Man in the arena...

The Man in the Arena .02

Pic of the day. March27, 2011.

A CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter prepares to land onto the deck of USS San Antonio (LPD-17). This was the first 4-Sea Knight landing on the deck of the San Antonio. Marines from HMM-264, Aviation Combat Element of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, piloted the aircraft. Portions of the 26th MEU Command Element, the MEU's Combat Logistics Element, CLB-26, and Battalion Landing Team 3/8 are aboard the San Antonio to support the ship's Operational Evaluation. (Official U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Erik Hoffman) (Released), 3/12/2008 1:17 AM

The above photo was taken in 2008 and since then the helo detachment aboard the LPD-17 class ships have demonstrated a capability to handle many more aircraft than the photo illustrates.

Pay real close attention when the JSF is being debated.

I don't know quite how to approach this one.  So when in doubt run full speed ahead.

ARES ran a story about the F-35's being grounded and GAVE in my opinion, the impression that the generators/back up generators failed on the airplane...Ole Bill likes to dance on the head of a pin when making some of his statements so pay close attention.

Luckily a commenter on the blog gave me food for thought...

Atomic Walrus wrote:

Hang on a second, here - many of the comments on this article seem to be assuming that the dual generator is intended to be a redundant design. Is that accurate? A closer reading on some of the news reports from the program suggest that it's more like 2 generators ganged up to provide the desired electrical output, with the integrated power pack providing the back-up system. This doesn't mitigate the fact that there was a generator failure due to a simple maintenance issue, but it's a far cry from asserting that LockMart is so foolish as to allow primary and backup of a critical system to be taken out by a single event.

3/26/2011 11:48 PM CDT

Atomic Walrus is exactly right.

This is one of Sweetmans statements found on line 3...

Bill Sweetman wrote:

I think that what is interesting about this thread is how pro-JSF people can't accept a very straightforward observation: that if you have two widgets that are there to provide redundancy in a flight-critical function, and one failure (technical or human+technical) takes both of them out, you have an issue that bears further investigation.

Now when I say pay attention...thats what I mean!

Bill DID NOT say that the generators involved were there to provide backup emergency power.  Quite honestly when I first read Atomic Walrus's statement I was high and to the right ... when I finally caught on to the wordsmithing going on... I was still high and to the right.

This one neat, tidy, simple---heck even elegant statement was constructed in such a way as to have a casual reader believe that the primary and backup generators had failed and that the airplane was mere seconds away from falling out of the sky.

That wasn't the case and the issue was quickly solved and resolved.

The entire point is this--  PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO ANY DEBATE INVOLVING THE JSF.  FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN THE ANTI-JSF CAMP THIS IS A WIN AT ANY COST ENDEAVOUR!

Even the neutral (at least I think he is...he hasn't exactly stated a position and I have yet to detect one in his writing) Graham Warwick made a curious statement in the comments section...

Graham Warwick wrote:

If I can be permitted to comment on my own post...this will not be news to ardent JSF watchers who caught the story by Steve Trimble of Flightglobal which appeared - briefly - earlier this week.

When it did, my colleague Bill Sweetman made the very valid point that a single maintenance action resulting in the failure of both engine-driven generators must call into question the redundancy of the system, which mounts both generators on a single line-replaceable unit.

But the redundancy of the system isn't in the dual generators...its in the back up to those generators....

Want a balanced reporting of this story?  Lets check out our friends at F-16.net...

The grounding appears to have occurred because of the potential for loss of control posed by such a combination.

Unlike previous fighter jets, the F-35's flight control surfaces are controlled by electro-hydrostatic actuators. If they don't have power then the pilot can lose control. In this case, the back-up power system — the Integrated Power Package which also serves as the starter and air conditioner — kicked in as designed, allowing the pilot to return to base.

Again...pay careful attention when reading news on the F-35.
UPDATE:
Commenter BowlWeavel said it best...

