Google execs' new toy: a fighter jet? Around Town, posted by Editor, Mountain View Voice Online, on Oct 23, 2008 at 4:30 pm
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, Google executives have purchased a small fighter jet. Some witnesses say they have seen the jet at Moffett Field.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, October 23, 2008, 11:23 AM
Posted by gaetan, a resident of another community, on Oct 24, 2008 at 11:22 am
The AlphaJet was NOT a "Fighter" but a advanced trainer aricraft, and the jet of the famoust "Patrouille de France" (French Flight Demonstration Squadron)
Posted by CO 2 police, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Oct 30, 2008 at 8:04 pm
These guys are about as green as a fleet of thousands of hummers running around taking data on traffic congestion. Their jet likely consumes more gas and creates more CO2 in one hour than a whole family does in a year.
Honesty would be better.
I am rich and if I want a fast plane, I don't care what it costs me or you.
Watching these guys fall from grace will be enjoyable.
Posted by Alison Chaiken, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Nov 3, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Kudos to the _Voice_ for breaking a story that was later featured in the _NY Times_ essentially unaltered. We are lucky that our small city has a real, independent newspaper.
Posted by Colin Douglas Howell, a resident of the The Crossings neighborhood, on Nov 4, 2008 at 5:13 pm
When I first heard about this story, I was intrigued and curious what sort of fighter the Google founders had managed to acquire. Then I found out it was an Alpha Jet, and I realized the story was much ado about nothing.
Calling the Alpha Jet a "fighter" is like calling a Honda CRV a heavy truck. It may look like a fighter to people unused to military aircraft, but it is just a small, light jet, designed for advanced training of air force pilots and for ground attack with light weapons. It is not capable of supersonic flight. It has about the same weight and engine power as a small business jet, and is only slightly faster.
As for its fuel usage, based on its speed, range, and fuel capacity, I estimate that it would burn somewhere around 150 gallons of fuel per hour. Of course, that's a lot of fuel to normal people. Flying is expensive; I don't think that should surprise anyone. For comparison, an ordinary car would get about 3000 to 4500 miles on the same amount of fuel, depending on its mileage. I think most cars cover more than that distance per year, and most families have more than one car, not to mention other ways they use energy. So it seems excessive to me to claim, as "CO 2 police" does, that this plane would consume more gas and create more CO2 in an hour than a family would in a year.
Hell, the two Gulfstream Vs owned by the Google founders are much bigger and more fuel-hungry than this little Alpha Jet, not to mention the 767 and 757 they also own (though calling those "jumbo jets" is an exaggeration). If you're going to attack them for being rich and burning fuel, stick to the big game.
Posted by Sam, a resident of the North Whisman neighborhood, on Nov 28, 2008 at 11:38 am
MV residents should be grateful that Google dug in here. Google should give residents of 40 years or longer a $100,000,000. bonus. A drop in the bucket for them.
Posted by Good Shepherd, a resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood, on Mar 17, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Who gives a hoot about this! Our Constitution is being shat upon daily by our Federal gov't and has been since FDR and you bozo, pseudo-intellectuals computer geeks want to talk about "CO2". Let's unite, and move collectively toward getting rid of this New World Order that has usurped our great Nation. We can no longer afford to ignore the threat these people pose to us as a culture of self-governed peoples who collectively make up these states united. Turn off your tv's, fire up the PC's and do a Google search on "novus ordo seclorum"...... which is on your dollar bill you wanker! Wake up America your country is gone!
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