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A decision to eject from a failing F-35B fighter and the betrayal in its wake

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211–213 of 213 posts

Re: A decision to eject from a failing F-35B fighter and the betrayal in its wake

#211
post #181

Saying the pilot did nothing wrong means the plane did something wrong; sell less expansive planes to foreign countries. Throw him under the bus; sell more expansive planes. I hear America is looking for efficiency and reduced gvt spendings, I'd say the F35 program is a good candidate to start, especially since now many countries aren't so fond of the whole "send all of your military data to our best friends the US o…

The F-35 would be a horrible place to start, because it is actually the best multirole jet fighter you can buy and gives you a massive advantage

Assuming it is the best when the private servers are controlled by someone who lets you use it, is it still the best when that connection is severed or when trust is broken by the nation controlling the servers, data and code? What if some president decides your nation's airstrike is not to his taste and... cancels it? What will you do then, tweet angrily about it, ask for a refund? Talking of course primarily about ODIN/ALIS.

I'd take a bicycle without electronics over an electric vehicle that decides not to start, any day, when picking military hardware.

Re: A decision to eject from a failing F-35B fighter and the betrayal in its wake

#212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the extreme, sure. And I’m not saying I know he was in the wrong. I’m just saying it’s something I think gets too little attention. It was obviously possible to get the plane into a climb, because that’s how it ended up after he ejected. Once you are there is time to think and plan. Bad visibility doesn’t stretch infinity in the upward direction.

And how would you know if you’re climbing or not if you don’t trust the instruments? If you still have a working attitude indicator you can trust, you obviously shouldn’t eject, but it sounds like he wasn’t sure if he could still rely on that. You don’t feel the direction the plane is going without instruments.

He had functioning backup instruments. It’s nerve wrecking of course, and I’m aware it’s a lot to ask, but if you want to fly a fighter jet I think that comes with an obligation to stay in the cockpit and try to avert a catastrophe even at significant risk to your own life. I would certainly be willing to take that risk myself.

Re: A decision to eject from a failing F-35B fighter and the betrayal in its wake

#213
post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I find it refreshing, however, that the "we are the evil empire now" idea is getting out of the closet. Call a spade a spade. “Good” and “evil” are moral constructs that haven’t played a meaningful role in documented geopolitics since at least the 4th century BC. There’s a well-known quote often attributed to Hastings Ismay that captures NATO’s original purpose. I won’t paste it here as it might come off as a bit h…

Evidently you don't know much about humiliating moments for NATO members.

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