Aviation Thread - News, facts, questions, photos, videos, etc.

[Walks_At_Night]

So now there is a glider cranking at over 600 MPH at 39,000 feet crossing Lake Superior.  LoL.

[albrecht]

So now there is a glider cranking at over 600 MPH at 39,000 feet crossing Lake Superior.  LoL.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizer_SGS_1-26 
"The 1-26 has been seen as a challenging aircraft to set records in and to achieve FAI soaring badges, given its low glide performance"

Performance

   Maximum speed: 114 mph (182 km/h, 99 kn)
Maximum glide ratio: 23 at 53 mph (84 km/h)
Rate of sink: 174 ft/min (0.88 m/s)

[Walks_At_Night]

Nice. maybe it'll show up on eBay and they can buy it back?

Kremlin Sounds Alarm Over 'Doomsday Plane' Robbery

The Kremlin on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the theft of sensitive equipment from a secretive "doomsday plane" designed for the country's top command in event of a nuclear attack.

The Interior Ministry said police in the southern city of Taganrog had been alerted that 1 million rubles ($13,600) worth of equipment was stolen from an Ilyushin Il-80 plane at an airfield.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/12/09/kremlin-sounds-alarm-over-doomsday-plane-robbery-a72291

[pate]

Travis Walton story would be cool...

Lone pilot, expensive bird (F-16(), Chuck Norris death recent:

https://youtu.be/3jvGJhJINlc

[Walks_At_Night]

Still no F-16 driver....

https://szh4a2jpayfzdwwhcvb74yqigg.gcdn.anvato.net/wjmn/video/video_studio/578/20/12/09/6102907/6102907_DC1277EAD3A54E26B48B2CC4908A1D81_201209_6102907_Plane_crash_in_Delta_County__still_searching_for_1200.mp4

[Walks_At_Night]

Found dead this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1337179854819700737

[Uncle Duke]

Found dead this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1337179854819700737

Was getting ready to post a similar report.  No information on whether the pilot died in the crash or after ejecting.

[Walks_At_Night]

Supposedly this shows the incident - two F-16's squawking as PC-12's. Cooking along and one disappears:

https://www.flightradar24.com/2020-12-09/02:21/12x/46.13,-86.39/9
 
It was carrying live munitions, per the ANG warning to the coppers at the time of the incident:
https://vocaroo.com/19HX74Jg2H7m

Sounds like the coppers have been replaced near the incident site - no Yooper accent on these cats:

https://vocaroo.com/18R4XFmx2nto
https://vocaroo.com/14anexfnHTHH

Don't think this clip is legit but I'll post it for completeness and transparency:
https://vocaroo.com/1df3xFdUegoF

[Taaroa]

(Nappies are diapers)

China asks cabin crew to wear nappies to reduce virus risk

China's aviation regulator has recommended cabin crew wear disposable nappies and avoid using the toilet to cut the risk of Covid-19 infection.The Civil Aviation Administration of China laid out its advice in a new 49-page set of guidelines for airlines to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The recommendation on nappies applies to charter flights to and from places where infections exceed 500 in every one million people.

It comes on top of the advice for cabin crew to wear medical masks, disposable gloves, caps, goggles, disposable protective clothing and shoe coverings.
Flight crew are also advised to wear a range of protective gear, but not nappies.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55269969
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/cabin-crew-told-to-wear-diapers-on-risky-covid-flights
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-civil-aviation-administration-coronavirus-guidance-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/12/10/china-diaper-flight-attendants-covid/

[Hog]

The USMC’s first F-35C squadron reaches IOC In a time characterized by rapidly evolving tactics and modernized equipment, the Marine Corps has taken the next step in maintaining air superiority as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 declares their Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the F-35C Lightning II. Naval News Staff 04 Dec 2020(last week)

"The F-35C and the F-35B are the future of all TACAIR for the Marine Corps. The U.S. Marine Corps plans to buy 420 F-35s: 353 F-35Bs and 67 F35Cs.  The types will replace the F/A-18, AV-8B, and EA-6B (with the latter already retired). The F-35s “will provide the MAGTF strategic agility, operational flexibility and tactical supremacy”: while the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant provides the ability to operate from austere airfields and amphibious assault ships, the Carrier Variant allows the USMC to integrate its squadrons with the U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wings aboard Navy’s flattops.""

The current unit price of the 3 variants of the Joint Strike Fighter.
F-35A is now $89.2 million and Lockheed predicts this price will fall to $80 million by 2020, full 9 g strike fighter, air interdictor.

