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☆ Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

On April 1, 2001, a US EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. One of eleven left in the fleet, the tired 1960s-era spy plane bristled with porcupine-like antennas. Within minutes, however, the fighters had reached the lumbering spy plane, and while Zhao Yu hung back about a half-mile, Wang Wei rapidly closed in. In severe trouble, he immediately radioed the base, telling them he was unable to maneuver and being sucked in by the spy plane. "You are not allowed aboard the aircraft," Osborn said.

☆ Jason Sudeikis let down White House reporters asking for his Joe Biden impression, saying he needed 'fake teeth' and 'a lot more chutzpah' to pull it off
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The star of "Ted Lasso" made an appareance in the White House briefing room on Monday. Reporters asked to see another character played by Jason Sudeikis — Joe Biden — but Sudeikis turned them down. "You don't have a little Joe Biden impression?" Before playing Coach Lasso, Sudeikis appeared as the affable, aviator-wearing Biden as vice president on Saturday Night Live. His character returned to the show in 2021 when the new Biden, played by James Austin Johnson, got a visit from the ghosts of his past, including Jason Sudeikis' Biden from 2013.

☆ Russian jet's collision with a US drone shows Russia may have a fighter pilot 'problem,' former US aviators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A Russian fighter jet collided with an American drone this week after harassing it. The collision was likely unintentional, and former US naval aviators say that it could point to problems with Russian fighter pilots. A State Department official said it "probably was the result of profound incompetence on the part of one of these Russian pilots." Russian military failures in Ukraine have altered this view, he continued, "and now, you've got something like this." Charles Larkin Sr./US Air Force via AP"The tactical portion here is that poor training or poor decision making by a Russian pilot caused a collision," Snodgrass said.

☆ Fighter jets are 'worthless' over Ukraine, and it's a sign of what US pilots and troops may face in future battles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

As a result, neither side is able to provide close air support to its troops on the front line. US pilots and ground troops may face a similar situation in future wars, US Air Force leaders say. They're not doing a whole lot because they can't go over and do close air support," Hecker said. "Close air support in a contested environment, that's not what we do, no matter who you are," Brown added. William GreerSince taking over as the top Air Force officer in August 2020, Brown has stressed that future battlefields will be more complex and deadly for the Air Force.

☆ The 9 best cars for families
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US News & World Report released its ranking of the best cars for families in 2023. US News & World Report on Tuesday issued its annual ranking of the best new cars for families. Best 2-Row SUV: Hyundai Santa FeThe Hyundai Santa Fe. HyundaiBest Hybrid Car: Toyota Camry HybridThe Toyota Camry Hybrid. Tim Levin/InsiderBest Hybrid SUV: Toyota Highlander HybridThe 2023 Toyota Highlander.

☆ The Bomber Jacket Is Now Sleek, Sophisticated and…Almost Formal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Todd Plummer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

SUEDE AND SWEATS Former soccer star David Beckham’s handsome jacket elevates a sporty look in October. FOR A RECENT dressy work dinner with his company’s leadership team in Wayne, N.J., Cameron Birch took a style detour. Instead of defaulting to a tie and sport coat like his colleagues, the medical-device strategist, 34, reached for his emerald-green Club Monaco bomber jacket. This bomber aligns with his post-lockdown mood: These days he hankers for clothes that are “simple, clean, versatile and as comfortable as athleisure—but more dressed up.”A dressy bomber? Though this style of aviator jacket has typically skewed casual and utilitarian, it has lately been reborn as a sophisticate.

☆ The Bomber Jacket Is Now Sleek, Sophisticated and… Almost Formal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Todd Plummer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

☆ SpaceX capsule delivers latest four-member crew to International Space Station
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 3 (Reuters) - A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) after a brief delay early on Friday, carrying two U.S. astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and a United Arab Emirates astronaut on a six-month science mission. The autonomously flying spacecraft dubbed Endeavour docked with the space station shortly after 1:40 a.m. EST (0640 GMT) on Friday, about 25 hours after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Docking maneuvers fell behind schedule as the Crew Dragon was making its final approach to the station. The ISS crew also is responsible for performing maintenance and repairs aboard the station, and to prepare for the arrival and departure of other astronauts and cargo payloads. Rounding out the four-man Crew 6 was Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, 42, who like Alneyadi is an engineer and spaceflight rookie.

[1/5] NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission, that includes NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, the United Arab Emirates Sultan Al-Neyadi and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, launches to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., March 2, 2023. The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour, lifted off at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Fellow NASA astronaut Warren "Woody" Hoburg, 37, an engineer and commercial aviator designated as the Crew 6 pilot, was making his first spaceflight. The Crew 6 team will be welcomed aboard the space station by seven current ISS occupants - three U.S. NASA crew members, including commander Nicole Aunapu Mann, the first Native American woman to fly to space, along with three Russians and a Japanese astronaut. An empty replacement Soyuz to bring them home arrived at the space station on Saturday.

