http://www.guns.com/2014/10/04/ruger-sues-1022-component-maker-for-trademark-violation/
So mentioning what your aftermarket parts fit is now a violation of trademark?
What's next? Edelbrock sells an intake for your car?
Kidd has been reduced to saying .22 LR Rifle.
I should order some parts then complain that they don't fit my Remington 341. Kidd claims they make parts for "the .22LR" and my Remington certainly is a .22LR.
I objected to this line of trademarking when H&K sued a company for making a .22 that looked like an MP5.
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05 October 2014
Aardvark Amusement
I learned today that the side-by-seating and the escape capsule on the F-111 are legacies of the Navy's involvement with the program.
I find that fascinating.
I find that fascinating.
04 October 2014
Sneaky Underhanded And Downright UnBritish (UPDATED)
The "last" of the century series...
F-117A Nighthawk
To be super complete I'd include a picture of an F-4C and call it an F-110A Spectre...
By the way, have I ever mentioned my F-117A conspiracy theory?
It dawned on me when I saw the cockpit arrangement of the plane the Smithsonian was going to hang from the ceiling.
The instrument layout wasn't early '80's; it was mid-'70's. Very similar to what was stylish when the F-111A and F-14A were coming off the line.
Couple this with a rumor that the F-111A fleet sent to Vietnam only flew at night and managed to drop more ordnance than hard-points and the anachronistic designation of the Nighthawk...
The F-117A's first combat use was over Vietnam! They only revealed it because the aviation press was getting too close to the far superior F-19A, which is still secret. Obligatory "through the looking glass" mention!
F-117A Nighthawk
To be super complete I'd include a picture of an F-4C and call it an F-110A Spectre...
By the way, have I ever mentioned my F-117A conspiracy theory?
It dawned on me when I saw the cockpit arrangement of the plane the Smithsonian was going to hang from the ceiling.
 |
| http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/070705-F-1234S-005.jpg |
The instrument layout wasn't early '80's; it was mid-'70's. Very similar to what was stylish when the F-111A and F-14A were coming off the line.
Couple this with a rumor that the F-111A fleet sent to Vietnam only flew at night and managed to drop more ordnance than hard-points and the anachronistic designation of the Nighthawk...
The F-117A's first combat use was over Vietnam! They only revealed it because the aviation press was getting too close to the far superior F-19A, which is still secret. Obligatory "through the looking glass" mention!
Firing Sequence
Firing an AIM-4G.
First you get tracking indications with the IRST.
Then you fire.
The bay doors open.
Then the missile fires!
There's a substantial delay between pulling the trigger and the missile flying.
Notice that I'm out of position on this MiG-19S and the firing sequence is running.
First you get tracking indications with the IRST.
Then you fire.
The bay doors open.
Then the missile fires!
There's a substantial delay between pulling the trigger and the missile flying.
Notice that I'm out of position on this MiG-19S and the firing sequence is running.
Delta Dart
I even had a model of this very aircraft in 1/48 scale.
My new favorite air-to-air weapon: the AIR-2A Genie. Unguided but the game does a good job of simulating the MA-1 fire control so it ends up where the bomber formation is. Since the warhead is a 1.5 kton nuke, getting close is enough.
Edit to add:
The Six is just a wee bit bigger than the more famous delta-wing fighter, the Mirage III.
While Strike Fighters 2 is just a game, it's got some amazing simulations of reality. The MG-3 and MA-1 fire control are modeled well and the Falcon fired from a deuce or six will hit more often than one fired from a Phantom.
Speaking of the deuce...
The F-102A for Strike Fighters 2 is a pay-ware item from a third party. As such it's got some better features than the freebie F-106A...
Like hitting the "open bomb bay" button and the missile rails extend.
I have all of the major century series planes flyable in the game now; in several versions each in some cases.