All I can say is wow

listen to some of you people

Do you have any idea how many different ways there are to wreck an aircraft and/or kill someone with a maintenance error or by failing to follow proper procedures?

give it a rest already

this wasn't the problem you hoped it was

Canadian F-35 Website.

Definitely worth checking out gents...especially in light of all the disinformation being put out.  See it here.  Oh and for the curious, below you'll see some of the fast facts that the Canadian Minister of National Defense is going over...

Update:
Since the Canadian election is the latest card that the anti-JSF people are hanging there hats on, here's a site that has current election polling.  Sorry anti crowd...the conservatives are winning.
F-35-Fast-Facts-Feb-15-2011

Kel-Tec sucks....

PMR-30

RFB

KSG

I'm done with Kel-Tec.

They can't get the products to market.  They spend more time on marketing jackets, hats and other merchandise than the do their guns....

And if the video from Nut-n-fancy is any indication then they don't even spend time with their own weapons and the gun I was looking at in particular (the PMR-30) seems to malfunction an awful lot.

I'll stick to Rugers or Walthers when it comes to 22 caliber fire.  As far as the shotgun and rifle from Kel-Tec is concerned...not a chance.

Paul McLeary at ARES nails it.

Paul McLeary over at ARES has a couple of posts that cover the Marine Corps energy independence expeditionary energy initiative (here and here).

If ARES has a ground guy then Paul is that man(trust me...I consider that a compliment!)...and thankfully he covered something that's been bothering me in regards to Distributed Operations and the Company Landing Team Concepts...the issue of resupply.

If you think that the K-Max and upcoming CH-53K's solved the problem of resupply of dispersed company sized units then you're wrong.  The idea that in addition to just ammo, food, water and other supplies would have to be supplied...in addition to whatever their energy needs are then you can understand my doubting the very efficacy of the project.

Paul's stories have me switching from doubting to the 'hey its possible lets try' camp.

According to Marine Corps documents, the system proved itself such a success in operations that two patrol bases are currently operating entirely on renewable energy, with a 90 percent reduction in fuel required at a third base—and the unit was even able to conduct a three-week foot patrol “without battery resupply, reducing load on Marines by 700 lbs.”

If that doesn't convince you then how about this...

One India company squad leader, Sgt. David Doty, is quoted as saying that on his patrol base, “our generators typically use more than 20 gallons of fuel a day. We are down to 2.5 gallons a day,” thanks to the exFOB technology.

But wait...there's more...

A $10 increase in the price of a barrel of oil, at current consumption levels, would be equivalent to the entire Marine Corps’ procurement budget.

The new Commandant is winning me over ... not only because of this but because I made a mistake in believing that the wings on his chest carried more weight than the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on his chest.  He's talking the talk and with initiatives like this ... walking the walk.  If we can get our bases operating on this same concept worldwide...and find a high capacity magazine for the IAR that will work then he's off to a good start.

I'll even forgive him for signing on to buy the F-35C.

Marine Expeditionary Energy Initiative Website.

US fires more Tomahawks on Libyan defenses

 via Alert 5 from AFP.

US fires more Tomahawks on Libyan defenses

(AFP) – 18 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The United States fired 16 new Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets on Thursday and Friday as part of the US role in the UN-mandated mission to protect Libyan civilians, the Pentagon said.
The new missile launches brought the total number of Tomahawks used by US and coalition forces to at least 170 as they enforce a UN resolution to set up a no-fly zone over Libya to stop air attacks by the forces of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Pentagon officials said 16 new missiles were fired in the 24 hours to 0500 GMT Friday by US warships and submarines. The missiles are aiming to take out Kadhafi's anti-aircraft and artillery positions.
In the nearby seas, submarines including the USS Providence, USS Florida and the USS Scranton are patrolling alongside the destroyers USS Stout and USS Barry.
The number of Tomahawk missiles used in Libya has started to approach the number used in the 1991 Gulf War, the first conflict in which they were deployed. In that conflict, some 297 missiles were used.
During the same 24-hour period coalition warplanes carried out 153 sorties, officials said, including 67 by US forces.
Washington has said it hopes to turn over command of all Libya operations to NATO while maintaining a support role.
NATO has so far agreed to take control of enforcing the no-fly zone, and is considering whether to broaden its role to take over all military operations from the US-led coalition.

