Yeah, I vote for vaporizing it, but “The Big Guy” wouldn’t want to anger his donors. What do you think would happen if we had a balloon that size drifting over Beijing? We aren’t even a paper tiger anymore .
RobMoser wrote:
66,000 feet according to something I saw. About the "size of three buses." Of course who knows how heavy the attached equipment is. They're probably worried about that. If it weighs a couple of tons, that wouldn't be nice to land on your roof .
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Yeah, I vote for vaporizing it, but “The Big Guy” wouldn’t want to anger his donors. What do you think would happen if we had a balloon that size drifting over Beijing? We aren’t even a paper tiger anymore .
I don’t know international law enough to say if flying over at this altitude is considered violation of air space. If it is and we can’t do anything about it for a variety of reasons, what if they send a big unmanned aircraft over next time and fly at this altitude? Remember their fighter jet rammed one of our spy planes off the Chinese coast when W was the President?
JWilsonphoto wrote:
It would be nice if we could snag it and see what capabilities it has, you know "trust but verify"..................
I was wondering the same, Jim. Maybe we can shoot one bullet through it and let it leak slowly and come down gradually, hopefully not on somebody's house. In their mind the USA is just a paper tiger that likes to beat up small countries, and their are not 100% incorrect!
Nice Dan. I feel for y'all in the ice down there. Stay safe and off those roads!
January was very wet up here, but also the fourth warmest on record. Not shorts weather by any means, still below freezing. But pretty pleasant when it wasn't raining. I managed to get 175 miles of bike riding in.
We're in for it Friday night though, might get to -10F. Pretty unusual here on the coast, last time it was -10F was 1957. Wind chills in the -35F range in the forecast, but then back to 40F by Sunday afternoon.
I'm a little worried about frozen pipes, especially with the wind. Had an issue at my parents' house before Christmas, and it was about 20 degrees warmer. Had to crawl into this opening in the basement wall to fix a split copper pipe under an addition.
Had no confidence in my ability to solder in those cramped quarters, so I used those SharkBite couplings. Then wrapped the bare pipes in heat trace and insulation.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Yeah, I vote for vaporizing it, but “The Big Guy” wouldn’t want to anger his donors. What do you think would happen if we had a balloon that size drifting over Beijing? We aren’t even a paper tiger anymore .
I would have done that the minute it entered US airspace in Alaska. But as you say Jim, no kahoones!
I also realize that the Chinese probably know where our missle silos are but the "lamestream" media has definitely showed them directly where to hit!!!!!!
RD
Douglas L wrote:
Yeah, I just saw the altitude of this thing in the news. Tough decision to make for sure. I don't know, with trillions of $$$ spent on defense, we don't have a way to deal with this quickly and safely. I bet the CCP will be laughing their ass off if the balloon just "transits" over the US.
A missile launched from a sub should be able to take it out when it was seen on radar over Alaska . I am not sure of how high they go or whatever but just a thought. A thought obviously not made public.
Dan
JWilsonphoto wrote:
A beautiful morning in the Cub............................
Darn Jim! This looks so great! I remember in Airborne school that fear was a factor in many candidates attitude for our "chute badge".
but I loved it. I had no fear really. I packed my own chute before each plane jump and loved the silence of the fall!
To me it was a "rush" of emotions. All good. Somehow I had that "no fear" attitude while in a helo, plane whatever. Now in combat, yes I did have some fear repelling out of a Huey or an extraction on a Maguire rig. My "six" still has scars. And the VA wont give me any disability for those!
Young and dumb!
Stay well brother!
RD
Single soldier rig but the rig could hold, safely, up to 3. In triple thick canopy even 1 was extremely dangerous! Better than a 7.62mm round in your butt!
I disagree that it was "fun"! It was terrifying! They need to "bottle" adrenaline!
Danpbphoto wrote:
It is now over S. Carolina according to the news... Time to go to "Man All Stations! This is NOT a drill!"
And one seen over South America?
Dan
Well at least someone with some kahoones shot it down!!!
"The February/March 2015 issue of "Air & Space" magazine has an article about the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fighter plane, emphasizing how versatile it was. The article mentions how a Phantom was used in a zoom-climb to chase and photograph the Gemini 2 (unmanned) ascent up to 68,000 feet altitude, 18,000 feet over the Phantom's service ceiling.
For a fleeting moment, his altimeter eclipsed 68,000 feet. "We had virtually no energy left," says Petry. "We weren't flying anymore at that point — just riding. But the F-4 stayed quite stable."
The Titan leaned into its trajectory and barreled downrange. Petry broke away inverted and maneuvered to restore airflow over the wings. He and his backseater kept Gemini II in the F-4's camera sights, he says, "until we fell out of the sky.""
I’m not expert in aviation interdiction, BUT, there is no way, NO F”G WAY, that balloon wasn’t tracked from lift off in China across the Pacific, into and through our USA (or what’s left of it) Western territorial waters. NO F”G WAY. That damn thing was permitted to overfly the country, and the “oh we have to be careful of the people on the ground” was bullshit to cover lamebrain asshole in Chief for being comatose at the switch from the onset. Somebody finally woke the neuron or two he’s got left to get him to authorize to take it down. Brandon strikes again.
anthonysemone wrote:
I’m not expert in aviation interdiction, BUT, there is no way, NO F”G WAY, that balloon wasn’t tracked from lift off in China across the Pacific, into and through our USA (or what’s left of it) Western territorial waters. NO F”G WAY. That damn thing was permitted to overfly the country, and the “oh we have to be careful of the people on the ground” was bullshit to cover lamebrain asshole in Chief for being comatose at the switch from the onset. Somebody finally woke the neuron or two he’s got left to get him to authorize to take it down. Brandon strikes again. ...Show more →
Biden said he told the military to shoot it down Wednesday. They told him "NO". Who the hell is in charge?
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