F-100A, F-100A with 1958 upgrades, F-100C, F-100C with "High Wire" upgrades, F-100D, F-100D with "High Wire" upgrades, F-100D with APR-25 RWR, F-101A, RF-101A, F-101B, F-101B with "Bold Journey" upgrades, CF-101B, RF-101B, F-101C, RF-101C, RF-101G, F-102A, F-102A "Case X wing", F-102A "Case XX wing", F-104A, F-104C, F-104C with "Grindstone" upgrades, F-104C with "Pronto" upgrades, CF-104, CF-104 with "Grindstone" equivalent upgrades, CF-104 with "Pronto" equivalent upgrades, F-104G, F-105D, F-105D with APR-25 RWR, F-106A, F-111A, RF-111A, F-111B, F-111K (aka Merlin GR.1), F-111C, F-111C with Pave Tack, F-111D, F-111E, F-111F, EF-111A, FB-111A, and F-111G.
03 October 2014
More What If
F8U-1 from VMF-122 Crusaders over West Germany in the late '50's.
Ain't she purty?
The F8U-1 was yet another free download from Combat Ace. I've sort of been hitting them hard of late, but there's some serious talent giving it away and I don't thing they're getting any recognition.
Ain't she purty?
The F8U-1 was yet another free download from Combat Ace. I've sort of been hitting them hard of late, but there's some serious talent giving it away and I don't thing they're getting any recognition.
Question
During carrier testing of the X-47B, why is the plane guard helo up?
There's no pilot to rescue should something go wrong.
There's no pilot to rescue should something go wrong.
Long Lead Times
The Craig Spegel stocks for my FN Hi-Power arrived today!
They were ordered in June, just before he stopped taking new orders. They were supposed to be my father's day gift from The Boy, but the long lead times convinced him to get me the bonded ivory grips from Boone Trading.
Since Mr Spegel said six months for his stuff, we assumed these would become a Christmas present.
Christmas in October!
They were ordered in June, just before he stopped taking new orders. They were supposed to be my father's day gift from The Boy, but the long lead times convinced him to get me the bonded ivory grips from Boone Trading.
Since Mr Spegel said six months for his stuff, we assumed these would become a Christmas present.
Christmas in October!
02 October 2014
It Was Once
My Colt Anaconda (6", .45 Colt) was once a grail gun.
The luster has worn off it.
It's a safe queen.
I hate those.
The reason I wanted one so badly was being forced to choose between living in a box and the gun. I think I chose correctly and years later I bought the present gun as a replacement for it.
I am in the rarely encountered zone where I don't want a gun and own it.
It's in great shape and is a very nice shooter, I just don't really want it anymore.
$1,800 would certainly get it delivered to your local FFL. Just sayin'...
The luster has worn off it.
It's a safe queen.
I hate those.
The reason I wanted one so badly was being forced to choose between living in a box and the gun. I think I chose correctly and years later I bought the present gun as a replacement for it.
I am in the rarely encountered zone where I don't want a gun and own it.
It's in great shape and is a very nice shooter, I just don't really want it anymore.
$1,800 would certainly get it delivered to your local FFL. Just sayin'...
Little Things
This is an F3H-2N.
Can you tell what's wrong with it?
The pilot and his seat are way too far to the rear, in an otherwise beautiful model.
I can't bitch too loud, it's someone's labor of love and they gave it away.
I wonder if it's an easy fix.
Yes, it was an easy fix. Changing the ejection seat and pilot location from 0.0000,3.0000,1.1313 to 0.0000,3.3125,1.1313 did the trick!
It's still an underpowered beast, but the real one was too. At least it's not an F3H-1N with the Westinghouse engine!
Can you tell what's wrong with it?
The pilot and his seat are way too far to the rear, in an otherwise beautiful model.
I can't bitch too loud, it's someone's labor of love and they gave it away.
I wonder if it's an easy fix.
Yes, it was an easy fix. Changing the ejection seat and pilot location from 0.0000,3.0000,1.1313 to 0.0000,3.3125,1.1313 did the trick!
It's still an underpowered beast, but the real one was too. At least it's not an F3H-1N with the Westinghouse engine!
Everything Is Going To Be OK
When I start to type "ebola" into Google "Hot Ebony Porn" is still the top suggestion when I've entered "eb"...
30 September 2014
Here We Go
First case of ebola in the wild in the US.
Aren't you glad we spent the past five years dismantling our health care system for political reasons?
Oh and that the border is merely a line on the map?
I wonder how many will die.
Aren't you glad we spent the past five years dismantling our health care system for political reasons?
Oh and that the border is merely a line on the map?
I wonder how many will die.
