Friday, July 20, 2007
Thotz and Obsurvashions.
There's going to be a new London style camera based surveillance system installed in NYC. Hundreds of cameras and license plate readers will be installed to "keep tabs" on things in the Big Apple. I somewhat expected this to happen eventually, but I'm a bit surprised it's happening this soon. Perhaps I shouldn't. After all, the announcement is coming at a time in our history where more and more people seem willing to give up personal freedoms in the name of "safety and security." If they do indeed start nabbing people with the use of this system, expect it to be challenged. Eventually, this is gonna end up in shrub's handpicked supreme court, so expect it to be supported and become a part of our everyday lives. Wonder when they'll start installing cameras in our homes, "for our own safety?"
Years ago, while still single, my brother was living with me. He used to come home, turn the TV on but leave the sound down, and listen to music on the stereo. This really bugged me. I asked him how he could keep track of what was going on without listening to the sound. He told me "You don't need to listen to the sound to tell what's happening." So I started watching with him, and damn, you know what? He was right!! (I hate that when that happens!) I was able to keep up with the show, even "get" the jokes without listening to the script. Try it sometime. You'll be amazed. It'll also make you realize how vapid and empty most of TV is these days.
A body was found in the nose gear well on a United Airlines flight from Shanghai China. These types of "hitchhiking" rarely end well. About 75% of these attempts usually end in death. If they're not crushed by the gear as it's retracted, then they either die from the rarefied air at 30,000 feet (5.6 miles) or freeze to death from temps between -40 to -50 degrees. A terrible way to die for certain. But, putting that aside, what does this say about security at these airports? This was an inbound flight to the USA and that body could just as well have been a load of explosives.
Years ago, while still single, my brother was living with me. He used to come home, turn the TV on but leave the sound down, and listen to music on the stereo. This really bugged me. I asked him how he could keep track of what was going on without listening to the sound. He told me "You don't need to listen to the sound to tell what's happening." So I started watching with him, and damn, you know what? He was right!! (I hate that when that happens!) I was able to keep up with the show, even "get" the jokes without listening to the script. Try it sometime. You'll be amazed. It'll also make you realize how vapid and empty most of TV is these days.
A body was found in the nose gear well on a United Airlines flight from Shanghai China. These types of "hitchhiking" rarely end well. About 75% of these attempts usually end in death. If they're not crushed by the gear as it's retracted, then they either die from the rarefied air at 30,000 feet (5.6 miles) or freeze to death from temps between -40 to -50 degrees. A terrible way to die for certain. But, putting that aside, what does this say about security at these airports? This was an inbound flight to the USA and that body could just as well have been a load of explosives.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Ailiner Crash In Brazil
A Brazilian airliner landing at Conganhas Airport crashed, killing all on board, and probably some on the ground also. I won't bother with details, it's still fresh news and info is easy to find on most news websites.
Go to GoogleEarth, and type in "congonhas airport" and you'll see why this was an accident waiting to happen. The runway had just been resurfaced and there were no rain drainage grooves cut into the runway yet. Previous pilots had reported "Extremely slippery" landing conditions. There's a pretty dense build up around that airport. (To be fair, GoogleEarth Chicago Midway. You'll see it isn't much better.) However, as with Midway, due to its close proximity to businesses inside the city, Congonhas remains a popular destination.
If you'll remember, there was a mid-air collision between a Brazilian airliner (GOL Boeing 737-800) and an American corporate jet (Excel Aire Embraer Legacy 600) last September. All aboard the Boeing, which crashed in the rain jungle, died. The American jet landed safely. The two American pilots were imprisoned and had their visas and passports confiscated as Brazilian authorities insisted they were the ones at fault for the collision, and were to be tried for manslaughter. After several months, cooler heads prevailed as intense pressure was brought onto the Brazilian government, and the pilots were "allowed" to return home, upon the condition they report back immediately if summoned. (Fat chance of that happening.) It turned out that Brazilian traffic controllers erred in instructions and the crash was inevitible. More info here.
All of the posturing was an attempt by Brazilian aviation authorities to cover up air traffic control errors and mismanagement.
Worldwide, pilot's unions have been campaigning for congested areas beyond the ends of runways to be cleared of building to establish "buffer zones" beyond the thresholds of the runways. But, as usual, it's the old bugaboo, money. It would cost a great deal to acquire all those buildings, relocate any businesses and families, and clear the land. There's few in any government, here or elsewhere, with the stomach to raise taxes enough to do the job, because we're talking about billions of dollars to do the job. YOU may think it's a no-brainer, but there are PLENTY of people out there who would disagree with you. They'd tell you the tax money would be wasted and tell you "If you don't like the odds, drive."
