The Aviation Challenge Rules:

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:05 am

Not the rules developed by Chief for the engagement of social situations, mind you, but the Rules for Combat, Survival, and Management that were developed by the Staff and lived by, to a certain extent.

Many of these come from common sense, some from popular culture (and they should be credited from the books of Dale Brown, Richard Herman and others), but all of them should be read and understood.

Part One

•Always remember your equipment is made by the lowest bidder.
•Train like you plan to fight.
•Fight from the front.
•If you’re up to your eyeballs in the enemy, you’re in combat.
•In the absence of further orders, attack!
•Never fly in the same cockpit with anybody braver than you.

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:08 am

Part Two:

• If it’s stupid but works, it ain’t stupid.
• Always honor the threat.
• Know the opposition inside and out.
• Know your wingmen inside and out.
• Know WHEN to get the hell out of Dodge.
• Know HOW to get the hell out of Dodge.
• The side with the simplest uniforms wins.
• The important things are always simple.
• The simple things are always hard.
• If it hurts, then you’re doing it right.

Spanky · Post by **Spanky** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:12 am

Many of these rules come from the great Ambler Fury. If every there was a true embodyment of Joker....then it would be Ambler.

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:13 am

There's more:

•Negotiation is best done with your knee on the enemy’s chest and your knife at his throat.

•Just because you’re wearing face paint doesn’t guarantee good training.

•L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace (Audacity, Audacity, Always Audacity – motto of the Army War College)

•There is always a loophole, if you take the time to look for it.

•Every problem has at least three courses of action (solutions) – know them and you won’t bitch about how to deal with them.

Spanky · Post by **Spanky** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:16 am

Are you prepared to die for your country?

Negative sir, I am prepared to give my enemy every opportunity to give his life.

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:22 am

Part Four:

•For every single original idea, there are at least three individuals who will try to say it was theirs and improve upon the unimprovable. (The Aviation Challenge Golden Rule)

•Never sunbathe naked on the tower (Fidget’s Rule)

•If you do sunbathe naked on the tower, don’t worry about it when you get caught (Flash’s Rule)

•A hero ain’t nothin’ but a sandwich. (Grunt’s Rule)

•If you stole it and no one can prove you stole it, it was yours in the first place (Doolittle’s Rule)

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Mon May 08, 2006 12:51 pm

Sleep whenever you can, however you can. (Gordo's Rule)

Repeat · Post by **Repeat** » Tue May 09, 2006 11:58 am

Sandrat - I've been trying to figure out who you are and if I knew you/met you while I was at camp... I've been attending Sprocket in one form or another since 1998 (check the sig line for more information), and I'm not sure who you are...

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:02 pm

Well, my sig line pretty much details who I am.

I moved from AC to Space Camp in the spring of 1999 as the Space Camp Manager. Our titles were changed to Aerospace Programs Manager in late 1999 / 2000, and I left with the title (I'm still not sure how it happened) as the Associate Director of Space Programs - though I still just say Space Camp Manager.

Our paths no doubt crossed, but much of my work "up top" was Space Camp or behind the scenes in Operations and Planning.

MAYTAG · Post by **MAYTAG** » Tue May 09, 2006 2:33 pm

yea you were before me sandrat but i definately do remember spanky

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:21 pm

He's kinda hard to forget....trust me. He's my best friend for more than ten years now, and we even shared an apartment without killing one another.

Repeat · Post by **Repeat** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:26 pm

I have a picture of me at graduation shaking Spanky's hand... I'm sure I probably met Sandrat, but I can't call up a face or name.

I bet my friend Overdrive would know who you were (she was my EALD counselor when I was there in 2000, and we're still friends).

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:32 pm

Possibly. At one point in time, we had a website that one of the Knights hosted with a bunch of pictures on it. Unfortunately, it became a really huge site and he took it down.

Soccer, when you head back this year (I assume you are) check with the staff there (and talk with their Education Manager - whose wedding I was in). Her husband is Gordo, Knight 13 and one of my best friends.

They may be able to help you connect the dots.

Repeat · Post by **Repeat** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:41 pm

Gordo's wife is now the AM for AC, and my boss... So yes, there's a good chance I'll be talking with her when I head back in two weeks.

I'll see if I can figure out who you were.

~Repeat

Sandrat · Post by **Sandrat** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:45 pm

You might want to talk to Gordo - he'll have the better stories.

Repeat · Post by **Repeat** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:54 pm

If I seem him, I'll ask.

Post by **Vincent** » Tue May 09, 2006 4:41 pm

Sandrat wrote:Possibly. At one point in time, we had a website that one of the Knights hosted with a bunch of pictures on it. Unfortunately, it became a really huge site and he took it down.

WayBackMachine link, for the curious...

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Tue May 09, 2006 5:05 pm

Thanks for the link Vincent. I visited that photo gallerya lot in the past. It is too bad the website disappeared.

Aside: go to Vincent's link and type in a search for spacecamp.com - things have changed... a lot! (It brings back memories...)

Post by **Vincent** » Tue May 09, 2006 6:00 pm

SpaceCanada wrote:Aside: go to Vincent's link and type in a search for spacecamp.com - things have changed... a lot! (It brings back memories...)

Yeah, but what's scary about All of Space Camp's old websites is that I remember visiting them all!

ACluvR · Post by **ACluvR** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:52 pm

Here's some pics for those who were there in June 1999... I had some great pics of Kodak with cake in his hair... I was in Moondoggie and Krispy's group that week... firing counselors midweek makes no one happy!!!! Just a reminder to those who work there, lol. E&E was SO understaffed.

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i49/A ... 20at%20AC/