General Custer was highly thought of in military circles during his lifetime. When news reached General Phil Sheridan that he had been killed at the Little Big Horn, Sheridan was incredulous, saying, “Custer can’t be killed!” George Custer wanted to run for President against Ulysses S. Grant, the incumbent, and felt that he needed a significant military victory to campaign on. Playing the odds didn’t work out for him.
In Venezuela
Nicolas Maduro installed a drone factory for military applications in Venezuela with the cooperation of Iran.
Chavismo has driven forward the development of unmanned aircraft with support from its allies in Tehran. They used the Conviasa airline company to transport the drones and their components, including the mobile control station, the aircraft itself, and the package that contained cameras and missiles.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as drones, are located in the hangars of the Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda Air Group, attributed to the Air Operations Command of the Air Military Aviation, inside El Libertador Air Base, in Palo black, Aragua. The EANSA company, headed by General Director Jose Jesús Urdaneta González, also has an industrial building there.
In 2019, they transferred the loitering munitions (drones) to the Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda Air Group N° 8, located at the Libertador Air Base. The unit or units in which the Drones / UAVs are: Aerial Group of Intelligence, Surveillance and Electronic Recognition Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda N° 8, with the Unmanned Aerial Systems of national design and manufacture. These teams, formerly known as Mohajer-2, are now identified as Antonio José de Sucre-100 (ANSU-100), according to Reuters.
Over the last few weeks, Chinese aircraft have been departing Iran with a destination in Venezuela. The speculation runs that at least some of these have contained technicians who will bolster the Venezuelan drone program as key Iranian Republican Guard members relocate to the Bolivarian Republic.
Those Lovable Red Chinese
Riding in the RoboTaxi
Dan Ives of Wedbush has released a new note after riding in Tesla Robotaxis in Austin:
“This afternoon, we attended Tesla’s Robotaxi launch in Austin, TX, and got the opportunity to take multiple rides in a Robotaxi.
A Tesla Operator was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Robotaxi, but they were not permitted to comment on anything, nor did they influence the car in any way. Going into it, we expected to be impressed, but walking away, all that can be said is that this is the future.
The Robotaxis we experienced today were foundational, and there is a path for the future where these Robotaxis may also have Grok integration, interior customization, and a much more user-centric focus, as there’s no longer a need to focus on the driver experience.
Eventually, when there are enough robotaxis on the road, they may be able to communicate with each other and coordinate to offer an even more efficient travel experience. Overall, these Robotaxis exceeded our expectations and offered a seamless and personalized travel experience that has lit the spark for autonomous driving.”
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There are a large number of elderly and disabled people in America who will gain a new lease on life as autonomous taxis or other self-driving vehicles become more widely used, and I’m hopeful for them. One day, maybe for me? (Ask not for whom the bell tolls) I can see fleets parked outside of bars waiting for drunks to stagger to them, and maybe it will reduce highway DUI-related fatalities?
My new Honda Passport (Trailsport Elite) features a camera that monitors me, and if I’m not paying attention to the road, it alerts me. Yes, there is a computer for that. I can opt out of it, but maybe one day, if I start to doze off at the wheel, it will save my life and the lives of other motorists. The Passport has numerous self-driving features, and I have turned them off or adjusted the tolerances because I find the current state of the art to be annoying. But it’s not long before those self-driving features will be refined.
Bullet Points:
** Rep. Anna Paulina Luna says the US Coast Guard in her district intercepted a boatload of Iranians and Russians trying to enter from the Bahamas. Am I concerned about sleeper cells? Absolutely. This is NOT a conspiracy theory, it’s a serious national security threat.”
** Andrew Cuomo CONCEDED to Socialist Muslim Zohran Kwame Mamdani in the Democrat NYC mayoral primary.
** The Gulf States engaged in frantic stealth communications with Trump and CentCom—and perhaps even Netanyahu—along the lines of something like, “If you all insist on doing this, please assure us that you don’t quit and leave a surviving Iran angry at our double-dealing. Guarantee to us that you will intervene and neuter or remove any vestiges of this rogue Iranian regime. Do not let this wounded animal lick its wounds and reemerge for revenge.”