A Star A Star Sitting On The Net
A bit ago I lamented the fiscal realities that keeps me from buying that rather affordable Star B from J&G Sales.
The main motivation for the want is... Ordering a handgun from the internet that will be delivered straight to my door without even so much as a "by your leave" from NICS or FDLE. Yet still being entirely legal, since I have a C&R FFL.
It's the situation, not the gun itself, fueling the desire.
The Shi Shu's tooth is the real priority around here.
I wonder that the estimate for his tooth being so similar to the price of that Star is the universe telling me to consider my priorities more carefully.
The main motivation for the want is... Ordering a handgun from the internet that will be delivered straight to my door without even so much as a "by your leave" from NICS or FDLE. Yet still being entirely legal, since I have a C&R FFL.
It's the situation, not the gun itself, fueling the desire.
The Shi Shu's tooth is the real priority around here.
I wonder that the estimate for his tooth being so similar to the price of that Star is the universe telling me to consider my priorities more carefully.
Incendiary Quote Of The Month
My home is my castle. It doesn’t belong to you, and it doesn’t belong to the state. If you are law enforcement and want to come in my home, call and make an appointment. Got it? If that isn’t good enough for you, if you think there is evidence of something or other you want to see, then put good detectives on the job (like you did at one time in history), watch for me to leave, detain me, and then take me back to the home and let me use my key to the front door. Or get a locksmith. In other words, use your brains to gather evidence. Otherwise, I don’t care if you lose that evidence. I only care about my safety, and the safety of victims like Mr. Guy.
I've often said that if evidence of the crime is so ephemeral that it can be eradicated completely if the suspect isn't taken by surprise in their home: is it really a crime?
29 September 2014
Fuck You Robert Strange MacNamara
 |
| F-111B on downwind. |
"There is not enough thrust in all Christendom to make a fighter out of that airplane." Adm Tom Connolly.
It's not as bad as all that, but it's still a pig. I've yet to successfully bring it back aboard the boat. It just will not bleed off airspeed, and I suspect the model has the hook done wrong and it's not catching the wires.
Voodoo Chillin' In B
Combat Ace has a download section so you can add-on planes to Strike Fighters 2.
I went a bit mad and completed the century series.
McDonald-Douglas F-101 Voodoo!
It's a rather complete package. It took a bit of ini editing to get things working as they should. For some reason the F-101B missile shelf would only take AIR-2B Genies, and that meant that in most scenarios you could only carry two Falcon.
The radar is very weak. You are lucky to get a lock on a medium bomber like a Tu-16 Badger at six miles, four or less for a fighter. That makes it hard to get off a shot with the AIM-4F because it's got a minimum firing distance and takes a short amount of flight time to start maneuvering.
I went a bit mad and completed the century series.
McDonald-Douglas F-101 Voodoo!
 |
| CF-101B |
 |
| In the "stowed" position showing two AIM-4G IRM. |
 |
| Transitioning between positions. |
 |
| In the "open" position showing two AIM-4F SARH missiles. |
 |
| Some impotent rage here. I've fired both heat seekers and both radar guides. What I don't have is a gun, because this is an F-101B. The F-101A and F-101C have guns, and can't carry air-to-air missiles. |
 |
| A neat feature the model maker added. When there's weight on wheels, using the air-brake pops a drag chute! |
Actually No
The new female Thor is not Thor any more than Beta Ray Bill was.
It's like the press doesn't know comic fans are obsessive compulsive and pedantic or something.
It's like the press doesn't know comic fans are obsessive compulsive and pedantic or something.
The Oklahoma Beheading
Actually, it is workplace violence.
It was violence and it took place at the victims place of work and the perpetrator's former place of work.
That fits the definition of workplace violence.
Just like a square is also a parallelogram... A square is also a rhombus.
While this is workplace violence, a parallelogram, other factors are at play making it a particular kind of violence, a square.
When people see a square they very rarely call it a rhombus or parallelogram. Insisting that the rhombus is not a square despite the right angles makes it a lie.
It was violence and it took place at the victims place of work and the perpetrator's former place of work.
That fits the definition of workplace violence.
Just like a square is also a parallelogram... A square is also a rhombus.
While this is workplace violence, a parallelogram, other factors are at play making it a particular kind of violence, a square.