☆ Saint Laurent hits Paris catwalk with broad-shouldered glamour
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A model presents a creation by designer Anthony Vaccarello as part of his Fall-Winter 2023/2024 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Saint Laurent during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierPARIS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello drew his Paris Fashion Week audience into a dark, chandelier-lined runway Tuesday night, sending out a sensual lineup of night-club-ready eveningwear derived from office classics—blazers, pinstripes and pencil skirts. The show opened with a series of sharp-shouldered suit jackets – extra wide, double-breasted – worn over skimpy silk tops and slender, knee-skimming skirts. The temporary venue was set in the label’s traditional spot facing the Eiffel Tower, which glittered as the last guests streamed out after the show. ($1 = 0.9455 euros)Reporting by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] A Falcon 9 rocket is readied for another launch attempt for NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission after a technical delay, which will take four crew members to the International Space Station, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., March 1, 2023. The SpaceX launch vehicle, consisting of a Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule called Endeavour, was set for liftoff at 12:34 a.m. EST (0534 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The four-man crew should reach the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting some 250 miles (420 km) above Earth, about 25 hours after launch, early on Friday morning. Crew 6 also is notable for its inclusion of UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, 41, only the second person from his country to fly to space and the first to launch from U.S. soil as part of a long-duration space station team. The Crew 6 team will be welcomed aboard the space station by seven current ISS occupants - three U.S. NASA crew members, including commander Nicole Aunapu Mann, the first Native American woman to fly to space, along with three Russians and a Japanese astronaut.

☆ Milan Fashion: Gucci revisits past to pave new way, sober looks at Tod's
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A model presents a creation from the Gucci Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 24, 2023. One model wore a crumpled shirt tucked into a miniskirt, others were dressed in coats with voluminous shoulders. At Tod's (TOD.MI), creative director Walter Chiapponi offered a sober collection in earthy tones that played with tailoring. Models wore pea coats as well as long oversized coats, and also appeared in parkas and cropped aviator and elongated bomber jackets. Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London and Elisa Anzolin in Milan Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why China's and Russia's 5th-generation stealth jets don't quite live up to the hype, according to a former US Navy pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Peter Suciu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Those jets have advanced features but aren't quite as advanced as US stealth jets, a former Navy pilot says. However, a copy of a fifth-generation fighter does not actually make it one. Russia's Sukhoi Su-57Russian Su-57 fighter jets. A Russian Su-57 fighter jet. Associated PressThough the Chinese and Russian aircraft are likely highly capable warbirds, some US aviation experts have suggested they shouldn't rightfully be considered "fifth-generation."

☆ The US military didn't know if the missile that took out a Chinese spy balloon would work when an F-22 took the shot, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An F-22 downed a Chinese spy balloon on Saturday with a single AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. But the Pentagon wasn't sure if the missile would work when the pilot fired it, a top commander said. US Marines transport an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at Iwakuni in Japan in September. Weapons evaluators for the Air Force could not immediately address Insider's inquiry on the matter. The AIM-120, on the other hand, is a "new generation" missile that succeeded the AIM-7 Sparrow, according to the Air Force.

However, Boiardi said an earlier proposal from the industry for totally single-pilot flying by 2030 was "absolutely not realistic", because automation had not advanced far enough and solo flying required a level of safety equivalent to existing operations. Solo flying, even in cruise, needs approval from the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization, individual airlines and their pilot unions. Even limited solo flying, however, is dividing airlines and raising public fears, while sparking a growing backlash among pilot groups like the European Cockpit Association. Airbus said in a statement it was studying the concept of a single pilot in the cruise phase but not wholly single-pilot flights. Consumer resistance, however, could result in single-pilot flying starting with cargo flights, industry officials said.

☆ Meet the 'Arizona Balloon Buster,' the ace WWI pilot famous for shooting down enemy balloons on 'suicide' missions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For his efforts in the skies above the battlefield, Luke became famous as the "Arizona Balloon Buster," according to the US Air Force. Shortly after the US entered World War I in the spring of 1917, the 20-year-old enlisted in the military and trained to become a pilot. These expensive assets were protected by anti-aircraft guns and aircraft, so trying to attack them was "practically suicide," the Air Force said. American World War I fighter ace, Frank Luke Jr (1897 - 1918), with his SPAD S.XIII biplane, France, 18th September 1918. Luke Air Force Base in Arizona is named after Frank Luke Jr., and the ace pilot also has a statue in Phoenix.

☆ The F-22 that took down China's surveillance balloon used the call sign 'FRANK01' in an apparent homage to a heroic pilot from WWI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Saturday, F-22 pilots shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon floating near South Carolina. The pilots went by the callsigns "FRANK01" and "FRANK02," an apparent homage to a WWI hero. "Frank Luke Jr. was an American fighter ace in World War I better known as the 'Arizona Balloon Buster.' Luke's achievement in battle was unsurpassed by any other pilot in the war, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. A second Chinese surveillance balloon has been spotted floating over Latin America.

