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Frank Van Haste

@vanhaste.com
434 followers 402 following 2K posts

PP-ASEL IR Busily retired. Ashburn, VA. I'm a docent at a large aerospace museum located in DC.

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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 6h
This morning I purchased gasoline for $4.259/gallon in northern VA. I believe that is the highest unit price I've ever experienced in the US. In 1972 I paid $0.269/gallon in CT. I recall being unable to fit $3 worth into the '71 SAAB 99E that I was driving at the time.
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Brian Dunn@briandunn.bsky.social‬ @briandunn.bsky.social · 11h
On this day in 1968, the prototype Boeing 747 jet airliner is rolled out at Everett, Washington for the press and representatives of the airlines that had ordered the plane. It made its first flight on February 9, 1969. The last 747 was delivered from Boeing on January 31, 2023.
Rollout of the first Boeing 747, September 30, 1968.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026
The linked article is quite good, and seems to be exempt from WaPo's pay-wall:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026
How the hell did they DO that??:
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U.S. Naval Institute @usni.org · 27/09/2026
NHHC has confirmed a wreck off Russia’s Kurile Islands as USS Herring (SS-233), lost in June 1944 with all 83 crew members. www.usni.org/magazines/naval-histor…
usni.org
Wreck off the Kurile Islands Confirmed as World War II–Era Submarine
NHHC has confirmed a wreck off Russia’s Kurile Islands as USS Herring (SS-233), lost in June 1944 with all 83 crew members.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 25/09/2026
Really fascinating thread on how unintended consequences of regs can muck up design:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 25/09/2026
I think this retires the "Weirdest Looking Submarine" trophy:
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Joyce Park @troutgirl.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
I once knew a Federal bank examiner, and one time someone asked him why we had to KEEP inspecting banks over and over. He basically said every new batch of business school grads invents bank fraud from first principles.
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Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“The human race is at war. Our biggest enemy, pure and simple, is ignorance.” John W. Young, born on this day in 1930
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 24/09/2026
Ahoy, @alixeharrow.bsky.social, see what my excellent county librarian has lent me. I'm a bit of a foreign visitor here as I don't usually read in the "fantasy" pile. But, hey the Rocket and all...looks pretty good, think I'll have a go. Will check back in a couple days.
Cover of Alix Harrow's Hugo-winning "The Everlasting". Ornate graphic of a sword, vertical with a single watchful eye and surrounding wreath of leaves. Overall autumnal colors. Pull quote: An utter masterpiece...I loved every single page.-Rachel Gillis
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 22/09/2026
What was your first computer growing up?
A K&E slide rule in good conditon for being about 60 years old.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026
This *might* be quite effective:
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The Red Terra @theredterra.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Every day there’s a new story about how corrupt, expensive, and inefficient our country’s healthcare infrastructure is. And completely coincidentally, we are the industrialized world’s only country without a socialized healthcare system. I’m sure those things have nothing to do with each other,
healthcaredive.com
Federal watchdog accuses Humana, UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans of upcoding
Newly released HHS OIG audits of HumanaChoice and UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin found both plans frequently exaggerated the health needs of their members, generating almost $180 million in overpayment...
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026
Yikes!:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 20/09/2026
Quote this with a picture of the aircraft you'll accept as a bribe.
Yellow Beech Staggerwing biplane in Goodyear livery. Displayed in a museum.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 19/09/2026
Really good thread on the 1980 Titan missile mishap. It should leave you VERY MUCH wanting to read Eric Schlosser's excellent "Command and Control":
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altNOAA 🇺🇸 @altnoaa.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Xenon makes up about 87 parts per billion of Earth's air (0.0000087%). If you've been in the market to buy some lately, you might have noticed it's become pretty expensive. That's mostly because dark matter science has purchased nearly the entire world market supply. And you thought diesel was bad.
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Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
A brief moment of zen for your timeline … the boat train on the Elbląg Canal in Poland.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 16/09/2026
The linked USNI article is very correct and very brave. I hope the author's career survived its publication:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 14/09/2026
Good history here re: Merchant Marine/Merchant Navy terms:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 14/09/2026
Ahoy, @naomikritzer.bsky.social, look what my county librarian has lent to me (after a too-long delay between request and availability☹️; I've gotten spoiled). Anyway, so glad to have it now, will check back in a couple days.
Cover of "Obstetrix" by Naomi Kritzer. Graphic: A hypodermic syringe upright, sharp pointing down. It casts a false shadow on the pink background.  The shadow has the shape of a Christian cross. Low to the right a quote in faded, barely visible white says "O Lord, deliver us."
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 13/09/2026
Good🧵 on remembering the Merchant Mariners of the SWW. (My Uncle Hank was one of them who came home. He would not talk about what he had seen.):
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 11/09/2026
Concur:
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Sea⚡Kelpie 🔥🐉 @seakelpie.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
🧵
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Colleen Mondor @chasingray.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Federal Aviation Administration. That’s what I’m thinking about today, the quiet and consummate professionalism of the FAA employees who called a ground stop, then shut down US airspace & then worked quickly & efficiently to assist pilots in safely finding airports to land. The FAA did its job.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Burns.
