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Readers!

 

My July fund-raising campaign to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary since I began Behind the Black is now over. I want to thank all those who so generously donated or subscribed, especially those who have become regular supporters. I can't do this without your help. I also find it increasingly hard to express how much your support means to me. God bless you all!

 

The donations during this year's campaign were sadly less than previous years, but for this I blame myself. I am tired of begging for money, and so I put up the campaign announcement at the start of the month but had no desire to update it weekly to encourage more donations, as I have done in past years. This lack of begging likely contributed to the drop in donations.

 

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F-35A Lightning II

An evening pause: In honor the various space related engineering daring-do today, let’s watch a modern fighter jet show off at an air show.

Hat tip Danae.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

3 comments

  • Max

    A brief capability/ history overview.
    https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/11/national/stealthy-numerous-expensive-examining-f-35-following-asdf-crash-off-north-japan/#.XK_26zROKnM

    A new coworker, fresh from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, did not think highly of it. Too much bucks for the bang. 1.2 billion to make, over $30,000 an hour to fly. This was only the second crash which is good.

  • Zed_WEASEL

    Originally it was the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter). A cheap STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) strike aircraft to replace the AV-8 Harrier, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Hornet and A-10 Warthog in the light strike role with some stealth capability. Not unreasonable except it is hard to picture the F-35 in the close air support role like the A-10.

    Unfortunately they gold-plated the aircraft design and give it more roles than originally intended. The F-35 is not really suitable for air-superiority or combat air patrol. It is a strike aircraft masquerading as a fighter.

    The F-35 could be compared to the F2A Brewster Buffalo. Don’t think the sortie availability is anything great. With the high man-hours and inadequate line replacement units needed to maintain along with not enough Smart munition stockpile.

    The damn thing couldn’t even be use as a standby Navel interceptor since it is only goes subsonic with not enough air to air missiles. The USN is going to keep the F-18 Super Hornet around for a long time.

  • Zed_WEASEL wrote: “The F-35 could be compared to the F2A Brewster Buffalo.”

    If that’s the case, then based on the Wikipedia article for the F2A, we should sell F-35’s to the Finns.

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