Apr 11 2008Crashed B2 Stealth Bomber Looks Sad

Who would have thought a glorified micro light could ever cost so much??

I blame Kevin Bacon.

Maybe they should have built it out of plywood and it wouldn't have cost so much. Hey, it worked for the Panzer tank kid.

i was a mechanic on those planes when i was in the military. i was sad to hear one crashed but also totally grateful that i wasn't on duty when one eventually did. the investigation the air force conducts after an aircraft crash can be a nightmare.

also, i look forward to many nasty varieties of cancer i'll develop in about 15 years due to practically everything on that plane being carcinogenic.

Jim, thats horrible man. I really hope you are wrong about that plane being full of cancerigens.

Yea Jim, I hope you didn't ingest any stealth parts.

Imagine them doing x-rays and the doctor comes to you and says: Well Jim, it's the darnedest thing! Your blood says you have cancer but it's like the tumors are invisible.

See what I did there?

All joking aside Jim, are you serious?

damnit jim! are you *serious*?

*rolls eyes and sighs* Men...such silly, yet loveable, creatures.

The burned wreckage kind of looks like a burger I got at McDonalds the other day...also probably full of carcinogens.

thanks for the thoughts, guys.

as for the possibilities of developing cancer later in life, yes unfortunately i am serious. here's a quick list of the ones i remember:

aircraft exterior coating
engine oil
liquid coolant agent (similar to antifreeze fluid)
fire suppressant chemicals
some electrical wiring sleeves
fire retardant engine bay coatings
sealants used to coat exposed bolts

the antifreeze stuff was particularly nasty. a sergeant in my shop had had too much exposure to it, whenever he washed his hands skin would peel off. all of these products were conveniently labled as dangerous and as a mechanic you were expected to adhere to OSHA standards when using them. however, accidents do happen and sometimes you just needed to bend the rules a bit (like removing your glove to feel around for a bolt you just dropped into a puddle of that antifreeze stuff... not fun).

a lot of those chemicals are used on other military aircraft as well, not just the b-2. other than the dangers i really enjoyed being part of the squadron and working on the planes. well, except when i had to crawl into cramped space to change parts. :)

Hey Jim, I work sheetmetal for the AF. If anyone's going to get cancer, it'll be ME! ;)

Jim you're not supposed to ingest the plane, you were just supposed to check the oil and kick the tires a bit.

also you left out the most dangerous part of the plane: it's a flying BOMB!!!!!!!!!!

Those telephone polls behind PK's are closer than they appear...