On Oct 22, 12:48*pm, MajorOz wrote:

Take a good look at the F-4.

Been there. Saw them live, up close and personal at the retirement of
a U.S. Coast Guard captain in Miami Beach long about 19aught71 or
thereabouts.....afterburners....flying straight up.....noise....all
that ****.

Designed from the "keel" up to be as streamlined as a shark.

I was more (and earlier, I believe) impressed by the resemblance
between the f-104 and sharks, of which I first became aware due to a
pair of photographs advertising some obscure book or other in "The
Last Whole Earth Catalogue,".....Stewart Brand and all that
****.....remember?*

In any case, neither of the above is a fast car, nor a WWII fighter
with imaginative painting on the engine cowlings. Not that this is a
reason to discount them as interesting objects in the own
rights.....but it clearly disqualifies both as germaine to the subject
under consideration. Moreover, Both clearly lack a dorsal fin, thus
rendering them somewhat dubious as a model for sharks......not to
mention the widespread belief in scientific circles that sharks
probably predated both anyway.

And it is not a coincidence that the B-2 resembles a Manta.

I believe my left hand bears a closer resemblance to mantas than does
a B-52, of which I saw numerous examples at a MUCH closer range than I
was comfortable with "near" K.I. Sawyer back in the late 60s and/or
early 70s.....remember? I dunno.....ask Steve Irwin.

cheers

prosit.

oz, just back from the AF museum in Dayton OH (Wright-Patterson AFB)

giles, just back from stacking wood.
*can ANYBODY help me find the famous photograph of the airplane (i
THINK it was an f-104) with all its armaments arrayed on the tarmac in
front of it, and which served as the model for the photo on the back
of one of pink floyd's albums (meddle?) which showed their presumably
private jet with all of the band's musical paraphernalia arrayed in
similar fashion?