Amazon 7 #1 February 23, 2008 The crew made it out alive.. but...ooops there goes 1.2 BILLION. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23302483 Breaking News MSNBC News Services updated 29 minutes ago This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available. HAGATNA, Guam - A B-2 stealth bomber crashed at an air base on Guam on Saturday but both pilots ejected safely and were in good condition, the Air Force said. "They have been evaluated by medical authorities and are in good condition," the military said in a statement. An Air Force spokeswoman was not immediately available for further details. Each B-2 bomber costs about $1.2 billion to build. All 21 stealth bombers are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri but the Air Force has been rotating several of them along with B-1 and B-52 bombers through Guam since 2004. The rotations are designed to boost the U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific region while other U.S. forces are diverted to fight in the Middle East. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #2 February 23, 2008 They don't really cost 1.2 billion. That's how they pay for all of those programs we don't know about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #3 February 23, 2008 No Spence... those are the $20,000 hammers.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #4 February 23, 2008 good thing they weren't riding a donkeyYou are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #5 February 23, 2008 Those too. Which would you rather skim off of, 20k or 1.2 billion. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #6 February 23, 2008 Well since there are only 20 some odd of the Spirit... there are FAR more chances with $20000 hammers and $5000 toilet seats. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #7 February 23, 2008 Welcome to gov't contracting.... expenses for certified bidders, ISO-9000 certifications, inspections, QC, etc etc etc...Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #8 February 23, 2008 Maybe we'll get some video from Kim Blair...... Hey KIM!! www.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #9 February 23, 2008 /me wonders idly if there is such a thing as a 'dead stick' landing with that type of aircraft...____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #10 February 23, 2008 Quote/me wonders idly if there is such a thing as a 'dead stick' landing with that type of aircraft... I think it's all fly-by-wire (no manual reversion), but I'm not 100% sure.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #11 February 23, 2008 From what I have read its so only got the fly by wire.... Quotehttp://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-2-history.htm Fly-by-wire means that you are flying the computers (four of them, in this case), not the control surfaces themselves. Quadruple redundancy means that, in effect, the four computers "vote" on the result of any given control input by the pilot—at least three must agree, and any anomaly is automatically thrown out. The beauty of a system like this is that all sorts of conditions and compensations can be programmed in. For example, the B-2’s bomb doors set up a huge amount of drag when they are opened. When a heavy bomb load is dropped, the plane will want to jump, yet the flight controls automatically compensate for both of these effects, and the pilot has only to operate the throttle. Similarly, the high-tech automatic pilot is theoretically capable of flying an entire mission profile, from takeoff to landing, with the pilot only providing the necessary power settings. Maybe the computers got in a snit and forgot they were flying the plane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #12 February 23, 2008 I wonder which plane it was. Some of these Whiteman birds have been in service since '93. (I know 15yrs is still young, but I honestly can't remember any other B2's crashing) Glad the flyboys are ok. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #13 February 23, 2008 glad they got out... too bad about the bird... 1.2 billion is chump- change, compared to over 1.2 TRILLION that went up, or is going up in smoke.....over there in Iraq... plus the loss "over there" also includes thousands of american and coalition MEN and Women, who have either died, lost limbs, or lost their minds........ ALL of it is a tragedy....... including this bomber... interesting that it crashed On the airbase... any word if it was during a take -off?? or landing??? what was the altitude for the ejection...??? ( Good thing those seats, shoot UP.... especially if the handle is pulled, WAAAY below "cypres firing altitude") war mongering DOES have it's price... rant over jmy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #14 February 23, 2008 First, it's great that the pilots survived, and looks like they'll be fine in the long run. I hope they're flying again soon. I wonder which B-2 it was? I imagine that would be a major consideration in finding out what might have happened. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/b-2.htm has a very thorough summary, including some redesign items that were done.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos340 1 #15 February 23, 2008 QuoteWell since there are only 20 some odd of the Spirit... there are FAR more chances with $20000 hammers and $5000 toilet seats Having dealt with several Government contracts, I can say with confidence that the vendor probably LOST money selling those $5,000 Toilet seats by the time they got done with the RFQ, RFI and RFP and then the contracting process. My Government customers always ask me if I have special Government pricing. Yep I tell them, Look at the Price sheet and add a Zero to all prices and I will still loose money on the deal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #16 February 23, 2008 QuoteLook at the Price sheet and add a Zero to all prices and I will still loose money on the deal. Sounds about right!Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreeflyChile 0 #17 February 23, 2008 I hope it was insured! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #18 February 23, 2008 Quote I hope it was insured! Geico rates are gonna skyrocket! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #19 February 23, 2008 QuoteI hope it was insured! I don't. Buying insurance is like plying slot machines. You may come out out ahead in the short term (though probably not), but in the long term, the probability of losing money approaches 1.Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lastchance 0 #20 February 23, 2008 Don't forget the $10,000 light bulbs. Another waste is how much the spy satellite cost to build and send into space only for it to go belly up and then spend millions more to shoot it down. I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #21 February 23, 2008 QuoteMaybe the computers got in a snit and forgot they were flying the plane thats along my line of thought.. or that a serious electrical problem (although i'm sure it has several redundant systems) pretty much means its a dead plane. I suppose it is the disadvantage in aircraft designs that are inherently unstable.____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #22 February 23, 2008 QuoteMaybe the computers got in a snit and forgot they were flying the plane I'm having visions of the poor pilot lining up approach and getting thisYou are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rapter 0 #23 February 23, 2008 Oh well, a billion or two is nothing, I'm surprised it took this long before one crashed. The price tag covers the years of R&D, hangers, spare parts and engines, test equipment and all the other stuff you need to keep a plane flying. Working at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale Ca. I was able to watch the first flight of all the B-2's, I currently work on the worlds most expensive airplane, The Airborne Laser at close to 7 billion a pop. Only the good die young, so I have found immortality, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #24 February 24, 2008 Quote Quote I hope it was insured! Geico rates are gonna skyrocket! Lt. Cdr Nelson is not a celebrity so to tell his story we hired Peter Frampton to.... ... you get the rest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #25 February 24, 2008 Quote I wonder which plane it was. Some of these Whiteman birds have been in service since '93. (I know 15yrs is still young, but I honestly can't remember any other B2's crashing) Spirit of Kansas, aircraft number 89-0127, built in 1989. Poor bird was almost 20 years old. She had been at Whiteman since 1995. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
