Sounds like you’ve lived a great and adventurous life! Thank you for serving our country!

 

A life well lived!! and many more years to go. If an ex fighter pilot says his C5 has more potential than he does, then I don't feel so bad....
Let's see....fighter pilot, Corvette racer.... any experience with motorcycles on track?
I've done Firebird (Wild Horse Pass) with a sport bike, but not the C5. I think you will have fun with the tracks around Phoenix.
Of course, I'm only 71.

 

I laid down a 1947 Harley Knucklehead side shift, suicide clutch doing 50 when I was 22, circa 1965 wearing a T shirt and jeans. I never went back to motorcycles and still carry a little gravel in my left knee. I admire the engineering and power though. My thinking is that motorcycle racing is a bit hairier than sportscar.

Still lots to learn about the tracks around Phoenix and that is a good thing.

Arizona is dry, wish it would rain.

 

Glad you crashed your Harley and not the A-6.
I've been riding for 45 years and have been on the ground many times, but the newer Sport Bikes are amazing. I wouldn't recommend starting over with bikes at 76, although you could probably do it.
Yea, the bad thing in Arizona is that it doesn't rain much. The good thing in Arizona is that it doesn't rain much....so we can play with our toys....
Hope to see your reports from your track days ahead.

 

Howdy neighbor! Thank you for your service and enjoyed your story.

I recently moved to Prescott about a month ago from southern CA. I sold my C6 Z06 2 1/2 years ago and missed having a Corvette. Luckily I found a Black C5 hardtop locally a couple of days ago and I'm back again Let me know if you need an extra hand working on your Corvette or if want you to setup a weekend cruise.

 

Howdy Neighbor! I will holler, maybe we can get together.

 

Very cool, 1st off thank you for your service in USAF. I love watching jets and planes but am terrified of even thinking if getting in one. My cousin is a 4 star general and stationed at Wright Patterson, I was fortunate enough to be invited to his pinning when he got his 4th star and assumption of command 2 years ago


My 1st C5 I bought in 2008, it had just under 100,000 miles on it. I drove the wheels off it and when I sold it in 2016 it had over 350,000 miles. I missed it as soon as I sold it. I was finally able to find another one that I loved as soon as I took it on the 1st test drive last month. It will also be my daily driver. I had several other cars including a BMW 535XI with twin turbo and AWD, a Fiero with a Northstar V8 a 96 C4 Vette, and a 2008 Pontiac GXP with a V8 LS engine that was a blast to drive even if it was a 4 door, but nothing made me look for reasons to drive to the store or take the long way home like the C5 Corvette does.

 

 

Jeffwilson34,

Wow, 350,000 miles, over 30.000 miles a year from 2008 to 2016. My Corvette at 116,000 miles must have a lot of track days left!

Jeff, you can mention to your four star cousin that I was Class of 69-01 UPT at Laughlin AFB.

BUT- I was one of 230 Marines that went through USAF UPT because the Navy training pipeline was full due to Vietnam.

My favorite USAF UPT instructors were Herb Trotsky- T-37 and Terry Stein- T-38. Wish I could contact them now. I have lost contact. They were older, probably gone. I am 76.

138 Combat missions, three months as a Forward Air Controller then two years an Advanced Jet Training instructor with the Navy at NAS Chase Field, Beeville, Texas.

38 years later I decided to learn to drive my Corvette. A Great decision!

 

138 combat missions WOW Thanks again for your service.
I started getting into planes watching Black Sheep Squadron when I was 9 years old. I loved that show and wanted to grow up and fly a Corsair. Now I am over 50 and have never been in a anything that flies other than a Vette. Speed does not bother me a bit.. I drove NASCAR 8 laps around Daytona hitting 190MPH but did almost as fast in my Vette.
At the time I drove all those miles I drove almost 125 miles a day to and from work sometimes 6 days a week.

This is when she hit 300,000

 

Great story, 15-years and counting, and love our Vette’s, and thank you for your service!
🍻

 

I think we are all getting a real kick getting to talk with a Viet Nam fighter Pilot.....actually honored. None of us have probably experienced anything like you have in your military career. Hats off..... And a fellow C5 pilot to boot!!!

 

This world would be a much better place if we all could be half the man you are sir. Thank you for your service and dedication.

 

I agree 100%

 

I did my job in Vietnam like a lot of others. I am NO hero, but I am proud of the nine air medals I received- basically for going out ignoring the tracers streaking past the canopy, like a lot of others.

It occurs tp me that the Forum may be a younger group that has little understanding of the air war in Vietnam. I have written about several combat missions that could give some insight on that, but a narrow one from one Marines' perspective. If interested PM me I will send one.

As a teaser, here is Diamond Jim and Miss Kathy, Dean Tutor between us at the 2016 Squadron Reunion. Dean ejected over Danang Bay from his crippled jet one stormy night and became entangled in parachute shroud lines with only half his life vest inflated and nearly lost his life.


PS- A clue here about my jet flying nickname, Diamond Jim-

 

Cool matching outfits there Diamond. Seems like you do everything in style...
I was in the very first Viet Nam draft lottery. It was a scary time whether in the military or not. I know it's a crazy time now, but it can't get much crazier than the 60s.

 

Well we're about the same age, I was drafted in 1969, I did construction work before and I wound in the U.S. Navy Seabees building helo pads a little north of Da Nang and Hue and Chu Lai, did that for most of 1970 and in 72 got sent to help out loading bombs in the B-52's over runs to North Vietnam. People didn't understand what we did in Vietnam any better in 1970 than they doo now and I'm too old and too tired to keep trying to explain it. It looks like you flew F-104's too, I was discharged (honorable discharge) in 1974, the war was still going on, back then it was very uncomfortable to be a Veteran, only other vets really knew how it was and you could only talk about it to them. my brothers in Arms to this day understand even if they served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Once you commit to something, your in a select group for the rest of your life. Recently we were lead by a coward who's intelligence wasn't up for a understanding of anything but himself, so ?

But you have really learned about the Corvette, I had my first in 1968, a roadster 283 duel 4BBL, 4 speed munci and a 411 read end. Had to sell it upon being drafted and yes I really miss it. But I have a 2007 convertible, My 6th Corvette and I had a 2003 50th anniversary coupe and i think there is another 2003 50th coupe in my future if I live that long, but thank you for your service and to this day I remember the F4 phantoms screeching by in 1972 over Andersen AFB in Guam. they come in hot and shoot up over the Pacific like the space shuttle, just cowboys enjoying a a fantastic ride. great story, keep enjoying the Vette !