Answers to WHAT DID HE SAY
Answers to “WHAT DID HE SAY ??? “
Remember the cartoon in the December issue of the newsletter, with all that Air Force jargon? Here is a dictionary of the jargon used in the cartoon.
"snag it up"... report an aircraft as unserviceable for flying because of some malfunction
( a "snag" is a technical malfunction.)
"Major"... verbal shorthand for a major technical problem, i.e. a snag serious enough to ground the aircraft. (A "minor" is a snag not serious enough to hinder safe flight).
"mud moving"...an air attack on a ground target (such as close air support of the army). An exploding bomb excavates many cubic yards of earth.
"Met man"... meteorologist, meteorological officer, or weather briefer.
"thunderbumpers"...cumulonimbus clouds (“CB’s”) or thunder clouds.
"FAC" or “fack” '…..Forward Air Controller or artilleryman that directs an air attack on a ground target from a vantage point on the ground.
"clag"...overcast nimbostratus, or thick rain cloud, which obscures a pilot's vision of the ground.
"on the deck "... very close to the ground.
"I.P. "...Initial Point, the position from which a pilot begins an approach to an air attack run, or to an instrument landing.
“pucker"... a very stressful situation. (From the expression "pucker factor" which allegedly measures the degree of contraction of an aviator's anal sphincter muscles during stress.)
"tac jenny"...short for tachometer generator, the sensor for measuring engine RPM.
"idiot light"...a caution or enunciator light in the cockpit indicating a status change or a technical malfunction.
“pack it up"... to stop, or abandon the activity.
"PFM box"...a generic tern for aircraft avionics, computer or communication system, generally housed in a "black" box for ease of installation. The letters suggest complexity e.g. when someone asks how the equipment works, the reply is "by Pure F- - -ing Magic!!"
"iron compass"...using railroad tracks to navigate.
"Cool pool"....slang for Cold Lake, Alberta.
"tail number"...a specific aircraft, identified by its registration number on the tail.
"Down red"...an aircraft requiring maintenance before its next flight. ("Down amber" is a minor snag, "down green" means landed with nothing wrong, and can be flown again immediately.)
“get one’s third”….promoted to sergeant (get the third chevron)
"Sierra Hotel". ...phonetic alphabet for "S-H". The "S" is short for the phonetic word "sierra-hotel-India-tango", and the "H" means "Hot".
"wet one's hooks"...celebrate a promotion with a party in the "wet" mess.. "Hooks" are rank chevrons.
"Menopause Manor"....termfor the Sergeant and Warrant Officers mess, because senior NCO's tend to be older than everyone else on base.
“TGIF" ... Thank God it's Friday, the traditional end-of-week "happy hour" in the mess.
“Finger trouble"'....technical trouble as a result of the operator or aviator fumbling an operation, rather than the equipment failing.