Burt Gummer is THE survival man.
Okay, maybe I'm crazy after all. Wrote this in response to all the hoopla in Los Angeles over their attempts to outlaw the 50 caliber BMG rifle, bullets, and such:

The Ballad of Burt Gummer (Tremors) Sung to Kodachrome

When I think back on all the rounds I've fired since high school
It's a wonder I can hear at all
And if you think there's such a thing as too much firepower
You should see the Graboid on my wall

BMG it shoots those big brass bullets
I use it for concealed carry
It makes me feel safe when driving through L.A. (oh yeah)
I've got a Grizzley Big Bore
It weighs about thirty pounds
Oh L.A. don't take my BMG away

If you took all the girls who've been through weapons training
And brought them to my camp for just one night
You know they'd never match my sweet lil Heather Gummer
Cause she's the best girl in a firefight

BMG it shoots those big brass bullets
I use it for concealed carry
It makes me feel safe when driving through L.A. (oh yeah)
I've got a Grizzley Big Bore
I love to take it everywhere
Oh L.A. don't take my BMG away

L.A. don't take my BMG
I hear those Shriekers after me
L.A. don't take my BMG away
L.A. don't take my BMG, oh, no
L.A. don't take my BMG away

Regards, Keys
P.S. Does outer space survival count? Ripley is way cool in the Alien movies, though it's hardly wilderness stuff.

An interesting historical footnote to the hunt for Albert Johnson - one of the bush pilots involved in the hunt was a guy called Wilfred May. May's other claim to fame was that he came within a hair's breadth of becoming the 81st victim of The Red Baron, Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen. On his first combat patrol, Lt. May had the misfortune to find the deadliest fighter pilot of the war on his tail. As he flew close to the ground in a desperate attempt to escape, Australian gunners on the ground, including Gunner Robert Buie and Gunner Sgt Cedric Popkin, opened fire on the red triplane, and May's Commanding Officer, Capt. A. Roy Brown, gave chase. One of them struck the Red Baron, killing him.
After the war, “Wop” May (there was no “Political Correctness” in those days) became one of Canada’s pioneer bush pilots.

All SAK's are McGuyver models...
Try watching 'Hell in the Pacific" starring Lee Marvin. That's survival...

Oh Wow! I never made the connection between the "two" pilots. A recent DISCOVERY program featured research conducted at the site of the dogfight.The conclusion was a very lucky single .303 round from the Aussie machinegunner downed the baron. Captain Barker was my favourite. Anybody who would pick a fight with 60 odd fokker D V11s, shoot down 4 and send 3 home heavily shot up,crash and survive in front of several hundred cheering tommies is definitely "Equipped to Survive", or nuts! <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The irony of the .50 frenzy is our own snipers have benefited directly from matchloading research conducted by the civilian shooters of the round. Accuracy never before dreamed of enabled two Canadian marksmen to shoot two opponents at record distances in Afghanistan. The only recorded use of a .50 in a crime was by a Makah whaler shooting a grey whale under 'traditional' hunt treaty rights promulgated by Japanese whaling interests under the protective eyes of my old service <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> Said act later ruled to be in violation of several federal laws that took precedence.

The whole endangered species thing ruined the Tremors concept. I watched the first two shows and they were so bad they made The Dukes of Hazzard look like Masterpiece Theatre in comparison. What a waste of Christopher Lloyd. Regards, Keys

"...definitely "Equipped to Survive", or nuts!"

Are they mutually exclusive? <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Most of those WWI fighter pilots were crazy. They had to be. I believe that Barker was actually supposed to be returning home and his aircraft had been stripped of most of its armament; he convinced them to let him keep one machine-gun for self-defense, then decided to "detour" over enemy territory - for old times sake, presumably - when he stumbled into a German squadron on that flight.

And Frank Luke, "the Balloon Buster of Arizona", was reputedly the only man ever to win the Medal of Honor while he was under arrest. Don't know if that's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.

"I couldn't believe I was considering doing this single-handed. I mean, Ball said you needed two people. And Ball was a lunatic!" (John Gray, "Billy Bishop Goes To War")

Dang it. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I was going to post Hell in the Pacific. Thought about it last night. Ya beat me to it.

How about Jeremiah Johnson?

A french pilot was frustrated over the laxative effect of CASTROL Oil fumes used as his rotary engine lubricant. A custom trapdoor was sewn into his jumpsuit and a matching hole in the wicker seat and doped fabric of the Nieuport 17. When he felt the fumes overpowering a quick dive on german trenches followed. He was awarded a medal for this initiative <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> A british pilot jumped a zeppelin over London, only to have his gun jam. He hammered repeatedly on the receiver with the provided hammer for such malfunctions. When that failed he angrily threw the hammer at the zeppelin . Seconds ( and a few thousand feet higher) later he regained control of his camel pup and observed a massive fireball where the zeppelin had been. My vote goes to the russian pilot who towed a small SEA ANCHOR behind his Moraine Saunier monoplane and snagged the wing of an Aviatik. it worked- both crashed <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />