BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

  Immediately following the Russian invasion, a brave Ukrainian pilot strapped into a Cold War-era MiG-29 Fulcrum and took to the skies.  Fueled by an undying love of their homeland, they quickly tallied up a combat record heretofore unseen.   Two Russian Su-35s, one Su-27, one MiG-29, and two Su-25s were brought down by a single pilot on the first day of conflict…  All by the same Ukrainian pilot.  That pilot became the first “ace” of the 21st century and has joined the ranks of legends like the Red Baron.  Thus the legend of the "Ghost of Kyiv" was born. It’s all true . Or is it?   Realistically, there should be no way a single MiG-29 should be capable of such a feat.  While it is a capable aircraft, it is inferior to the Su-27.  Compared to the more modern Su-35, the Fulcrum is outclassed in almost every way… Aerial combat is not simply about "Fighter A" being better than "Fighter B".  Pilot skill, ground support, intelligence, tactic...

  Between this site and its progenitor , I have been at this roughly twelve years.  What started out as a distraction from PTSD and a way to keep my writing skills semi-competent has turned into...  Something else.   I am glad to say I have met some interesting people, both online and in the flesh.  Some have gone beyond being acquaintances and have become good friends.  Pilots, politicians, technicians, engineers, historians, writers, veterans...  Possibly even a Time Lord and lewd anime character (I have yet to be proven wrong on either of these assumptions).  I feel privileged and humbled to have interacted with these people. As hard as it is to believe, some comments directed to me have not been kind.  Some have even accused me of bias.  Y'know what?  THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. Everyone has bias.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is either unaware of it or lying.  Biases are a natural byproduct of our own experiences and...

  Sometimes, life imitates art.   It is a scenario right out of a Cold War thriller novel .  The United States Navy has managed to lose one its brand new stealth fighters in the South China Sea.  Now, the race is on to locate and retrieve what remains of the aircraft.    On January 24, an F-35C Lightning II suffered a " landing mishap " after returning to the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.  While similar incidents have happened in the past with both a Royal Navy F-35 B and Japanese F-35A; both those incidents happened in "friendly" waters.  This latest mishap occurred uncomfortably close to Chinese territory.    Complicating matters further is the how intact the USN F-35C appears to be in leaked pictures from the incident.  Needless to say, the People's Liberation Army Navy would be more than happy to "assist" the USN in "recovering" its newest, state of the art, still mostly classified, stealth fighter. This would not...