I've been following the competition for the new USAF tanker for quite a while. I was excited when the Northrop/EADS A330 won. A friend of mine who has multiple combat tours in the KC-135 and got to provide input to the tanker decision said the A330 is a superior aircraft. I live right down the road from Mobile, AL, where residents were ecstatic about a new airplane factory and thousands of associated (American) jobs coming to town. I was quite pleased that the Air Force made an effort to be fair and open with the competition following a shady tanker lease deal that got some people in trouble in 2004.

Then, after the A330 was officially named the winner and ground was already broken on the new factory in Mobile, Boeing complained and got the decision overturned and the competition reopened. I was very disappointed. Reopening the competition guaranteed several more years of waiting for a new tanker while the ancient KC-135s continued to serve past their lifetime. It also showed severe prejudice against a foreign product, even if it meant a superior to our warfighters.

The Pentagon released their new request for proposals recently. Sadly, the new specifications so obviously favor Boeing's 767 that Northrop and EADS have decided not to even enter the competition.

Flight attendants are petitioning congress to fund a number of measures in the hopes of increasing airline security. One of those options is money for hand to hand combat classes. In light of the recent "underwear" bombers attempts and the subsequent need for his fellow passengers to subdue him, I'm thinking that this idea has merit... A well placed strike might make the difference In a situation where moments matter, and it's more appealing to me than the threat of a weapon on board.

Worst case scenario is I get knocked unconscious while stretching my legs, and I'd say that's about even odds with clear air turbulence anyways... I don't think most folks would mind if the flight attendant knew how to drop some asshole with C4 in his skivvies before he could get the match lit. What are your thoughts? Is this money better spent on training for TSA agents? or more Air Marshals?

A Swedish pilot flying for a Turkish carrier named Corendon is reportedly relieved to have been caught flying without a license. Turns out he ripped the stripes right off his own arm before leaving the cockpit. Apparently he had been qualified to fly smaller aircraft but never reached the airline transport rating. I guess the documents weren't vetted all that well, since it he spent upwards of 14 years and 10,000 flight hours working for a number of European airlines. This is where I'm really glad there's two qualified folks in the cockpit!!

via BBC

I just can't get over how big the B-36 is... 230ft wingspan with 6 turning and 4 burning engines! SAC is also a great movie if you haven't watched it, basically an excuse to showcase some serious Airpower.

One of my dad's friends was in the Navy and I was raised up to think that: "If it doesn't have a tailhook, it's not a real airplane." Although, I didn't end up choosing that path (and I abandoned that philosophy,) I have a great deal of respect for Naval aviators. They definitely do some tough flying and have a lot of fun at it.

For better or for worse, it appears that we may all be losing the opportunity to land fast jets on floating postage stamps sooner than we thought. A recent article at Navy.mil notes that the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) will be the carrier used to test a new Naval combat aircraft. For the first time in history, this aircraft will be a full-size combat jet...without a pilot. Specifically, it looks like Grumman's X-47B will be the first UCAV tested on an aircraft carrier.

The Zodiac CH601XL has had a rough few years. There have been six in-flight structural failures resulting in an effective grounding of the fleet and mandatory modifications to all aircraft. The FAA recently released an official report on the situation.

Google and Bing both have some great high-res shots of the Davis-Monthan AFB "Boneyard." High enough to actually identify most of the models and even check to make sure we're still complying with the START treaty by lopping the wings off of B-52's (check the lower right hand corner). AMARG, the group responsible for the facility, boasts an inventory of over 4,400 aircraft. The F-4's alone are supposedly worth around $27Billion, or at least that's what was paid for them... I wonder if they'd mind me pulling the ole flatbed up and absconding with a couple of the T-38's they've got just sitting around?