F-35B variant is $115.5 million  This variant uses STOVL technologies Short Take Off Vertical Landing.  The F35B CANNOT takeoff vertically with anything over a simple small fuel load, it certain can't vertically land any sort of combat loading. This will be used by the Marines and the Navy.  HC-130J Hercules can land and hot refuel and hot re-arm the F-35Bs.
https://youtu.be/iEbaq1kxjJE

F-35C is $107.7 million F-35C (CV=Carrier Variant to use arresting hook/gear for landing and nosewheel hook to use the catapult for launching from an aircraft carrier.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/12/usmcs-first-f-35c-squadron-reaches-ioc/#:~:text=USMC%E2%80%99s%20first%20F-35C%20squadron%20reaches%20IOC%20In%20a,Lightning%20II.%20Naval%20News%20Staff%2004%20Dec%202020

peace
Hog

[Hog]

Here is 4 test shots of the AIM-9X from F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets.  The High Off Boresight Shots(HOBS)  are part of the Sidewinder to attack from "all aspects", not just from the typical tail chase scenario. 
The first Sidewinder with an "all aspect" shot capability was the AIM-9 variant "Lima" for "L".  then came the "Mike" variant which kept all of the Limas capabilities just expanded upon them. 

https://youtu.be/4g4_jzqBJnA

AIM-9M-4/5 was in use for Desert Shield while AIM-9M-6/7 which was rushed to the Persian Gulf in order to deal with specific threats to be fund in the area.
AIM-9R was started by the Navy, but was cancelled in favour of both the Navy and Aiforce jointly developing the AIM-9X which came into force on November 2003.
By January 2013, the AIM-9X Block II was about halfway through its operational testing and performing better than expected.
As of June 2013, Raytheon has delivered 5,000 AIM-9X missiles to the armed services
In September 2012, Raytheon was ordered to continue developing the Sidewinder into a Block III variant, even though the Block II had not yet entered service. The USN projected that the new missile would have a 60 percent longer range, modern components to replace old ones, and an insensitive munitions warhead.

The need for the AIM-9 to have an increased range was from digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammers that can blind the onboard radar of an AIM-120D AMRAAM, so the Sidewinder Block III's passive imaging infrared homing guidance system was a useful alternative.  The 2016 budget killed the AIM-9X Block 3, but its insensitive explosives warhead will be retained for future Sidewinder variants.  Sound slike we need a longer alphabet though.

peace
Hog

[Dr. MD MD]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyWUc6wIeu0&feature=emb_logo

[Dr. MD MD]

WAN, did you watch the above vid? If so, what do you think of this theory?

[Walks_At_Night]

WAN, did you watch the above vid? If so, what do you think of this theory?

I did not Doc but I'll give it a listen in a minute.

[albrecht]

WAN, did you watch the above vid? If so, what do you think of this theory?

I like theories and speculation- but Hal is allegedly known charlatan, back-stabber, agent provocateur, and Federal Informant- when it serves his purposes. His activities actually undermined some good people, including fellow radio hosts and a few politicians. I'm not sure, actually, what the actual truth is with him (always an informant, just a turn-coat if it serves himself, just an unstable personality, or just a person who is in it for the laughs, or in it for the $.) I admire his ability to glom on to people, movements, and his support of SW and radio in general, though.


Having said that I "heard" somewhere that Chinese are training in Canada. Theory was the Polar regions, especially Arctic, will be the next new wars (not a new theory and a legitimate one) but for some reason China doesn't have sufficient areas in which to train in winter wars. (That is suspect but that was the theory.) I doubt the ChiComs shot down the Wisconsin Air Nat Guard Plane....

[Innerreach]

Having said that I "heard" somewhere that Chinese are training in Canada. Theory was the Polar regions, especially Arctic, will be the next new wars (not a new theory and a legitimate one) but for some reason China doesn't have sufficient areas in which to train in winter wars. (That is suspect but that was the theory.) I doubt the ChiComs shot down the Wisconsin Air Nat Guard Plane....

Yeah, this would be some crazy shit if it were real.

[Dr. MD MD]

Yeah, this would be some crazy shit if it were real.

Still, some of the points he brought up make you wonder, like being sent up alone with ordnance, the amount of clearance the military asked for, etc. 🤔

[Innerreach]

Still, some of the points he brought up make you wonder, like being sent up alone with ordinance, the amount of clearance the military asked for, etc. 🤔

Yeah, the news is reporting the pilot to be dead.. Anytime I hear "training mission ends with dead pilot" I think, pffft.... Blow me.

What....? All fail safes failed? Ejection seat and parachute not functioning Houston... Pa lease, spare me the malarky..

[Walks_At_Night]

WAN, did you watch the above vid? If so, what do you think of this theory?