** I received a phone call from a colleague about “drone aircraft.” I have a good understanding of drones, having worked with the Caltech staff on drone aircraft development since 2014. Said colleague has a friend in the drone business who wants to expand. I suggested that they hire me to consult if they want me to help them tackle the problems they’re facing. They would prefer that I donate thousands of hours and burn down the political contacts and sources I cultivated at the FAA over a decade ago, “for free.” They’d like me to help them introduce a new concept to IARPA for funding (Not DARPA). They’ll gladly pay me Thursday for a hamburger today. But that’s not how things work.
** Manhattan Contrarian contrasts Florida and New York. We’ve discussed this on the blog before, but I’m providing the link again for your convenience. Some have argued that cold weather is one factor in the more costly New York way of life. Snow and ice barely dent northern budgets. New York City’s entire FY 2025 snow-removal allocation is $87 million out of a $109 billion city budget—less than one-tenth of one percent. By contrast, “sunny” Florida lives with the nation’s costliest weather: hurricanes and other billion-dollar disasters have racked up an estimated $300 billion – $450 billion in damages since 1980. Florida’s combined state-and-local direct spending amounts to about $10,600 per resident, while the national figure is $12,100; much of this is driven by policy choices, including Medicaid generosity, public-sector pay, and pensions, rather than snowfall. Latitude adds pennies; politics adds dollars.
** The concept of global “decarbonization” is facing significant challenges, as evidenced by the continued and even increasing reliance on hydrocarbon-based fuels worldwide. Despite widespread efforts and rhetoric aimed at transitioning away from fossil fuels, global energy demand and economic realities are demonstrating that the shift is proving far more complex and challenging than often portrayed. This suggests that the vision of a rapid and complete decarbonization may be an unrealistic “myth” in the face of ongoing global development and energy needs.
CNN is playing on the TV at the Airport
Nuclear Generator 101
The sodium-cooled fast reactor utilizes liquid metal (sodium) as a coolant, unlike light water, which is typically used in U.S. commercial power plants.
This enables the coolant to operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures than current reactors, thereby improving the system’s efficiency. Fast reactors utilize fast-moving neutrons, which could enable them to operate on both fissile material and used fuel from current reactors to produce electricity.
Identify the Aircraft
1
Meet your maker…
2
3
Identify the Ships
4
This ship was most famous for its commanding officer. It sank dockside. Name the ship and its illustrious and celebrated captain, now Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (big hint).
5
Parting Shot
End
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Martin-Baker MB 3
2. Fairchild XC-120 Packplane
3. Nord Aviation N 500 Cadet
Identify the Ships:
4. HMS Bronington, commanded for most of 1976 by then Prince Charles
5. USS Saratoga (CV-3)
Well done!
3 is Nord Aviation N 500 Cadet French VTOL research aircraft they built two in 1967.
4 is HMS Bronington commanded by then Prince Charles for a while in the 1970’s Sunk at its moorings while being made into a museum ship.
Yes, it sank from neglect. I don’t think that there’s a bond between KC3 and much besides his own ego.
Went out to water the garden before it gets hot , cameback in later singing “Brass Monkey” by the Beastie Boys . The tune was after my time , but it is catchy . Thanks L.L. …….”that funky monkey…brass monkey” .
Your walk-on song!
Well, just when you thought New Yorkers couldn’t get any galactically stupider, apparently they have forgotten about 9/11 and who perpetrated that mess. By all accounts Mamdani will further destroy a once great city. Astounding, but there is no cure for the modern willfully moronic demanding their own demise….or…in the [now] immortal words from PDJT when pressed by some infobabe who didn’t like his first answer to her semi-gotcha question: “They don’t know what the “eff” they are doing.”
***
Those sailing terms making their way into the lexicon…different era for sure. I was trying to figure who came up with the “brass monkey” name for a cannonball rack/holder thingy, had to be a sales or marketing guy as no engineer would…unless he was messing with the higher ups. [Once in a critical part detail drawing, under the “Finish” note I put “Raging Pink”…took folks a while to notice. Who says engineers don’t have a sense of humor.]