Wow.  This is an impressive war load for a few Destroyers and Subs that are operating in the area.  What would be nice is to see a 'war time replenishment' mission.  Regardless, the sea services continue to deliver.

Arlington (LPD 24), to be christened on March 26.

101123-O-XXXXX-001 PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Nov. 23, 2010) The future USS Arlington (LPD 24) launched Nov. 23 from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Pascagoula shipyard, marking a key milestone in the ship's construction process. Arlington honors the 184 victims who died when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the first responders from the county. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding/Released) 

 

 

 

The good news keeps coming...

The Navy will christen the newest amphibious transport dock ship, PCU Arlington (LPD 24), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss, March 26.

The ship is named for the city of Arlington, Va., honoring the 184 victims in the air and on the ground who lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the military and civilian employees, emergency, fire and rescue personnel of Arlington County and surrounding communities who provided critical assistance after the attack.

Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz, the incident commander coordinating the rescue response efforts on the ground at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attack, will deliver the ceremony's principal address.

Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, is the ship's sponsor, and in accordance with Navy tradition, will break a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship.

Designated LPD 24, Arlington is the eighth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support the Marine Corps "mobility triad," which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, amphibious vehicles and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

Arlington will provide improved warfighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

Two previous ships have carried the name Arlington. The first was a steel-hulled C1-B type cargo ship operating during World War II. The second USS Arlington was a 14,500-ton Vietnam War era, major communications relay ship, which assisted with communications during a June 1969 conference between U.S. President Nixon and Republic of Vietnam President Thieu.

Canadian JSF Briefing Notes.

Thanks Michael!  This should spark some debate...they definitely contradict information given on ARES Defense Blog.

UPDATE*
This is the actual article written by Sweetman over at ARES.  Just to flesh out the information that Michael sent me and is contained in this presentation document, here are the more 'inflammatory' statements made by Bill...

Canada is likely to be headed for new national elections by the end of the day, following a vote of no confidence inspired, in part, by the majority Conservative party's handling of the F-35 issue.

A single defense project...not even one as important as the F-35 could bring down a government.  Bill knows this...

This figure was challenged by a Canadian reporter who noted that the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in its latest report, is projecting an average acquisition cost of $133 million. No, Ross said, that number includes research and development -- a direct misstatement of facts.

This is a favorite tactic of F-35 critics...they parse numbers, compare apples and oranges and use different dynamics than that being used by the Department of Defense (US) and the F-35 Program office.  Its not dishonest...but it is misleading.

DoD acquisition czar Ashton Carter has also made it clear that, absent new management initiatives and efficiencies ("should cost") the program is headed ("will cost") towards a price that the customer cannot afford in planned numbers.

Another misleading statement.  Carter has already taken steps as has Lockheed Martin to drive down the price of the F-35 toward the established goal.  To be honest at this point in the program, the airplane is already remarkably affordable.  I can't help but restate that the F-15K, being sold to S. Korea costs 110 million dollars.  For the F-35 to have a cost of approx 130 million dollars per plane at this stage is quite simply astonishing.  Well done DoD, Lockheed Martin and the Program Office.



Presentation Deck 15 Mar 11_blue_FINAL

Terrible couple of weeks for the world...great weeks for the sea services.

Think about it...

The tragedy in Japan...the start of fighting in Libya...war still raging in Afghanistan...everyone holding there breath to see if the 'uprisings' in the Islamic world spread to nuclear power Pakistan....

But through it all the sea services have had great weeks.

I'm don't mean to be ghoulish but consider this....

On one side of the planet the US Navy/Marine Corps mobilized a fleet of ships/personnel/aviation assets and sailed to the aid of the Japanese..

And on the other side a Marine Expeditionary Unit, a couple of Destroyers, some subs (with another unidentified and unconfirmed sub landing Navy SEALs) and began an air campaign in conjunction with the USAF and our allies.

