You claimed they were "supposed" to be changed before 100K, like it was some kind of manufacturer's recommendation/requirement. My point was they aren't.

I hate how the spark plug change is listed at 100k maintenance. Spark plugs are supposed to be changed before that.

They turn, too. Really, REALLY, well.

I have a '00 FRC (LS1 engine), and get right at 30 mpg cross country at 75 mph. Z06 will be 1-2 mpg less due to lower trans gearing; still great enough to almost feel like you're cheating (almost). :D

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I meant tragically for your timeline. First flight was in December '06, first production-representative version flew in December '08.

Tragically, F-35 contract was signed in 2001. IOC date of '12 was set by the customer despite LM's reservations of accomplishing that date. Lots of blame to go around, and honestly, most of it isn't LM.

That's a really good question, but even if they were streaming data in real time you'd still want a FDR/CVR, because in the final flight sequence you don't want to depend on that RF connection only. As far as data streaming goes, I don't know what bandwidth limitations really exist. I'm familiar with military FDRs,…

Just what is the difference between leasing and renting? In both cases you pay money to use an asset you don't own.

Oh, yeah, I wasn't trying to refer to all the screw-ups in that procurement exercise. When actual criminal charges are made *and* prison time served you know it's a mess. I'm just glad progress is being made.

Finally our tanker fleet is getting some serious replenishment! This contract has been a poster child for procurement politics. Contract first awarded to EADS (if you think US military contracts are poorly run, compare it to the Europeans!) because Boeing was too greedy and tried to get the Pentagon to *rent*…

Or, you can go to Copart and get this:

Yes, about 1500 lbs. each IIRC.

Brings back two memories of the Rhino:

That was absolutely outstanding, thanks for sharing. No, REALLY, thanks for sharing; I needed that!

Then you've never driven one, nor ridden in one. The "soul" of the car is the sensory experience, and engine heritage is nothing but a component of providing that experience. Hence the Ferrari experience, even though there are many cars that outperform it. The reason the Camry has little "soul" is that it has…

Package size, weight.

The one they cut apart to get Memo out. C'mon, you *know* they had a roll cage/chassis. Marshall Pruett has a pretty good summary: http://www.racer.com/more/viewpoint…

What safety issues are you referring to?

F-22 had this problem (hot fuel leading to short ground run times), the short term solution at Edwards was to refrigerate the fuel so the engine run tests could be completed. One of the compromises of using fuel to cool everything, and having air flow cool the fuel. It's not usually a problem once you're airborne.

Sure, common sense says that a common platform airframe won't be optimized for any single application. How much? Welllll, that's just about impossible to tell, since you'd have to go through a whole design exercise for each application and that defeats any hope of cost savings. Remember, it's not just having three…