🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1989Jul20.184051.19979@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:

>In article <8907201027.AA07833@osteocyber.ortho.hmc.psu.edu> dsc@OSTEOCYBER.ORTHO.HMC.PSU.EDU (david s. channin) writes:
>> ... What are the laws, regulations, etc (if any) that prevent you from
>> doing the following:
>>     1. Walk into the Northrop offices in wherever.
>>     2. Pull out a bank check for x million dollars.
>>     3. Say,``I'd would like that nice T-38 that's in the showroom''.
>>     4. Fly away with same after filling the tank...
>>     
>>     Why wouldn't this scenario work?? (or would it?).

>The answer to item 3 will be "sorry, that is a USAF aircraft that is not
>for sale to civilians without government approval".  This is partly
>because the USAF paid for development and "owns the rights" to some
>degree, and partly because practically all of the military-aircraft
>manufacturers are utterly dependent on US government business and
>are desperately anxious not to annoy their big customer.  And the US
>government feels that private citizens should not be allowed to own jet
>fighters.

Change the scenario to:

     1. Walk into the Bede offices in wherever.
     2. Pull out a bank check for x million dollars.
     3. Say,``I'd would like that nice BD-5J that's in the showroom''.
     4. Fly away with same after filling the tank...

and you'll be on your way.  Just speaking personally, as a fairly
frequent flier, I'd really prefer that fighters be limited-distribution
items.  There are enough things to worry about, without worrying about
some yahoo out there in an F-something with sidewinders at my 747's six.

A more practical example is the private F-86 (bought surplus from the
RCAF) that hit the Farrell's in Sacramento.  I work at a facility that
flies high-performance aircraft (F-15, F-16, F-18, F-104, F-111, T-38
currently) and I have some real definite opinions about required
piloting skills.  We require our test pilots to fly a minimum of 200
hours per year, with specified minimums for each aircraft, to maintain
proficiency.  That F-86 driver had very low total time, low jet time,
and was what I'd consider non-current.  I think that there are certain
minimums that should be required.

Just because you can afford an airplane, doesn't mean you can fly it.
Look at the stereotype about MDs and Bonanzas.

More incidentally, the reason you can't buy a T-38 is because they're
no longer in production.  

But I don't know why those posters who despise the government and all
its fruits are panting to buy those fruits.  Let's see some consistancy
here!  :-)

--

M F Shafer                          shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov
NASA Ames Research Center           arpa!elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer
Dryden Flight Research Facility
                Of course I don't speak for NASA