Significant number of trick or treaters tonight. Moving more back to normal in Free California.
Sunday, October 31, 2021
A B-1B Bomber That Just Circumnavigated The Arabian Peninsula Has Stunning Photos To Show For It
The flight was a five-hour, non-stop multilateral mission with participation from air forces to include: Bahrain, Egypt, Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Multiple partner nations’ fighter aircraft accompanied the B-1B Lancer at different points during the flight, which flew over the Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman before departing the region.
Not Chinesium
After that 500 dollar pot I found the other day, the price doesn't shock me quite so much.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Rivers are coming up. Beware.
The left image is a picture of the Merced River at 4 PM PDT Sunday, October 24th, 2021.
The right image is a picture of the Merced River at 7 AM PDT Monday, October 25th, 2021.
Grimy B-2 in process of overhaul out in Palmdale.
Prior to the order for the new VC-25B Air Force One jets, the 21 B-2 Spirits ever built were the most expensive flying machines mankind ever created. Their design also represented an absolute revolution in aerospace technology, albeit one that is now nearly four decades old. The B-21 Raider, which is being built by Northrop Grumman behind extreme security at the sprawling Plant 42 installation in Palmdale, Calif., will show us the next great leap in stealth bomber technology, but we are still at least months from seeing it. The B-21 is slated to enter service around the middle of this decade, a highly ambitious goal, but until then, its flying wing progenitor will soldier on.
Keeping the Spirit force flying is no easy task. The stealth jets are notoriously finicky and extremely expensive to operate—around $170,000 per hour, putting it at the top of the per hour flight cost rubric for the Air Force's inventory. Parts obsolescence—remember it was built upon 1980s technology—and its tiny fleet size conspire against its readiness. Above all, its sensitive low-observable coatings and structures are maintenance intensive, although they are easier to maintain than they once were thanks to major strides in material science and automated application processes.
Regardless, these jets need a lot of work and every so often — every nine years to be exact — they need a complete depot-level overhaul. That also happens at Plant 42. It's here where the aircraft get disassembled and rebuilt, oftentimes better than they were before with new upgrades to show for its downtime.
Friday, October 29, 2021
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