As a break from the Swift Boat/Dole for Viagra commentary, does anyone know where we might find some statistics comparing the F-102 to other jets in use at the time?

Just strapping yourself into the cockpit of one of those single-engine rockets was dangerous business.

And snorting nose candy wasn’t that safe, either.

Heck, even driving a car in Texas was pretty dangerous. You were liable to be killedwhen Laura Welch (later Bush) crashed into you.

Googling this phrase produces 225 hits. Smells like astroturf to me.

So, Chicken George is really a hero then? Jesus, these people are reaching aren’t they?

Well, the F-102 was not as safe as the updated version, the F-106, which had the ability to land itself after a pilot ejected over the Rockies, but if you avoided pulling the ejection handle while getting in, it was a fairly safe airframe than could actually be controlled after an engine failure.

The Space Shuttle uses the same basic delta wing configuration to glide to earth without power.

The Delta Dagger was a point interceptor designed to oppose bombers. It was a “launch, intercept, fire, and return” aircraft, sort of a manned surface to air missile, not really designed for dog fighting.

It was supersonic, barely, but stable and reliable. It was replaced by the faster F-106 Delta Dart, in the Air Force, while the Guard switched to the more maneuverable F-101 Voodoo.

For a minute I thought they were talking about dildoes. Strap on? HAHA sick repressed bastards.

Here is a relative (but useless) piece of information:

As far as US military jets that were “dangerous to fly”, that phrase was pretty much reserved for the F-104 Starfighter, which was nicknamed “widowmaker”, due to the frequency of fatal crashes.

Here is a relative (but useless) piece of information:

As far as US military jets that were “dangerous to fly”, that phrase was pretty much reserved for the F-104 Starfighter, which was nicknamed “widowmaker”, due to the frequency of fatal crashes.
Sadly, No! authors would use the fully correct term: “Witwenmacher”

The TANG F-102s did have one safety feature during the period in question that was unavailable on most other jets of the time; there was no way in hell that they were ever going to fly where there were enemy aircraft or anti-aircraft defenses!

Yes, good point, Mojo. Dubya was flying on what he knew to be an obsolete plane that would never be used in Vietnam.

And if you actually showed up to fly it then it was even more dangerous!

marceaumarceau, you’ve got that right, in the black humor of USAF-Europe whenever the German Luftwaffe had a training mission scheduled “it was recommended the US aircraft wait on the ground until the last 104 crashed”. They had two go down off the end of Rheinmain AB when I was stationed there in the 1970s.

It was an engine with stubby wings that did everything faster than the pilot could control. It was assumed that many pilots blacked out from G forces and crashed. Definitely an airframe with many more take-offs than landings.

or familar with JRR Tolkien: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door…”
hmmm maybe Bush is Sm?agol? Shrub = Sm?agol…

It also misses the point. The worst part of a war is the killing, not the dying, which few have to suffer.

Your clumsy attempt to tag Crespo with an accustion of plagiarism missed the mark. The phrase “just strapping yourself in” has been in common usage for a long time.

Try this: “Just strapping yourself into the seat takes an act of courage beyond most of us.”

It’s from a review of the Stratosphere roller coaster in Las Vegas.

http://cityguide.aol.com/lasvegas/entertainment/venue.adp?vid=152604

If that’s the best criticism you can come up with, it’s time to hang up your keyboard.