… they still would’ve lost.
Cool, though.
May 252023
May 222023
With the release of my latest book, I went to Amazon to see if my previous works are currently available (SR-71: yes; B-47/B-52: yes; Vol 1: currently no). In the process, I was surprised to see that there is a *hardback* version of my SR-71 book available. This is surprising for several reasons…
1: No mention of it was made to me by the publisher
2: It’s a relatively slim volume for a hardback
3: There has been some discussion, so far quite preliminary, of an expanded version of the SR-71 book at some point in the future, which would be more appropriate as a hardback.
Anyway, the listing looks like this:
“Huh,” sez I, so I click on the “hardback” link to see what it looks like. And… it looks like this:
Wait, what?
Now, that’s a perfectly fine book. I have a copy myself. But it’s not *my* book.
I also noticed that there are 187 reviews, which is substantially more than I recall there being. And that’s because the reviews for Goodall’s book are mashed in with reviews for mine.
Somebody hit the wrong button somewhere.
So if you want to get a copy or three of my book – an urge I wholeheartedly support – just make sure you order the right book. I’ve contacted the publisher about this and they’re baffled; they’ve contacted the people they need to to try to get this weirdness resolved.
Oh, and there’s this, for whatever it’s worth:
Woo, and, indeed, hoo.
May 212023
My next book, released for pre-order and to be shipped in a few weeks:
US Supersonic Bomber Projects 2
“The threat posed by the Soviet Union throughout the postwar period coincided with an explosion of innovation and can-do attitude among America’s aircraft manufacturers. Challenging requirements and experimentation resulted in a huge variety of designs for aircraft powered by nuclear reaction, aircraft capable of flying faster than Mach 5, advanced bombers able to land and take-off from the surface of the ocean, VTOL fighters and bombers, and many others. Aerospace engineer Scott Lowther collects some of the most radical and beyond-the-state-of-the-art ‘secret projects’ in this – the second volume of his US projects series.”
May 132023
Stratolaunch Successfully Completes Separation Test of Talon-A Vehicle
Stratolaunch LLC announces it has successfully completed a separation release test of the Talon-A separation test vehicle, TA-0. The flight was the eleventh for the company’s launch platform Roc and the second time the team has conducted flight operations in Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Western Range off California’s central coast.
May 032023
Three main options:
1) Ukrainian quadcopter flew hundreds of miles.
2) Russians PO’ed about their crappy government and their stupid war
3) The Russian government did it themselves.
Personally, #3 makes the most sense to me. Caiming that Ukraine launched an assassination/terrorist attack against Dear Leader is good propaganda, and it gives the Kremlin permission – as if it really needs it – to launch further extermination campaigns against Ukraine. If evidence can be manufactured to show that the drones came from, say, Germany or Finland or the US, that gives that much more evidence that Mother Russia needs to wipe out the west.
There are, of course, other options:
4) The Chinese did it. Why? For the same reason Red China hired SPECTRE to develop reusable launch vehicle technology in the med-60’s in order to snatch both US and USSR capsules from orbit: to spark a war between the other two powers. China stays out of it, then moves into the chaos and rubble afterwards.
May 012023
The rewards for April, 2023, have been released. They include:
Document: *Partial* Martin report on the M329 Mach 2 jet seaplane bomber
Document: “Flexible Wing Manned Test Vehicle, Final Program Report,” Ryan, December 1961. report on the development of the “Rogallo Wing” test vehicle.
Document: “10 Jahre TKF/J-90 Vorentwicklung,” conference paper from 1983 from Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm Gmbh describing (in German) the development of advanced fighter jets
Large Format: “NASA’s Space Launch System,” poster with detailed diagrams of the Block 1 and Block 1B SLS
CAD Diagram: B-1B weapons loads. This diagram was created and intended for my “US Supersonic Bomber Projects Volume 1” but had to be cut for space reasons. This includes gravity bombers, cruise missile sand the Vought T-22 “Assault Breaker.”
If you would like to help fund the acquisition and preservation of such things, along with getting high quality scans for yourself, please consider signing on either for the APR Patreon or the APR Monthly Historical Documents Program. Back issues are available for purchase by patrons and subscribers.
Apr 292023
I woulda bought the hell out of a *lot* of these kits… had they been made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX5B1TUUOA0
Apr 182023
I haven’t flown in years. The last few experiences were *terrible.* So how’s it going these days? Maybe it’s better…
I am not part of the community that believes children/babies shouldn’t fly HOWEVER, I do believe certain communities do not properly manage their children in public and I understand why that might drive someone to lose their mind. pic.twitter.com/qAGYviNlye
— I ❤️ Jews, Please dont close my accounts. (@LaCienegaBlvdss) April 18, 2023
We are all either this guy or this woman. pic.twitter.com/TNTmlQbeak
— Observations from Life 🎙 (@ObsFromLife) April 18, 2023
Yeah… I think I’m good staying on the ground. Stuck in a tube with a screaming child? No thanks. Stuck in a tube with a screaming adult? No thanks.
Apr 012023
A few years ago:
It’s been left outside for an extended period, so it’s in pretty rough shape. According to Google Maps, the wings have been removed, but it’s apparently still outside, dissolving.
Apr 012023
So… what’s the date today…