local libraries.”
All Democrats? Really? I’ve asked before and will ask again, PLEASE knock off this painting with a broad brush.
Am I missing the point? You all know this is nonsense, but are just cheerleading for the republicans?
If so I wish you’d stop. As a gun rights supporter I regret you think you are supporting gun rights, but you aren’t.
If I wanted to persuade someone to be against gun ownership, I’d send them to this site.
“Look at the kind of nonsense the 2nd amendment people say. Why would anyone believe them when they say banning guns doesn’t work. When everything else they say is so obviously fantasy?”.
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