All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.

Summer AutoFest: A Fiery ‘Proud’ Fiero!

1986 Pontiac Fiero GT.

Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, with dozens of show quality vehicles inside the mall, and more vehicles outside the mall. 24th through 25th August 2024, at the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho.

Here’s my video:

The event was organized by the Pocatello Car Club, with assistance from the Idaho Classic and Modern Muscle car club.

Summer AutoFest: Death proof?

Vehicle I-D: NATO Romania’s Mowag Piranha-5

The ‘Class-5’ Piranha prototype was completed in 2008.

Hawaii Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Theresa Gualdarama, 04MAY2023.

The production Mowag/General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) Piranha-5 was revealed to the public on 15JUN2010.

Hawaii Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Theresa Gualdarama, 05MAY2023.

NATO-Romania placed an order for 227 of the Mowag/GDELS Piranha-5 in 2017.  Part of the deal includes production of most of the Romanian Piranha-5s to be done in Romania by a company called Uzina Mecanică București.

During NATO wargame Anakonda23, 06MAY2023. Hawaii Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Theresa Gualdarama.

Romania began receiving their new Piranha-5 in October 2020.  In the beginning of 2023, it was reported that Romania had ordered an additional 150 Piranha-5s.

Hawaii Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Theresa Gualdarama, 06MAY2023.

So far Romania has shown-off the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) version of the Piranha-5, but it is also being produced as a mortar carrier, ambulance and Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) vehicles.

During NATO wargame Anakonda23. U.S. Army photo by Private First Class Jason Klaer, 15MAY2023.

Here is some video I edited together from U.S. Army videos recorded between April 2022 and June 2023:

The IFV Piranha-5 is armed with a 30-millimeter gun.

Hawaii Army National Guard photo by Sergeant First Class Theresa Gualdarama, 15MAY2023.

More Romanian military equipment: MLI-84M1 Jder, not your father’s BMP!

BMP Ambulance, ROMÂNIA style.

Gun Boats; guardians of the Danube.

Summer AutoFest: Death proof?

1972 Chevy Nova SS.

“This car belonged to the young man’s uncle. When the uncle passed away, it went to his brother. It sat in a shed for 40 years and the young guy wanted it so badly. Finally, the second uncle let him take it. Needless to say, after sitting so long it needed lots of help. He started with the engine compartment, putting lots of time and dollars into it. But, being a father to a young family, funds are limited. He was so thrilled to finally get it up and running and bring it to the show. He has great aspirations for this car, lots of memories of the family history and a real desire to bring it back to its original state.”-Jan Castor, Classy Car Club

Here’s my video:

Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, with dozens of show quality vehicles inside the mall, and more vehicles outside the mall. 24th through 25th August 2024, at the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho.

The event was organized by the Pocatello Car Club, with assistance from the Idaho Classic and Modern Muscle car club.

 

Summer AutoFest: 1932 Ford 5-window.

Summer AutoFest: ’32 Ford 5-window.

Another Ford with a Chevy motor.

Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, with dozens of show quality vehicles inside the mall, and more vehicles outside the mall. 24th through 25th August 2024, at the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho.

Here’s my video:

The event was organized by the Pocatello Car Club, with assistance from the Idaho Classic and Modern Muscle car club.

Summer AutoFest: 1957 Olds 98, ‘that ain’t the original motor’.

Summer AutoFest: 1957 Olds 98.

Phil Meador’s inaugural Summer AutoFest, with dozens of show quality vehicles inside the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho, and more vehicles outside the mall, during the weekend of 24th through 25th August 2024.

Not the original Oldsmobile motor!

Here’s my video:

The event was organized by the Pocatello Car Club, with assistance from the Idaho Classic and Modern Muscle car club.

Summer AutoFest: 1966 Chevy Impala SS, back from the dead?

Summer AutoFest: 1966 Chevy Impala SS, back from the dead?

There were dozens of show quality vehicles outside the Pine Ridge Mall, and dozens more vehicles inside the mall.

Here’s my video:

What some people call the Montana White Ghost apparently didn’t like being outside, it disappeared and reappeared inside the mall the next morning, and then left the scene of the crime:

It was part of the Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, 24th through 25th August 2024, in Chubbuck, Idaho.

Summer AutoFest: 1962 Chevy Impala SS, low & slow.

Summer AutoFest: 1962 Chevy Impala SS, low & slow.

Winning awards at the Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, 24th through 25th August 2024, at the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho.

Here’s my video:

The Grand Exit:

Pocatello Car Club Cruise, July 2023:

1962 Chevy Impala Lowrider

There were dozens of show quality vehicles inside the Pine Ridge Mall, and dozens more vehicles outside the mall during Summer AutoFest 2024: ’56 Chevy Nomad

1986 Monte Car-low!

Summer AutoFest: ’56 Chevy Nomad

A classic retro-mod nomadic vehicular found itself in the Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, 24th through 25th August 2024, at the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho.

Here’s my video:

There were dozens of show quality vehicles inside the mall, and dozens more vehicles outside the mall.

Summer AutoFest:

The secret of the 1936 Auburn, sshhh.

Summer AutoFest: The secret of the 1936 Auburn, sshhh.

80%, maybe 90% of the car is meant to be original, it certainly looks the part of a Great Depression era car that was the toy of the lucky 1% of the times.

Here’s my video, revealing the secret:

Phil Meador inaugural Summer AutoFest, with dozens of show quality vehicles inside the mall, and more vehicles outside the mall. 24th through 25th August 2024, at the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho.

How’d they get those cars into the mall?: Inaugural Summer AutoFest, Pine Ridge Mall, Idaho.

Inaugural Summer AutoFest, Pine Ridge Mall, Idaho.

Phil Meador’s inaugural Summer AutoFest, with dozens of show quality vehicles inside the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck, Idaho, and more vehicles outside the mall, during the weekend of 24th through 25th August 2024.

The event was organized by the Pocatello Car Club, with assistance from the Idaho Classic and Modern Muscle car club.

Professional car painting was available:

A table with some tiny cars.

The show actually started Friday evening. It took at least two hours to stage the vehicles inside the mall, and more would show up on Saturday and Sunday.  Here’s a short example, part-1:

Part-2, things started getting nit-picky:

View the longer video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCHfuvjJ0mw

Outside there were plenty of food trucks.

And there were other vendors.

There were plenty of cars outside, but it felt like some vehicle owners would leave not long after arriving:

View more outside video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDNM6Jp-QQQ

Then view the inside video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRjIswSgV9U

While it took about two hours to stage the vehicles, it took less than an hour to make their escape. Part-1 of the shortened video:

Part-2:

Part-3:

Part-4:

View the longer video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4bjH6_ruA4

Summer AutoFest: Fine ’69