Pirates!

[Weaver]

Hi folks, great site!

In contrast to all these (very good) 1920's - 1940s ideas, and in answer to the question "how do you "pirate" an airliner?", here's a very modern pirate idea: blackmail.

You have an innocent-looking early Learjet with retractable AAM's in it's tip-pods, some er, non-standard modes on it's HUD (retrofitted for safety reasons, of course...) and a hacker in the back with an untraceable satellite internet connection.

"Hello? Mr.Branson? Here's a LIVE feed of one of your ever so expensive A340s full of ever so precious passengers, taken from 500yards astern. Please note the cross-wires and LOCK ON message in the bottom corner. Doesn't it look lovely? Wouldn't it be terrible if something, you know, happened to it? Of course, something would be less likely to happen to it if I was distracted by, to take a random example, oooh ,I don't know... ten million dollars suddenly arriving in this Swiss bank account: 1234 5678 5436 5671........" 

[lancer]

Hi folks, great site!

In contrast to all these (very good) 1920's - 1940s ideas, and in answer to the question "how do you "pirate" an airliner?", here's a very modern pirate idea: blackmail.

You have an innocent-looking early Learjet with retractable AAM's in it's tip-pods, some er, non-standard modes on it's HUD (retrofitted for safety reasons, of course...) and a hacker in the back with an untraceable satellite internet connection.

"Hello? Mr.Branson? Here's a LIVE feed of one of your ever so expensive A340s full of ever so precious passengers, taken from 500yards astern. Please note the cross-wires and LOCK ON message in the bottom corner. Doesn't it look lovely? Wouldn't it be terrible if something, you know, happened to it? Of course, something would be less likely to happen to it if I was distracted by, to take a random example, oooh ,I don't know... ten million dollars suddenly arriving in this Swiss bank account: 1234 5678 5436 5671........" 

I LIKE the way you think matey....

[GTX]

Of course such an event may induce RB to insist all Virgin aircraft get this mod (look closely at the tail):



Regards,

Greg

[Ed S]

Hi folks, great site!

In contrast to all these (very good) 1920's - 1940s ideas, and in answer to the question "how do you "pirate" an airliner?", here's a very modern pirate idea: blackmail.

You have an innocent-looking early Learjet with retractable AAM's in it's tip-pods, some er, non-standard modes on it's HUD (retrofitted for safety reasons, of course...) and a hacker in the back with an untraceable satellite internet connection.

"Hello? Mr.Branson? Here's a LIVE feed of one of your ever so expensive A340s full of ever so precious passengers, taken from 500yards astern. Please note the cross-wires and LOCK ON message in the bottom corner. Doesn't it look lovely? Wouldn't it be terrible if something, you know, happened to it? Of course, something would be less likely to happen to it if I was distracted by, to take a random example, oooh ,I don't know... ten million dollars suddenly arriving in this Swiss bank account: 1234 5678 5436 5671........" 

Works fine until the next time when the F-15/F-22/Tyhpoon/Flanker.. 20 miles in trail gets a lock-on and then!!!

Ed

[Weaver]

Works fine until the next time when the F-15/F-22/Tyhpoon/Flanker.. 20 miles in trail gets a lock-on and then!!!

There's an awful lot more airliners than there are fighter planes though......

Fit the Learjet with an RWR and a rear-facing camera: "Oh and buy the way, first sight I get of a fighter, first sniff of an AI radar, and the airliner goes down immediately without further warning..." The airforce doing victory rolls over a smoking hole where a couple of hundred voters used to be is not going to go down well....

[Weaver]

Of course such an event may induce RB to insist all Virgin aircraft get this mod (look closely at the tail):

LMFAO - I had the same idea after I posted.

An immaculate and pretty stewardess is just serving a scotch, when she sees the "special" light go on. She makes her excuses and walks smartly to the back of the cabin, where she takes a key from her belt, unfastens a hatch in the floor, and climbs down into a modern version of a B-17 ball turret.....

[lancer]

The thought of a 'trolly dolly' doubling up as an air gunner fills me with absolute horror...I have known a fair few over the years and they ranged from the bibmo airhead to downright bloodthirsty! But, strangely, all of them were all seriously fine looking women.

Still, the sight of a commercial airliner with lots of kill markings on the nose or near the gun position would look seriously cool!!!

[lancer]

Of course you could always fit AAM's to the wings for self defence in the absense of a fighter escort, although I would think that the passangers would take a dim view of the pilot throwing the plane into a series of evasive maneuvers or better yet mixing it up with said pirate lear jet, it would make those boring straight line tripos a little more interesting though!!

[GTX]

Of course for passengers wanting a reduced fare, the option is there for them to also 'man' the guns...

Regards,

Greg

[lancer]

Next thing you know airlines will be putting out adverts for dedicated air gunners, those poor trolly dollies won't know who to swoon over first, the dahsing?!?!?!?! pilots or the steely eyed hero type gunners.....    

[Weaver]

Of course for passengers wanting a reduced fare, the option is there for them to also 'man' the guns...

Regards,

Greg

Makes the ticket choices more interesting too:

PREFERRED SEATING POSITION: AISLE, WINDOW, DORSAL, VENTRAL, WAIST, SMOKING, NON-SMOKING?

[lancer]

Of course for passengers wanting a reduced fare, the option is there for them to also 'man' the guns...

Regards,

Greg

Makes the ticket choices more interesting too:

PREFERRED SEATING POSITION: AISLE, WINDOW, DORSAL, VENTRAL, WAIST, SMOKING, NON-SMOKING?

You forgot the two best positions REAR and FRONT Oh and gunners SHOULD be allowed to smoke, it's only fair really.

[BlackOps]

Anybody feel like dusting off this subject?     I was thinking it might be cool to do some desert pirates, ala land raiding party for intercepting desert caravans.

I need to work on some pirate projects!

[pyro-manic]

My Spitfire GB build is a pirate...

[Daryl J.]

A 1/35 scale VW Bug, a BMW motorbike from Tamiya, and the Tristar Storch (and even possibly the new tool 1/32 Hobbycraft Sopwith Camel and/or SPAD XVIII) should fit into some sort of desert raiding party yes?     


These could be pirates with 'Vintage Tech' materials and equipment.


Arrrrrgh!


Daryl J.