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USAF Photo of the Evening: Deterrent Extraordinaire
ChamorroBible.org ^ | June 16, 2005 | USAF Staff Sgt. Eric T. Sheler

Posted on 02/25/2013 3:49:20 PM PST by EnjoyingLife


U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber sitting on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, USA. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm (medium, large)

The Photographer 
Staff Sgt. Eric T. Sheler, United States Air Force  



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: b2; bomber; langleyafb; spirit; stealth; usaf
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1 posted on 02/25/2013 3:49:26 PM PST by EnjoyingLife
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To: EnjoyingLife
Somewhere Jack Northrup is still smiling.

In 1976, with his health failing, he felt compelled to communicate to NASA his belief in the low drag high lift concept inherent in the flying wing. NASA replied that the idea had technological merit comforting Northrop that his flying wing concepts hadn't been completely abandoned. By the late 1970s a variety of illnesses had left him unable to walk or speak. Shortly before his death in 1981, he was given clearance to see designs and hold a scale model of the B-2 Spirit which shared many of the design features of his YB-35 and YB-49 designs.[4] Northrop was reported to have written on a sheet of paper "Now I know why God has kept me alive for 25 years". In the Wing Will Fly documentary, B-2 project designer John Cashen says

"As he held this model in his shaking hands, it was as if you could see his entire history with the flying wing passing through his mind"

Jack Northrop died 10 months later knowing his life's passion would be incorporated in the country's most technologically advanced Cold War weapon system.

2 posted on 02/25/2013 3:54:27 PM PST by Former Proud Canadian (Obamanomics-We don't need your stinking tar sands oil, we'll just grow algae.)
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To: EnjoyingLife
Ain't nobody else got one.

Jack Northrop would be proud.

Sorry don't remember how to set the size.

3 posted on 02/25/2013 3:56:01 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: tet68

4 posted on 02/25/2013 3:59:18 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (I am a dissident. Will you join me? My name is John....)
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To: Former Proud Canadian
"The Wing Will Fly" is a superb documentary. Northrup's wings "failed" ( if indeed it's even appropriate to use that term) because the technology at that time could not control the aircraft...it was inherently unstable in flight.

The real crime is that for whatever reason, the US ordered that the remaining planes be scrapped. What a shame. Can you imagine one of those in the Smithsonian Flight Museum?

5 posted on 02/25/2013 4:00:01 PM PST by ken5050 ("One useless man is a shame, two are a law firm, three or more are a Congress".. John Adams)
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To: EnjoyingLife

There was a show on “The History Channel” about the flying wing. If I remember right, the original design was credited to the Horton Brothers of Germany during WWII.


6 posted on 02/25/2013 4:00:45 PM PST by yarddog (One shot one miss.)
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To: tet68

7 posted on 02/25/2013 4:01:11 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (I am a dissident. Will you join me? My name is John....)
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To: EnjoyingLife

It is vary rare for them to land one at a base like Langley. They usually only go in and then back to Whiteman AFB with a rare landing allowed at Diago Garcia or Guam as I recall.


8 posted on 02/25/2013 4:01:17 PM PST by KC Burke (Plain Conservative opinions and common sense correction for thirteen years.)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

The crazy thing was that they had 9 of them built
and the Sec Def had them destroyed. Symington I think
it was, just insanity.


9 posted on 02/25/2013 4:01:31 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: EnjoyingLife

With islam in the White House, the US inventory is largely irrelevant - until the mullahs decide to use it for another holocaust.


10 posted on 02/25/2013 4:07:09 PM PST by Hardraade (http://junipersec.wordpress.com (Vendetta))
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To: tet68
Don't apologize.
Tiny photos of awesome military weapons are really frustrating.
11 posted on 02/25/2013 4:08:02 PM PST by publius911 (Look for the Unin label, then buy something else.)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

If alive today Jack would lose the meat display case. Despite his passion he never had any interest in getting a pilot’s license.


12 posted on 02/25/2013 4:11:41 PM PST by Reeses
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To: Reeses
If alive today Jack would lose the meat display case

i hadn't heard the term before. pretty funny

13 posted on 02/25/2013 4:17:55 PM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: EnjoyingLife

I saw one of these at the Wright Patt Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. I stood there so long in awe with my mouth open my family left me and my tongue dried out. It was truly an awesome bird.

I think the A-10 was my sentimental favorite. It is the only gun to my knowledge that is so compelling they built a plane to carry it to the battlefield. She fires ~65, 3/4 pound projectiles per second when the “hawg farts.”

Wright Patt is a good stop if you ever get close.


14 posted on 02/25/2013 4:22:42 PM PST by IamConservative (The soul of my lifes journey is Liberty!)
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To: KC Burke

I always get a kick out of the concept of doing bombing missions from Whiteman.

A young pilot gets out of bed, gets told to take out the garbage and feed the dog, hops in his car and goes to a briefing room somewhere.

48 hours later, he’s dog tired, getting out of his car...and his fuzzy slippered wife it standing there demanding to know why he didn’t put ALL the trash out.

Somewhere in between he was over a foreign land dropping bombs on the enemy.


15 posted on 02/25/2013 4:23:21 PM PST by lacrew (Mr. Soetoro, we regret to inform you that your race card is over the credit limit.)
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To: EnjoyingLife

What I think is particularly funny is they have an entry control point, with nobody performing the entry control function.

Now, of course, they are trying to get a good picture and don’t want an Airman in the picture, but the ropes and cones sans guard is pretty funny.


16 posted on 02/25/2013 4:32:36 PM PST by SpirituTuo
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To: EnjoyingLife

Just the start carts, no ordinance? I guess it’s fully
loaded and ready to go.


17 posted on 02/25/2013 4:46:45 PM PST by Slambat (The right to keep and bear arms. Anything one man can carry, drive or pull.)
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To: IamConservative
I went to an airshow in Toledo back in the mid 80's before Gulf war I, and no one had seen the first stealth fighter yet. (F-117?) Anyhow, it had been heard of, but not seen yet.

So they had an area roped off with just tires and landing gear struts standing in the appropriate spots, with a nice sign identifying it. (Just like the rest of the stuff on static display.) On all the listings for the specs, it said "You wouldn't believe it anyhow".

18 posted on 02/25/2013 4:53:23 PM PST by Slump Tester (What if I'm pregnant Teddy? Errr-ahh -Calm down Mary Jo, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it)
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To: zot

flying wing ping


19 posted on 02/25/2013 4:54:25 PM PST by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: Slump Tester
I went to an airshow in Toledo back in the mid 80's before Gulf war I, and no one had seen the first stealth fighter yet. (F-117?)

Yep, the F-117. Made it's (most) public debut in the first Gulf War. They had one on display at Wright Patt last time I was there 2-3 years ago.

20 posted on 02/25/2013 5:00:43 PM PST by IamConservative (The soul of my lifes journey is Liberty!)
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