To give you an idea of what it's like to land there, here's a video of the very same type of aircraft, an Airbus A320, landing on the accident runway (35L), but in the opposite direction. (17R) As the plane approaches the runway, that fairly large "L" shaped building just to the right of the highway is where the plane ended up. Ironically, It belongs to the airline involved. TAM.
CLICK HERE
Go to GoogleEarth, and type in "congonhas airport" and you'll see why this was an accident waiting to happen. The runway had just been resurfaced and there were no rain drainage grooves cut into the runway yet. Previous pilots had reported "Extremely slippery" landing conditions. There's a pretty dense build up around that airport. (To be fair, GoogleEarth Chicago Midway. You'll see it isn't much better.) However, as with Midway, due to its close proximity to businesses inside the city, Congonhas remains a popular destination.
If you'll remember, there was a mid-air collision between a Brazilian airliner (GOL Boeing 737-800) and an American corporate jet (Excel Aire Embraer Legacy 600) last September. All aboard the Boeing, which crashed in the rain jungle, died. The American jet landed safely. The two American pilots were imprisoned and had their visas and passports confiscated as Brazilian authorities insisted they were the ones at fault for the collision, and were to be tried for manslaughter. After several months, cooler heads prevailed as intense pressure was brought onto the Brazilian government, and the pilots were "allowed" to return home, upon the condition they report back immediately if summoned. (Fat chance of that happening.) It turned out that Brazilian traffic controllers erred in instructions and the crash was inevitible. More info here.
All of the posturing was an attempt by Brazilian aviation authorities to cover up air traffic control errors and mismanagement.
Worldwide, pilot's unions have been campaigning for congested areas beyond the ends of runways to be cleared of building to establish "buffer zones" beyond the thresholds of the runways. But, as usual, it's the old bugaboo, money. It would cost a great deal to acquire all those buildings, relocate any businesses and families, and clear the land. There's few in any government, here or elsewhere, with the stomach to raise taxes enough to do the job, because we're talking about billions of dollars to do the job. YOU may think it's a no-brainer, but there are PLENTY of people out there who would disagree with you. They'd tell you the tax money would be wasted and tell you "If you don't like the odds, drive."
To give you an idea of what it's like to land there, here's a video of the very same type of aircraft, an Airbus A320, landing on the accident runway (35L), but in the opposite direction. (17R) As the plane approaches the runway, that fairly large "L" shaped building just to the right of the highway is where the plane ended up. Ironically, It belongs to the airline involved. TAM.
CLICK HERE
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Politics As Usual...... Low Down And Dirty!!!
I read TUA's post entitled "One Free Pass Too Many" the other day and it got me to thinking. (You can read it here.) There are a couple of points in it that need expanding upon.
He says that at one time, a candidate's family and personal life was off limits. That may have been true to some extent, but really, American politics have always been lowdown and dirty. Americans have always liked it that way. They just won't admit it. Oh, sure, you'll always hear people moan and complain about the dirty politics and decry the negative ads, and swear that they just want to hear high minded discussion of the issues. Bullshit. Sorry, I'm just not buying it. I mean, what's the average American gonna pay attention to? A realistic discussion on Social Security privatization? A down to earth talk about how to restructure the health system in this country? How about a slimy article on a blow job supposedly received by the next candidate for Senate? You tell me which piece they'll read, and which one they'll ignore. This is, after all, a culture that's completely up to speed on crap like American Idol and Big Brother, yet can not tell you who their federal representative is. (John Kline, in my case, and no, I DIDN'T vote for the idiot.) Campaigns use dirty politics and attack ads because they WORK.
Even from the earliest times, our country has seen some pretty outlandish claims made by campaigns. In fact, politics was considered such a scandalous business that in the earliest elections, the candidates rarely appeared or spoke in their own behalf, leaving the dirty work to campaign committees and aides.
The 1828 presidential campaign between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson stands out. There was no love lost between these two because of a bitterly fought 1824 election. But the 1828 election got really nasty, with the Adams camp accusing Jackson of adultery, fornication and illegitimacy. Jackson wife's previous divorce was, unbeknownst to her, not finalized. Once it was, they remarried. However, one campaign pamphlet asked “Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramour husband to be placed in the highest offices of this free and Christian land?” His mother, it was claimed, was a former prostitute brought to America by British soldiers. His wife, Rachael, suffered a heart attack and died before the inauguration. Jackson layed the blame for his wife squarely at the feet of the Adams campaign. In an early version of "Swift Boating" Jackson, who was running on his reputation as a war hero, was accused of murderous misdeeds during the war of 1812 in a series of pamphlets called the "Coffin Handbills."