When people see a square they very rarely call it a rhombus or parallelogram. Insisting that the rhombus is not a square despite the right angles makes it a lie.
27 September 2014
A Bit Stunned
Considering that I've garnered $750 in donations (maybe more because of people who can't follow directions)...
I'm not an underdog for Kilted...
Wow.
Considering that AD is out of prize consideration, I'm very close to being eligible for loot!
I'm never eligible to win.
It's knowing that I can't win that lets me donate and cajole without feeling guilty for asking.
Existential crisis in thirty seconds...
I'm not an underdog for Kilted...
Wow.
Considering that AD is out of prize consideration, I'm very close to being eligible for loot!
I'm never eligible to win.
It's knowing that I can't win that lets me donate and cajole without feeling guilty for asking.
Existential crisis in thirty seconds...
The Original Gun Barbie
Marv was dissatisfied with the Pachmayr stocks that came on his Mk IV.
So as a "thanks for babysitting on short notice because our sitter bailed so we could go celebrate our anniversary" I offered him the pick of my take-offs and didn't likes.
He chose the walnut stocks that originally came with my Springfield USGI and some stainless screws I'd gotten at the same time as a spare set of bushings.
Apologies to FuzzyGeff for forgetting what night it was tonight when I told him "call me tomorrow" last night.
So as a "thanks for babysitting on short notice because our sitter bailed so we could go celebrate our anniversary" I offered him the pick of my take-offs and didn't likes.
He chose the walnut stocks that originally came with my Springfield USGI and some stainless screws I'd gotten at the same time as a spare set of bushings.
Apologies to FuzzyGeff for forgetting what night it was tonight when I told him "call me tomorrow" last night.
26 September 2014
I Am Such A Girl
Today is the anniversary of my first date with The Lovely Harvey.
I remember it every year. She almost always forgets.
This year she remembered!
We're going out and are going to marvel at where 17 years has gotten.
An odd thing, not a single place we went to on that first date is still open. I guess we can go look at the new buildings that replaced them.
I remember it every year. She almost always forgets.
This year she remembered!
We're going out and are going to marvel at where 17 years has gotten.
An odd thing, not a single place we went to on that first date is still open. I guess we can go look at the new buildings that replaced them.
$700
Team McThag has garnered $700 for KTKC!
You guys rock!
Special thanks to Tam for the plug on her blog!
Since we broke $500... I've got to dunk my junk.
Video will be coming soon.
You guys rock!
Special thanks to Tam for the plug on her blog!
Since we broke $500... I've got to dunk my junk.
Video will be coming soon.
Casual Mention
I mention to Marv that how the Pachmayr grips cover the front strap on his 1911 prevent easy insertion of magazines.
He mentions he doesn't really care for that cover anyways, but the Pachmayrs are all one piece.
I have several sets of 1911 stocks around here, so I go to take off his Pachmayr...
And the screw bushings unthread instead of the screws! Then nothing I am willing to try out of fear of ruining the bushings will separate them.
GRUMBLE MUTTER....
I skittered down to Deer Hunter and got a replacement set of bushings.
Armed with the knowledge that no matter how bad I mess up a bushing, I have a spare...
Viola! They come apart with modest effort and are still perfectly serviceable.
Win win!
He mentions he doesn't really care for that cover anyways, but the Pachmayrs are all one piece.
I have several sets of 1911 stocks around here, so I go to take off his Pachmayr...
And the screw bushings unthread instead of the screws! Then nothing I am willing to try out of fear of ruining the bushings will separate them.
GRUMBLE MUTTER....
I skittered down to Deer Hunter and got a replacement set of bushings.
Armed with the knowledge that no matter how bad I mess up a bushing, I have a spare...
Viola! They come apart with modest effort and are still perfectly serviceable.
Win win!
What About Us
Tam mentioned once, something to the effect, that government cannot summarily fire someone because due process.
OK.
Where's my due process about the hiring?
OK.
Where's my due process about the hiring?
25 September 2014
Sample Size Of Two
"The series 80 ruined the trigger..."
"1911's are unreliable."
Top is Marv's MK IV Series 80 .45; bottom is my Government Model Series 80 .38 Super.
Marv's is old enough it even has the barrel collet! It was originally bought by Willard in 84-85... Then sold to Marv in the mid-90's.
