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A NASA high-altitude research plane made a dramatic belly landing today at Ellington Airport in Houston, Texas today. Following a mechanical issue the plane was forced to land with its landing gear raised, showering the field with sparks and flame before it came to a stop. Luckily, the crew survived unscathed! Here's video of the incident:

But what does this have to do with Wing Commander? The plane in question is a Martin WB-57 Canberra which is a manufactured-under-license modification of a British Cold War bomber design: the English Electric Canberra. Behind the scenes fiends may already recognize that a B 2 model English Electric Canberra cockpit was used to build the Broadsword bomber set for the Wing Commander movie!

Even though the first Canberra flew over 75 years ago, several continue to serve in utility roles today as the type proved itself excellent for high altitude research and photo-recon

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Last Friday was the birthday of movie club member and good friend Trelane so he was allowed to pick from the queue for next week's movie. And he picked… Air Force One (1997)! He explained the choice: "In an effort to make myself not feel 45, it will be one that reminds me of being a teenager." It's hard to argue, my memory of being a teenager certainly includes Air Force One being a perfect action movie. Will it hold up? And what does it have to do with Wing Commander? We'll find out! You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

Air Force One is another case from where Chris Roberts sourced music to temp track the Wing Commander movie. This time the track in question is called Free Flight. It was used for the scene early in the film where Blair delivers Admiral Tolwyn's message to Sansky and Gerald. You can listen to it below!

... and that was a good choice since Air Force One also stars

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A health-conscious video recorded by holovid action star William "Big Bill" Ventura has gone viral on interstellar networks, sparking a wave of positivity.
Known for comedic roles in traditional 'real cast' productions such as 'Malacticus Runs Again' and 'For A Few Credits Less', Ventura's notoriously vibrant party lifestyle has often made him a popular figure of fun and mischief in many celebrity gossip sections.
But a recent self-produced video of Ventura's workout regimen has exploded in popularity, with the actor showing a remarkable body transformation to lean, fit and strong.
"I've dedicated the past year to improving myself after growing unhappy with my image," Ventura told Corinne Macintyre of the Alliance Tribune. "My energy levels have been through the roof, and after putting in so much effort I feel like I can achieve anything! I want to hike across the rainforests of Planet Lave in

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Much of the United States is facing a major snow storm today so we thought we'd recognize that by unboxing a Kilrathi cold weather survival kit! As seen in The Price of Victory, this package stored aboard your average Dralthi medium fighter contains survival equipment necessary for navigating an icy moon...

First up, these Kilrathi hooded jackets don't just look smart, they're essential for staying warm in a hostile environment. One size apparently fits all!

You've also got a handy laser pistol. Blair seems to prefer this to his own sidearm, as he ignores the one in his own human survival kit to brandish this. It's the same model seen throughout the series arming a variety of types of Kilrathi soldiers.

Finally, we've got a transciever that is capable of audio communication with nearby spacecraft allowing them to locate you for rescue.

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We've shown you some of Cybot's Wing Commander work before... and now they're back with an original take on Wing Commander II's Free Trader civilian freighter re-styled as it might appear in Wing Commander Privateer! You can download a copy of the model for yourself:

• Free Trader Mesh
• Hangar Mesh
• Textures

Cybot has also posted a collection of additional textures for cargo done in the Privateer style. There's some funny stuff here!

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We've made it through Heaven's Gate! Going into it, the run time was really all we could think about; 3.5 hours?! And of course the ancient claim that it was the worst movie ever made didn't help. But the truth is that it's a brilliant, beautiful movie that is more relevant today than it ever was. A government run by the rich deciding the poor are terrorists and must be eliminated so their land can be taken? Seems familiar! In the end the run time is nothing, it ebbs and flows in front of your eye and you do not lose interest because it's so beautifully done.

My biggest question going in: is there some reason the system/starbase in Wing Commander II is named Heaven's Gate? And after watching the movie carefully I think I have the answer. In the film, Heaven's Gate is the name of the skating rink in Casper. We first see it when the townspeople celebrate and Averill and Watson dance together. It's the