For the aviation buffs, we had a retiree day at Whiteman AFB, Mo. this Saturday, home of the B-2 bomber. Our National Guard unit converted to the B-2 two years ago. Got to feel what 2 billion $$$ looks and feels like. Spent 30 minutes in the Simulator (no pictures allowed) and got to try low level terrain following as well as air to air refueling off a KC-10. Flies nice, if a little heavy on the stick...but it really feels good (and precise) to fly a heavy jet with a stick instead of a yoke. Wish airliners had a stick (center, not side – right hand on stick, left hand on throttles – how God meant it to be). Landing is easy and interesting, in that you have to 'bunt' to get through the ground effect of the huge wing and 'put' it down. If you even think flare, it floats forever... sure miss flying heavy metal 
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Very little space to spend 40+ hours, but the cockpit does have a little 'potty' behind the right/aircraft commander seat, along with a microwave and a hot plate for coffee. The guy in the left seat is just the driver) Would you believe a 35 hour sim ride? Practice bleeding.
Fascinating, some of the mission tasks they're faced with...as well as accomplished… stuff that never even occurred to me. Veddddy EEEnteresting. Imagine any theater, any country, anytime, in the dark of night, while an operation is going on...high above is an invisible jet doing lazy orbits ready to pinpoint one or many (e.g. up to 80 individually targeted 500 pounders) things that need to be blown up, in the time it takes to make a radio call) Sleep well, your Air Force is awake and well...although their security people have no sense of humor. One of the pilots remarked it took 5 swipes of his security card and coded entries to go to the bathroom )
)Very little space to spend 40+ hours, but the cockpit does have a little 'potty' behind the right/aircraft commander seat, along with a microwave and a hot plate for coffee. The guy in the left seat is just the driver
) Would you believe a 35 hour sim ride? Practice bleeding. Fascinating, some of the mission tasks they're faced with...as well as accomplished… stuff that never even occurred to me. Veddddy EEEnteresting. Imagine any theater, any country, anytime, in the dark of night, while an operation is going on...high above is an invisible jet doing lazy orbits ready to pinpoint one or many (e.g. up to 80 individually targeted 500 pounders) things that need to be blown up, in the time it takes to make a radio call
) Sleep well, your Air Force is awake and well...although their security people have no sense of humor. One of the pilots remarked it took 5 swipes of his security card and coded entries to go to the bathroom )