Well I've heard of Turner but I've never listed to a single minute of his show before. I think that might have to change - he's creative. The thought of Chinese troops boating across Lake Superior from Canada, then hoofing it through the woods, bogs and marshes of the central UP to lay some sort of SAM trap for a 1970's era fighter and then grab the weekend warrior pilot and then mush back thru 80 miles of that shit doesn't make a great deal of sense.  What would make more sense would be for them to cross into the UP via the Saint Mary's river that separates the two Saul Sainte Marie's [Michigan and Ontario]. It's so close there at one spot that Albrecht could probably hit his 3 Wood from the US into Canada. Also right there are the Soo Locks that tie Lake Superior into the lower Great Lakes. Those locks are of vital strategic importance. You seize or destroy them and you cut off access from the iron ore docks in Marquette, Mich, Duluth and Two Harbors, MN and Superior WI.  No iron ore from the upper midwest and no US steel industry.

Here's the Soo Locks webcam - this is from the US side but you can see how easy it would be to get. Just hop the fence and start blowing shit up.
https://www.9and10news.com/weather/live-weather-cams/sault-st-marie-cam/

Now if you wanted to invade with those 50,000 guys that fried in that underground base you don't want to do it up there anyway.  You cross over from Canada at Port Huron Mich which is north of Detroit a ways.
You can see how easy it would be from their webcam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnnf04x6pXY

From there you don't have to deal with all the swamps and bogs and shit up in the UP. You got flat farmland where you can wheel and maneuver that runs for just about forever. Plus the Michigan National Guard base is hours to the north of there so they ain't gonna impede you. If you are talking invasion of Michigan from Canada, that's where you do it. You can bag Detroit, Toledo, Gary, Chicago in a hell of a hurry from there.

Interesting thought though - that Turner guy must follow 4chan pretty closely. Seems like he got alot of that from the original anon post about it.  Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[Walks_At_Night]

Yeah, the news is reporting the pilot to be dead.. Anytime I hear "training mission ends with dead pilot" I think, pffft.... Blow me.

What....? All fail safes failed? Ejection seat and parachute not functioning Houston... Pa lease, spare me the malarky..

Seemed like a nice enough fella. New little baby too. Whatever happened, very sad. I saw some stuff that he was found no where near his ejection seat. If true what's up with that? He tried to hoof it out and died of exposure or what?

[Innerreach]

Well I've heard of Turner but I've never listed to a single minute of his show before. I think that might have to change - he's creative. The thought of Chinese troops boating across Lake Superior from Canada, then hoofing it through the woods, bogs and marshes of the central UP to lay some sort of SAM trap for a 1970's era fighter and then grab the weekend warrior pilot and then mush back thru 80 miles of that shit doesn't make a great deal of sense.  What would make more sense would be for them to cross into the UP via the Saint Mary's river that separates the two Saul Sainte Marie's [Michigan and Ontario]. It's so close there at one spot that Albrecht could probably hit his 3 Wood from the US into Canada. Also right there are the Soo Locks that tie Lake Superior into the lower Great Lakes. Those locks are of vital strategic importance. You seize or destroy them and you cut off access from the iron ore docks in Marquette, Mich, Duluth and Two Harbors, MN and Superior WI.  No iron ore from the upper midwest and no US steel industry.



Here's the Soo Locks webcam - this is from the US side but you can see how easy it would be to get. Just hop the fence and start blowing shit up.
https://www.9and10news.com/weather/live-weather-cams/sault-st-marie-cam/

Now if you wanted to invade with those 50,000 guys that fried in that underground base you don't want to do it up there anyway.  You cross over from Canada at Port Huron Mich which is north of Detroit a ways.
You can see how easy it would be from their webcam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnnf04x6pXY

From there you don't have to deal with all the swamps and bogs and shit up in the UP. You got flat farmland where you can wheel and maneuver that runs for just about forever. Plus the Michigan National Guard base is hours to the north of there so they ain't gonna impede you. If you are talking invasion of Michigan from Canada, that's where you do it. You can bag Detroit, Toledo, Gary, Chicago in a hell of a hurry from there.

Interesting thought though - that Turner guy must follow 4chan pretty closely. Seems like he got alot of that from the original anon post about it.  Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Note to self: When in need of sophisticated, strategic military procedures, contact WAN.

[Innerreach]

Seemed like a nice enough fella. New little baby too. Whatever happened, very sad. I saw some stuff that he was found no where near his ejection seat. If true what's up with that? He tried to hoof it out and died of exposure or what?

It's the fucking commies man!

[Walks_At_Night]

Note to self: When in need of sophisticated, strategic military procedures, contact WAN.

