Tag Archives: f/a-18

Idaho ends Vehicle emission testing, the Air is too clean, despite those dirty Domestic Migrants?

08 October 2022 (12:30-UTC-07 Tango 06) 16 Mehr 1401/12 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1444/13 Geng-Xu 4720/08 октября 2022 года

Most regions of The Gem State have such clean air that there is no vehicle emission testing.  An area known as The Treasure Valley (aka Greater Boise Metro Area), however, has vehicle emission testing (and it’s the main reason registration fees are noticeably higher), since 1984.

The Treasure Valley is in the region of Southwestern Idaho, it encompasses the counties of Ada, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Kuna and Owyhee.  The area is geographically a ‘bowl’, and experiences a lot of atmospheric inversions which hold down all kinds of air pollutants, not just those from ground vehicles.

The massively polluting ‘Air Force One’ (Boeing 747) delivered President Biden to Gowen Field/Boise Airport, 13 SEP2021. Idaho Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sergeant Joshua C. Allmaras.

The Treasure Valley is also home to the busiest airport in Idaho; Boise Airport, which is also used by the aircraft of the Idaho National Guard (known as Gowen Field) and by the U.S. Navy (known as Gowen Field Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center).

U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, F/A-18 Hornet, parked next to the Jackson Jet Center, Boise Airport, 19OCT2020. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Levi Voss.

Boise Airport is also home base for the National Interagency Fire Center, which includes fire fighting water bomber aircraft.

A Wyoming Air National Guard C-130 MAFFS fire fighting aircraft performs a water drop east of Boise, 21APR2017. Wyoming Air National Guard photo by Maj. Jolene Bottor-Ortiona.

Elmore County is home to the U.S. Air Force’s Mountain Home Air Base.

A U.S. Air Force Reserve C-130H Hercules operated out of Mountain Home AFB, spraying plant killing chemicals, 23SEP2020. It was an attempt to reduce wildfires by killing-off Cheatgrass. USAFR photo by Senior Airman Christina Russo.

This is important in regards to air pollution as many studies have shown that the true air polluters in metro areas are busy airports (according to one rabid environmentalist group, global aircraft operations put out enough emissions to be ranked in sixth place behind the top five polluting countries), yet you can’t install emission control devices on a jet turbine, so they continue to blame piston engined ground vehicles which produce only a fraction of the pollution that a turbine can generate upon take-off (this fact was known way back in the 1970s when the environmentalists succeeded in imposing expensive, yet ineffective, emission control devices on your car).  Do some research, you might discover that most of the highly air polluted areas of the United States just happen to have a lot of busy airports/military bases.

On October 7th, 2022, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced they would no longer require emission testing in Kuna or Canyon counties.  David Luft, a manager with DEQ admitted that “Motor vehicles are becoming cleaner and cleaner burning. They’re manufactured to be cleaner, so emissions testing program isn’t as effective as it used to be in the past.” Heck, even jet turbines have become more cleaner burning since their invention way back in the 1930s-40s.  It is not just the motors becoming cleaner burning, the fuels themselves are being refined, within the U.S., to a standard that makes them burn cleaner than they did 50 years ago (and this is outside of California’s police-state environmental regulations).

A U.S. Navy parachutist jumped from a perfectly good airplane, into the relatively (compared to other U.S. metro areas) clean air over Boise, 25AUG2010. U.S. Navy photo by James Woods.

But in the state capitol of Boise, in Ada County, emission testing will continue because it is a city law!  Despite it being city law, state DEQ officials are pushing Boise officials to end that law, especially since the state legislature ended state level emission testing back in March!

So far the only people protesting such a move are the owner/operators of emission testing stations, many of those testing stations are actually mobile vans.

David Luft also admitted that air pollutants in Idaho have been on the decline for years and that it will continue to decline even without emission testing: “Even without that program, on-road-motor-vehicle emissions will continue to decline through 2040.”

However, in 2020 Idaho was ranked as having the highest percentage increase in carbon emissions, but that was blamed on all the new people moving to the Boise area, and it was pointed out that Idaho’s air is so clean to begin with that any increase looks bad: “Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states. And you’re going to see… some level of increased carbon emissions….. Since Idaho is already starting with low carbon emissions, a relatively small increase results in a higher percentage increase.”-Tiffany Floyd, DEQ

Hunger Games 2022:

WHY ARE U.S. TAXPAYER FUNDED HUMANITARIAN RATIONS BEING SOLD TO THE PUBLIC IN IDAHO?

2021: CANADIAN GOLD-DIGGERS ALLOWED TO RIP-UP IDAHO FORESTS!

 MEXICAN DRUG WAR TARGETS SOUTHEAST IDAHO, MORE THAN 200% INCREASE! CONNECTION TO PANDEMIC?

2019:

Photo by AAron B. Hutchins, July 2019.

IDAHO’S BRIDGE TO NOWHERE?

2016: “IT’S PART OF OUR NEW BUSINESS MODEL…” IDAHO HIT WITH SKYROCKETING POOR U.S. MIGRANTS!

