(May 23, 2016 at 6:19 pm)c172 Wrote: I loved F-14s as a kid. My aforementioned BFF was into F-16s and we argued over it. We agreed that SR-71's were super cool, though.

Many years ago, the cover of the Australian "Wheels" magazine (car mag), had a photo of the latest lambo next to a jet fighter plane. They competed for the quafter mile drag race from a standstill.
(It might've been an F1-11 (it was a long time ago, I was still in schoo!)

Anyway, to reduce weight, the jet removed the long range fuel tanks and the lambo driver took his jacket off and had a piss.

The jet was allowed to build up thrust at the starting line.
The jet won by a whisker, but the bastard was airborne and had the afterburners on when crossing the finish line!
The cheating bastard!  Hehe....

I've always enjoyed cars as well. As far as exotics and other manmobiles, as a kid, I loved the Lamborghini Countach. Now? The Chevy Silverado. 

Back as a kid, I always wondered what it would be like to drive in the NASCAR top series (Winston Cup back then?). I was a real couch potato. Couldn't get enough motorsports on TV. NASCAR, Indy, rally...even showroom stock.

(May 23, 2016 at 6:13 pm)KUSA Wrote:

(May 23, 2016 at 6:00 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: I wanted to fly F-14s off'n carriers.

I was in the Navy stationed on the Washington. It was amazing watching the F14s take off and land. Absolutely amazing.

I lived about a year right off NAS Memphis in Millington TN. Watching them shoot touch-and-gos for prelim carrier quals, wings wide open, afterburners open wider, was indeed amazing. Props to anyone strapping a plane to their ass and taking their chances.

(May 23, 2016 at 6:19 pm)c172 Wrote: I loved F-14s as a kid. My aforementioned BFF was into F-16s and we argued over it. We agreed that SR-71's were super cool, though.

In the USAF, I was stationed at Carswell AFB right across the runway from General Dynamics, the factory building the 'sixteen. every nine or ten days they'd finish one and put it through a test-flight, about five minutes of mind-boggling aerobatics. I think the '16 climbs faster and the turn rate is about the same, maybe an edge to the '16 there as well. But on load-out, the '14 with its Phoenix can kill a '16 well before the latter's targeting range, much less its kill zone.

On the coverage of one of the last Apollo missions, they gave a synopsis of the upcoming space shuttle project. Estimated date of completion was 1981, which would have put me at just about college age. So I decided I wanted to be a shuttle pilot. Never did much of anything to achieve that dream, but in the wake of the Apollo missions, it was a sexy ride.

Wow, you're quite older than I realized. 

And now, it looks like the Shuttle is to be replaced by something more resembling Apollo. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(spacecraft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System

I wonder if they're going for being able to land it on the pad like some of these latest unmanned launches by SpaceX and/or United Launch Alliance.

When I was a young kid, I was fascinated with dinosaurs, and wanted to be a paleontologist, digging for fossils.
In my preteen years I suspected I might become a doctor, possibly a surgeon.
During my teens, and into the start of college, it was almost a forgone conclusion that I'd be a professor of mathematics.
Finally, I decided to become a lawyer.

Why are you still trying to punish yourself!

Hehe

Cop or infantry.

Oh well.

(May 23, 2016 at 9:23 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Cop or infantry.

Oh well.

I still kinda do.

Not allowed.

Life's a bitch, right?