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Sky_Boss · 09-07-2012, 02:50 PM

Hello My Friends

I have changed my name from Thuddriver to Sky_Boss.

Why?

I have used a few variations of ATHUDDRIVER for many years. I picked it up from an very special event. Many years ago an F-105, Thunderchief, fighter-bomber was flown into the Chanute AFB, IL to become a static display. The runways there had been closed but they cleaned one up and with special permission it landed there. I was the air traffic controller working that flight as it made its way to its last landing. I was told by the pilot of that aircraft that it was the LAST flight of an F-105 that would carry a real person on board. The rest were being hauled to museums, or being scrapped. As I was completing my duties and turned him over to the advisory frequency for landing at Chanute I found a HUGE lump in my throat.

This is that bird in bad shape taken this summer.

F-105 Thunderchief 63-8287 : USAF | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I have found there are more than a few IRV2 members that have either flown or new very well of this beast of a plane. Just a little history.

Republic F-105 Thunderchief - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is with great respect for these fine airmen and those that actually had the chance to fly and work on them that I "retire" "THUDDRIVER.

Sky_Boss refers to my chosen profession as an air traffic controller.

Please give thanks to the brave pilots that flew the THUD and the crews that kept them flying. It was an unpopular war but they did their duties under some of the most arduous combat and political conditions imaginable.

I hope those of you that have a history with the THUD were not offended by my use of that name. I never pretended to be a pilot of one and never intended any disrespect.

historyljc · 09-07-2012, 06:35 PM

Welcome as Sky_Boss. Awesome looking plane when you're on the ground looking up. Got out before that mess got cranked up but they were part of the "games" we played tuning up just in case.

MSHappyCampers · 09-08-2012, 08:16 AM

Hi Don & Sandee! Welcome to IRV2! We're really glad you decided to join the bunch here! I clicked on your link but didn't get the pic, just some sign-in stuff. Good luck & God bless!

Sky_Boss · 09-08-2012, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

Hi Don & Sandee! Welcome to IRV2! We're really glad you decided to join the bunch here! I clicked on your link but didn't get the pic, just some sign-in stuff. Good luck & God bless!

THANKS! I updated the signature link to link back to the first message of this thread. I won't keep that on for very long, just long enough for some folk that know me by my "old" handle to figure out who I am and why I changed it.

Duner · 12-01-2012, 10:15 PM

bobbyl, you mentioned the dash air not cooling too good. They may get back to you and say that it's working normal.

I had the dealer trying to fix my new '04 dash air since I thought it was really poor performance. On a '04 WH, they put the tranny cooler in front and then the a/c coil sandwiched in the middle with the engine radiator 3rd in line. Thus the a/c received pre-heated air from the tranny that's running around 160 deg. So a/c doesn't get ice cold. They may have changed this on '06 and later models.

What can help a lot is to run it on MAX AIR all the time. It will be pulling in cabin air instead of the hot air from the engine compartment. Then it works at least mediocre.