2015: IDAHO LOSES JOBS DESPITE RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN WORKFORCE, UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINS THE SAME? BLAME IMMIGRANTS!

NASA’s twisty-bendy F/A-18A

The Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) program (aka Boeing Phantom Works X-53) sought to determine the advantages of twisting flexible wings for primary maneuvering roll control at transonic and supersonic speeds, with traditional control surfaces such as ailerons and leading-edge flaps used to aerodynamically induce the twist. The idea is to design lighter, more flexible high aspect-ratio wings for future high-performance aircraft, which could translate to more economical operation or greater payload capability.

NASA photo, February 2003.

Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) F/A-18A (acquired in 1999 from the U.S. Navy) undergoes wing torsion testing at NASA’s Flight Loads Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base, March-April 2001.

NASA photo, March 2001.

NASA Photo by Tom Tschida, April 2001.

Official NASA video:

NASA says the AAW program actually began in 1996, on paper.  Wings from NASA’s retired F/A-18 #840, formerly used in the High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) project, were modified and installed on #853.

NASA photo, October 2001.

New paint-job, October 2001.

NASA photo by Tony Landis, 24OCT2001.

NASA Photo by Tom Tschida, 21MAR2002.

Before the official public unveiling, Centennial of Flight Commission decals were place on both sides of AAW 853, below the aft portion of the cockpit.  NASA says the AAW program was influenced by the fact that the Wright Brothers twisted the wings of their Wright Flyer to get it to turn.

NASA Photo by Tom Tschida, 21MAR2002.

NASA photo by Tony Landis, 27MAR2002.

In March 2002, NASA officially unveiled the modified AAW F/A-18A.

NASA Photo by Tom Tschida, 21MAR2002.

NASA photo, August 2002.

More wing torsion/vibration testing, August 2002.

NASA photo, August 2002.

NASA Photo by Tom Tschida, 22AUG2002.

15NOV2002, NASA photo by Tony Landis.

First flight of AAW F/A-18A #853 was 15NOV2002.

NASA photo by Carla Thomas, 15NOV2002.

During early flights it was determined that some of the original F/A-18 wings panels were too flexible at high speeds to create the desired roll rate.  The leading edge flap was divided into individually controlled sections, which seemed to solve the problem.

07FEB2003, NASA photo by Jim Ross.

February 2003.

07FEB2003, NASA photo by Jim Ross.

25JUN2003, NASA photo by Jim Ross.

Chased by another NASA F/A-18A, June 2003.

Official NASA video, 2003:

NASA photo, December 2004.

Flying over the U.S. Borax mine, near the Rogers Dry Lake, December 2004.

15DEC2004, NASA photo by Carla Thomas.

Official NASA video:

Official NASA video, March 2005:

The AAW program was officially completed in 2005.  The total cost of the AAW testing is estimated at $45-million.

NASA photo by Tony Landis, 18JUN2009.

In June 2009, the AAW #853 got a new lease on life, replacing an older NF-15B Integrated Resilient Aircraft Controls (IRAC) test aircraft, becoming the IRAC F/A-18A.

06APR2010, NASA photo by Tony Landis.

By April 2010, the tail flash/stripe was changed from reading AAW, to FAST (Full-scale Advanced Systems Testbed).

Official NASA video, 853 first flight as IRAC, April 2010:

06APR2010, NASA photo by Tony Landis.

06APR2010, NASA photo by Tony Landis.

One of the side benefits of aircraft testing is the creation of new computer systems which can be applied to other aircraft, military and civilian.

06APR2010, NASA photo by Tony Landis.

NASA VIKING, NO NOT THE MARS LANDERS! OR, LAST FLIGHT OF A VIKING.

F-16XL LAMINAR FLOW, ONCE AGAIN NASA (TAXPAYERS) SAVING THE ‘PRIVATE SECTOR’ AIRLINER INDUSTRY!

NASA’S 737, TEST-BED FOR THE CIVILIAN AIRLINER INDUSTRY!

Vehicle I-D: Tiger Striped F/A-18D & A-10C get fuel from KC-10

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Battles, 27SEP2017.

USMC’s VMFA-224 Bengals now providing air-to-ground support, along with USAF’s 355th FW A-10Cs, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Video of 908th EARS KC-10 refueling Bengal F/A-18D Hornet and 355th FW A-10C Thunderbolt-2 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, kit-bashers note the tiger stripe camo on the F/A-18D:

U.S. WILDFIRES 2016: DC-10 POCATELLO AIRPORT

WORLD WAR 3: OBAMA DEPLOYS A-10 THUNDERBOLT TO TURKEY! SIGNS ‘SECRET’ DEAL WITH RUSSIA!

PROOF THE A-10 THUNDERBOLT WAS TO REMAIN A USAF MAINSTAY UNTIL 2040: TAXPAYERS SPENT MORE THAN $2-BILLION ON UPGRADES!

2012 POCATELLO AIRPORT: IDAHO NATIONAL GUARD A-10C THUNDERBOLT-2 (before Obama took them all away)