It's never failed Marv, but apparently wouldn't feed ball ammo out of the box. Willard got warranty service on it and a free trigger job was thrown in.
My .38 Super has had two failure to feed the first round when I tripped the slide stop and those were in the first three magazines. No other problems to report.
Both guns have excellent triggers, with Marv's being borderline too light. Neither gun is completely stock... Marv did sights, I did a trigger swap (no changes to the sear), stocks and mainspring housing.
All in all we're pleased with our acquisitions.
It's been fun comparing how they came from the factory. The older gun was A1 all the way with Pacmeyer grips. Mine had a flat mainspring housing and long trigger on an otherwise A1 gun and the colletted barrel had long since been discarded.
Trivia, what made the Series 70 a Series 70 was that collet! Calling pre-80 Series or guns without the firing pin block "Series 70" is something of a misnomer.
"1911's are unreliable."
Top is Marv's MK IV Series 80 .45; bottom is my Government Model Series 80 .38 Super.
Marv's is old enough it even has the barrel collet! It was originally bought by Willard in 84-85... Then sold to Marv in the mid-90's.
It's never failed Marv, but apparently wouldn't feed ball ammo out of the box. Willard got warranty service on it and a free trigger job was thrown in.
My .38 Super has had two failure to feed the first round when I tripped the slide stop and those were in the first three magazines. No other problems to report.
Both guns have excellent triggers, with Marv's being borderline too light. Neither gun is completely stock... Marv did sights, I did a trigger swap (no changes to the sear), stocks and mainspring housing.
All in all we're pleased with our acquisitions.
It's been fun comparing how they came from the factory. The older gun was A1 all the way with Pacmeyer grips. Mine had a flat mainspring housing and long trigger on an otherwise A1 gun and the colletted barrel had long since been discarded.
Trivia, what made the Series 70 a Series 70 was that collet! Calling pre-80 Series or guns without the firing pin block "Series 70" is something of a misnomer.
Rifles From Lands Of Ice And Snow From The Midnight Sun Where The Hot Springs Flow
Top, Finnish Kiv-28/30 by SAKO.
Bottom, Swedish Gevär m/96 by Carl Gustav Mauser.
Willard scored on that Swede. Numbers matching, bore looks very nice.
NOT a Lyman. One of these rear sights!
I won't say how much, but if I wasn't saving to fix the puppy's tooth (and begging for help) I could have gotten it.
24 September 2014
Of Eagles And Tomcats
If you want a discussion with less venom, just talk about politics or religion...
Notice that the elevons are full deflection on the Eagle. He's pulling for all he has to get away. On the right is the range scale. The 1 is a mile, the little > at near the bottom of the scale means they are CLOSE. On the left is the closure rate scale in 100's of knots. Notice how the < is just barely above the zero? That means this is no boom and zoom kill. He's in the phone booth with the knife and he's maneuvering with the F-15C. Jose "Hoser" Satrapa knows his job and knows his plane.
Let's be cold and calculating about it.
The Eagle has much better engines. In pretty much every respect the F100 is better than the TF-30.
The Eagle has better thrust to weight and has less bleed for a given g at a given speed.
The Tomcat has much better radar and a dedicated operator for it and is a lot better at low speed, low altitude.
Those little factoids add up to the time honored, "do not fight as your enemy fights." It's something that every armchair aviator seems to forget.
Fighter pilots, being fighter pilots, never wish to acknowledge any personal failing that led to being shot down... But you can get them talking honestly. The Tomcat drivers I've talked to have admitted that getting an Eagle in 1v1 guns is WORK and it was mostly the skill set the Navy promotes with it's culture that gave them enough edge to pull it off.
This is somewhat confirmed through pilot exchange programs. The differing cultures between the USAF and USN tend to make different rates of aggressiveness. I've read that this is because the Navy's approach is, "as long as there's nothing prohibiting it, it's OK to do" and the Air Force is, "unless it's specifically allowed, it's forbidden."
Back to plane v plane.
If you're willing to use an AIM-54 on a fighter, the Tomcat wins about 4:1 before the F-15C can even see the Tomcat. Some people say that it should be a higher ratio than that. Into Sparrow range the Tomcat has a slight edge because the AWG-9 and RIO combination really helps get the first shot in, but not by more than a split second.
