“You *might* get shot at but you *will* overheat” was probably the thought process. It’s hard to shield an engine and radiator while also allowing it exposure to cool air. Thus, the cab gets armored, but the engines remain fairly exposed.

We tow each other out when the go-juice stops flowing.

Diesel was mandatory. Out fuel infrastructure is based on the family of common fuels. Helicopters, trucks, planes, tanks, heaters, gens, all run on that family of fuels. (Most commonly called “JP8” but there are other varieties all fairly similar to “Jet-A” you find at airports)

I don’t know... my welds are shit and I don’t have the engineering software for a solid tubeframe design or female molds for the body. [molds are such a bitch to make right... at least that’s my experience with boats] So to me, it’s worth it to build my own (kit) car that can slap most porsches, vettes, etc. on the…

This is all true.

Now, I can’t view this so much as a luxery sports car... this sort of car is essentially a 4-wheeled motorcycle.

It comes with standard features like:
Wheels.
Seat(s).
Engine.
Suspension.
Brakes.

Actually that’s it. That’s what it comes with. Hahahaha! AWESOME. Colin Chapman would approve.

Having visited their facility in Mass... and the quality of their frames and whatnot... Man, they are bargains for the amount of “go-fast.”

Better than any cobbled-together and stripped WRX I’d do, that’s for sure... and for the price of a Focus ST... man...

Good news... it hasn’t changed much right through 2016. What did changes is the Tacoma has been gaining weight for 20 years.

/bitter 4-banger Taco-owner.
// Now I want to shove the new V6 in it
/// Damnit, that 4 cylinder wont die any earlier than like 350,000 miles...

Those old Vettes... Hnnnnnnnnng...

My (Older) TACO!

Sooooo... it looks just like the old one with a facelift? Got it.

(I have a Taco... I can knock the Taco. I love it but Toyota REAAAAALLY could use a better couple engines stateside.)

It ain’t the size of the drum, it’s the boom of the bass?

Hehehe!

It ain’t the size of the missile, it’s how you use it.

So large it buckles under its own weight. Sometimes I hang a little flag from it... or a towel if I am out of hooks.

*isn’t. Something can’t...

You seem a bit... “in-the-know”... what do ya think about FVL (Future of Vertical Lift) program with the Army?

Some of the requirements set forth are interesting... and some are terribly short-sighted. Just curious of your thoughts.

Iiiiiiiiiiinteresting. I’m an aviation nerd, so I always want to know more. Hahah!

But yeah, no surprise at all if some of the same folks on the Comanche program are/were the same on the stealth-hawk. (Do they at least have a neat name for that thing yet? Igor-Ninja? The Hawker? Shhhhhh?)

I’m familiar bud. I fly hawks.

Also sorry, I sound like a douche with some of my responses. Not my intent, but definitely what happens. Unfortunately its already to late to edit out my douchiness.

But yeah, it would have been the F35 of rotary wing.

The stealth hasn’t been needed (and targeting capabilities of *enemy* missiles would have leapfrogged…

Brandondrums:
Talk to Nick Lappos about how this thing handled... he had... many very interesting things to say about it. (Lead test pilot at the time and is now some sort of senior project manager or something with Sikorsky).

The engines were the same. The ole GE700’s at the time (which also means it could have taken…

Ouch. But at least they should be getting some usable engineering data from it... I hope...

It was certainly a fiscal boondoggle (love that word)... BUT!

The technologies derived from it were used. Many of them were used in the Apache. Some of the cockpit layout got mimicked in the UH60M. The general design had many features that will no doubt be included in the FVL program (The Army’s Future Vertical Lift…