F-16 Viper

So You Want to Fly an F-16 (It’s Not That Hard — I’ll Show You How)

Barefoot Ken, , Leave a comment

Twist the throttle to the left, then push it forward.  This engages the afterburner.  Jet fuel is injected into a combustor located behind the turbine, significantly increasing thrust, the effect of which is visible as a 30-foot cone of blue fire and sometimes sparkles of flame called “shock diamonds.”  Soon you’re topping out at Mach 1.8 (1,000 mph at sea level).

That’s how easy it is to go fast.

And this matters, because it’s not just Tom Cruise who feels the need for speed.

Source: William Martin

Continue reading “So You Want to Fly an F-16 (It’s Not That Hard — I’ll Show You How)” →

So You Want to Fly an F-16 (It’s Not That Hard — I’ll Show You How)

Running the BMW Dallas Marathon

Barefoot Ken, , 1 Comment

After due deliberation, I made my decision.  The BMW Dallas Marathon, if I successfully completed it, would be my 101st race of marathon distance or longer.

Of course, my mind was immediately filled with images of dalmatians. I made an effort to clear my thoughts of such clutter because these numbers are important.

You see, for an aging marathoner like me, 100 holds this significance — that beyond it there lies no obvious next stopping point.  To go past 100 marathons would be like pushing an aircraft to Mach 1 and then breaking the sound barrier — which produces an impressive bang no doubt — but that doesn’t mean you’ve reached the maximum possible speed.  (OK, I confess to being fascinated with fighter jets and pilots.) Continue reading “Running the BMW Dallas Marathon” →

Running the BMW Dallas Marathon