And, as you can see from this picture, they didn't pull any punches with editorial cartoons.
The Jackson camp didn't exactly pull any punches either. Adams, former ambassador to Russia, was accused of handing over a young servant girl to satisfy the lustful appetite of the Czar and of using public money for purchasing gambling equipment for the White House.
This is only one example. There are many others throughout history. With little effort, they're easily found.
My point is, that in a land of vapid TV programming, National Enquirer journalism, and newspapers written to a 9th grade level, we shouldn't expect anything less. Just like bad television, in my opinion, we've got no one to blame but ourselves
"Whenever a fellow tells me he is bipartisan I know he is going to vote against me."
Harry Truman
He says that at one time, a candidate's family and personal life was off limits. That may have been true to some extent, but really, American politics have always been lowdown and dirty. Americans have always liked it that way. They just won't admit it. Oh, sure, you'll always hear people moan and complain about the dirty politics and decry the negative ads, and swear that they just want to hear high minded discussion of the issues. Bullshit. Sorry, I'm just not buying it. I mean, what's the average American gonna pay attention to? A realistic discussion on Social Security privatization? A down to earth talk about how to restructure the health system in this country? How about a slimy article on a blow job supposedly received by the next candidate for Senate? You tell me which piece they'll read, and which one they'll ignore. This is, after all, a culture that's completely up to speed on crap like American Idol and Big Brother, yet can not tell you who their federal representative is. (John Kline, in my case, and no, I DIDN'T vote for the idiot.) Campaigns use dirty politics and attack ads because they WORK.
Even from the earliest times, our country has seen some pretty outlandish claims made by campaigns. In fact, politics was considered such a scandalous business that in the earliest elections, the candidates rarely appeared or spoke in their own behalf, leaving the dirty work to campaign committees and aides.
The 1828 presidential campaign between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson stands out. There was no love lost between these two because of a bitterly fought 1824 election. But the 1828 election got really nasty, with the Adams camp accusing Jackson of adultery, fornication and illegitimacy. Jackson wife's previous divorce was, unbeknownst to her, not finalized. Once it was, they remarried. However, one campaign pamphlet asked “Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramour husband to be placed in the highest offices of this free and Christian land?” His mother, it was claimed, was a former prostitute brought to America by British soldiers. His wife, Rachael, suffered a heart attack and died before the inauguration. Jackson layed the blame for his wife squarely at the feet of the Adams campaign. In an early version of "Swift Boating" Jackson, who was running on his reputation as a war hero, was accused of murderous misdeeds during the war of 1812 in a series of pamphlets called the "Coffin Handbills."
And, as you can see from this picture, they didn't pull any punches with editorial cartoons.
The Jackson camp didn't exactly pull any punches either. Adams, former ambassador to Russia, was accused of handing over a young servant girl to satisfy the lustful appetite of the Czar and of using public money for purchasing gambling equipment for the White House.
This is only one example. There are many others throughout history. With little effort, they're easily found.
My point is, that in a land of vapid TV programming, National Enquirer journalism, and newspapers written to a 9th grade level, we shouldn't expect anything less. Just like bad television, in my opinion, we've got no one to blame but ourselves
"Whenever a fellow tells me he is bipartisan I know he is going to vote against me."
Harry Truman
Monday, July 02, 2007
My interview, with questions by TUA
[Disclaimer: Hariseldon and I (TUA) have been close friends for a number of years, and share a fanaticism about most anything with wings, among other things. We email regularly. so it's a bit difficult to ask him questions w/o using personal info I know about him. But I'll do my best to play stupid and pretend I only know him from his blog. As he knows, I'm pretty damn good at it at times! Ed.]
1. Let's dispense with the obvious. Your blog is full of....well, stuff that goes through the air, and things that make a lot of noise, and leave black marks on the pavement. At what age, when and how did these love affairs start? Take as many pages as you need.
