Joe, American Avgeek + TransitJoe 🇺🇸

Daylight CSAR: a) means F-15E crashed b) means pilot and WSO are alive c) means that the USAF knows the location both d) means it's is urgent to extract them now.

Pale Blue Dot

Incredible old school @AlaskaAir ad, restored by @GeminiApp . #avgeek

A McDonnell-Douglas ACES II (Advanced Concept Ejection Seat) from a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle has been found by residents in Southern Iran, the whereabouts or status of the pilot and weapons officer is currently unknown, with unconfirmed reports that one or both of the crewmembers have been captured by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) continues to conduct flight operations, both day and night.

Few points on the apparent F-15 shoot-down and rescue efforts: 1. A single fallen F-15 in combat after over a month and over 15,000 US strikes is surprising only in that it took so long. That is an unbeatable record. There is air superiority over much of Iran, not air supremacy. 2. If the US is sending Black Hawks and Hercules deep into Iran, they know what they are looking for, i.e., ejected pilots, and most likely they know exactly where to pick them up and their condition. So they will likely find them before the IRGC. 3. If Iranian TV is asking the local tribes to capture the missing pilots, the IRGC know that trying to find them before the US is either impossible for them or would be suicidal. Let’s pray that the pilots successfully ejected and found a good place to hide, and that they are already safely picked up, with amazing stories to tell.

Truth

@vancolour Its past time for Premier Bowinn Ma! Bring back the magic of Horgsn , end antisemitism and slay climate change! @BowinnMa Can also make Washington State the 11th Province!

David Eby eliminated Gordon Campbell’s landmark progressive policy, the consumer carbon tax. David Eby is moving to weaken John Horgan’s landmark progressive policy, DRIPA. So when does David Eby go for the trifecta and scrap Christy Clark’s landmark progressive policy, SOGI?

WHY THE “SECOND STRONGEST ARMY IN THE WORLD” FAILED TO CONTROL THE SKIES OVER KYIV REGION ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ On February 24, 2022, russian aviation entered Ukrainian airspace with a sense of total impunity. In the aggressor’s headquarters, there was confidence that the first waves of “Kalibr” and “Iskander” strikes would paralyze Ukraine’s command system, destroy its air defenses, disable airfields, and open the way for an airborne assault on Kyiv. According to this plan, the “second strongest army in the world” expected to dictate the terms within the first hours of the war. Instead of the anticipated collapse over Kyiv region, the enemy encountered a completely different kind of defense—mobile, coordinated, and composed. Ukraine’s system did not fall apart under the first удар; it held, adapted quickly, and began operating in ways no russian scenario had anticipated. What was supposed to be a lightning-fast air blitzkrieg turned into one of the most intense air battles of the 21st century—one that Ukraine won not through sheer numbers of missiles and aircraft, but through intelligence, flexibility, and resilience. Every timely maneuver by air defense units saved thousands of lives in the capital. Every sortie by aging MiGs disrupted enemy doctrine and shattered the myth of invincibility. 🔵 The First Strike: The Fight for Command and Control ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ In the opening hours of the invasion, russian forces launched massive missile strikes against command centers, radar stations, air defense units, and airfields. The goal was clear: “blind” Ukraine’s defenses and disorganize resistance. A key focus was the Hostomel airfield, intended as a staging ground for an airborne assault. But the system held. Within the first two days alone, the attacker lost 14 aircraft, 8 helicopters, and dozens of missiles. What was expected to be an easy operation turned into exhausting air combat, where numerical superiority could not make up for a lack of adaptability. 🔵 S-300: Staying One Step Ahead ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Dozens of missiles were launched at fixed S-300 positions—but most struck empty revetments. Ukrainian command had already dispersed its assets in advance. The S-300 systems forced enemy aircraft to abandon high-altitude operations, effectively closing off the upper airspace and denying safe bombing runs. As a result, russian aviation was pushed down to lower altitudes—straight into the range of tactical air defenses. 🔵 Buk-M1: Ambush Tactics and Mobility ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ While S-300 units controlled higher altitudes, Buk-M1 systems relied on ambush tactics. Mobile units kept their radars off most of the time, activating them only briefly based on observer reports, firing, and then quickly relocating. This approach proved highly effective against a numerically superior enemy and worked in coordination with Ukrainian fighter aviation. For russian pilots, this meant one thing: there were no safe routes over Kyiv region. These “roaming hunters” brought down multiple Su-34s and Su-35s, turning them into burning wreckage in fields near Makariv and Borodianka. 🔵 The “Ghost of Kyiv”: A Myth That Became a Weapon ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ With one Ukrainian pilot often facing five or six enemy fighters, the legend of the “Ghost of Kyiv” was born. It became a collective symbol of the pilots of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and other units defending the capital. Flying older MiG-29s and Su-27s, and often outmatched technologically, Ukrainian pilots forced close-range dogfights. Using terrain masking, they flew low to ambush enemy aircraft and effectively channel them into air defense kill zones. The legend itself had a psychological impact. Reports of Ukrainian fighters in the area sometimes caused russian pilots to jettison their bombs prematurely and turn back before reaching their targets. 1/

