Navy Fires Captain After Carrier Catches Fire.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy fired the captain and executive officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington on Wednesday because of a massive fire that damaged the ship in May, Navy officials said.


Both the captain and executive officer were relieved of duty Wednesday after a fire damaged the ship in May.

Capt. David C. Dykhoff and his executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, were relieved of duty while the ship is in port in San Diego, California, for repairs.

The two were fired because of practices on their ship that Navy investigators believe led to the fire, Navy officials said.

The Navy officials said investigators believe the fire was started when a cigarette ignited material stored in an engineering room.

Investigators found flammable liquids stored in an engineering area of the ship, which is strictly prohibited. Investigators also found that sailors were allowed to smoke in the same engineering areas, considered another violation.

It is estimated that the damage to the ship will cost about $70 million to repair, the Navy officials said.

Read the full story at CNN.com

F-15 Crashes During Red Flag 7-30-08

LAS VEGAS -- A pilot from Nellis Air Force Base has died following the crash of a U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle two-seater jet, Nellis Air Force Base officials said.
Another pilot from the aircraft was transported to Mike O’Callaghan Federal Hospital at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. The second pilot is under observation and in stable condition, officials said.

The crash occurred on the Nevada Test and Training Range about 50 miles east of Goldfield, Nev., said Charles Ramey of Nellis Air Force Base.
He said the crash occurred about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday as the jet was taking part in an Exercise Red Flag combat training mission.

Both pilots were assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, whose mission is to simulate opposing enemy air forces during Red Flag exercises.

The names of the pilots involved are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

A board of military officials is being convened to investigate the crash.

Update: (AP) An F-15 fighter jet crashed during training over the Nevada desert Wednesday, killing one pilot and injuring another.

The two-seater F-15D Eagle went down in the vast Nevada Test and Training Range north of Las Vegas, according to a statement released by Nellis Air Force Base officials.

One pilot was declared dead shortly after the crash. The second was in stable condition at the base hospital, base spokesman Andrew Dumboski said.

Both pilots were assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron, which simulates enemy forces in air combat training exercises regularly held at Nellis. The Air Force base is about 10 miles north of Las Vegas.

The names of the two pilots were not immediately released.

The F-15D Eagle is primarily used for tactical missions and costs $29.9 million, according to Air Force figures.

Link to crash site photos can be found at the top-right, under: TOPICAL LINKS

VIDEO: RED FLAG F-15 AGGRESSOR LAUNCH/ 7-26-08

SOURCE:NELLISPSOTTERS>COM





Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag

Military Tech: Mayhem/Magneto and a Neato Stealth Fighter

Pentagon Hacker Claims He Was Looking For UFO Files.

LONDON, England (AP) -- Britain's top court refused Wednesday to stop the extradition to the U.S. of a British hacker accused of breaking into Pentagon and NASA computers -- something he claims to have done while hunting for information on UFOs.


Gary McKinnon, pictured here in 2006, plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Gary McKinnon, 42, faces charges in the United States for what officials say were a series of cyber attacks that stole passwords, attacked military networks and wrought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of computer damage.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
UK man loses appeal against extradition to the U.S. over alleged computer hacking
Gary McKinnon accused of breaking into Pentagon and NASA computers
Prosecutors says he stole passwords, caused $900,000 of computer damage
McKinnon's lawyer says he will appeal to European Court of Human Rights
See the full story at CNN.com




"Well good luck! Maybe they don't understand guys like you." Cheeky monkey!