From: Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Date: Fri Feb 26 1999 - 07:03:01 MST
Ian Goddard wrote:
> IAN: You've already been corrected on that one
> at least twice and yet you continue to make that
> false claim. It wasn't the nose section that the
> video says hits 29 seconds after the 17,000 climb,
> but the main fuselage section that did the climb.
>
> Since you "explained" the way-too-fast fall with
> an argument based on a falsehood, I guess you've
> run out of arguments for the CIA video. Please
> try to both listen and watch the video this
> time: http://www.newsday.com/jet/year/video.htm
I haven't had a chance to go back over the video yet, as I've been moving my
computer equipment (now you'll accuse me of being in a conspiracy).
> IAN: Mike, jet fuel is not explosive at temps
> below (I believe around) 165 degrees. Commander
> Donaldson has shown that you can put out a
> cigarette in Jet A-1 fuel.
There is no such thing as Jet A-1 fuel. There is A-1, A-2 and A-3 fuel, all are
aviation rated. Jet fuels are J-1 thru J-6. Please get your nomenclature
straight. It is true you can drop a lit cigarette in any J class fuel AT ROOM
TEMPERATURE without triggering ignition. However, an electrical arc is much
higher temperature than a cigarette, as it is a plasma, especially an
electrical arc triggering an explosion of kapton insulation, which would not
only add high temperature, but high compression from the small blast shock wave
to provide conditions similar to that inside the combustion chamber of a jet
engine. Not to mention the fact that I have all along been talking about jet
fuel FUMES, which are highly flammable at even room temperature, given the
proper ignition. There is a significant difference between liquid fuel and
fumes, which you can't seem to grasp. The fuel tank and surrounding bulkheads
of that plane also had atmospheric temperatures around 130-150 degrees as I
recall, which would increase the concentration of fumes. having a good mixture
of fuel fumes and air is what is needed for combustion. You don't get that with
liquid jet fuel, which is why you can drop a lit cigarette in it. You can do
the same with kerosene, heating oil, or motor oil, but if you get a good spray
of fumes from any of these, and a spark, you will get ignition, guaranteed.
Commander Donaldson may be a fine pilot. He is not skilled at all as a jet
mechanic. I am. I've seen jets explode in mid air, and I've seen minor system
failures which only caused minor explosions that jets could fly away from (and
these were military jets, which are built much sturdier than commercial
planes). I've seen an F-111 flying nape of the earth fly right through power
lines and cut a wing half-off, I've seen them come back from flights with corn
husks in the bomb bay. I've seen wire harnesses explode merely from the age of
the insulation reducing its ability to handle high currents (and the wire
harnesses in the area of the fuel tank, were, in fact, kapton insulated). I've
seen what happens when a jet engine sucks in just a minor pebble. I've seen
what happens when a jet mechanic cross-threads a spark plug on an F100 jet
engine (you get a nice little engine bay fire that is positioned just right to
burn through the fuel line if you don't catch it in time). You're not talking
to a boob here.
Mike Lorrey
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