Hulburt Field Air Force Base is home of the Air Force Special Operations Command. We played the Gator Lakes Golf Course on Base last Wednesday. Played well and scored well but were disappointed that none of the many alligators that we had seen on previous visits there were around(or at least that we could see)
Just off one of the fairways was an old burned out plane (I think a C-130) that we assumed was used for fire training.
On Wednesday we went up to Ft Walton to play golf at Hurlbert AFB and to have dinner with Leo and Lois. We had a coupon for a bottle of wine and one two for one dinner so the four of us got $47 off dinner. I love a deal.
Inside the grill. Upstairs was a museum(more later)
Last Thursday wight of us had dinner at Rodeo’s which had a Bluegrass band for 3 hours during dinner. And they do not kick you out after dinner so we got there at 5 PM and stayed until 8PM. Good stuff.
 In 7 years we had never seen gators in this spot behind the 8th tee although we had heard that a gator had lived there years ago. On Sunday we saw this guy.
Sunday was a busy day. Breakfast at Corems (have to face away from the cooking area), Church, nap, Golf (95). On the eighth hole we saw our first gators on the course this year(more later). The real excitement was on the 18th fairway. A wild Tom Turkey and his ladies were crossing the fairway in front of us. I asked John if he knew the mating call of a turkey and he said:”As a matter of fact I do”. He then proceeded to whistle some nonsense and right before our eyes the Tom Turkey got attentive, faced us and started walking towards Roy. I started to take pictures while the Tom suddenly got aggressive and tried attacking Roy who got out a club and tried to run off the Tom with his golf bag. Then the Tom decided he didn’t like his picture taken so he came after me. I traded in my camera for a golf club and started banging it on my bag. Finally, ole Tom left.
That is Roy’s leg behind his golf bag
Better known as the old Officers Club although they have now changed the sign. Anyway inside the lobby are models of the two fighter planes that are use here at Tyndall. These are the F-22 on top and the F-15 on the bottom.
Just outside the club there is a nature trail. A sign warns all about alligators. Since we had not seen an alligator this year we were not worried. BUT guess what — two alligators. We couldn’t get close enough for good pictures but you get the idea.
When anyone come near this dog it wags its tail, wiggles its rear end and toots.
Sub scale drones do not cost as much when shot down. Also they are easier to retrieve from the Gulf of Mexico over which air to air tactics are practiced.Tyndall has an area that launches sub scale drones and has two or three boats that retrieve them if shot down.
Sub Scale Drone
Drone Retriever
For training pilots to fight enemy planes without killing pilots in the process, the Air Force uses drones for target planes. There are full scale (actual size of a plane because it is one) drones which are the old F-4’s from the Vietnam war. These are pilotless planes identifiable by their red painted tail and wing tips and by the inverted (downward) tail fins.
In the air
On the flight line.
On 20 Feb there was a lunar eclipise (the earth got between the sun and the moon) (doesn’t happen that often). My camera doesn’t do it justice but you can get the idea.