Once all aspect sidewinders appear, there's no difference. Prior to that the Navy's Sidewinders were better than the AF and if the Tomcat got into trail, the Eagle was at a bigger disadvantage than if the opposite was true.
At guns ranges... Given an equal stick the Eagle wins. Consistently.
In exercise after exercise the Eagle wins too. The armchair pundits like to point this out as proof but it fails to account for something very important. The Navy put lots of performance restraints on the F-14A in peacetime training so as to not affect airframe life. Those things are expensive, see?
When the artificial constraints are removed, the F-14A starts winning, consistently. And it comes down to the Navy having a better training program than the Air Force when it comes to dogfighting in the late '70s and early '80s.
As training became more equal, the F-14A+ (aka F-14B) and F-14D starting coming down the pipe. The engine in these versions of the Tomcat are derived from the same engine the F-15C uses. The Tomcat community stopped referring to beating an F-15 as WORK, but they will concede that it was still not a sure thing because the Air Force guys were getting better skill wise through the '90s.
Which plane is better?
This all started because The Aviationist published gun camera footage from an F-14A with the guns pipper squarely on the helmet of the pilot of an F-15C...
Notice that the elevons are full deflection on the Eagle. He's pulling for all he has to get away. On the right is the range scale. The 1 is a mile, the little > at near the bottom of the scale means they are CLOSE. On the left is the closure rate scale in 100's of knots. Notice how the < is just barely above the zero? That means this is no boom and zoom kill. He's in the phone booth with the knife and he's maneuvering with the F-15C. Jose "Hoser" Satrapa knows his job and knows his plane.
Let's be cold and calculating about it.
The Eagle has much better engines. In pretty much every respect the F100 is better than the TF-30.
The Eagle has better thrust to weight and has less bleed for a given g at a given speed.
The Tomcat has much better radar and a dedicated operator for it and is a lot better at low speed, low altitude.
Those little factoids add up to the time honored, "do not fight as your enemy fights." It's something that every armchair aviator seems to forget.
Fighter pilots, being fighter pilots, never wish to acknowledge any personal failing that led to being shot down... But you can get them talking honestly. The Tomcat drivers I've talked to have admitted that getting an Eagle in 1v1 guns is WORK and it was mostly the skill set the Navy promotes with it's culture that gave them enough edge to pull it off.
This is somewhat confirmed through pilot exchange programs. The differing cultures between the USAF and USN tend to make different rates of aggressiveness. I've read that this is because the Navy's approach is, "as long as there's nothing prohibiting it, it's OK to do" and the Air Force is, "unless it's specifically allowed, it's forbidden."
Back to plane v plane.
If you're willing to use an AIM-54 on a fighter, the Tomcat wins about 4:1 before the F-15C can even see the Tomcat. Some people say that it should be a higher ratio than that. Into Sparrow range the Tomcat has a slight edge because the AWG-9 and RIO combination really helps get the first shot in, but not by more than a split second.
Once all aspect sidewinders appear, there's no difference. Prior to that the Navy's Sidewinders were better than the AF and if the Tomcat got into trail, the Eagle was at a bigger disadvantage than if the opposite was true.
At guns ranges... Given an equal stick the Eagle wins. Consistently.
In exercise after exercise the Eagle wins too. The armchair pundits like to point this out as proof but it fails to account for something very important. The Navy put lots of performance restraints on the F-14A in peacetime training so as to not affect airframe life. Those things are expensive, see?
When the artificial constraints are removed, the F-14A starts winning, consistently. And it comes down to the Navy having a better training program than the Air Force when it comes to dogfighting in the late '70s and early '80s.
As training became more equal, the F-14A+ (aka F-14B) and F-14D starting coming down the pipe. The engine in these versions of the Tomcat are derived from the same engine the F-15C uses. The Tomcat community stopped referring to beating an F-15 as WORK, but they will concede that it was still not a sure thing because the Air Force guys were getting better skill wise through the '90s.
More On F4D
The F4D-1 has guns. Four 20mm Mk.12 guns in the wings.
What it lacks is ammo! 260 rounds total for all four guns (65 rounds each). Each gun fires at 1,000 rounds per minute, so that's a total of 3.9 seconds of shooting.
