Prozac

Except act as a major stabilizing force keeping the peace in Europe (and not just vs the Soviet bloc/Russia) over the last 75 years. Conflict on the continent is most certainly not in our best interest. Seems that as the veterans of that war die off, so too does the memory of what Europe can be like without stabilizing influences. I do agree with the argument that NATO has probably expanded too much over the last 20 years though. Courting former Eastern Bloc countries seems to have really pissed off the Russians and allowed Putin to consolidate power.

Notice how “freedoms” is in quotation marks? This is because I wouldn’t place seatbelts, no smoking laws, or masks In the same category as voting, gun rights, or free speech. “Well where do you draw the line?” you say. Don’t know but it sure as shit ain’t at masks. Care to make an argument on how wearing a mask infringes on your unalienable rights as an American?

Re-edit: Double post. Self administered Q3 and additional baseops.net training completed.

Beg to differ. Americans have a history of givIng up “freedoms” for the greater good. I’m old enough to remember when seatbelt use became universal. You don’t hear too many people today arguing against seatbelts, but the debate at the time was somewhat similar to what’s going on today. “Why does the government care how I keep myself safe in my own vehicle?” etc. Well, as it turns out, society as a whole is better off when there aren’t needless deaths and emergency room visits. So guess what? You lost your ‘Murican birthright to choose to go unbelted and somehow we managed to avoid becoming a police state. Banning public smoking would be a more recent example of the same concept. If your individual actions have a negative impact on the public as a whole, you shouldn’t be surprised to see those actions curtailed in some way shape or form. Putting on a seatbelt, not smoking in public, and yes, wearing a mask during a pandemic has everything to do with being a polite, civic minded human being and nothing to do with your government going rogue. As far as justification for putting people out of work, don’t throw me in with that camp. I happen to agree with your assessment that we’ve flattened the curve and it’s time to go back to work. I won’t naively argue there aren’t some looking to further their particular goals on the back of a hobbled economy, but I might suggest there are far fewer “libs” espousing that rhetoric than OAN would have you believe. It ain’t just republicans out of work and hurting and the VAST majority of Americans are wishing things would get going sooner rather than later. Maybe my idea of logical thought is different than yours but I see widespread mask usage as KEY to providing the public the confidence to do just that. Regardless of what any politician says, nothing is going to really “reopen” without a public willing to put themselves into bars, restaurants, shops, and airliners (the original topic of this thread). So even if you believe masks are ineffective (and you’d be wrong), isn’t it worth a little “theatre” if it gets people back into public spaces and the economy up and running?

Anyone been to Asia recently? S Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc: all very low rates of infection/deaths. Guess what? EVERYBODY wears a mask in those places. Might not do anything to keep YOU from picking up a virus, but certainly limits the distance that a sneeze or cough will cover, thereby limiting spread. In other words, it ain’t about you. Entirely foreign concept in the United States I know. Seems like a pretty small sacrifice. Plus it has the added benefit of making you un- trackable by face recognition software. So how does that equate to more government control? 90 plus thousand people are dead from this thing. It continues to spread in many areas, yet we need to restart the economy or risk even greater catastrophe. Effective/ineffective doesn’t really matter. Masks will help people have the confidence to go to work/school/restaurants/travel/etc. You anti mask freedom fightin’ patriots really want to be the reason the economy doesn’t restart?

Pure Tyranny!

Same way you mandate pants usage. Sure, you can drop trou if you really want to make a statement but be prepared for some dirty looks from your fellow pax and probably an invite to not fly on that airline anymore. Yes, you can take the mask off to eat/drink. Then you put it back on. Doesn’t seem so difficult. We can argue efficacy all we want but you won’t convince me that a face covering won’t at least prevent a few people from getting sick after seeing how many people will hack their lungs up without even bothering to cover their face with their hand. Wearing a mask seems pretty easy and un-intrusive to me and I’m baffled that this is the hill so many want to defend to the death. Yeah, yeah, slippery slopes and all that. It’s a public health crisis. Just wear a freaking mask for a few months.

