Heading to dinner with Mrs. Darlinboy. Today we are celebrating our 21st year together. And there’s the dog, photo bombing as usual.
I wore the $50 version with choker whites my whole career. I never owned more than one watch until I found you guys.
I don't wear this one often, but today I went with my Vortic "The Boston" 212 (2018 case, 1920 movement/dial).
Well, it's upside down as it always was, but it's there. This was 19 years ago in MCAS Beaufort, SC. This was on base housing (best tour ever).
That particular G-Shock was the one I was wearing when I did a pro A on a new F/A-18C (fresh from the factory) that had the new engines. Had some gas left so I decided to see how fast it would go (it was slick). Started abeam NC over the Atlantic a Rutowski profile. I hit 1.9 mach (1,500 mph ground speed) abeam Kennedy in FL and pushed over to see what max Q I could hit. I got scared at 818 knots CAS at about 18,000 ft and pulled up. Was out of gas so headed home to Beaufort. I asked the engineers later what the speed limit on the canopy was and they said 780 knots. I said "no it isn't". Asked them what the failure mode was if I exceeded that and they said it would implode. I guess I was working in the margins.
Well, dang! I guess I won’t tell the less-than-amazing story of when I nosed over the SH-60B Seahawk [somewhere in the Indian Ocean, I think] to see if it could get to the advertised Vne of 180 knots IAS...yeah...well...it got to 175 knots IAS and I got scared...so we went back to the boat and ate leftover tater tots in the helo hangar.