Thank you. Any idea when Vista will be available?

Im not 100% certain, but they migth be those search engines ‘spys’ that tryes to go into each URL made up by the forum to help the google or yahoo search…

…or that was what I understood when I asked about the same think of my own forums webmaster:confused:

You are quite right Sir! Every search engine employs these ‘bots’ and some of them have the oddest names.

[QUOTE=gregv]the XB-70 saga may not have ended where you think:

http://www.aviationweek.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/030606p1.xml

Um, it says ‘looks like’ which might be so, but the B-70s much vaunted Mach 3 cruising speed was never achieved anyway. I think on one flight they may have touched Mach 3 but it certainly wasn’t cruising as the airframe was temperature limited and the temp limit was reached. The other B-70 never exceded M2.83. With a large external store the drag would have prevented really high speeds The idea of riding the compression wave was brilliant, but I know of no other aircraft with this feature. AW&ST might be having a little joke at our expense here!

I don’t think that nuclear powerplants were ever seriously considered for the B-70, as the trials with a converted (and heavily shielded B-36) was merely to see what radiation hazards were in store for the airframe and crew. The nuclear engine was not ‘switched on’ and no propulsive thrust was employed.
The nuclear engine was meant to admit air at ambient temperatures, pass it around the core which would heat and expand that air, thus giving propulsive thrust.

Although I agree in principle with the buying of Soviet made equipment, I feel the main stumbling block would be the certification process. If it surmounted that there would be political hurdles to face, like ‘are we going to export jobs?’, ‘why can’t we build it ourselves?’ etc. and it would take a brave politician (how many do YOU know?) to say
” We are putting our armed forces at the top of the agenda, so we are buying the best equipment for them wherever it was built!” Great idea, but I can’t see it happening.

Perhaps I may be permitted to post a famous epigram of Epicurus (341-271 BCE).

Is God willing, but not able, to defeat Evil?
Then He is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing?
Then He is malevolent.

Is He neither willing nor able?
Then why call Him God?

Beech had planned to build them in the USA, and even produced a Flight Manual for the type, but the lack of purchasers (in spite of the initial interest shown) caused those plans to be binned.