Really? Because they weren’t saving up for the rainy day that was an unprecedented shutdown of the entire global economy? Sure, this thing has shined a light on some questionable practices (stock buybacks anyone?), but now is not the time to go all Ayn Rand. No business or household could be reasonably expected to be fiscally prepared for what is currently transpiring.

No, no, no......it’s the “FIVE Ds”: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, & Dodge.

What exactly is their current situation? Last I checked, they were running a $7B budget surplus. https://www.kcra.com/article/california-dollar7-billion-budget-surplus-legislative-analysts-office-report/29865751# Not arguing that people aren’t leaving due to high cost of living. Certainly not arguing that anyone has to agree with the politics that are seemingly (but not always/every city) prevalent there. But to suggest that the biggest economic state in the union has little to offer and should be cast aside along with its citizens is a bit disingenuous and every bit as insulting as if I were to say “the state of texas is full of deplorables who can do little but cling to their guns and bibles.....who needs those simpletons?” That kind of commentary is not helpful on either side of the red/blue divide in the best of times and borderline dangerous when the nation is in crisis like, you know, now.

Yeah, fuck California and it’s fifth largest economy in the world. We don’t need those fuckin’ libs. We’re way better off without all the trade that comes through their ports. We certainly don’t need their winter vegetables in our grocery stores (who wants avacados anyway?). Hollywood is a liberal, corrupt industry that we really don’t make any money off exporting right? And the tourism industry there is overrated......it can’t be bringing in much cash. I’ve got an idea. Let’s just split the country into blue and red. How’s that saying go? United we.....tear ourselves apart?

And where the endearing term “Tanker T.O.A.D.” comes from.....Take Off And Die.

How often are 135s offloading everything (or at least within a couple thousand pounds)? There still exists a mission that (in theory) requires offloading down to the standpipes.

Your sarcasm detector CB may be popped.

I won’t argue that the Iranians didn’t have this coming. They absolutely did. But this was an escalation that may have started (escalated?) yet another open ended conflict in the Middle East. Are we prepared for that? What’s the end game here? I really hope this was part of a well thought out plan that ends with the minimum amount of force/blood/treasure required to accomplish American goals in the region. I fear that in reality this was a rash reaction that will lead to further US entrenchment in the region with no clear idea of what a “victory” actually looks like. Incidentally, isn’t that exactly the sort of conflict that the administration says we should be pulling out of?

Special effects/CGI needs some serious work.

We may be able to take care of ourselves energy wise, but much of the rest of the world still relies on oil shipped through the straight. Now, you might say we live in ‘Murica, fuck the rest of those guys. But what do you think would happen here if the European, Japanese, South Korean, and especially the Chinese markets tank because the price of oil quadruples? Like it or not, we’re all tied together economically and “America First” shouldn’t translate to “America Only”.

https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/05/16/watch-live-f-16-crashes-in-riverside-county/ Local news reporting pilot ejected. Hoping pilot and everybody on the ground is ok. Sounds like the jet went into a building north of the base. That is a pretty dense area.

Just heard from a friend. Anyone confirm?

These guys made a decision, formulated a plan, and executed with high efficiency and precision (aside from the slightly lopsided balls). I’d say the CVR evidence supports the fact that these two officers are highly effective military aviators and the skydick episode should be taught to every UPT student as an example of what to aspire to (might need a trigger warning for the weak kneed though). A toast to these goddamned American heroes! 🍺🍺🍺🍺

🍺🍺🍺

You’d be surprised at how little aerodynamic/CG thought goes into load plans at freight operators. It’s usually based on what needs to come off the airplane first. I’ve seen some seriously eyebrow raising stab trim settings as a result. Never seen anything blatantly out of CG but fuel savings is pretty much a joke the way the airplanes are often loaded.

747 freighters have a main cargo door on the left side, aft of the wing. In my experience, nose loading/unloading was a rare event used mostly for outsized cargo. Might be more prevalent at different operators though.

Just watched this and might need a little “me time” now. Some of the best air to air footage I’ve seen. The sound is great as well. I watched wearing a decent set of headphones and the Merlin/Griffon recordings made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Best thing I’ve watched in a while.

Pencil method bros. Don’t forget to correct for winds. Also TIM. Forget TIM=clean kill.