I remember falling in love with planes when I started hanging out at the Westport Library around 1960, when I was seven. I was looking through various sections in the adult area (I was lucky, there was a librarian that didn’t shoo me out of there, as many are wont to do.) when I stumbled across an illustrated book describing various types of aircraft, both military and civilian. I was immediately smitten. I thought these were some of the most beautiful and sensuous looking machines I had ever seen. Then, when my soon-to-be step dad was dating my mom, knowing my love of aircraft, he would take me down to the old Municipal airport in Kansas City to watch aircraft and talk. This was a long time ago, when you could park near the fence, and weren’t shooed away by security. The airlines were still using the Constellations and DC-7’s, airliners with four eighteen cylinder compound turbo-supercharged radials. These aircraft sound like no other, and if you’ve not heard one, I simply can’t describe it. It’s a sound like NO other. At full throttle, they’re deep, throaty and powerful. Jet’s were on their way in, and were cool to watch but the recip aircraft still hold a dear spot in my aircraft loving heart. I’ve been hooked ever since. In the summer of 1980, I decided to do something about it, and started the process of obtaining my private ticket. I was in heaven. I was finally able to join the other lucky bastards who fly. It was every bit as good as I thought it would be. And better. I felt at home. Then, after a couple of years, economic reality hit. Flying isn’t cheap, and I had to make some hard decisions. In addition to being put on the Ronald Reagan vacation plan in late 1982, my wife became pregnant with our first child. Kids aren’t cheap either. Now, to stay current, you have to do a certain amount of flying, including a prescribed number of takeoffs and landings, within a certain amount of time. I agonized over it quite a bit, and finally came to the conclusion that if I just flew the minimums, I’d be current, but I couldn’t consider myself safe. That was, and is, a big deal with me. I didn’t want to be one of those somewhat incompetent weekend warriors who smeared himself across the landscape that we read about. Now once you have your license, you don’t lose it. It just goes inactive if you don’t stay current. That means you don’t have to go through the entire training process again. You just have to visit your friendly local flight school, find a good seasoned instructor, and get some dual time in and bring your logbook up to date. When the instructor thinks you’re good to go, you get a review from an FAA inspector and once he signs you off, you’re back in business. This could take anywhere from 15 to 20 hours, depending on how rusty you are. My sons are in college, so money is still an issue. When they’re done, I’m kicking their asses out of the house and I’m getting back in the saddle.
That was the flying part.
While I’d had an abiding love of aircraft by then, I didn’t display the same infatuation for cars until my Dad’s brother brought his hot rod by. It was a 1940 Ford Deluxe Opera Coupe, with an Olds tri-power engine and a Lincoln Zephyr tranny. Primer red, with red and white tuck and roll interior. The first time he wound the motor up, dumped the clutch, and grabbed a couple of gears, I was hooked. My mom never quite forgave him for that. For a long time, it was just hot rods in general that I liked. In fact, I was partial to Chevys for a while. Then, in high school, a friend gave me a ride in his ’67 Olds 442. What a kick in the ass! It was refined, smooth, powerful, and no one else would race him. I became an Oldsmobile devotee, and have NOT forgiven GM for killing the marque. While I love all sorts of car racing, drag racing remains my favorite. I’ve since gone through a variety of cars. Oldsmobiles from the mid sixties remain my favorite, in both style and power.
2. There seems to be a dramatic increase in what's been termed "Pilot Error", that sometimes cost lives. You wrote here: ".....there was the case in Lexington Kentucky where a regional jet lined up on the wrong runway that was too short for the plane. The resulting crash killed 49 people. More recently, a Continental 757 lined up on the right heading, but landed on the taxiway next TO the runway instead. The next Monday, an Alaska Airways 737 used the wrong runway to take off."
Are these errors really the fault of the Pilots themselves, or is it the technology, the increased pressure by airlines on their pilots to adhere to schedule, "scapegoating", or other reasons? If you choose Pilot Error, please explain in detail.
All of the above.
Now, that may seem like I’m ducking the issue, but it’s been proven that in most cases, it’s not ANY ONE PARTICULAR thing that causes these incidents, but a whole combination of little things that all pile up and end in disaster. In the Kentucky incident, the pilots had flown out of that airport before. Familiarity can breed laziness and complacency. The transcripts from the cockpit voice recorder shows that these two were thinking about everything but the job at hand. They’d probably made this flight dozens of times before. But the taxiways had been recently changed because of work done on the main runway. They were flying early in the pre-dawn hours. They acknowledged clearance to use runway 22, but ended up using 26, a short runway not intended for night time use. By the time they realized they were in deep shit, they were so far behind the curve there was nothing they could do about it except hang on. The airport tower was supposed to have two controllers on duty, but there was only one. You get the picture. Just a whole lot of little things that all added up.
In other incidents, other factors include an increasingly antiquated ATC system, overworked controllers, airlines forcing less pilots to fly more hours, in many cases bumping up against FAA mandated monthly limits. (Can you say NWA??)
If automation does play a part, it’s when a crew becomes so involved in trying to solve a problem with something in the cockpit, they simply forget to fly the plane. That’s NOT unheard of. Most of the pilots flying US flagship carriers are very good at what they do. In spite of recent cutbacks by airlines looking to cut costs, US airlines still employ some of the finest pilots in the world. But their job isn’t getting any easier.
