Put all the widgets in a little pit and turn it into like a funhouse ball pit kinda thing.

Remember, just because it was issued to you does not make it yours. If you didn't buy it, you don't own it, so if you try and flog it you've just committed theft of government / crown property.

*3: Why use them for target practice of course.

It really isn't that important but some of the issued rain coat/jacket given was stolen during my time. Apparently it was a contractor (not just one, a whole platoon's [40+])

And yes, selling the gear I have is illegal. Not that anyone would want to wear it for anyway. (helmet of -5 intelligence )

Look up aviation terminology.

No, seriously, do it. Aviation has lingo and jargon that is peculiar to its sphere. You'll want to look in particular at military aviation terminology.

As for how they talk, keep in mind that they'll probably remain quiet most of the time unless it's directly relevant to the operation of the aircraft and/or its mission (so little to no chit chat). Be advised also that they will speak clearly and calmly when talking over the radio, and that they won't dawdle on the radio either (no long winded discussions, little to no "um"-ing or "ah"-ing, etc.).

For an hilarious example, watch the clip where James May (in what is essentially a big orange blimp) gets blown into Norwich International Airport's immediate airspace.

Did someone mention my favorite show? The fun starts at around 3:20

Gah, all of that's not at all a catastrophic security failure compared to what happened during the Great Politics Mess Up to the Russians With Rusting Rockets; IIRC, some serious stashes of gear and hardware, including several thousand small arms, "dissapeared" throughout the early 90's.

What irks me then regarding the details of your post are that almost all of the materials you described at commonly purchased by civilians in the military surplus market. So if selling those things are illegal, then how to hell do those huge surplus stores stocked up in such gear (obviously barring NVG's) stay alive?

When something is "surplus" it's not longer needed and it's disposed of via official channels. Some sho[s got lucky when gear was sold off from units that were deactivated or National Guard/Reserve units that changed mission and no longer needed gear. Some shady folk did find supply NCO's and soldiers willing to steal, but between CID, FBI and the local law enforcement most end up in jail. A lot of soldiers do buy extra gear and then sell it to surplus stores. Sometimes bases will just have a ton of extra crap that needs to go away: from units closing to extra gear left over. If no one wants it, it's offered for sale to get some money back. Those auctions are where most reputable stores get their surplus.

In other news:

edited 10th Jul '14 2:16:52 PM by TairaMai

I'm quite sure the Americans picked up some of that ex-Soviet kit.

edited 10th Jul '14 2:27:56 PM by Greenmantle

Hooray, poorly maintained T-72s for everyone!

There were better examples, like the T-80:

Is that actually useful though? I thought the Russians had phased the T-80 out and replaced it with scary new T-90 models.

Veterans face another battle fighting prescription drug addiction

Barring some revolution in tank design, studying older equipment can still tell us quite a bit about design and construction practices, give us clues about what sort of equipment may have been installed previously, etc. Buying finding or stealing enemy equipment for research is a time-honored American military tradition.

Yeah but if I remember right the T-80 wasn't related to the T-72.

And the T-90 is just a super T-72. Sort of

@ Garcon: Look at the date they were purchased — 1992.

edited 10th Jul '14 2:58:06 PM by Greenmantle

More about the mighty Maus! Looks like Wargaming and Kubinka will have their work cut out for them when it comes to restoring this beast - if they ever do. I can highly recommend this video. Very interesting stuff:

Wouldn't the purchased tanks have been export models though? And thus not up to the same standard as the stuff the Russians kept for themselves?

edited 10th Jul '14 3:47:50 PM by Silasw

Probably, but then again, unless they bothered to design an entirely separate tank to sell under the same brand name, even the "Monkey Model" will have substantial design similarities to the real deal.

Usually most Soviet export tanks had thinner armor due to the resin-embedded ceramics being replaced with steel. They also lacked the laser rangefinders and NBC protection, and came with a less effective fire control system and ammo. Most of the parts were not interchangeable between the Russian and the export versions.

The export models also had different turrets with different protective filler then main line Russian tanks did.

Taira already pointed it out in general but surplus gear also tends to be dated and just that actual surplus. It also is usually gone over to make sure no secret bits make it out the door. These guys were stealing gear directly from military store houses, armories, and ammo dumps. All of those are generally considered secure sites and at least two of those require someone to have a decent record to work in.

Stealing of military weapons and ammo alone is a huge deal. Turning around and selling to anyone without care is even worse. Especially when they start selling to local gangs who now have easier access to fire power most civilians wouldn't have including full auto and burst fire weaponry. Even worse when they sell it to the cartels.

edited 10th Jul '14 4:17:19 PM by TuefelHundenIV

In case anyone doesn't know, US military members can now get the TSA Pre-Check screening process when traveling, because it turns out that members of the US Armed Forces are generally considered to be a low terrorism risk for airliners.

Anyways, it used to be if you showed your mil ID, they'd put you into the pre-screening line, but now they're not supposed to do that. When you book your travel, you submit your Do D ID number (the new 10 digit number they started putting on ID cards a few years ago, not your Social Security Number), and your boarding pass will have a little thingy on it telling the TSA guys to put the rubber gloves away.

A look back at chemical warfare, and how much we've improved on it since then.

Animosity towards the armed forces, not towards airlines. At least on an airliner I get free peanuts.

True, on a military aircraft, they're a FOD hazard.