🔥 ON THE EVE OF PASSOVER — ISRAEL AIR FORCE STRIKES BACK "In every generation, they rise against us to destroy us, but always we stand up to the threat--and prevail over it" Last night, as families prepared for Passover, Israeli Air Force crews took off for strikes deep in Tehran. Stay connected, follow @MOSSADil

@SpeakerMenin @NYCCouncil I wonder where @LindseyBoylan is,on this. @betsyplum must be smiling!

Fair Fares has been a lifeline for working New Yorkers. The @NYCCouncil is making a significant Fair Fares expansion among our top priorities in a budget that’s fiscally responsible and invests directly in New Yorkers.

My conversation with Libby Denkmann of KUOW about the unconstitutional income tax and the unconstitutional interpretation of the emergency clause and finally about our reason and efforts to first run a referendum to straight up repeal income tax as well as back up plans. kuow.org/stories/brian-…

@BradWestPoCo Its time for Premier @BowinnMa ! At least Bowinn Ma has a pulse and can do math!

I had a convo today (with a municipal councillor, no less) where BC’s 5th consecutive credit downgrade was brushed off as a nothing burger, just the opinion of financial firms. That misses the point, because this isn’t about who’s saying it. It’s about what it means. But it did get me thinking that we need to be clear about the actual impact for real people. In simple terms: lenders see our province as higher risk, so we pay more interest to borrow. And when interest costs go up, more of your tax dollars go to servicing debt… and less goes to the things people actually rely on: healthcare, schools, infrastructure, childcare, public safety, etc Every dollar spent on interest is a dollar not spent on you. That’s not politics…that’s called math. And my point to my colleague was simple: if you care about strong public services, and especially if you want to see more of them as I do, this should matter to you most.

Since it is already making the rounds on ID... Comparison of a left tail fin of a RAF Lakenheath-based F-15E.

Iranian media has posted what appears to be debris from a USAF F-15E Strike Eagle, reportedly downed earlier today. Seen here, the remains of a vertical stabilizer.

“But for many lifelong Washingtonians, this isn't just about high earners writing bigger checks. It's another signal that success and stability are being treated as resources to tap rather than outcomes to encourage and protect.” In many ways, this law is the equivalent of California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez tweeting "F*ck Elon Musk" back in May 2020.

@PLA_MilitaryUpd Suspect those are F-15E parts Red stripe means Panthers

🚨BREAKING: 🇮🇷IRAN SHOT DOWN A🇺🇸F-35

Two female athletes, Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson, met with the head of Washington's public school system today to ask him to keep boys out of girls' sports. They say he listened but doesn't seem to be changing his position.

A must-read piece from Ukraine by my friend and @Renew_Democracy colleague @MaxBoot. Ukraine is leading the free world in battling Russian aggression, and in tech innovation at the front. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/…

FYSA #bcleg #bcpoli British Columbia pals. CC @DiaryofaFixer in particular...