Link Salad, Because I'm Busy

[chris_gerrib]

Like the label on the tin says:

A) A long but fascinating article by James Fallows, Carter's speechwriter, on Jimmy Carter's faults as President.

B) From John Hemry, an article about how gluten intolerance can make you crazy.

C) Of interest to gun people - pattern of shotgun pellets at self-defense ranges. Birdshot actually penetrated deeper than buckshot at seven yards.

D) Two related articles from Foreign Policy magazine: the practical impact of China's new aircraft carrier and a discussion about aircraft carriers in space.

Comments

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

The Chinese carrier article, in discussing safety, mentions that the U.S. Navy and Marines lost 12,000 aircraft between 1949 and 1988 (14,244 days). That's one every day of the week except Sunday for 39 years! And 8500 aircrew (one person each day, Monday through Thursday).

Can this be correct? If so, it seems insane. About ten times the biggest number I would have guessed.

The claim comes from "The U.S. Navy's Transition to Jets (http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA519326)" by Robert C. Rubel.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Bearing in mind that the Navy operated a lot of carriers during that period (15 to 20 at any given time) and that some aircraft were multi-crewed, it's possible. Also, incidents like the Forrestal and Enterprise fires count as accidents for crew and plane loses.

It's not easy landing planes on a moving platform at sea. During my six-month deployment with a carrier, they lost two people overboard.

[bdunbar.livejournal.com]

What jumps at me is that that count includes Korea and Vietnam. Also helicopters? The seem to crash a lot. Do the aircrew totals include passengers? Loose a fully loaded CH-53 and that's 30 guys right there.

[bdunbar.livejournal.com]

Dang: now I gotta stop hecklink my wife's friend for keeping a shotgun loaded with birdshot in her bedroom.

Maaaaan.