Speaking of blimp hangars…

Posted on by November 8, 2023

Hangar 2 at Moffett Field has a little something that has been hidden inside that rolled out yesterday…

Photo LTA Research

As dawn breaks over Silicon Valley, the world is getting its first look at Pathfinder 1, a prototype electric airship that its maker LTA Research hopes will kickstart a new era in climate-friendly air travel, and accelerate the humanitarian work of its funder, Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

The airship — its snow-white steampunk profile visible from the busy 101 highway — has taken drone technology such as fly-by-wire controls, electric motors and lidar sensing, and supersized them to something longer than three Boeing 737s, potentially able to carry tons of cargo over many hundreds of miles.

“It’s been 10 years of blood, sweat and tears,” LTA CEO Alan Weston told TechCrunch on the eve of the unveiling. “Now we must show that this can reliably fly in real-world conditions. And we’re going to do that.”

Full article, HERE from Tech Crunch.

So the hangars ‘may’ come full circle…

Considerably larger than the GoodYear blimps, I’m really not sure what their applicability is going to be in the real world, but they would have a LONG loiter time…

Sad news…

Posted on by November 7, 2023

There was a major fire early yesterday morning in Tustin, CA…

The north blimp hangar at the old MCAS Tustin caught fire and burned.

h/t to GL for the photo.

During World War II, seventeen large hangars were built to house US Navy blimps. There were seven of these wooden hangars left: Moffett Field Hangars 2 and 3, Tustin North and South, all four in California, one in Tillamook, Oregon,  and two in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Moffett Field also has Hangar 1, which is steel.

Fuller coverage HERE from the Orange County Register.

I served in all three of the hangars at Moffett Field, and have been to Tustin and Lakehurst. Folks these things are massive! Designed to hold three blimps each, they are around 1000 feet long, 200 feet tall, and 300 feet wide!

Sadly, one more piece of history is gone now, and as of this writing, there wasn’t any mention of the cause of the fire. I just hope it wasn’t arson…

If you ever get the chance to take a tour of one, do so. Until the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) was built at the Cape, the blimp hangars were the largest free standing structures in the world.

 

 

Heh…

Posted on by November 6, 2023

Things just got a tad more interesting in the Persian Gulf area…

The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike group, as well as an Ohio-class submarine, have entered the Middle Eastern waters of U.S. Central Command as concerns continue about a larger conflict erupting in the region as Israel’s war with Hamas grinds on.

Ike’s arrival also comes amid continued attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria that Pentagon officials have blamed on Iran-backed proxies.

Full article, HERE from Navy Times.
Further down in the article is an OBTW, with this little link…
https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1721271207260033230
Now this is NOT a normal notification by any means…
The ‘position’ of any Ohio class boat is always classified unless it is inport, so the…warning is pretty plain. The question is, will anybody over there pay any attention?
And to throw one more wrench into the mix, there is a six ship Chinese surface group operating in the area also! From the South China Morning Post, HERE.
It’s getting just a ‘bit’ crowded over there, as that area is not all that big for large ship groups to be operating in.

A little humor…

Posted on by November 5, 2023

An oldie but a goody!

“Lexophile” describes those that have a love for words, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish”, “To write with a broken pencil is pointless.”

An annual competition is held by the New York Times to see who can create the best original lexophile.

I changed my iPod’s name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I’d swear I’ve never met herbivore.

I know a guy who’s addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.

I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.

A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.

A will is a dead giveaway.

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He’s all right now.

A bicycle can’t stand alone; it’s just two tired.

The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.

He had a photographic memory but it was never fully developed.

When she saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she’d dye.

Acupuncture is a jab well done. That’s the point of it.

I didn’t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

Did you hear about the crossed-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils?

When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

When chemists die, they barium.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.

I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can’t put it down.

Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.

An interesting take…

Posted on by November 4, 2023

On Chuck Schumer, by a Rabbi…

There are a lot of true villains in politics: people who are filled with hate and are true supporters of evil — Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Omar, Pressley, et al. They seek to destroy Western culture and the United States and to prop up evil regimes and terrorist organizations. It’s especially easy to see them right now as they try to justify the evil of Hamas, as they try to destroy Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, and they strive to tear down our country with riots on college campuses and even the Capitol.

Full article, HERE.
Personally, I’ve never liked what he stood for, nor his partisan rhetoric…
But I think this rabbi has hit the nail on the head. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I think this is a classic example.
In other news, I hope you remembered to set your clocks back last night, otherwise, you’re going to be WAY early this morning. Me, I’m going to enjoy that extra hour of sleep! 🙂

Book promo…

Posted on by November 3, 2023

Finally!!! It is alive! Tom Barnett benefit anthology is out on Kindle- Tales of the Oil Patch

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

And Raconteur Press has two new anthologies out- Moggies back in Space

The blurb-

Cats go where they want. Moggies even more so. When humans go to space, obviously cats will come along to make sure their staff are doing what they’re supposed to.

