This is a very nice website, and I wanted to give a prepatory thanks to all the advice I will certainly get here! As a car "layman", I especially appreciate the help!

A bit about myself - I am a military pilot who is quite bad with cars. I own a 1997 Honda Accord EX, something I picked up used in 2001 when the commute to flight training in South Texas was a bit much for my old Chevy Suburban. Now I have seen the light! I have put 80,000+ miles on the car, taken it to both coasts and back, and even garaged it for months on end while on deployment.What a machine. I cannot imagine having anything else for a sedan - ever! (Well, maybe a BMW 735, but that is down the road).

It is an incredibly reliable and good car, and has taken my neglect and automobile ignorace well, to say nothing of the heavy foot I drive with. That being said, it has a few small problems that I hope to get addressed here (one "major" small problem is a drivers window stuck down - bad news if you live in Florida). I hope to learn a lot about the car, cars in general, and be a better owner. What a great forum!

Again, I would like to thank all the people who take the time to answer posts here - you really help, and I hope somehow we can return the favor someday.

-Paul

 

Thank You Paul for joining up with us [sm=welcomesign.gif]to the forums..
What type of planes are you qualified to fly...I'm an ex combat controller and had a lot of time involved with you fly boys for 17 years..
Thanks for being in the forces and being someone who cares about the country like I do ...
WheelBrokerAng

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Thanks for the reply Wheel! I am a Navy pilot, currently assigned as an S-3B Viking tactics instructor - it is the rather ungainly jetaircraft the President landed on the carrier a few years back. Nice plane, though - it retires in 2009, to be replaced by the F-18E/F "Super hornet". I will miss it.

 

Where do you fly out of..I was assigned to Eglin years and years ago but taught CBI at Bell Chase LA where you guys used to practice your aircraft landings on the same air strip down there, I was always on TDY it seemed like..
Your Car is in dire need of lowering springs and 16 " or 17" rims to get it looking like a Jet Jockies machine..

WheelBrokerAng [sm=americanasmiley.gif]

 

welcome to the forum, we're starting to get quite the gambit of military service people on here, I've got 6 years army myself and one 1.5year long tour under my belt... glad to have you on here!

 

It does seem like we have a few military people on here now, doesnt it, Sir?

Welcome, Paul. Your Accord looks nice, I would agree with WBA that some springs and rims would make it look even nicer.

Im also an "aviator" of sorts. I fly UAVs for the Army. Three years and change in the service, with twelve months in Iraq and another tour likely in the not too distant future.

 

speaking of the future did you guys notice that the pentagon lifted the deployment restrictions for reserve/national guard? They can now do 24 month tours and then come back home for however long or short the military feels like and send them out for another 24 months.... No more of this 2 years out of 5 type deal.... 1.5 years was enough for me I can imagine doing 2 years then coming home for 2 weeks then another 2 years.... It's going to happen to someone though....

 

Yeah, Im really stoked about the new deployment guidelines... NOT. Im going to be under stop loss for the upcoming deployment, I would like it to be as short as possible lol.

 

I have always been asked as to why I spent 3 years straight over there and my answer has been and will always be this " I stayed over there to serve and protect my fellow soldier, I cared not about that country-but cared dearly for my fellow man who was there serving with me.
I was there to protect the other guy, so that he might also live another day to go home and see his family. I knew that the war was not ever going to be won as I believe that the war in the desert will also never be won, but I felt it was My Duty to Serve and to Protect my other AMERICANS .....

WheelBrokerAng [sm=americanasmiley.gif]