Add to it the 26th MEU mobilized a TRAP mission and sent an MV-22 along with a couple of AV-8B Harriers riding shotgun to pick up the crew of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle.

And before that happened (and even during it) they've been sailing around the world conducting partnership missions, anti-piracy missions, keeping an eye on the N. Koreans, performing exercises and normally scheduled training.

The sea services have delivered.

Pic of the day. March 25, 2011.

U.S. Marines assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) drop from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Squadron (HMM) 163 to the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) while conducting a fast-rope exercise in the Indian Ocean March 24, 2011. Boxer is the flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, which is under way with the 13th MEU on a regularly scheduled western Pacific Ocean deployment. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Welsh, U.S. Navy/Released)

B-2 bomber ops. Lets get real.

Lets talk B-2's and the raid in Libya.

First we have an airplane that in today's dollars cost 1.1 Billion dollars a piece.

Second we have a fleet of 19 of these airplanes.

Third we have two of them being sent on a transcontinental mission to drop a total of 45 JDAMs.

We have mission failure.  We have a glamour shot.  We have the USAF trying to justify a ridiculously expensive airplane while lobbying for more (NGB).

We have a service without a vision of the future.

Shoot down the idea that this was a silly waste of resources that ultimately wasn't needed and one that took support away from the main effort and all you're doing is ignoring the obvious.

Lastly...if the mission was so necessary for the success of the air war then why haven't they duplicated the effort?  The Navy did with its Cruise Missile Strikes...the Brits did with its Tornado missions...the USAF has had F-15E's flying continously....so why no more B-2 missions?

Because it isn't necessary.

Time to put this turkey out of its misery.  Kill the B-2 and save money.  Put Nuclear strike in the hands of the Navy's Trident Missile Subs and be done with it.

UPDATE*
SMSgt Mac has a website called Elements of Power.  Would you believe he has written a rebuttal to this post?  Check him out.

Pararescue and the rest of the Special Ops Corpsmen/Medics...

I promise this is the last one I'll do on the USAF CSAR mission (at least for a minute) but one thing has been bugging the hell outta me.

My buddy Marcase made the case that PJ's (and again they're probably as tough as woodpecker lips...though I've never met one) are more medically skilled than the Corpsmen that rode out with the TRAP team picked up the F-15E Pilots a couple of days ago.

That bothered me.

It bothered me alot.

The reason why is because the Corpsmen that I've run across have all been extremely capable members of the family.  I've seen Doc's go to Marine's homes when the kids were sick to give advice on what was going on.  Seen them even deliver babies in terrible circumstances and of course watched them help injured Marines when strong armed men stood and all the could yell is "Corpsman Up!"

So what's a guy to do?  Whip out the old Google-foo and see what the real story is...what I found was surprising...only because I didn't remember it.

The US Army Special Forces has a dedicated Medical Sgt.  He not only takes care of his team but administers aid to local forces when they're leading insurgents against a hostile nation.

I looked on BlackFive and saw that Froggy posted that Navy Seal Corpsmen are no longer called Corpsmen but Navy Seal Medics...

I went to ForceRecon.com and saw that Navy Corpsmen are "Recon" qualified...they jump, fight, fast rope and dive with their teams...as well as perform medical treatment....

Long story short...its not about their qualifications or medical skills.

I take the training schools and selection boards at their word---these men are all highly skilled warriors.

But I do doubt the efficacy of the mission set as the USAF has established it.

A simple solution is for the US Air Force to step away from the CSAR mission.  It requires gunfighters that its force does not have.

Give the mission to SOCOM to be shared with the Navy/Marines and elements of the Army (thinking mainly the 82nd and 101st...I don't know if the other Army Divisions have the air assets or training to carry it out) or...

Get serious about the entire thing and get its Security Forces trained and armed up to take part.

Over 5 minutes in hover...

