For those playing at home, the answer is Experimentation.


Anyway we have no idea how well this is going to work, so we've welded in more protection into the "bathtub" on the A-10 we're turning into a monster, and have more padding and restraints in case things get wonky.


So the change's we've made:

• Cut the wingspan down from 57 feet to 35 feet
• pulled the engines off the tail
• figured out how to pull the tiltrotor assembly off the V-22's we're cannibalizing
• Figured out how to do that properly without breaking them and then looked for another V-22.
• spent yesterday figuring out how we can attach the assemblies and retain structural integrity.
• Today we're going to do that.

At this point we figured it might be easier attaching the Gau-8 to the V-22....we'll probably do that once we're done with this project though.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter E, I'll let you try and guess what I mean by that. I'll reveal it next time I post.

Duct Tape, a bunch of engines off some A-10 warthogs, the pivot points off a few V-22's and a bunch of aircraft aluminum and some JB weld for good measure ( as well as rivets and welding) is part of the new "project" since we're out here and have a bunch of welding supplies.

I and a few of the engineers are still out here improving our road in and out, as well as getting bored and imaginative with the spare parts that are available. We're going to try and get out into Edwards or China Lake and check the bunkers there, see if anyone is still around. To be honest, we're not expecting anyone, but if we do find someone they'll be more than happy to see us.

Finally got where we were going. I'd only heard of this place in legends, never thought I'd get to check it out. One of the mojave aircraft boneyards.

Some of it got wrecked at the edges closer to Edwards and China Lake, but since we're only here for components for the hornets it's all good, though it's nice having a stock of planes that can be brought into service easily enough.

Well easy compared to getting anything manufactured right now.

Driving a tractor gives my mind nothing but time to think. Too much time. Haven't seen a bird, animal or insect out here. The reflecting sunlight off glass is annoying too. It's probably a mirage but all this glass seems to go on all the way to the mountains.

I've been running the drag along where the road was, which is working out ok, since I'm clearing out the glass and messed up asphalt then getting to the compacted roadbed below but it's slow going, probably two more days of this and we might see our destination if we're lucky.

Lieutenant liked my idea so much he volunteered me to drive the tractor......

Don't mind, I don't think anyone else here knows how to operate a crawler tractor anyway.

Going to be hiking into the mojave from here on out. The roads in are wasted and the glass shredded the tires on the lead humvee, if it's like this all the way to where we're going we'll have wasted all this fuel for nothing.

I am going to make a suggestion to the lieutenant in charge that we might be able to use a crawler from the shop we raided for goggles before we start hiking in. If we sent it first and pulled a drag behind it, we'd have a good enough road cleared.

Found a "glass" rattlesnake. My best guess is that when the bombs hit the blast compacted sand into the body of the snake, and then the heat from it melted the glass around it before incinerating the flesh leaving it hollow inside.  At least, that's my best guess. I have no idea if that's what happened. for all I know it could have been aliens that made it.

Spent the morning chipping it out of the surrounding melted dirt and sand then wrapped it up. Going to take it home and see about getting it to my mom.


Did I mention it's cold out here? The water cans we had froze up into a slush last night and it's barely above freezing right now. It's also windy.

Currently in what was the mojave. Drove to the nearest farming town to get sets of welding goggles and drove back because everything's kinda glass and reflecting light everywhere. There were none left between myself and the rest of the unit I'm accompanying.

Not much more beyond that.

That and the radiation levels are higher here, though not deadly unless I run around naked or something silly like that. I'd probably die of dehydration first, and not interested in testing it anyway.