The Skyray can be equipped with air-to-air rockets and sidewinders.
The rockets are useless. Unguided rockets fired in a massive salvo were stylish in the early fifties for interceptors, but they turn out to be a idea that looks good on paper.
The AIM-9B Sidewinder is nearly useless against anything that can pull even a modicum of g to get away. The seeker heads field of view is narrow and cannot gymbal very fast to keep tracking, never mind that the gymbal limits are also very narrow.
It was an interceptor, the AIM-9B works like a charm on bombers.
That was real world, the next is a game. A simulation.
What I am finding in my what-if Suez crisis is the Egyptians don't have much for bombers. I've gotten a couple of fighter kills with the 'Winder but it's mostly luck.
That the majority of my kills are with the gun says something of my accuracy since I don't have many rounds to play with. That I can actually take time to aim says a lot of the mount. The Skyray can maneuver with the Soviet fighters of 1956.
What it lacks is ammo! 260 rounds total for all four guns (65 rounds each). Each gun fires at 1,000 rounds per minute, so that's a total of 3.9 seconds of shooting.
The Skyray can be equipped with air-to-air rockets and sidewinders.
The rockets are useless. Unguided rockets fired in a massive salvo were stylish in the early fifties for interceptors, but they turn out to be a idea that looks good on paper.
The AIM-9B Sidewinder is nearly useless against anything that can pull even a modicum of g to get away. The seeker heads field of view is narrow and cannot gymbal very fast to keep tracking, never mind that the gymbal limits are also very narrow.
It was an interceptor, the AIM-9B works like a charm on bombers.
That was real world, the next is a game. A simulation.
What I am finding in my what-if Suez crisis is the Egyptians don't have much for bombers. I've gotten a couple of fighter kills with the 'Winder but it's mostly luck.
That the majority of my kills are with the gun says something of my accuracy since I don't have many rounds to play with. That I can actually take time to aim says a lot of the mount. The Skyray can maneuver with the Soviet fighters of 1956.
23 September 2014
Worth The Price Of Admission
The scene in the kitchen with Quicksilver makes the purchase price of X-Men Days of Future Past worth it all by itself.
It also underscores that Bryan Singer is the only X-Men director who gets them.
Spoiler below:
It also underscores that Bryan Singer is the only X-Men director who gets them.
Spoiler below:
Return Of The Ford
F4D-1 Skyray, also know affectionately as the Ford. The Skyray didn't come with any official Strike Fighters release and is the product of dedicated hobbyists.
She's a hot ship for 1956 and is seen here over Israel. I'm doing a what-if scenario where Washington sends a squadron (VMF-114 Death Dealers) of USMC Skyrays to help with the Suez Crisis.
 |
| The Suez Canal looking north. |
I've flown this what-if and this plane before. What I lacked before was knowing about the pitch trimmers that are on either side of the exhaust. They are assigned the same control axis as thrust vectoring on the harrier and with that wheel in its normal full forward position, it gave nose-down trim that got stronger as more speed was added. That's why I had no pitch authority when I played previously!
Edit to show the pitch trimmers...
I'm Not A Birther
But isn't it worth getting him to say amabO on the off chance that it DOES send him back to the fifth dimension?
Just sayin'...
Just sayin'...
22 September 2014
Raining And Pouring
The anti-biotic regimen for Shi-Shu beat back the abscess for a while.
It's back with a vengeance.
So we're back to begging for assistance.
Stab that pay-pal button if you've the means to donate to a very small, specific charity.
Our goal is a meager $400.
It's back with a vengeance.
So we're back to begging for assistance.
Stab that pay-pal button if you've the means to donate to a very small, specific charity.
 |
| You can see under his left eye where the abscess has come up through his cheek from the bad tooth. |
Our goal is a meager $400.
21 September 2014
Miserable Son Of A...
The main reason that prick down Okeechobee way should die in a fire is the closing of comments on Tam's other blog.
Now I can't ask questions except indirectly here and hope she sees them.
I'd like to see how the linkage for the cylinder stop works in the top of the frame on that .32 Hand Eject.
Now I can't ask questions except indirectly here and hope she sees them.