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Wesley Morgan @wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
There are a few stories that I used to make a point of re-reading on 9/11 and am returning to this year—the New Yorker articles about Rick Rescorla and John O’Neill, the Falling Man article in Esquire, and this WaPo story about Heather Penney, the F-16 pilot who very nearly had to ram Flight 93.
washingtonpost.com
F-16 pilot was ready to give her life on Sept. 11
A pilot reflects on one of the lesser-told tales of Sept. 11: how the first counterpunch the U.S. military prepared to throw at the attackers was effectively a suicide mission.
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Don Brown @gettheflick.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It is always with mixed emotions air traffic controllers remember their finest hour happened on such a dark, tragic day. But today, I think it appropriate to remind people the Canadian controllers -- and people -- responded just as heroically. They are our friends. They deserve better from us. 🇨🇦🇺🇲
en.wikipedia.org
Operation Yellow Ribbon - Wikipedia
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 09/09/2026
Short 🧵 links to a very cool B-29 story:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 09/09/2026
Another interesting "inside baseball" thread on the gem trade from Neil. Fascinatin' stuff; thanks, Neil!:
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Kevin M. Levin @civilwarmemory.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It is likely that the next Smithsonian secretary will be qualified for the position. The lingering question, however, is whether he or she will be as outspoken a champion for honest and inclusive history as Lonnie Bunch has been throughout his career.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 08/09/2026
Good for Lonnie; not so for us:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 07/09/2026
Ahoy, @johnchu.bsky.social, look what my esteemed county librarian has lent to me. It looks very cool; I'll cycle back in a few days after I've digested it.
Cover of "The Subtle Art of Folding Space" by John Chu. Pull quote: "A work of crystalline vision and meticulous humanity."-Max Gladstone  Graphic: Asian restaurant vessels arranged vertically, holding dumplings at top and planets at bottom; two hands wield chopsticks. Blue background.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 06/09/2026
Ahoy, @lauriestories.bsky.social, look what was seen in the wild today at Barnes & Noble in Tysons Corner, VA. Prominent front-facing display in front-of-store non-fiction, and on sale to boot! Nice to see strong merchandising for such a fine book.
Bookstore shelf showing Laurie Gwen Shapiro's "The Aviator and the Showman" prominently displayed.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 06/09/2026
Ahoy, @vermontgmg.bsky.social, look what was seen in the wild today at Barnes & Noble in Tysons Corner, VA. Seems B&N has an eye on the calendar and your backlist is working for you. Prominent display in front-of-store non-fiction. Nice to see good merchandising for a very fine book.
Bookstore shelf with Garrett Graff's "The Only Plane in the Sky" displayed prominently.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 06/09/2026
Ahoy, @alanallport.bsky.social, look what was seen in the wild today at Barnes & Noble in Tysons Corner, VA. Front-facing display in the "New & Notable Non-Fiction" at front of store. Very nice merchandising for a very fine book.
Bookstore shelf showing Alan Allport's "Advance Britannia" on prominent display.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 06/09/2026
This is lovely:
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 06/09/2026
Perceptive, as always, from Jim:
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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Ahead of next week's 25th anniversary, I wrote about what to me has always been the most fascinating moment of 9/11—the 17 minutes between the first attack and the second, when you can glimpse how innocent America was on that Tuesday morning in 2001: www.nationalgeographic.com/history/grap...
nationalgeographic.com
The 17 Minutes That Changed America
The earliest moments of the September 11 attacks did not unfold the way we often remember. Here’s how those surreal 17 minutes changed America forever.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 31/08/2026
Really fascinating🧵of pics & info on a covey of pre-SWW British types. Don't neglect the well-done alts:
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Today’s @doonesbury.bsky.social takes on the Reflecting Pool
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DragonAt60 @dragonat60.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
It is and will always be Lake Ontario. If that annoys the oragn🦧utan, then so be it.
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/08/2026
What Don said:
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Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
“Do you think anyone is coming to this March?” Cox remembered Rustin worriedly asking him. Shortly after, Cox saw a group of young NAACP members from Virginia arrive. They were not the last.
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Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
"I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer." Neil Armstrong, who died on this day in 2012
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Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future." Ray Bradbury, born on this day in 1920
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 20/08/2026
Garrett nails it again:
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David Rooney @rooneyvision.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I hope my US followers are recovering after their celebrations of yesterday's National Aviation Day. If you haven't read THE BIG HOP I think you are probably incomplete. The Wall Street Journal (@wsj.com) called it "Riveting." Who am I to argue? wwnorton.com/books/the-bi...
wwnorton.com
The Big Hop
“Riveting.… [R]estores the 1919 achievement of those two young men, Alcock and Brown, to their rightful place in aviation history.” —Julia Flynn Siler, Wall Street JournalThe ...
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Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 19/08/2026
Is funny:
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Hupple’s Cat @hupplescat.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Instead of Top Gun XXIV, how 'bout a movie about the Schneider Cup, from 1919 until 1931 when the Brits walked away with the trophy for good. Great locations — Monaco, Venice, Bournemouth, Hampton Roads, Baltimore, Naples, Cowes, and Calshot Spit — great airplanes — including one by RJ Mitchell...
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