New Video of Plane Crashes; $63 Million Plane 0 for 49 in Tests

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Members of Congress watched videos today of what they got for $63 million spent on an experimental aircraft the military did not want: repeated crashes and significant failures.

The plane, designed to take off like a helicopter and then fly at high speed, failed to remain in the air for more than a few seconds in 49 separate tests last year, according to John Kinzer of the Office of Naval Research.

"None of these attempts resulted in controlled hover for more than a few seconds," Kinzer told members of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

The videos played for Congress today show the plane's prototype lifting off and then crashing within a second or two.

"The good news is that when it crashes, it only crashed from a foot or two off the ground," said subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller, D-N.C..



Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/new_video_of_pl.html

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More of our money in to the blackhole of the Defense Contractors!

[MadMaddie]

1. And the failures mean nothing * will give the contract to his cronies

Failure means nothing to these crooks...

[damntexdem]

8. It's just not true that failure means nothing to them --

to the contrary, failure means everything to the Bushista crooks.

[high density]

2. $63 million?

Wow ABC, thanks for going after the big fish!! This is <Trump>HUUUUUGEE.</Trump>

I also like how ABC forces you to watch a 15 to 30 second ad to watch a 5 second video...

[Richardo]

3. Hm. A San Diego company that gave $36K to Duncan Hunter, who supports it.

No mention of how much Duke Cunningham got.

[MADem]

4. The amount of waste is just disgraceful... nt

[Tempest]

5. They'll start showing up in Iraq

Just like the Osprey, another troop killer.

[Ezlivin]

6. Now they are pouring money into the flying black hole V-22 Osprey

The damned thing has been in "development" for over 10 years and when will see our taxpayer money in battle (Iraq? Afghanistan? Iran...)?

I'm sure that the "black" budget of our government is responsible for pissing away a lot more of our money than of which we are made aware.

[donco6]

7. And I have to fight to explain my $1.66 budget variance.

Sheesh.

[damntexdem]

9. So as long as they don't take it two feet off the ground or fly faster than a slow walk, ...

not too many pilots will get hurt?

;-)

[Journeyman]

10. Well, I could provide failure for a much better price than that. . .

better get my bid request proposal in real soon. I know I can build a ship that sinks in the harbor.

[Aviation Pro]

11. Whoa hosses....

...Flight Test is part of R&D. Each failure is a series of data points and performance parameters that lead to a success. The unsung heroes of Edwards AFB - Yeager, Crossfield and the magnificent engineers who designed the X-series planes - are the reason why we take flying in a hostile environment (little air to breathe, cold as hell, flying on a couple of equations that have been around since the 17th century) with such a blaise attitude.

We can be prudent with money, but if we atrophy our brains then that's just plain stupid.

[conspirator]

12. Why dont they just buy harriers from UK? nt

[RC]

13. What! And not make their friends richer?

Maybe if someone tells them the manufacture is outsourced?

[dkofos]

14. We waste more on defense than Russia & China combined spend on defense

[truthisfreedom]

15. $63M is not a large sum of money when it comes to aircraft development.

Hate to tell you, but it's just not that much money.

[ohio2007]

17. US Navy scrapped the project before it got out of control.

no new funds going into that pit.

[benld74]

16. i'm a fed employee,,,

who was on jury duty. I had to write my agency a check for the aount of the check I got on jury duty, never minding I was doing my civic duty, came into the office before each day to keep up with my work, and checked on things while at home at night tom ake sure nothing went wrong. It will cost them mosr to process the check than to let me keep the damn thing, BUT that would be wrong!

[rzemanfl]

18. If you check your work like you checked your post, you

definitely are a federal employee....

Disgustingly snarky, I know. But as a state employee, I just couldn't help myself.

[THUNDER HANDS]

19. i'm suprised they stopped at 49

you'd think they'd try it a 50th, just for good luck.

[ret5hd]

20. Why, it's the PERFECT target for the also-failed "StarWars" weapon!!!

[originalpckelly]

21. That looks like a plane from the Soviet Union.

:rofl:

I mean seriously, doesn't it give off the clunky Soviet Union vibe?