One of the most memorable aerial displays I ever saw was a B-52 doing simulated bomb runs at an airshow. Having come from the fighter community, the big bombers weren't too impressive to me. On the first pass, it was low, but not too low. It made a lumbering pass and then a bunch of flash pots on the ground were set off and it lumbered on by in a slow gentle banking turn. Ho-hum. The bomb bay doors weren't even open. Then it made the second pass and it looked like the same thing, but this time it was noticeably lower and much faster. Same flash pot gag, but then it pulled into the vertical and climbed out to what I'm guessing was well over 30,000 ft before pitching over and leveling off. As I was staring up at it, I thought, "Okay. I'm impressed." I didn't even realize I was speaking out loud until the guy next to me goes, "Me, too."

 

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/tha...e-flight-deck-of-uss-ranger-aircraft-carrier/

B-52 Pilot: “Ranger, we’re 5 miles out.”
USS Ranger: “We do not have visual…”
B-52 Pilot: “Look down”

 

 

What's the deal with people getting upset you won't move from your paid for, nice airline seat for people who don't plan ahead?
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle...family-can-sit-together-on-flight/ar-AA185AIJ
Influencer applauded for refusing to swap seats so family can sit together on flight


I think the (bad) influencer when far to far with the video (if this is not a fake clickbait story) but I don't blame her for not moving to a random middle seat from my selected seat on a long fight (travelling to France).

 

Car Flies Off Overpass Onto Street Below
warning ... when firemen drop the rescue bag and turn around you know it's bad

Spoiler

Slow Down.

 

Car Flies Off Overpass Onto Street Below
warning ... when firemen drop the rescue bag and turn around you know it's bad

Spoiler

Slow Down.

Only God knows what was going through that driver's head driving like that ... he (she?) could've easily killed someone on the ground, or hit another car. It's good that no one else was hurt.

 

Only God knows what was going through that driver's head...

Parts of the car, I suspect.

 

I've traveled on boats up tropical rivers and seas but this is way out there.

 

https://www.autospies.com/news/index.aspx?submissionid=114638
Nailing It, Losing It And Destroying It - Corvette Drivers Does All Three

 

https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_an...ft_gun_on_the_mt_lb_armored_vehicle-5937.html
Russians Installed Ship's Anti-Aircraft Gun On the MT-LB Armored Vehicle

What a juicy target. Paper thin armor (a machine gunners dream), limited range and speed, no drone protection, the list goes on and on... What it really needs is wings to fly and a twisty tail.

 

https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_an...ft_gun_on_the_mt_lb_armored_vehicle-5937.html
Russians Installed Ship's Anti-Aircraft Gun On the MT-LB Armored Vehicle

What a juicy target. Paper thin armor (a machine gunners dream), limited range and speed, no drone protection, the list goes on and on... What it really needs is wings to fly and a twisty tail.

Or you could mount it on a balloon... turn it into a hovering target...

 

No tragedy here ... I just liked the pic:

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No tragedy here ... I just liked the pic:

View attachment 289436​

Been there, done that!

I want the big guy behind me, not in front of me (or even just swapped positions in that photo).

Everyone else wants me in front of the big guy, too. If I go first, he can start his take-off roll as soon as my wheels leave the ground. But if he goes first, me and everyone else has to wait at least three minutes for wake turbulence to subside. The same thing when landing behind a heavy. This is why busy commercial airports with lots of heavy traffic usually just don't allow general aviation aircraft to operate there (or to do so only if they are based there, if that is even allowed).

One of my most memorable flights was going west-to-east over Denver on a day when the wind was blowing north-to-south. The controllers for Stapleton (since replaced by Denver International) vectored me directly over the runways at Stapleton and then at Buckley Air National Guard Base -- which had me flying at about 2000 ft above the ground directly over airliners and cargo planes and fighters taking off and landing at the two. Was a really cool sight -- and the safest way to route me through the area.

Interestingly, I was at a monthly safety meeting one time and they were talking about wake turbulence avoidance. They pointed out that you can avoid the three minute delay by either landing with a steeper descent rate and touching down past the point where the heavy touched down at, or taking off before the point where the heavy rotated and climbing out at a steeper angle. In both cases, the idea is to keep the wingtip vortices, which settle toward the ground, below you at all times. Everyone in the room just laughed at that. While the first one is practical, the second one only looks fine on paper -- there is no way a Cessna 172 is going to outclimb a 747 (or any other plane that matters).

 

A sad story.
https://www.kptv.com/2023/03/11/freight-train-kills-entire-herd-elk-washougal/
Freight train kills entire herd of elk in Washougal

 

Fun nostalgia...

 

 

LAFD Engine & Rescue 86 were on a call, parked on Ventura Blvd with their lights on A drunk driver in a Honda sedan crashed into the back of the engine

 

https://katu.com/news/local/drug-fe...-passenger-issues-delays-on-trimet-max-trains
Drug smoking, suspected smoking racks up 'passenger issues,' delays on TriMet MAX trains

After charging KATU $364.73 for the records, TriMet fulfilled the request last Friday. (The total cost was $729.46, but KATU asked for a public-interest-fee waiver and TriMet cut the cost by 50%.)

After reviewing the records it was found that every passenger issue except one involved a rider smoking or suspected of smoking illicit drugs, including fentanyl. In at least one instance, a rider or riders were smoking marijuana.

Smoking of any kind on MAX trains and buses is not allowed.

https://katu.com/news/local/port-of...gun-pdx-travel-crime-arrest-police-emergency#

2 dead in early morning shooting at hotel near Portland Airport

PORTLAND, Ore. — Two people are dead after an early morning shooting at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport Hotel on Wednesday, says the Port of Portland Police.

In a statement to KATU, the Strategic Communications Manager said there had been an incident around 2 a.m.

A KATU team at the scene around 5:30 a.m. spoke with guests who described hearing "10 to 12"gunshots and seeing blood on the floor as police ushered people to the exit.

 

 

A truly bad practice, in any vehicle:

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