Ps. Speaking of terminology, this so-called “heat dome”, with the weather panic-ans and their charts and graphs and “THE WORLD IS ENDING!” Chicken Little’ing…wanna yell: ”Hey millennial college grads in front of a green screen who can’t drive a stick shift except on a game App, us Medicare card holders who drank out of a garden hose on hot days, we call that a Summer heat wave.” Wimps.
apparently their “records” only go back a couple of years, ie: record heatwave, record cold snap, record rainfall, etc.
Exactly…or as dad would say to me, “They think everything in life started when they were born.” It’s for hyping up the General Public, who buy into it. Case in point:
Took our back way north yesterday for a fly fishing trip. decided to go through Yellowstone, after meeting one brother from Pinedale in Jackson for a quick visit…never again. I get people wanting to look around, and don’t begrudge them at all…at least they are out and about….but geez, lallygagging, not paying attention, stopping where Park signage says don’t, Darwin Award nominees walking within 50 years of a peeved bison who just wants to be left alone, etc. Once to Gardner MT, and on our way, the stress dissipated…can’t be stressed when trying to present a nice fly in an eddy.
I avoid tourists and campers unless they’re in distress, and I do stop to help. It’s baked into my DNA. They occupy the local lakes.
How many appreciated the help and said “Thank you”…my experience is about half…but I stop anyway as God would want because paying it forward when others got me out of a jamb. Just yesterday, about 40 miles out behind a slow moving group, look down and see the fuel gauge dropping like a rock…until it hit E and the fuel light came on. Uh, what?! Hypermiled until Gardner…filled up…all of 14 gallons as I thought because had filled the mondo Ram 2500 diesel tank that morning. No leaky…fuel sender went flaky all of a sudden…but sure gets ya thinking all manner of stranded “what ifs” (I have tools and such), especially when passing a newish SUV getting loaded onto a flatbed tow truck on some pullout.
People don’t realize how remote it is. They assume that the gas station 15 miles from me is (1) open; (2) if “closed” they can buy fuel at the pump with a card. They’re open when they’re open. The pumps are old and don’t take cards. And if you have enough in the tank for an hour’s driving, you’re fine. If not, well, that’s on you – or a Good Samaritan.
perhaps the bigger question is ‘Where is Foxy Loxy leading these (brainless) birds’?
While there is a proclamation of peace, I don’t see any peace between Israel and Iran. I might be wrong, but unless Iran’s ability to wage war is destroyed, the madness will continue.
I think that active measures will continue on both sides as they have for the past thousands of years. Iran’s proxies have been neutered, and it’s in no position to do much except to accept abuse. Most of the people who live there are under the thumb of the ayatollah in the same way as they were under the thumb of the Shah and the king (various dynastic rulers) and the Greeks when Alexander rolled them. It’s hubris and folly to think that things will improve and that some form of representative government will emerge. It’s a lot like Russia, where the people want a strongman in charge. China is a little different in that most Chinese would be happy if the country were to Balkanize and local warlords could rule rather than the central government in Beijing.
Rather petty of you, wanting to be paid for your contribution.
You’d be surprised, WSF. I had a lady who is going through a divorce contact me through her lawyer to find a yacht that her estranged husband is hiding. I quoted a fee. It’s a big yacht, but among other things, I can do that sort of thing – secure the yacht pursuant to court order, etc. The lady didn’t want to come out of pocket. Keep in mind, fueling the yacht is a $10K problem. There are mechanics leins on the yacht, her interest, etc. I’d never get paid. So cash up front. You’d think that I was asking for her virgin teenage daughter to deflower. I get this sort of thing every week.
To a far lesser degree, people are angered when I don’t care to help them purchase a vehicle.
“So, cash up front.”
In the oilfield, we called that “cash at the cattle guard” and it streamlines all manner of issues with payment terms and credit problems.
I’m willing to work with people to some degree and establish payment mile posts (traunches) but there are a lot of people who want to profit from my labor without considering me.
On another note: our house air conditioner went out over the weekend, and just now got fixed. Our cat, who had gone down to the basement where it is cooler, came back up and laid down on the floor vent in the kitchen…enjoying the good life again.
You don’t appreciate what you have until its gone.