BAE test pilot Peter Wilson made the longest hover during the ninety-fourth flight of F-35B BF-1. On the final vertical landing, Wilson spent more than five minutes in hover, with almost six minutes elapsing from entering the hover to touching down. The flight consisted of three other vertical landings, five short takeoffs, and one slow landing.

One week in...who are the 'stars' of the conflict...

Time to do a tally of events in Libya...who are the stars and who are the big losers....

Stars...

1.  Surface Navy.
The Tomahawk strikes prove that they're relevant, vital and a strategic and tactical resource.  Our vaunted air arm still relies on this 70's era technology to kick in the door.
2.  26th MEU.
Its understrength but still delivering.  Everyone has forgotten that they deployed elements of this unit to Afghanistan then turned around and are supporting this effort.
3.  France.
They took the lead and pushed the US President into supporting this effort.  They might have blundered but they brought the US along for the ride.
4.  RAF.
They've effectively neutered the Royal Navy and established themselves as a long range strike force despite the Typhoon not being a capable ground attack platform.  Harriers would have been more effective off one of their carriers but they've nullified that with their early performance.

Losers...

1.  USAF CSAR.
An after action report showing that an understrength MEU was able to pull off this mission will effectively force the end of CSAR as the USAF practices it.  I see deep missions reverting to SOCOM entirely.  Expect more service specific efforts in the Army and the Marines to operate at the edge of the battlefield with SOCOM operating deep.  I expect the USAF to be out of a job and the Navy to piggy back on Marine efforts.
2.  B-2 bomber.
Despite the transcontinental flight of two of these airplanes, the efficacy of them as platforms of war must be questioned.  They're costly to operate and they still need tremendous support.  I believe calls to retire them and replace them with some type of advanced cruise missile will escalate.
3.  France.
They want a free hand outside of NATO control.  I don't think they'll have there way.  Whatever they planned for an endgame appears to already be in jeopardy.

Is dedicated CSAR a thing of the past? Part 2.

Quick follow up to my first post.  Is dedicated CSAR a thing of the past?

Yes....at least as the USAF conducts it.

USAF CSAR is still based on the Vietnam model.  They use PJ's operating in pairs (I've heard up to 6 now) to rescue a downed pilot.  Even with up to 6 highly trained men, they'll face one unfortunate fact.

They'll be savagely out gunned.

Just as the N. Vietnamese soon learned that they could use injured pilots to draw in vulnerable aircraft for easy kills, so too do our current enemies (this explains the actions taken by AV-8B pilots in dropping bombs upon request of the downed pilots when they saw approaching crowds...think Black Hawk Down).

Loren Thompson said it best in his article today...

In other words, a commitment to doing search and rescue the old way led the service to overlook the much greater performance of the V-22, which might arguably have made it the most cost-effective airframe for the mission.

I recommend you read the entire article but Thompson failed to go far enough.  The Air Force erred in not keeping CSAR inside the Special Ops umbrella.  Unless its properly resourced and staffed (and I'm talking available platoons of gunfighters) then it just won't work in the 22nd Century.

Pics of the day. March 23, 2011.

If you haven't checked out Brian Aitkenhead's Flickr Stream then you're missing a treat.  All photos credited to him.

HMS Diamond is the third ship of the Type 45 or 'D' Class of air defence destroyer built for the Royal Navy. She was launched in 2007, completed her contractor's sea trials in July 2010 and arrived at her base port on 22 September 2010.

The Type 45 (or Daring) class is considered to be the most advanced air-defence warship in the world.[9] The ship's capabilities centre on the SAMPSON Multi Function Radar, which can detect targets out to a distance of 400 kilometres (220 nmi), and the PAAMS missile system.
The Type 45 has frequently been cited by the British press as being the first class of warship to include e-mail and entertainment systems (including iPod charging points)[10] within the messdecks. These reports relate to 230-volt domestic supplies and access to external e-mail, both of which have been common features in most RN vessels for several years.[11]

Ok, I might've been wrong.

Mix the Surefire Mags with the IAR and you might not lose a thing.  Check this out from Military Times Gear Scout.  Awesome.  100 Round Mags and the IAR?  It just might work.

