The side pods are fuel tanks for extended range and loiter time. Up front on the nose, we have the surface search radar in the extended nose, with a FLIR system, a day/night video camera system, and most likely a searchlight as well. Lots of specialized goodies compared to the other services Sea/Black/Hawks.

HA! He’s got a Fulda plate/kennzeichen. I’ve got relatives from that area, and this guy would fit right in with their driving habits. Lots of nice twisty backroads around there too.

Was that the Rolls Royce Merlin-powered concept car that never got built?

Even your President is toasting me with wine, comrade water-toasting buzzkill.

HA! My home county. Given the universal BS calls I see earlier, I’m inclined to agree that it’s not up there. On the other hand, the strangeness factor is much higher than it was when I was a kid, and when I think of all the serial murderers that have passed through and/or stopped for a while in the county since then,…

I see Philo himself comes as the on-site technician. Two for the price of one!

But Torch, you’re in luck: nobody, but nobody has said anything negative about your idea for a new amphibuous Thing. Obviously this silence means that would be an excellent package for VW to make. Base it on the Golf R mechanicals...

I think the two dudes are out of luck to their claim of 10% finders fee. Given the odious provenance of the supposed treasure on board, yeah, almost everyone else has a better claim to it. Speculative thought: what if it’s the Amber Room?

Taiwan was my first thought, especially since the US wasn’t “damned to hell” for espionage in this case. Don’t forget the Vietnamese either, what with the South China Sea tensions. Everyone wants to know when the subs leave their home port.

Which happens to many male candidates as well. Re-cycling the phases is gender-neutral in this case, and these two officers happen to have succeeded in passing them all. Brava to them!

Which is why I have kept my 97 Taco for 18 years straight. Four banger, with a five speed, and I can still get 32 mpg. No, I won’t get to Barstow yesterday, but I will get there...

That’s no ordinary 707 tanker with all those extra antennas along the top...

Or, in a pinch, baguettes and other hard rolls.

My first airplane ride ever, at 11. It was even a United 727, and my dad and I flew from Seattle to Los Angeles that day in 1970. Lots of food, more room than I needed, and fast! I did fly a few more of them over the next few years, but always a great aircraft to fly in. This looks to be a great restoration as well,…

Yes, it is. That picture was taken at Paine Field, Everett, Washington, and the Boeing plant is just north of this location. I’ve seen that Comet in far worse shape in past years, and I suspect it is being restored, albeit slowly. I haven’t been near that end of Paine Field in years and I’m not even ‘local’ in any way…

Eliminated by budget cuts in the early ‘80s. The Eleventh District originally ran from the border up to Morro Bay, where the 12th took over. The Twelfth District ran from there to the Oregon border where the 13th took over. I was stationed at the 12th District from 1980 to 1982, and this occurred just a few months…

Navy pilots in the Northwest have always been a little crazy. They tend to fly lower than normal because of the constant cloud cover that is around a lot of the time. I grew up about 35 miles northeast of Oak Harbor, and they were always buzzing the town, although rather higher since the local airport had priority…

Definitely mad props to the Kurds for these. They may indeed not do well when confronted with HEAT rounds or RPG's, but they will still kick Hilux butt. I pity the loss of the Hilux trucks only, not the IS. Such a waste of a good pickup that we can't have.

Tyler - thanks for this. I spent 6 years in the Guard, and these were newly deploying when I got out. The HU25's were flashy, fast, and terribly up-t0-date for the Coast Guard when they were put in service. However...

Keep it up, Torch! Love the weird VW series, no lie. All of them. Doesn't Coffin Joe remind you of Russell Brand? I smell remake...