10 Nations With The Least Favorable Impression Of The U.s.

[AngelinBA]

Actually, I reckon it's a good look for the US to refuse Maradona the visa, it shows that the rules are applied fairly to everyone, no matter how much "influence" or money they have. Argentines like that. I agree with Trennod, while most Argentines I know love the legend of Maradona, they think that currently he's just an idiot with a big mouth and bigger ego.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

I'd agree with you, but it seems a bit harsh to deny him entry to take his grand kid to Disney. Although he deserves it, that much is for sure.

He didn't help himself. On TV he said he hates everything about the US, he led a march to keep Bush from visiting Argentina. He cosied up to Ahmenijad in Iran.

All of which he is entitled to do, but it is a bit rich to expect to be welcomed into the US with open arms afterwards. Let him pay for the father to take the kid to Disneyland, he can go to Caracas for a week's holiday.

 

[nlaruccia]

I think Argentines aren't so harsh on the U.S. government since they know their own government is nothing to boast about. They seem to have mo problem judging the English government, but not the English people. I was talking to a North American tourist a month ago, and he asked me why here they're so anti-British and I explained it had to do with the Falkland war. "That's when Argentine wanted to posses England's island?" he asked me. I warned h not to say that here out loud. Because here they think the islands were taken from them by the English. I asked him to be more cautious and respect the local opinion while visiting or he would be ostracized.

 

[ghost]

Actually, I reckon it's a good look for the US to refuse Maradona the visa, it shows that the rules are applied fairly to everyone, no matter how much "influence" or money they have. Argentines like that. I agree with Trennod, while most Argentines I know love the legend of Maradona, they think that currently he's just an idiot with a big mouth and bigger ego.

Maradona cannot get a visa for the same reason that the US would not give him a visa 10 years ago, five years ago 2 years ago and now. He is known drug user, abuser. Something about being an objectionable personna. etc, etc

 

[ghost]

I flew the F/A-18 Hornet (which I really miss!)

Very cool. I have always loved the F16s but my heart belongs to the A12. Sled Driver

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

A good friend of mine is a Harrier guy who was over in Iraq for a bit . He just retired from his command and his squad was sundowned.

Harrier driver for Marines or the Brits? I think the Marines are downsizing their Harrier force in favor of the Osprey and rotor-craft. The Marine's air mission is close air support which means they must hang around and provide air cover for Marines who are on the ground. The Harrier is decent for that but has short legs and needs a forward base from which to operate - or lots of air-refueling. It also has a relatively low weapons load for all of the support it requires. I fully expect drones to be doing much of the air-to-air fighting in the next 20 years.

 

[citygirl]

Harrier driver for Marines or the Brits? I think the Marines are downsizing their Harrier force in favor of the Osprey and rotor-craft. The Marine's air mission is close air support which means they must hang around and provide air cover for Marines who are on the ground. The Harrier is decent for that but has short legs and needs a forward base from which to operate - or lots of air-refueling. It also has a relatively low weapons load for all of the support it requires. I fully expect drones to be doing much of the air-to-air fighting in the next 20 years.

Marines. He just finished up his last tour in Japan and came home and chose to retire at the same time as the squadron was disbanded.

ETA - This is one of my fave photos that he took while flying to Japan. They're over Wake Island

Interesting about the drones - do you really think they would be used in combat? Makes me think of that god-awful movie that came out with Jessica Biel in it..blanking on name.

 

[shoush]

Bush was such an embarrassment, it's good to be Canadian! I'm not too impressed with Obama though either!

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Marines. He just finished up his last tour in Japan and came home and chose to retire at the same time as the squadron was disbanded.

ETA - This is one of my fave photos that he took while flying to Japan. They're over Wake Island

Interesting about the drones - do you really think they would be used in combat? Makes me think of that god-awful movie that came out with Jessica Biel in it..blanking on name.

Nice pic! Yes, I do. At the moment the essential piece of a jet fighter is the pilot, and also one of it's biggest limitations. I can't pull much more than 9 g's. That limits the turn of the aircraft. If you got the pilot out then you could design them to turn tighter - a big advantage. However, pilot workload is also a factor. In air-to-air there's a lot of stuff happening at the same time. Put a pilot brain behind 4, 5, or 6 aircraft all fighting in unison and you have a killer swarm.

There is a lot to work out still to get really good situational awareness to the drone controllers but it's going in that direction, and pretty quickly. I was working as a consultant with a UAV contractor in the late 90's and we've gone from the "Wright Brothers" equivalent of UAVs to weaponed drones completing carrier quals in just under 15 years. Plus, pilots are REALLY expensive.

 

[scotttswan]

Nice pic! Yes, I do. At the moment the essential piece of a jet fighter is the pilot, and also one of it's biggest limitations. I can't pull much more than 9 g's. That limits the turn of the aircraft. If you got the pilot out then you could design them to turn tighter - a big advantage. However, pilot workload is also a factor. In air-to-air there's a lot of stuff happening at the same time. Put a pilot brain behind 4, 5, or 6 aircraft all fighting in unison and you have a killer swarm.

There is a lot to work out still to get really good situational awareness to the drone controllers but it's going in that direction, and pretty quickly. I was working as a consultant with a UAV contractor in the late 90's and we've gone from the "Wright Brothers" equivalent of UAVs to weaponed drones completing carrier quals in just under 15 years. Plus, pilots are REALLY expensive.

Aren't the drones pretty much limited by "lag" which is always going to be there.
A combination of AI and a pilot close by on the ground would probably work though.