Second Line of Defense's Rescue Timeline.

Pretty interesting read...I'm really warming to SLD's site.  Check them out here.

USN/USMC-”Ready Now”

By Ed Timperlake
03/23/2011 – An old saying comes to mind when looking at the UN action against Quadaffi  and Libya—“Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure.” Regardless of the outcome, some very important 21st Century military lessons learned are already being seen. The USMC for over two decades kept the visionary flame of the need for unique capabilities of the MV-22 Osprey burning. In Afghanistan, it has been a potential war tipping technology and in today’s headlines in the Libyan “adventure” a life savor.

As a fellow Marine Fighter Pilot said to me about rescuing pilots who go down- “I can remember a brief to my squadron (VMFA-451) two days before the start of Desert Storm by a SEAL who had to be all of 21-22 years old, telling us how HE was gonna get US out if we got bagged. This is why US pilots walk confidently to their planes and their competitors may decline to launch; US Marines, USAF PJs, and US Navy SEALs.” With the success of the USMC “TRAP” (Tactical recovery of Aircraft and Personnel) operation to rescue an Air Force pilot on the ground, the 26th MEU time line and distance flown by the MV-22 and AV-8 Harriers is impressive.  Let us review the operational timeline of this effort.
Timeline:
Ø 2333B 21 Mar:  USAF F-15E goes down, pilot and WSO eject safely
Ø 0050B: 22 Mar: 2xAV-8Bs launch USS Kearsarge (KSG)
Ø 0055B: JFACC approvesTRAP
Ø 0120B: MEU KC-130J launch Sigonella IOT refuel TRAP aircraft
Ø 0120B: AV-8Bs overhead downed pilots with F-16 in comm with F-15 pilot.
Ø 0130B: (quick reaction force) QRF 2xCH53E ready for launch with 46 Marines
Ø 0133B: AV-8Bs drop 2xGBU-12 ISO F-15 pilot
Ø 0133B: 2xMV-22s launch KSG
Ø 0151B: QRF (CH-53E) launch KSG
Ø 0219B: MV-22s overhead F-15 Pilot
Ø 0238B: MV-22 lands LZ recovers F-15 Pilot
Ø 0300B: MV-22s recover KSG with F-15 Pilot
Ø WSO reported in-hands of opposition forces at safe house.
Recently, senior policymakers have called into question the need for Marine Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) and also put the USMC F-35B “on probation.” But reality has a quality all of its own, even within inside the Beltway considerations.
Current combat has just demonstrated that not only did the USN/USMC capabilities in the Libyan fight save a pilot but they also are ready to live up to a famous  US Navy World War I quote.  When a US Navy Destroyer Squadron crossed the Atlantic and joined with the Royal Navy the US Commander was asked when his Destroyer Squadron would be ready–
“Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, asked Squadron Commander Taussig that question and he replied, ” We are ready now, Sir.”
Currently, from the deck of the USS Kearsarge and other ships off Libya, the America Navy battle cry of “ready now” is being heard. The importance of that battle cry cannot be overstated.  Because of recent political squabbling, and independent of the fact that forces are already engaged in combat, current air operations against Libya from Italian Bases might be aborted.
“The squabbling continued as Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini again threatened to take back complete control of Italian airbases if NATO did not take the reins of the mission.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/03/22/libya.nato.squabbling/
So in addition to keeping faith in the Osprey, the USMC should pause to give an additional thanks to the UK for V/STOL Harrier– which the Brits unfortunately just retired -  and now on to take the  F-35B V/STOL off probation. The MV-22, with the coming F-35B and Marine helo modernization, “Zulu Cobras” and CH-53K, along with Marine Infantry and their combined arms will put a true 21st Century  US “sovereign territory” force off any coast in the world.
Currently, today’s 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit might prove to be an invaluable military capability to shape American capabilities to get out of the Libyan mess.

CH-53K.

With ARES reporting that the CH-53K is finally taking shape, I thought a repeat of this vid was in order.  I can't wait to see its first flight.