I'd like to see how the linkage for the cylinder stop works in the top of the frame on that .32 Hand Eject.
The Most Important Words In Science
Huh, I didn't expect that!
Unexpected results advance things farther and faster than experiments that confirm expectations.
It's because you've found something new.
Unexpected results advance things farther and faster than experiments that confirm expectations.
It's because you've found something new.
20 September 2014
The Deal
While I prefer the OSX operating system, I don't consider myself a fanboi.
It's a preference and I've no problems with using Win 7 or XP. I have a boot partition set up for Win 7 on my Mac Pro, in fact.
'Twas the threat of Vista that drove me to Mac. I was perfectly happy with XP, but if you wanted a new computer at the time with the latest hardware; you got Vista or OSX. (Or Linux which I am not knowledgeable enough to operate).
I started with a Mid 2007 15" MacBook Pro model A1226. The video card died.
The warranty coverage warned several times about backing up my data because if the computer was too dead they'd replace the whole thing with a new one and my data would be gone.
So I bought an Early 2008 15" MacBook Pro model 1260 to replace it.
For a while I had two laptops once the 1226 came back from warranty. I preferred the 1260 because it had a 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo and 512mb of VRAM compared to the 1226's 2.4GHz and 256.
A while back the video died on the 1260.
No warranty left. Back to the 1226.
A burr crawled up my ass and I decided I liked the touch-pad of the 1260 better and it had a 200gb 7200 rpm drive instead of a 5400rpm 160gb. The 1260's screen was in better shape too.
So I did some parts swapping.
Just the other day the 1226 video card died again.
I just found out about the recall that was in effect when the 1260 died, but has expired now. It pisses me off that Apple didn't send an email to people with affected computers to tell them that they'd recalled them. The reason for the recall is two-fold. First the ATI chipset they bought was not well made and sensitive to the heat levels that Steve Jobs seemed to think was acceptable. Second the Chinese slaves who soldered it to the logic board didn't do a good job.
Right now I am looking at $270 to buy a refurbished logic board for the 1260. It's 2.5GHz instead of 2.6GHz but it has the 512mb video. The good news about refurbs is ATI did manage to make a chipset that could take the heat and the refurbishment centers are doing a good job with the solder.
Time to do some saving. The laptop will have to get in line. I have $750 to save up and drop on tires for the Vette and $150 for front tires on the Biscayne.
It's a preference and I've no problems with using Win 7 or XP. I have a boot partition set up for Win 7 on my Mac Pro, in fact.
'Twas the threat of Vista that drove me to Mac. I was perfectly happy with XP, but if you wanted a new computer at the time with the latest hardware; you got Vista or OSX. (Or Linux which I am not knowledgeable enough to operate).
I started with a Mid 2007 15" MacBook Pro model A1226. The video card died.
The warranty coverage warned several times about backing up my data because if the computer was too dead they'd replace the whole thing with a new one and my data would be gone.
So I bought an Early 2008 15" MacBook Pro model 1260 to replace it.
For a while I had two laptops once the 1226 came back from warranty. I preferred the 1260 because it had a 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo and 512mb of VRAM compared to the 1226's 2.4GHz and 256.
A while back the video died on the 1260.
No warranty left. Back to the 1226.
A burr crawled up my ass and I decided I liked the touch-pad of the 1260 better and it had a 200gb 7200 rpm drive instead of a 5400rpm 160gb. The 1260's screen was in better shape too.
So I did some parts swapping.
Just the other day the 1226 video card died again.
I just found out about the recall that was in effect when the 1260 died, but has expired now. It pisses me off that Apple didn't send an email to people with affected computers to tell them that they'd recalled them. The reason for the recall is two-fold. First the ATI chipset they bought was not well made and sensitive to the heat levels that Steve Jobs seemed to think was acceptable. Second the Chinese slaves who soldered it to the logic board didn't do a good job.
Right now I am looking at $270 to buy a refurbished logic board for the 1260. It's 2.5GHz instead of 2.6GHz but it has the 512mb video. The good news about refurbs is ATI did manage to make a chipset that could take the heat and the refurbishment centers are doing a good job with the solder.
Time to do some saving. The laptop will have to get in line. I have $750 to save up and drop on tires for the Vette and $150 for front tires on the Biscayne.
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