That’s about as close as you can get to a plane crash without having one…

  I was amazed to see this photograph of a Russian Antonov An-24 passenger aircraft, which “contacted the ground with its left wing” while landing at Ust-Kut airport in Siberia today.  Clickit to biggit. There’s no weather information available about conditions at the time.  I can only presume that gusting winds, probably including cross-winds, had… Continue reading That’s about as close as you can get to a plane crash without having one…

Doofus Of The Day #1,094

  Today’s award goes to the Russian military commander(s) in Ukraine who decided to test anti-air-raid smokescreens defending the bridge over the Kerch Strait to Crimea . . . without, it seems, thinking of possible consequences.  The War Zone reports: Russia has deployed a number of countermeasures to the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting Russia and… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #1,094

It’s not just buses and cars – electric scooters burn just as easily

  Following yesterday’s post about the danger of fire in electric buses and cars, a reader who wishes to remain anonymous sent me the link to this video clip of an electric scooter that spontaneously combusted while being charged inside a house. That must have been an expensive blaze, what with redecorating costs as well… Continue reading It’s not just buses and cars – electric scooters burn just as easily

Electric vehicles – a growing danger in confined urban transport?

  SNAFU Solomon linked to a tweet with this video of an electric bus that caught fire in China. That’s what happens when lithium batteries burn.  They produce enormous internal pressure that blows out through the casing and burns like a blowtorch.  The bus’s batteries were/are much bigger than those in an electric car, so… Continue reading Electric vehicles – a growing danger in confined urban transport?

Gravity wins, every time

  Courtesy of Aesop, we find this video compilation of Wile E. Coyote’s encounters with gravity.  It’s ten minutes of self-inflicted mayhem, including several excerpts I’d never seen before.  Very satisfactory to the destructive little boy inside many men. He never learns, does he?  Sadly, most of us guys don’t, either – but like Wile,… Continue reading Gravity wins, every time

I’m very glad I wasn’t around when that tank let go…

  Bustednuckles put up a very scary, but interesting video on his blog yesterday.  It’s from 3Generation Racing, and shows the aftermath of an air compressor tank failure.  It did a lot of damage, and it’s only by the grace of God that nobody was standing closer to it to be injured, or perhaps even… Continue reading I’m very glad I wasn’t around when that tank let go…

Saturday Snippet: The early days of air mail

  Dean C. Smith was an American aviation pioneer, one of those responsible for setting the standards for the nascent U.S. Postal Service’s air mail service.  He also flew in Antarctica with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition of 1928–1930.  Later, he served as an executive with a number of American aircraft companies during and after World… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: The early days of air mail

This driver had better not buy any lottery tickets…

  … because he just used up all his luck!  The original tweet is here.  Click any image below for a larger view. That happened on I-5 in Washington state near Seattle.  Astonishingly, the driver was extracted with only minor injuries.  Looking at the remains of that Nissan Altima, I wouldn’t have believed it possible.… Continue reading This driver had better not buy any lottery tickets…