Don't know about that but those locks are of vital strategic importance and there is a hunk of chain link and a sleepy Yooper in a guard shack protecting them. It's always bothered me. If Bin Laden had a brain he would have had a couple of guys rent a car from Avis and head up there and done some even more economically damaging shit,

[Innerreach]

Don't know about that but those locks are of vital strategic importance and there is a hunk of chain link and a sleepy Yooper in a guard shack protecting them. It's always bothered me. If Bin Laden had a brain he would have had a couple of guys rent a car from Avis and head up there and done some even more economically damaging shit,

You know, if another country truly wanted to invade, they would just detonate many strategically placed EMP"s over the United States... I mean, that's what I would do. I'm thinking of retrieving my ammo and Mountain House from my storage unit now. Be safe Bellgaber's!

[ItsOver]

You know, if another country truly wanted to invade, they would just detonate many strategically placed EMP"s over the United States... I mean, that's what I would do. I'm thinking of retrieving my ammo and Mountain House from my storage unit now. Be safe Bellgaber's!

https://heavy.com/news/2020/06/peter-pry-china-emp-attack/

[Walks_At_Night]

You know, if another country truly wanted to invade, they would just detonate many strategically placed EMP"s over the United States... I mean, that's what I would do. I'm thinking of retrieving my ammo and Mountain House from my storage unit now. Be safe Bellgaber's!

If you really want to brighten your day, give this a read:
https://www.heritage.org/military/an-assessment-of-us-military-power

All that money we spend on the DoD and it would seem the US has a bunch of old worn out hardware and at least in the Navy's case the new stuff sucks. The new LCS ships are so bad, they are going with an Italian frigate FFG(X) design.  My favorite part is the minesweepers. Ours have currently had it and will soon be decommissioned but there is nothing in plan to replace them.  Doh!

[albrecht]

Well I've heard of Turner but I've never listed to a single minute of his show before. I think that might have to change - he's creative. The thought of Chinese troops boating across Lake Superior from Canada, then hoofing it through the woods, bogs and marshes of the central UP to lay some sort of SAM trap for a 1970's era fighter and then grab the weekend warrior pilot and then mush back thru 80 miles of that shit doesn't make a great deal of sense.  What would make more sense would be for them to cross into the UP via the Saint Mary's river that separates the two Saul Sainte Marie's [Michigan and Ontario]. It's so close there at one spot that Albrecht could probably hit his 3 Wood from the US into Canada. Also right there are the Soo Locks that tie Lake Superior into the lower Great Lakes. Those locks are of vital strategic importance. You seize or destroy them and you cut off access from the iron ore docks in Marquette, Mich, Duluth and Two Harbors, MN and Superior WI.  No iron ore from the upper midwest and no US steel industry.

Here's the Soo Locks webcam - this is from the US side but you can see how easy it would be to get. Just hop the fence and start blowing shit up.
https://www.9and10news.com/weather/live-weather-cams/sault-st-marie-cam/

Now if you wanted to invade with those 50,000 guys that fried in that underground base you don't want to do it up there anyway.  You cross over from Canada at Port Huron Mich which is north of Detroit a ways.
You can see how easy it would be from their webcam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnnf04x6pXY

From there you don't have to deal with all the swamps and bogs and shit up in the UP. You got flat farmland where you can wheel and maneuver that runs for just about forever. Plus the Michigan National Guard base is hours to the north of there so they ain't gonna impede you. If you are talking invasion of Michigan from Canada, that's where you do it. You can bag Detroit, Toledo, Gary, Chicago in a hell of a hurry from there.

Interesting thought though - that Turner guy must follow 4chan pretty closely. Seems like he got alot of that from the original anon post about it.  Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Isn't this, sorta, a reverse of "Canadian Bacon" movie? Or "War Plan Red?"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/29/AR2005122901412.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red

[albrecht]

https://heavy.com/news/2020/06/peter-pry-china-emp-attack/

That upstart Morano had Pry on his "The Other Side of Midnight" the other night. But only for a short segment. Same old, same old. Everyone knows about the threat but nobody wants to do anything about it. Even though these days the hacking could take down much of the infrastructure, likely. But maybe it is a type of MAD scenario? The Russians and Chinese though build a lot of underground bunkers and cities, and not only- like us- for politicians and some military folks.

[Walks_At_Night]

Isn't this, sorta, a reverse of "Canadian Bacon" movie? Or "War Plan Red?"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/29/AR2005122901412.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red

Yeah - which leads one to think about the Pig War of 1859

[ItsOver]

That upstart Morano had Pry on his "The Other Side of Midnight" the other night. But only for a short segment. Same old, same old. Everyone knows about the threat but nobody wants to do anything about it. Even though these days the hacking could take down much of the infrastructure, likely. But maybe it is a type of MAD scenario? The Russians and Chinese though build a lot of underground bunkers and cities, and not only- like us- for politicians and some military folks.

If someday, nothing works, including BellGab, at least you’ll have a pretty good idea of what happened.