The only remaining example in the world of an Northrop N9M crashed recently destroying the aircraft. This brings up a position that I have held for some time, namely that if an aircraft is the only example of its type existing in the world, then it shouldn’t be flown, even if it is in flyable condition. I’ve had debates with other aviation enthusiasts who feel differently, but to me the risk of losing such unique items outweighs the joy of seeing them in flight. Thoughts?
More and more, we are seeing these stories that used to never be reported.
not to laugh at this story. First the Russians sink the only dry dock capable of servicing their only carrier, and at the same time it is extensively damaged. Now, they may just scrap the thing. While I have some worries about the current state of the USN (the LCS, the DDG-1000, the Fitzgerald incident, etc) I am sure we are worlds better off than the Russian military. Frankly, that is why we need to spend more of our time and resources addressing the Chinese threat.
This disease has made news in the last year or two. Here is an in depth article on the disease, its strange two-year cycle, and its possible causes. This is something that the government or private industry, or both, need to throw some money and time at.
Man, if the news out of Venezuela gets any darker, we’re going to need miner’s helmets.
The Russians have decided to stick their noses (and some troops and equipment in)
The infrastructure continues to fall apart.
Here is a take from NPR on the current situation.
The US needs to stay out of this mess, but I do feel sorry for these folks. You notice in the pictures of the average citizens, how they all look so gaunt.
It appears that a private Israeli firm is about to land a satellite on the moon. The satellite was launched via a SpaceX rocket, another private firm. If successful, Israel will become only the fourth country to land a satellite on the moon. Clearly, much of the future of space exploration is in the private sector. (post in memory of Mike Nofsinger)
The slowly unfolding man-made tragedy that is Venezuela is horrible. Sadly, I get the impression that many of the people in Venezuela are waiting for someone to come rescue them. While I have no problem with the US providing logistical support to those Venezuelans looking to overthrow their current government, I do not want to see the US become directly involved. We’ve got to stop going out and rescuing people who’ve gotten themselves into these types of situations.
All jokes about French “cheese eating surrender monkeys” aside, this is the example of a man’s man. RIP.
It appears that Russian troops may have been deployed to Venezuela, though for exactly what purpose isn’t clear. There are many Cuban troops already in the country, and it is alleged that they are keeping Maduro in power.
Interesting article on the 737 Max software issues. I think it is telling that US flag carriers haven’t had any problems and that the accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia involve local carriers whose pilot training may not have been as vigorous.
