http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-n...argo-plane-lands-at-davis-islands--ar-437276/

 

 

The military is not as high tech as portrayed in the media. I'm not sure about the USAF, but certainly here technologies are far behind those in civilian hands. That's why you here stories of soldiers using google maps on their iphones, and XBox controllers to fly UAVs.

Again, I don't have a lot of experience with USAF variants (indeed, the C17), but I believe there are only two variants - one just having extended range. So that means that it is a design which has been operational for nearly two decades. Remember too, that any technologies would already be say, 5 years old.

My guess is pilot error. Stuff happens. My bet is that the C17 isn't equipped with the same warning messages as one would expect.

In any case, it's not a matter of telling flight computers "get me to B". It still has to be flown, and any locations of their instruments mapped and calculated.

I did a tiny bit of research into the airfields, and there are two 22's. My bet is that the pilot either missed one or entered some details incorrectly.

Stuff happens.

There's a story that the B52 at Imperial War Museum Duxford is only here because the USAF landed it for an airshow, but didn't check that the runway was long enough for it to take off again.

 

And humans are NOT infallable. Surprise!

 

That's not a technological error, that's someone forgetting their coffee in the morning

and the USAF has technology FAR beyond what is in civilian hands
They're declassifying things from the 50's that still sound like science fiction

There's a plane, forget what it's called, but one of them has the firepower and maneuverability to take out the entire airforce of most other countries (i'm guessing the small ones)

 

The military is not as high tech as portrayed in the media. I'm not sure about the USAF, but certainly here technologies are far behind those in civilian hands.

This can be attributed to the gauntlet of tests that are required to certify something "mispec", plus the time it takes from that point to when it's been engineered and fitted into the planes/ships/etc.

My boat for example was commissioned in 1988, but they started working on it in 1981. I imagine that before they started working on it, they already had an idea what gadgets would be inside of it; gadgets that had already been invented and certified MILSPEC, as of 1981. Those gadgets were probably already at least 5 years old, even if they were "brand new" at that time. The circuitry in most parts of the boat seemed circa early-70's. There had been multiple upgrades over the years, so the fire control system was very frankenstein-esque. We got, and I helped install, one of these "brand new" upgrades. It was a computer system which, according to the ratings and the version of OS, would have been "top of the line" maybe 6 or 7 years prior.

On the other hand, as magnet18 pointed out, the military also has crazy technology. The military has seemingly infinite money to throw at things, so historically, they have had the coolest secret dungeons. If they could work on their efficiency, they might once again lead the world in technology. I don't think we'll see much other than new and improved machines of annihilation coming out of those dungeons though. They don't have much incentive to design new and better Xbox controllers.

 

The messed up part is when your coming in for landing at peter o knight you can see Macdill AFB visually 2 miles away and its 50 times the size with like 10 runways. Peter o knight is an incredibly small airport, its where you take pilot lessons and hanger your single engine cesna. Thats what makes it so strange.

 

I guess it happens all the time.
http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html

 

I wish we had money to throw at the military. A combination of bad journalism and lack if funding means the UK has no maritime surveillance, due to no Nimrod.

SAR has been cut back beyond belief, and harrier has been scrapped. That means we'll end up with an aircraft carrier with no aircraft, as the f35 has a misplaced arrestor hook. Of course we have no aircraft carrier until 2020.

We're now at the point where any more cutbacks will cripple us. We're used to defense cutbacks, but when we're smaller than in the mid 30's, something is going to give.

 

I guess it happens all the time.
http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html

They mentioned one flight coming into tampa that accidentally landed at MacDill instead of TIA, but thats an honest mistake, the airports are nearly the same size, and are about 3 miles from each other. This was in early 80's I think.

 

It's not just planes: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1855948_1864014_1864023,00.html

 

I don't know too many people who jumped from a plane and after realizing they are not where they are suppose to be, who successfully made it back to the plane prior to landing.