Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA, KIWA, IWA) "Willie"

[josephea6]

I will pray to the "Hawkeye" Gods for this weekend...

[Matt Ottosen]

I will pray to the "Hawkeye" Gods for this weekend...

Not this weekend, I have to work!!

[Joe Copalman]

I think it's well-established that for cool stuff to come in in good weather, someone has to not be there.  Thanks in advance for taking one for the team, Matt.

[Matt Ottosen]

I think it's well-established that for cool stuff to come in in good weather, someone has to not be there.  Thanks in advance for taking one for the team, Matt.

You're welcome, I'm here to help!  It looks like I'll be working on the 12th too, should be a great couple of weekends out at Willie!

[Joe Copalman]

Totally random, but why the hell does it say "Hero Member" under both of our names?

ETA: Got it.  500+ posts = HERO!  Apparently TinyPortal has a remarkably low threshold for what they consider heroic.

[Matt Ottosen]

Totally random, but why the hell does it say "Hero Member" under both of our names?

ETA: Got it.  500+ posts = HERO!  Apparently TinyPortal has a remarkably low threshold for what they consider heroic.

We can change the limits and the names.

[redsox223]

I think that Joe was just trying to up his post count.

[Matt Ottosen]

I think that Joe was just trying to up his post count.

Possibly, but there isn't anything above Hero Member.

[Joe Copalman]

Well dammit.  Now you've forced me to be a hero and rescue this photo-thread from becoming all chit-chatty and stuff.

Black Eagles E-2 departing Willie:

[jslugman]

Well ain't that an interesting circle-thingy on the bottom of that Hawkeye?

[Matt Ottosen]

Well ain't that an interesting circle-thingy on the bottom of that Hawkeye?

That's where you load the little plastic disks it shoots out its nose!

[jslugman]

OMG... that's exactly what I was thinking! 

[Joe Copalman]

Looks almost like the retractable radome on the old S-2 Trackers.  Wonder if these guys picked up a surface surveillance role after the Vikings were withdrawn.

[Jay Beckman]

Nah, they come straight from the factory now with an already pre-determined location for the "Plane-cicle" pole.   

[Joe Copalman]

Willie has been extra "on" lately.  Caught this TACAMO doing touch-and-goes this evening on my way home from work.  Had I left five minutes earlier, I would have caught it in some gorgeous light just before sunset.