Fuel Consumption of U.S. Military Cargo Aircraft

Recently, I was fortunate enough to receive a tour of Travis Air Force Base. I was in awe of the number of huge aircraft parked on the tarmac. The hardware in just a small section of the base would rival that of an entire third world country's air force.

According to NPR, the U.S. armed forces burn up 340,000 barrels of oil a day. That's about as much as the Philippines-- the country.

Travis Air Force Base has about 26 C-5 Galaxies, 27 KC-10 Extenders, and 13 C-17 Globemaster IIIs. I saw a couple of these beasts take off and wondered: What kind of mileage do they get?

Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. Its cargo hold is 121 feet long, one foot longer than the length of the Wright brothers' first flight. 18.6 GALLONS per mile.

MD KC-10 Extender. This refueling plane can hold 356,000 (!) pounds of jet fuel to refuel other planes. That's the equivalent of over 69 Bentley Eights. It gets a miserly 5 gallons per mile. If it used up the 356,000 gallons meant for other planes, it could travel another 71,200 miles, or about 1/3 of the way to the moon.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III gets 12.8 gallons per mile. And I thought Humvees got bad mileage.

CKY

Bentley Eight For Sale

Yesterday, I stopped by Specialty Sales Classic Cars in Benecia. I always see their classic American muscle cars on display outside when I drive northbound on 680. When I went in, I was surprised to find inter alia, an old Citroen, a first generation BMW M3, a few old Porsches, and this Bentley Eight.
Apparently, Specialty has branches in Pleasanton and the Peninsula, but the Benecia showroom is the largest. It is a consignment store that offers financing. Many of the cars end up being shipped out of state or out of the country. The salesman was very low pressure and quite frank. He admitted that the classic car market has changed but says there are enough high net worth car nuts out there to keep the business going.

I have not seen many Eights or Mulsannes in my life. Maybe it's because I only look for Turbo Rs on the road. Cosmetically, the one I saw in the show room looked nice. Before you get any smart ideas, you can't sit in the cars or even touch them unless you are very interested in actually buying one. The nearly $30,000 price tag seems a bit high for the 1987 model, even with the low mileage, and I'm quite sure it's negotiable. The Eight was known as the poor man's Bentley, what with cloth seats and steel wheels. Personally, if I had the money, I'd pay a little more for a Turbo R. But the Eight is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Here is a pretty thorough guide to buying an Eight.

CKY

Routan An Insult to German Heritage

In North America, VW decided to rebadge some Chrysler minivans, clean up their interiors, tighten the suspension, and sell them as VW Routan minivans. To call it a Volkswagen and compare it to the Type 2 is sacrilege.

To cleanse the palate, here is a real German minivan.

CKY

Tilden Park Steam Train

The steam train in Tilden Park in the Berkeley/Oakland Hills is fun for kids and adults. Tickets are $2 per person for a 12 minute ride.

View Larger Map

CKY

Red Cross "Our World At War" Photo Exhibit

The International Red Cross just kicked off a new photo exhibit called Our World At War. Photojournalists were sent to eight conflict zones-- Lebanon, Afghanistan, Congo, Haiti, Philippines, Liberia, Caucasus, Colombia-- and captured the effects of violence. It is heart-wrenching. Check out the complete exhibit online here.

CKY

Which Politicians Are Outed By Outrage?

This year's biggest documentary will be Outrage, which "comes out" tomorrow. So which public officials are going to be outed?

• California Rep. David Dreier,
  
• Florida Gov. Charlie Crist,
  
• former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman,
  
• ex-Louisiana Congressman Jim McCrery,
  
• former New York City Mayor Ed Koch,
• and ex-Idaho Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig,
• ex-Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock.

Pixar "Mike's New Car"

CKY

Trans-Siberian Railway PBS Documentary (1996)

I stumbled upon this 2 hour documentary on youtube. It is divided into a dozen 10 minute segments. It's a little dated but is very informative. The film starts in Moscow and crosses into China via Zaudinsky. The Trans-Manchurian branch then ends in Beijing. The journey continues to Datong and ends in Ulan Baatar via the Trans-Mongolian. The only shortcoming is that it does not cover the Russian Far East portion to Vladivostok. Nevertheless, I highly recommend watching it.

CKY

Nurburgring Ring Taxi Quest, Day 1

Well, I need to start doing something about my travel goals. Sitting at home, watching the Travel Channel, does not count. I came up with a travel wish list last summer and have sort of accomplished one of the goals.

I'm going to work on my lap around the Nordscheilfe of the famed Nurburgring in Germany in a BMW M5 Ring Taxi. The sub-10 minute experience will require 195 euros, a bottle of Dramamine, and an airsickness bag. The Taxi runs every Sunday from the spring to the fall. Each lap carries three passengers.

Today is Day 1 of my quest. All of the 2009 spots have been taken. I suspect most, if not all of 2010, is gone too. In any event, I put myself on the "waiting list" today. I'll report back when I get to the top of queue.

CKY

Captain Cook Tour: Hawaii Edition

During a conversation with a historian friend, the subject of Captain Cook and Hawaii came up. Here are the must see places in Hawaii:

1. Cook landing site (Kauai): This is where Cook first landed on the Hawaiian (nee Sandwich) Islands in January 1778. It's at the present site of the town of Waimea. The spot is on the west side of the Waimea River at Lucy Wright Park.

The river in the foreground is the Waimea. The island in the background is Niihau. This picture was taken from Russian Fort Elizabeth.

2. Cook statue (Kauai): While you're in Waimea, stop by the Captain Cook statue. It's along the main street of town (Kaumuali'i Highway) on the mauka (inland) side.

3. Cook's Last Stand (Big Island): This is where Captain Cook was killed in February 1779. There are a number of ways to get to the site on the South Kona Coast, where an obelisk sits on a small plot of land that is technically British territory. You can hike down from Highway 11 along the rough Captain Cook Monument Trail, you can drive to Manini Beach and kayak over, or you can take a snorkeling tour that stops at Kealakekua Bay.

Picture taken from Manini Beach. White obelisk is in the middle of the photograph, in the distance.

4. The town of Captain Cook (Big Island): After your tour, stop off at Captain Cook, a town of about 3,200 people. It is one of the few places in the state with an Anglo name. The Manago Restaurant inside Hotel Manago serves great pork chops.


CKY