Message posted by Andre' M. Dall'au on December 22, 2001 at 4:56:39 PST:

"Fat Albert" was the nickname of the Aerostat that flew over the keys for NORAD. EC-121's flying radar pickets used to patrol off the Florida coast, but were withdrawn due to cost. Shortly after that a Cuban Air Force MIG-17 showed up the the landing pattern of Homestead AFB, flashing his lights trying to get the Tower's attention. The pilot was only trying to defect, but the MIG was fully loaded with cannon ammunition, and Air Force One was on the ramp, and the MIG taxiied right by it, (it actually taxiied with it's cannon pointed right at it for a good distance). It kind of showed a nasty gap in our radar coverage in the direction of the closest hostile Communist country, so the aerostats were put up as a cheap alternative. Blimps, like drones and tunnelling, have been an active government interest for many, many years. Just very "unsexy" and not very interesting to the average person.

In Reply to: Re: Fly By Wire Blimp..... posted by TNCAP on December 21, 2001 at 17:03:26 PST:

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