From:	Mach <mach@****.CALTECH.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Those darn Azzies
Date:	Wed, 5 Aug 1998 13:55:27 -0700

On Wed, 5 Aug 1998, Paul J. Adam wrote:

> AH HA! I KNEW IT!!!! :)
>
> Sorry. Sore point :) I had a bit of a barney on r.g.f.c. some time ago
> about "flying tanks", and I suggested that the Stonewall in RBB was a
> disinformation effort, not a real flying MBT... the person I was arguing
> with insisted that because it was in RBB it had to exist and be exactly
> as described in the book.

Yeah yeah, Paul, you and your "Tanks will fly as soon as pigs do"
attitude. We never really got the whole picture on the Stonewall anyway.
It could be made to work if someone with sense were allowed to tinker
with the idea for a while. Although perhaps not with the stats as
originally given. =)

I just wish they would come out and admit that they were pulling
everybody's leg on the Banshee, that's all. I have no a priori problem
with "hovertanks" especially like my concept of the Ares Athena which
serves in a close-support role niche kind of like the A-10 and attack
helos do today. Faster and more maneuverable than tanks, but with
necessarily less firepower and armor. But not as fragile as either helos
or fixed wing aircraft either. If you require a picture, think a
ground-hugging version of the snowspeeders from _Empire Strikes Back_.

But they sure as hell aren't going to go anywhere near the sound barrier
like the Banshee is reported to do. I think we've had this conversation
before, though, so I'll quit while I'm behind.

--My two yen

Jeff