Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys

Y'all airplane fellas might be interested in the non-nuke EMP flyer https://drrichswier.com/2015/05/27/does-israel-have-a-non-nuclear-emp-missile/ (note date of the Boeing tests) Consider implications...for the present day.

Speaking of flying machines... F-16 robot flyer vs F-16 human driver in actual (very careful) test aloft> AI tends to win, of course they say...it's a rice bowl imperative...but it's also probably true.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/04/19/us-air-force-stages-dogfights-with-ai-flown-fighter-jet/

(I have seen "test" rigged, and suppose I am not the only fella wot has.)

(FWIW the discussion of flyers and their weapons as they are now seem to traduce the rule on political discussion, but... I am happy to read what you fellas bring to the page. Thanks! Very neat-o machinery, beautiful! Just sorry to see people hurt by them.) Not quite a pacifist...but almost. ;) I have no political opinions...well, maybe Sermon on the Mount and I dislike nazis. I remember a lot. )
 
Adamc said:
You gotta love this craft; click below

Click to expand...

In the fall of 1994 I was teaching as a guest professor at Loyal Marymount Univ. in Los Angeles (wow - what a place!) and one day in November, the Dean's EA brought the earthquake procedures memo for me to read to my first year Engineering Drawing class.

So, I carefully read this one-pager which outlined the procedures to be followed in case of an earthquake:
  • everyone was to drop to the floor and get under a desk
  • everyone was to use their arms and possibly a book to shield their head and eyes from flying objects and breaking glass
  • I was to have a class list on me at all times and be generally familiar with who was sitting where in the room (not easy as there were about 80 students in the class)
  • NOBODY was to run out of the classroom - stay put under the desk was the rule
  • Once the shaking stopped, I was to do a roll-call to ensure that everyone was OK and able to move
  • Only then was the class to saddle-up and leave the room and assemble on the big open lawn adjacent to the building - where I was to do another roll-call.
I had juuuuust finished reading that notice when about 20 seconds later, there was a gawd-almighty BOOM from outside which rattled the glass. I and all of the students - but one - jumped and hit the floor as the windows rattled.

Once things had calmed down, I realized that it was not an earthquake and I noted that one kid had simply sat right in his chair the entire time, cool as a cucumber. He never flinched at all.

So, everyone re-took their chair - and I asked him - why hadn't he gone under the table?

He replied, "Sir, I am from Rosamund California which is right on the edge of Edwards AFB up north near Palmdale and that was a sonic boom from the Space Shuttle landing at Edwards. We hear them all the time in Rosamund."

After I changed my underwear, I felt better.
 
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MaxPete said:
In the fall of 1994 I was teaching as a guest professor at Loyal Marymount Univ. in Los Angeles (wow - what a place!) and one day in November, the Dean's EA brought the earthquake procedures memo for me to read to my first year Engineering Drawing class.

So, I carefully read this one-pager which outline the procedures in case of an earthquake:
  • everyone was to drop to the floor and get under a desk
  • everyone was to use their arms and possibly a book to shield their head and eyes from flying objects and breaking glass
  • I was to have a class list on me at all times and be generally familiar with who was sitting where in the room (not easy as there were about 80 students in the class)
  • NOBODY was to run out of the classroom - stay put under the desk was the rule
  • Once the shaking stopped, I was to do a roll call to ensure that everyone was OK and able to move
  • Only then was the class to saddle up and leave the room and assemble on the big open lawn adjacent to the building - where I was to do another roll call.
I had juuuuust finished reading that notice when about 20 seconds later, there was a gawd-almighty BOOM from outside which rattled the glass. I and all of the students but one - jumped and hit the floor as the windows rattled.

Once things had calmed down, I realized that one kid had simply sat right in his chair the entire time, cool as a cucumber. He never flinched at all.

So, everyone re-took their chair - and I asked him - why hadn't he gone under the table?

He replied, "Sir, I am from Rosamund California which is right on the edge of Edwards AFB up north near Palmdale and that was a sonic boom from the Space Shuttle landing at Edwards. We hear them all the time in Rosamund."

After I changed my underwear, I felt better.
Click to expand...
Don't think I've told this one before, but I'm at that age... ya know? :er:

Late 90's... was a flight mechanic on a 727 freighter. A flight mechanic is just a glorified name for a mechanic that flies with the airplane when it travels to places where there's no maintenance. Here's a typical drill...

Arrive at the jet about 7pm, power it up and look it over. Open the cargo door for the ramp monkeys. Loaded up, we're wheels up at about 11:00pm. Fly into the hub, unload, fix anything that can't be deferred, take on new cargo and depart about 4:00am. Fly out to wherever 's scheduled... usually on the ground by 8:00am. Now your day's just getting started. Daily... tires and brakes to change, tighten up a few hydraulic leaks... fix anything that was deferred during the night... this and that... Before you know it, it's after 3pm. Catch a shuttle to the hotel, eat, shower and off to bed. Up about 6pm and do it all over again. Schedule was 2weeks on, 1 week off. Yeah... it was grueling. At the end of 2 weeks you were little more than a zombie on autopilot. I was in my 40's then... no way I could do it now. Anyway....

Towards the end of a 2 week stint, we're out of New Orleans, bound for Houston... I'm fast asleep in the jump seat just behind the captain... still dark. Lack of sleep makes ya surly. Aircrews generally know this and go out of their way to not piss you off. Suddenly I'm bein' shaken.. and it's not turbulence, it's OC. He's the flight engineer. He's based out of Houston and does this run all the time.... I ignore him. He punches me in the arm. Now I'm awake and I yell loudly "leave me the fuck alone!!" He punches again... I'm ready to kill him. Finally he yells "look up." I peer up through an eyebrow window...

There's a golden streak reaching halfway across the sky. At the head is a golden light, heading east. It's so bright you can't stare at it. After a second or so you have to look away. "What the fuck?" I asked. "It's the Space Shuttle, heading for the Cape" OC said... "fourth one I've seen."

At 40,000 ft we have the most fantastic view you could imagine. We watch for a good 2-3 minutes... and it's gone. It still ranks as one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.
 
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