AirCon in certain climes is not a luxury but a necessity, otherwise what’s the point in living in an advanced society. Just discovered I can turn on and control our small portable unit from my phone over WiFi, 400 miles away. Just checked the master bedroom temp…67 degrees, a cold front moved through this week so I suspended the Units On/Off schedule. Pretty sure that makes me “green”, and therefore an environmentalist.
You should get an award.
“I suggested that they hire me to consult if they want me to help them tackle the problems they’re facing.”
Isn’t it interesting that companies – start-ups and biggies both – want to make millions upon gazillions of dollars with “their” idea but expect free help from the experts they happen to know that will bring said idea to fruition. (I’ve seen much of the same thing with interview “questions”)
“Free help” devalues ones expertise, better to explain upfront It’ll cost ‘X’ because of your expertise and therefore value brought to their project, then let the chips fall where they may.
I won’t work for start-ups. BTDT, got the shirt, but not the money…..
A lot of us have been in that position…no fun and gets old quick, like that 1 credit lab course that steals all your time.
As quich as a fat kid stealing a doughnut.
Yeah. As I’ve counseled more writers and artists than I want to count, “Always get paid, unless it’s explicitly for a charity. ‘Exposure’ is what you die of when you can’t pay the rent.”
Regarding storm costs in Florida, Yankees have no earthly idea. Every major natural disaster results in a flood of new regulations, especially building regulations.
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Hurricane Andrew tightened up building codes, especially in relation to replacement of businesses’ huge pane windows. We also started requiring utility companies to better maintain their transmission and distribution lines from vegetation. The Firestorms of 1998 brought about better roofing material codes, better forest and property management laws and regulations and allowed people to clean up ‘natural’ materials from away from their buildings. Further hurricanes, especially the 4 storms of 2004, further enhanced existing building codes and stiffened the requirements on vegetation management for power distribution. The state also added incentives for businesses to ‘harden’ their buildings. Publix, the grocery chain, installed generators at all their stores after 2004, big beautiful generators.
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Insurance regulations have gotten tighter and more expensive, of course. To the point that wind-damage is very expensive to the owner.
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Contrast all of that to the friggin Yankee states, that still haven’t learned that snowstorms happen every year. They don’t do proactive vegetation management nor power distribution hardening like Florida. Heck, Hurricane Sandy was far more destructive than Hurricane Andrew, overall, because even in 1994 this state was mostly partially ready, even after decades of abuse by democrats, for a storm, just not an Andrew sized one. Has New York done anything to handle storm surge from hurricanes or nor-easterners? (No, no they have not, but they’ll whine about it and their governments will screw up the responses completely (contrast tohow quickly Florida at least built access to barrier islands cut off from hurricanes 2 years ago and how long it took NY to finally have construction equipment start moving sand?)
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California, even after centuries of recorded massive fires, still doesn’t have vegetation management regulations that require power companies to trim away trees and other vegetation from their distribution and transmission lines. Nor has California passed regulations allowing homeowners to put metal or fireproof shingles on their homes instead of wood shingles, or allow clearing vegetation and vegetative debris from homes.
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It’s almost like Florida can learn while NY or CA or the rest of the coastal elite states can’t. Kind of like after Broward County’s election bullscat in the 2000 election (Broward County is overwhelmingly controlled by Dems from NY and other Yankee states but mostly from NY and mostly from NYFC – looking at you, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz) Florida tightened up election requirements and ballot safety (and yet Broward County, again, kept failing and failing and failing until DeSantis kicked their liberal teeth in. Yet NYFC, NY state, Chicago and Illinois, California etc still haven’t fixed any of their election issues dating from, in some places, the early 1900s.
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Florida, it’s the place that actually learns from problems.
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Still waiting to see if the Turkey Creek nuke plant will be shut down as ordered by Biden’s autopen. For those who don’t know about TC, it’s been proven to be one of the main reasons manatees haven’t died off, as they have discovered it’s nice to be in the clean discharge water during wintertime as said discharge water is degrees warmer than surrounding water.
Hey, not against electric robotaxis, even flying ones, but they better be cheap.
I think they’re $20K each