Military AI Works

This is just too close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaLjPjLTyDA

Mark

So is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HEnu3esqlE

Or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLVtstYAZLY

That T-38 near-miss reminds me of an incident in Ernest Gann's book Fate is the Hunter. Its in the chapter "Tip of the Spear" I believe. This is a must read for anyone interested in aviation. (Not to be confused with the movie by the same name which was pretty bad). Its out of print but can still be found.

Yup, read it last year, great read. Jake are you talking about the opening chapter where he sees the nav lights go whizzing by while flying through the clouds in the dark? That sure got my attention when I read it.

are you talking about the opening chapter where he sees the nav lights go whizzing by while flying through the clouds in the dark?

Yep, that's the one. My other two favorite parts are the thunderstorm and the Taj Mahal. Although the matches under his nose is pretty good too.

He has a way with narrative, humor and understatement that makes the early days of airline flying and MATS come to life. I think I have read it four or five times over the last 45 years. It just gets better and better.

What was funny for me was that his first route was EWR-SYR-ROC-CLE (I think). Flights that I've done many times in my own career.

That sounds right. I think it was called AM-41 back then. That's neat. I guess the difference is pretty startling now with jets and turbo-props.

Yea it was interesting reading his recounting of how they would find those airports in bad weather by dropping down low and looking for landmarks. C R A Z Y stuff I tell ya. What was the number out of his original flight class that eventually were killed in accidents, something like all but 3 of them?? It's a miracle anyone survived those times.

You're not kidding. Somewhere in the book, I think in the back, he lists all of the Captains and First Officers that were killed, I guess up until the time the book was written, and the list is long...

BTW, was he with United or American before he was "kidnapped" by the Army?

Oh man........I think it was the early version of American Airlines, not sure though.