Join these 10 authors as they explore what cats can do in space.

PinUp Noir 2

The blurb-

And last but not least, Cedar has the third installment of her The Groundskeeper novellas up- The Ghoul
The blurb-
Chloe Brandt got more than she bargained for when she took on the groundskeeper and caretaker position at the old cemetery of Belleview. Chloe is still learning just what her job duties at the big cemetery are, and how far they will take her. Just what mysteries are her responsibility? When the ghoul asks for help, she’s willing to try…
Buy our books, feed us starving authors!!! And please leave honest reviews! They help propagate the books across Amazon and other mediums.

One Senator…

Posted on by November 2, 2023

Is holding the Pentagon and SECDEF hostage…

Or so the MSM reports…

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is standing firm in blocking hundreds of Biden administration nominees as the Democrats refuse to drop illegal military abortion funding. He noted that he works for his constituents and American taxpayers, rather than his own Party leadership — or, for that matter, the Biden administration.

Ironically, even though it’s Democrats who are holding up their own nominations by refusing to drop Pentagon abortion funding, Tuberville is the one who has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans. In May, thousands of active duty military and veterans signed a letter supporting Tuberville and opposing the Pentagon’s illegal attempt to subsidize abortions. 

The troops said that woke administration policies, not Tuberville, were impacting “military readiness,” which is 100% true. The military is not about to fall into an unparalleled catastrophe because of Tuberville, and even if it were, it would be the fault of the Democrats, who are sticking to their illegal abortion funding at the expense of all else. 

Full article, HERE.

I have to give kudos to Tuberville for standing up to the pressure from all sides, and standing for what he and his constituents believe. That the MSM and others are blaming him for Gen Smith’s heart attack is, IMHO, beyond the pale!

This whole situation boils down to Austin et al at Defense Department kowtowing to the Dems/left/progs over abortion, including giving basket leave and paying for military to go to a different state to get an abortion if desired. DOD is refusing to remove that provision, and Tuberville is saying as long as it is in the bill, he will not approve the ‘blanket’ approval of promotions.

Now the Dem Senators are trying another end run around Senate procedures to ‘beat’ him…

Wouldn’t it just simpler to take the whole abortion/leave thing off the table and just get back to business? Or am I being simplistic???

Sigh…

Hmmm…

Posted on by November 1, 2023

This is interesting…

U.S. Marine Corps Major Gen. Chris A. McPhillips announced Tuesday that the 248th Marine Corps Ball has been canceled by the U.S. Central Command, citing “unforeseen operational commitments.”

McPhillips announced the update to the annual event, scheduled on November 16 in Tampa, Florida, for former and retired maritime land forces to get dressed to the nines and celebrate the tradition and legacy of the Marine Corps.

“Due to unforeseen operational commitments and the nature of our current mission, it is with great regret that we must cancel this year’s event,” McPhillips wrote in a letter.

Full article HERE, from the Daily Wire.

Do they know something we don’t? I’m pretty sure they do… sigh…

And we survived Halloween…

Posted on by October 31, 2023

Kids were given WAY too much candy… LOL

The mother made sure our house was the first stop!

And a friend brought the boy by for his second halloween!  We are apparently his favorite stop, even if he doesn’t know why! And he was a cute little dragon!

Our collection of pumpkins that were carved Saturday night, and appropriatedly lighted!

And my persona favorite for the best costume of the day/night… The knife is great!

And one of my granddaughter, from California. Sadly they aren’t here, but are having fun and collecting plenty of candy out there!!! And my grandson passed his hunter education class today!

I hope y’all all had a good evening and you don’t have anymore leftover candy… snort…

Interesting admission…

Posted on by October 30, 2023

From Hamas even…

Speaking during a television interview over the weekend, Hamas official Abu Marzouk explained that endless miles of tunnels the terrorist organization built in the Gaza Strip are for fighters to hide, reload and escape retaliatory attacks from the Israeli Defense Forces. When pressed on why bomb shelters have never been built for civilians, Marzouk said that’s the job of the United Nations. 

Full article and some interesting X feeds HERE.

And it is interesting to note that nobody is talking about the Palestinian Americans trapped in Gaza by Hamas… HERE.

Sadly, NONE of this is going to end well, but I do believe Israel is trying their best to limit civilian/collateral damage and deaths. But Hamas is once again hiding behind the civilians…

War is ugly, period. People have died and will continue to die until this ends. Israel is making hard decisions, as Hamas have over 200 hostages, including over 10 Americans. Are they in the tunnels? Probably… Do we know? Hell no…

And Iran’s puppets are upping their game, attacking both Israel and US bases in various mid-east locations. Sadly, WE have not responded with anything other than a very tepid response. I just wonder when we are going to see ‘action’ here from one of their cells, and where/what will be attacked. I’m pretty sure it will be a civilian target, as they won’t try a defended base or confront troops directly.

Your thoughts???