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| Feel the burn London, ON September 2022 This photo originally shared on Instagram |
They’re quite simple, really: dump fuel into the exhaust of a jet engine - because even jet exhaust has lots of oxygen in it - then light it.
The net result is a massive increase in thrust, which in addition to looking insanely cool, is rather handy when you’re trying to shoot down the enemy.
That whole energy is speed is life thing.
The flip side is fuel consumption that would make a 60s muscle car blush. At lower altitudes and max afterburner, the F-15C Eagle, burning just under 400 gallons per minute, could empty its main tanks in around 6 minutes. Definitely not a Prius.
This teaches us a bunch of things about power, all of which apply in the air and, presumably, in life:
- All power comes with tremendous costs and tradeoffs.
- We must choose wisely how and when to use it.
- Understanding the subtleties of its use/non-use can be a form of power on its own.
- Often simply having it in our pocket is enough to achieve what we seek.
- The truly powerful always strive to keep it in their pocket in the first place.
Related:
The business end... September 2022
An Eagle makes jelly, September 2022
Screaming Eagle, September 2022
Jets and jelly, September 2022
A Hornet burns a hole in the sky, August 2021
Raptor. Burner. Vapor. June 2021
A Raptor creates its own weather, September 2020
An Eagle among the corn, October 2017
Watching an F-35A split the sky, October 2017
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