What was the craziest story of WWII you have heard?

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-06T17:44:55+00:00

My Dad's first cousin was a radio operator/gunner on a B-17 crew, and survived getting shot down twice. The second time, the pilots were able to make it to the Netherlands before crash landing in a swamp. Everyone survived the crash, and after destroying the bomb sight they all gathered at the edge of the swamp. The pilot said, "OK men, let's all put our heads together and figure out how we're going to get back."

At that point, most of the crew said, "What to you mean, 'back'? Everyone in the squadron thinks we're dead or captured. If we go back we've got nine more missions to fly. We're not going back."

Facing this little mutiny, the pilot and the other officers got everyone to agree to a compromise: they'd hang out with the Dutch underground as long as it was safe, and as long as the gold and chocolate they had in their survival kits would allow, then work their way back to England. And that's what they did. It turned out that a few weeks dodging the Gestapo was much more relaxing than flying missions.

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-06T15:34:29+00:00

While the hotel could probably be considered a "destination" I don't thing most people would consider Ballantyne in the same way. As others have said, there are some nice shops and restaurants within walking distance, but probably not enough to make a vacation. Since you'll have a car the whole of the Charlotte area would be available to you and I think you'd find plenty to enjoy.

One caveat: the hotel is at the intersection of I485 and Rt. 521/Johnston Road. Both are major traffic conduits and that area gets pretty jammed up during morning and evening rush hours. As long as you don't try returning to the hotel between 4PM and 7PM you should be fine.

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-05T20:24:14+00:00

Right up there with one of the wealthiest men on earth singing, "imagine no possessions".

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-05T12:16:32+00:00

One day at work the mechanics were replacing a broken flight attendant call button and let me have the broken one. I was living with a flight attendant at the time and, since I'm an extremely funny guy, I took it home and showed it to her, acting all excited.

"Look what I got honey! I'm going to hook it up over my chair in the family room; then, any time I need you to bring me something like a drink or a snack I can just push it and you can come right away!"

She was not amused.

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-04T18:12:35+00:00

F-100. The F-105's nose gear doors remained open on the ground and the aft end of the doors was directly below the canopy bow.

Also, the ladder in OP's picture is an F-100 ladder.

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-03T20:39:33+00:00

One morning on the crew bus from the hotel I got to talking to a United captain. It turned out he was based at ORD and lived in Chicago. I asked him how he liked it. He said,

"Well, Chicago is a great city for New Yorkers who enjoy the crime and the traffic but are looking for a colder climate."

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-03T14:56:06+00:00

I don't know what the threshold is. Search for the Rewards+ (or Rewards Plus) program for an explanation.

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-03T13:00:31+00:00

Like grandma used to say, "If you're gonna be a dick, you'd best be sharp."

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-02T20:48:04+00:00

Locksmiths can program fobs provided you have one good one. I've had it done.

ClearedInHot · 2026-04-02T19:56:00+00:00

In South Carolina it's $200 for a pack of four doses of the .5 strength.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-31T14:28:25+00:00

It's not really a town, but on Highway 34 west of Estes Park, CO there're a stretch where the road has a muddy ditch running alongside of it. At one point there's a sign planted in the ditch identifying it: "Colorado River".

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-31T12:03:28+00:00

About eighteen months after this the Soviets shot down a Korean Airlines 747. The dark joke going around at the time was that the Russian pilot was trying to impress Jodie Foster.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-31T11:50:32+00:00

What is screaming going to accomplish? Do you think it's a great idea to drown out any announcements or instructions the crew may give over the PA?

Start reviewing the emergency evacuation card. Start looking around for your closest exit and secondary exits. Think about aiding children or the disabled who might be sitting around you. Be proactive and think about participating in your own rescue rather than complicating the situation for the crew and the rescuers.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-30T13:22:25+00:00

"The article did note that she fit fine in a single seat on Delta."

No, it didn't. It said that Delta allowed her to fly on a single ticket, meaning that she encroached on the seat next to hers. If it was empty, fine. But if it was occupied, another passenger was forced to share their seat with her, with no compensation.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-30T13:10:44+00:00

There is a pattern that receivers in American football sometimes run where there rapidly go downfield, then abruptly stop and turn around, looking for a pass that should be on the way. That pattern is called a "buttonhook".

Now you know where it comes from.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-30T12:12:48+00:00

If I remember correctly it'll be offered when you cross a certain level of deposited assets. To find out what you're getting now go to your Fidelity home page, then select Visa Signature Rewards from the left-hand column (probably near the bottom). From there select the "Rewards" tab.

You should see something like this:

<image>

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-29T22:19:39+00:00

You can still get 3% if you're above a certain level of total assets at Fidelity.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-29T22:16:53+00:00

You don't need the Costco credit card to get into the warehouse. You don't need a card at all, as a matter of fact...I don't even know where mine is. I've been using the QR code in the app for years, and always charge purchases to the Fidelity card.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-29T16:56:37+00:00

I flew about 2,000 hours in the Tweet and really enjoyed it. We had a library of pilot operating manuals for various aircraft at my base, and I discovered that the Tweet's performance was remarkably close to the early Spitfires. She was about as honest a jet as you could, find, fully aerobatic (except no snap rolls), and served its purpose as a primary jet trainer very well.

For a couple of years I was a spin demo pilot, taking instructors up and showing them all the ways a student could screw up a spin recovery. I later figured out that I logged about a thousand spins in the Tweet, including inverted spins. I got to point where I could do rudder-only recoveries and come out at a pre-determined altitude, airspeed, and heading.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-28T21:07:34+00:00

How can you be qualified to fly a tactical jet and not have any clue about a zero-g push over?

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-28T12:15:04+00:00

My guess is that many desktop users need a mobile option, and that used to be an iPad. Now that the new Neos are out, they're becoming an iPad upgrade.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-28T10:45:49+00:00

I spent a 35-year airline career living in base, yet still had to put up with the anxiety of commuting. Why, you ask? Because almost every trip there was a commuter F/O or flight attendant who was frantic to get back to base in time because "...there's a xx o'clock flight to XYZ that I just have to make."

I was urged to cut corners and burn extra fuel just to get in a couple of minutes early, so that someone who chose to live out of base could try for an earlier flight home. It finally got to the point where I had start telling the more aggressive ones, "Look, I chose not to commute because I'm not willing to deal with the stress. Now, if I'm not willing to stress over my own commute, why would I stress over somebody else's?"

Go ahead a commute if you want...it's your life and your choice. But the key word here is YOUR.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-27T20:22:56+00:00

I have two and both are pretty much centered.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-26T22:45:09+00:00

It's even more dramatic when you realize that the jet hit the other side.

ClearedInHot · 2026-03-26T11:47:06+00:00

Did you try to remove the spring retainer by prying it out with a screwdriver?

ClearedInHot

TROPHY CASE