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“Why do the Americans claim the the USS Constitution is the oldest comissioned naval vessel (223 years old) even though ...
07/27/2024

“Why do the Americans claim the the USS Constitution is the oldest comissioned naval vessel (223 years old) even though the HMS Victory is 242 years old?”

I have yet to meet an American who claims that the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel. I agree 100% that HMS Victory owns that bit of historical trivia.

However, as an American who is quite fond of technicalities, I am proud to state that “Old Ironsides" is the oldest naval vessel afloat, as Victory sits fat, dry and happy in a permanent drydock.

HMS Victory happy in drydock. And give her some credit, if you go by her launch year of 1765, she's almost 255 years young.

USS Constitution still struttin' her stuff at 223.

Both ships are beautiful examples of their nations' shipbuilding prowess and I am glad that they are still around, in or out of water!

If a military jet is low on fuel and needs it, are they allowed to use regular airports if one is nearby (assuming it's ...
07/27/2024

If a military jet is low on fuel and needs it, are they allowed to use regular airports if one is nearby (assuming it's in allied territory and far from military bases)?
Military aircraft routinely land at civilian airfields. No emergency is required.

The only requirement is usually that the FBO, which provides fuel and services to visiting aircraft, will accept government fuel cards, which look and function just like a regular credit/debit card. Almost all do; in fact, they try to incentivize military aircraft visits, by offering free or very cheap food and other amenities. My squadron’s favorite cross-country stop was an FBO outside Topeka, which offered huge plates of amazing KC-style BBQ for $5.

Military airfields are usually preferred for fuel stops, because it’s government (as opposed to commercial) gas and there are fewer security concerns, but it’s not mandatory.

Landing at foreign civil fields adds some logistical and bureaucratic hurdles, but they’re rarely insurmountable. Provided of course the local government isn’t unfriendly to the US.

Edit to answer some of the questions:

Civil aircraft use Jet-A and -A1 fuel. Military jets use JP-8 fuel (JP-5 aboard ship), which is essentially just Jet-A1 with some additives. There are some rules about mixing fuel types, but generally speaking, military jets can use Jet-A/A1 with no problems.

Military aircraft can buy fuel from an FBO so long as the company has agreed to offer the USG fuel rate. Just like there are negotiated government rates for airline travel, rental cars, hotel rooms, etc, for military travelers. If you need to make an unplanned drop into a field without “contract gas,” you can still fuel up, there’s just some extra paperwork to justify it.

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