Would not have ejected over the city.

I wanted to like these but so far, I've had 3 and none keep anything hot after more than an hour or 2 tops. Or cold. I've filled it with ice and not even a few hours later it's just water.

I wanted to like these but so far, I've had 3 and none keep anything hot after more than an hour or 2 tops. Or…

I was really surprised to learn the other day that a B-1B can carry more boom than a B-52.

I'd rather they spend money on a B-1 loitering around, dropping ordinance on Daesh targets than us sending men and women over there to fight on the ground. This cuts the risk of American lives down quite a bit especially when you consider close quarters fights, IED's and other casualties from engagements with the…

Keeping in mind that this environment is very low risk for US aircraft

Why don't the media call them the sexy bombers? Or, the fast bombers. Or, how about the carrier eaters.

hasn't gotten out to play much? You know its the most used combat aircraft by far since the 1998 date you threw out right? In Kosovo, 25% of the weapons dropped while flying 1% of the missions. In Iraq, 7 B-1s struck more targets than all 3 carrier battle groups combined, and dropped 43% of her precision guided…

Sure.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

Pierre Sprey didn't design the F-16. Sprey has never 'designed' anything with wings, and he still doesn't know diddley-squat about aircraft design OR air warfare. He started at the Pentagon in 1966 as one of Robert S. McNamara's (the genius [/sarc] behind the TFX) "wiz kids."

Sprey started out as a weapons system…

His overall point is pretty sound, but I have to take issue with some of what he says:

It is airline protocol to inquire as to pilot pax when a pilot is taken ill and/or dies. It's not about skill or ability. It's about ensuring that there are sufficient hands/brains up front to handle checklists, communications, etc, plus to ensure there's a safety backup.

Bit of a harsh response don't you think?

OK...so the First Officer can fly a plane as well...if not better than the Captain.

It's not bullshit. Yes, a first officer can fly the plane just as well or even better than the "captain". The captain designation really only has to do with time tracking and having a final responsible person. It has nothing to do with skill, seniority or hours logged in some cases. That said large complex…

That should be a big negative. Captains have the ultimate responsibility on aircraft, and just throwing a first officer in charge may be a giant mistake. Captains usually have many more years of experience, and a lot of practice handling emergencies and unique situations that are invaluable.

Lots of people have been commenting on this article being one thing or another, and I think they are missing one of the biggest take away points from this article. Tyler, I personally know three of the guys who are going to be Iraq's first Viper drivers, and they are awesome men, amazing pilots and very dedicated to…

"Really goes against itself because this incident wouldn't have happened if a U-2 didn't fly over the airport in the first place."

Alright, let me try and clear up some confusion here. A U-2 has a filed flight plan, from one navigational aid to another. Many of these Nav-aids are located on or near airports. This U-2…

Please don't report on stuff like this without any understanding of what's going on.