☆ Shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon could be a lot harder than it sounds, former Navy pilot says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Shooting down the suspected Chinese spy balloon is harder than it seems, a former Navy pilot told Insider. The military said there were also concerns that shooting the balloon down could result in safety risks from falling debris. Still, some have urged that the Chinese balloon be shot down, despite the risks. Yu said that the US has the "capability" to shoot down the balloon, but doesn't have "the will." The Pentagon, however, has insisted it is a surveillance balloon, but there are no immediate plans to shoot it down.

☆ Here's how a wildly outgunned US Navy pilot outfoxed one of the Soviet Union's best jets, scoring a string of kills in a legendary dogfight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An outgunned US Navy pilot downed four Soviet MiG-15 jets in a legendary dogfight over 70 years ago. This swept-wing Soviet aircraft was considered to be superior to the straight-wing American Panther in terms of overall performance. A Grumman F9F Panther fighter jet fires its guns during an attack on the North Korean port of Hungnam. "In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job," Williams said in an account of the fight, according to Pacific Fleet. Williams' dogfight isn't the only example of US planes battling enemy aircraft that are superior on paper.

☆ Ford recalls 462,000 vehicles for rear camera display failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) said Friday it is recalling 462,000 vehicles worldwide because video output may fail, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying. The recall expands and replaces a 2021 recall of 228,000 vehicles. NHTSA in August 2021 opened an investigation after Ford in 2020 recalled 620,246 vehicles for another rear camera issue. The investigation is reviewing if Ford had recalled the vehicles in a timely fashion and if it recalled enough vehicles. Ford has issued other rear camera related recalls in recent years including recalling 47,000 U.S. 2021-2022 Bronco vehicles because the rearview camera image may still be displayed after a backing event has ended, which could distract the driver.

If everyone in the world expertly utilized credit card rewards to travel for free, there wouldn't be such amazing travel opportunities out there. Identify your travel goalsBefore you begin collecting credit card rewards, you should first identify your travel goals. Amex Membership Rewards points Capital One miles Chase Ultimate Rewards points Choice Privileges points Citi ThankYou points Hilton Honors points Hyatt points IHG Rewards points Marriott Bonvoy points Wyndham Rewards pointsYou travel with a large family Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Recommended credit card strategies for beginnersThe best practice for anyone new to credit card rewards is to invest in flexible points. You'll need: An annual fee-incurring Hilton credit card One of the greatest deals in credit card rewards is the free night certificate that comes with select American Express Hilton credit cards.

☆ 2023 Genesis GV70 2.5T: Fully Loaded, Affordably Priced
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Dan Neil | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

MORE IS LESS Starting at $43,150, the 2023 Genesis GV70 2.5T is equipped with a 300-hp engine, all-wheel drive and a long list of no-cost premium features, including heated front seats, navigation system and power hands-free liftgate. The GV70 2.5T Advanced, seen here, had an as-tested price of $52,925. This thundering herd of tiny hooves accounted for about a half-million sales in 2022, depending on what you count as a compact (vs. midsize), premium (vs. luxury) and crossover (vs. SUV). Alas, the grim truth about 4-H is that, no matter how primped and polished the contestants, when they enter the show ring, they become livestock—commoditized, consumable. Discerning judges look past the braided tails and cow mascara.

Airline credit cards tout many flashy perks in order to entice new customers and maintain existing ones. However, one of the most underrated airline credit card benefits might just be a companion ticket. First, only a handful of airline credit cards actually offer them, which means consumers might not even be aware they exist. Let's look at the best credit card companion certificates by airline. What to know about airline credit card companion certificatesCompanion tickets offered by airline credit cards are amazing benefits that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year — if you know how to maximize them.

☆ Former US Navy fighter pilot explains why TOPGUN fines aviators $5 each time they quote the iconic 1986 film 'Top Gun' starring Tom Cruise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US Navy's premiere fighter pilot training school, commonly known as TOPGUN, fines people for various infractions. At the Navy's decades-old tactical air combat training center commonly known as TOPGUN, there are fines for various infractions. Any quote from the iconic 1986 film "Top Gun" starring Tom Cruise as the hotshot naval aviator Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell will cost you $5, former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor Cmdr. Decades later, the school, since relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, is still producing some of the world's top combat aviators. He is a TOPGUN graduate and former instructor, as well as a retired naval aviator who flew combat missions overseas.

Airline credit cards with free checked bagsPlenty of airlines offer credit cards with a free checked bag, but those cards often offer other benefits too. United Airlines credit cardsThere are five different United credit cards available that offer free checked bags. Credit cards with free checked bags frequently asked questions (FAQ)How can you get free checked bags? However, you can receive at least one free checked bag by holding various airline credit cards which waive this fee. Do you have to pay with your airline credit card to get free checked bags?

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