Ken Cartwright

Here is a detailed description of how the Sidewinder functions:

Wow, that's really sad news! I have to admit that I don't visit it very often, but I live near it and drive by all the time (I did it more often before COVID). Thanks for the info!

Every review I've seen of the Mach E has been positive, and it sounds like it should be a good vehicle. I think it would be kind of dumb if people didn't buy a good vehicle that met their needs just because they weren't happy about the naming of it - "I really like this vehicle, it does everything I need, and better than any other vehicle and at a good price, but because I don't like that they named it a Mustang, I'm going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a lesser vehicle that doesn't meet my needs as well."

I've got an '18 Mustang GT, the 3rd Mustang I've owned, and I'm not wild about them using the Mustang name, but I am not too torn up by it. It's not like it makes my car different than it is. I have heard that Ford might branch off Mustang into its own brand, which again, doesn't thrill me, but with cars giving way to SUVs in sales, I can live with the Mach-E being called a Mustang if it helps keep the performance car around.

This is listed at being video of the F-35B hitting the ground after the pilot ejected:

Really good to hear everyone is OK. That KC-130J pilot must have done an amazing piloting job in getting it down safely.

Wow, that looks like quite a show, better than what we have been getting in Southern California for the past several years. And great shots, too! The standouts to me are the banking tanker shots - haven't seen that before - and the F-35 vapor shots. Being in a hot, dry area, we don't get a lot of vapor.

Do you mean pushed back from the gate? I don't think any of the sims I have support that. I know that XPlane works by simulating the air over the surface of the aircraft, so I think it can be a more realistic representation of an aircraft's flight than MS Flight Simulator, which uses a chart of performance statistics for each aircraft's flying characteristics, but I don't know if that helps in what you're trying to do.

I am not certain of what you mean by "similar sims," but I've played a number of flight simulators, including Microsoft Flight Simulator, DCS World, IL2: Cliffs of Dover, and Falcon/BMS. Did you have questions that you think I might be able to answer?

Here's another article on the transition: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2020/06/01/blue-angels-transition-to-the-super-hornet-will-make-airshows-look-a-little-like-1973/amp/

Those are all cool, but...Billie Jean? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems a little out of character for a strike aircraft.

This seems like it should be a mandatory addition to this thread:

Yes, it was exciting and an honor to meet those men. I had the distinction of annoying Jim Lovell, I think. He was sitting down to dinner at that event and a friend wanted a photo with him, and it seemed he grudgingly agreed to it, and was a little annoyed that we caught him at that time. They had been in a different area earlier for photos, but not surprisingly, he had a crowd around him so that was the first opportunity we had. After I took a photo of my friend with him, I decided not to push my luck and get a photo with him my self. Here's a shot of me with Gene

5 years ago, I was able to attend a 45th anniversary event for it, and they had some of the key players there - a great opportunity to see some of the heroes of the space program.

I can't personally say who is right and wrong, but my friend has actually been integral to planning US Navy visits to Vietnam in recent times, so I'm guessing he knows a bit more about it than what's been floating around in the press. If I had to choose which was "fake news" - stuff coming out of the press or someone who has actually been involved in US Navy visits to the country - I think I am more inclined to believe someone who's actually gone through the process and assume the press was the fake news.