I was 17, and the movie cemented my boyhood desire to fly fighters. Cheers!

Unfortunately, the A-4 in the video is by no means a modern jet. Pilots of non-fly-by-wire jets can easily overstress their airframes; we did it all the time in the Tomcat. Even the electric jets can be sometimes commanded to perform beyond their software's intended limits.

Why not just a large rifle, like a .50 BMG Barrett? Put whatever tracking system on it that you were going to put on the laser and blast away. With a muzzle brake, it has about the same recoil as a 12 gauge shotgun, and it delivers over 9,000 ft-lbs of energy per shot. Plus, in space, there's no wind, bullet drop,…

"So, the numbers and the dangers still beg the question. What if?"

The reason fighters punch off their drop tanks is to reduce weight and drag on the airframe when the mission requires low weight and low drag.

It would be funny right up until you get accidentally knocked unconscious and declared dead at the scene.

I like the idea, but would like to have it extend to feedback regarding the car's performance.

Combat pilots avoid polarized lenses because they cause interference with helmet visors, canopies, or both. Aviator glasses use standard grey glass lenses.

If you think the BMW is getting comparable MPG while it is actually producing 555 HP, you're mistaken. Just because a motor CAN make horsepower does not mean it always IS.

You can only tie the low altitude record...

"tasers aren't safe - they can kill"

Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.

Also, many MIRs require a UPC label to be cut from the box. Once a consumer has done that, say, on the first day he brings home the item, he has removed all possibility of returning the item for a refund, even if the item has a 30 or 60 day return window.

If you pay $30,000 for a car, drive it 100,000 miles, and sell it for $5,000, that car has cost you $.25 per mile. Depreciation is a huge deal in cost of ownership that many people discount or ignore. Granted, the longer one keeps a car, or the more miles one drives it, the more the curve flattens out.

With most auto travel amortizing to about $.50 per mile (including depreciation, gas, oil, insurance, tires, etc.) in a middle-of-the-road sedan with a completely empty 15 gallon tank, if one drives more than 3/4 of a mile out of one's way (round trip) to save even a dime a gallon, one is still "losing." At $.03 per…

My favorite is when, after a regional flight, 90% of the flight's passengers have to line up in the freezing or roasting little jet bridge and crawl all over each other to get to the carry-on bags that must be gate-checked.

"Begs the question" is a term referring to a logical fallacy. It means one is arguing for a conclusion based on an assumption stated in the premise. For example, "This cake is delicious because it tastes so good."

oh

@exsecrare: F-16s almost always fly with training CATM-9 missiles or TACTS pods (here's a picture of a model with one of each mounted: [www.aircraftresourcecenter.com] on their wing tips, for both aerodynamic and weapon training reasons.

Largely irrelevant Katie Couric's audience just doubled for the week. You'd think network television would be happy.