3. You wrote of an awful period of time with your Son's health, during which the possibility of losing him was very real. Now that he has fully recovered.....IF...you wish to answer: Did that have a drastic impact on your familly dynamics? If so, in what way, and what would you say to a parent facing the same type of thing?
If it had any impact that I can talk about, it had the effect of drawing us closer. This is particularly true with his brothers. Before, they had the typical love/hate brother relationship. Young men that age tend to think of themselves and others their age as being immortal. Something like this drives home the fact that life brings no guarantees to the table. Since then, they’ve been getting along better and arguing less. Now, it could be said that they’re simply becoming more mature, but I believe this made them realize that every day is a gift. This time also brought the wife and I closer together. We had to give each other a lot of support as we worked through this, and we learned more about each other in the process.
The thing I’m most grateful for is that my Son, ever the workaholic, is now taking more time to stop and smell life’s roses. Before, he was driving himself as hard as he could to finish the degree he was working on, pulling all niters studying, in addition to his job, and he had put himself under a lot of stress in the process. It turns out this stress may have partly triggered the seizure that revealed the condition. He was on about 3 hours of sleep, and hadn’t had any breakfast. Since then, he’s given himself permission to slow down a little bit and do things like sit on a bench in the middle of a park and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. At least for a few minutes. And I’m grateful he learned how to do that. Most people never figure that out. He has.
4. You've written occasionally that you like to cook. Where did you learn the art, what are a few of your favorite meals/dishes, and what would you have to say to the "Macho men stay out of the kitchen" gang?
My mom taught me a lot of what I know about the basics of cooking. She also taught me how to shop. A lot of the “fancy” stuff, like finger tip sushi and the like, I’ve taught myself. I’m not afraid to try anything in the kitchen. The first time I “fire roasted” peppers and tomatoes on the gas stove in the middle of the winter, I thought my wife was going to have a cat. (You put the tomatoes and peppers right on the open flame until the skin is seared and the meat starts to get slightly tender, then peel it under a cold stream of water. And yes, the fire alarms weren’t happy with me.
My favorite dish is chili. I also make a pretty mean batch of beef enchiladas. I really enjoy BBQ. Just this weekend, I did a turkey on the grill that turned out pretty darned good, if I do say so myself.
For the guys who don’t think they belong in the kitchen, fine. Starve your silly asses or eat raw hot dogs. Suit yourself. All of my sons know how to cook, and are pretty competent at it. Plus, their girlfriends seem to really enjoy watching me womp up a mess of food when they come over to join us for supper.
5. You just won billions in the lottery! You can have a whole fleet of airplanes to fly, and a lot full of cars to drive! But alas.....(: Your wife lays down the law and says "just one each and that's it!" Assuming you didn't get rid of your wife, what ones would that be, who makes them, and what made you choose them?
For cars, it would have to be the Chevrolet Z06 Corvette, with Lingenfelter upgrades, including twin intercooled turbochargers and 6 speed transmission. It would be “Write me a ticket Red” with approx 700+ Hp. Do you need that much horsepower? Hell no. Would it be fun to drive? Hell yes! American made muscle. ‘Nuff said!
For Aircraft, my plane of choice would have to be a North American P51 Mustang. They don’t make them any more of course, but that’s what makes them so expensive. They’re fast, good looking, noisy, and powerful. What more could a man possibly want??? There’s an old saying in aviation. “If it looks right, it’ll fly right.” The P51 looks good from any angle. I’ve studied models that I’ve made of them before. I’ve looked at it from all angles, and I simply cannot find a bad angle to this aircraft. Not one.
=========================================================================
Please be sure to include the following in the post you make with your answers.
Do YOU want to be interviewed?
Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the
questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview
someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them
five questions.
1. Let's dispense with the obvious. Your blog is full of....well, stuff that goes through the air, and things that make a lot of noise, and leave black marks on the pavement. At what age, when and how did these love affairs start? Take as many pages as you need.
I remember falling in love with planes when I started hanging out at the Westport Library around 1960, when I was seven. I was looking through various sections in the adult area (I was lucky, there was a librarian that didn’t shoo me out of there, as many are wont to do.) when I stumbled across an illustrated book describing various types of aircraft, both military and civilian. I was immediately smitten. I thought these were some of the most beautiful and sensuous looking machines I had ever seen. Then, when my soon-to-be step dad was dating my mom, knowing my love of aircraft, he would take me down to the old Municipal airport in Kansas City to watch aircraft and talk. This was a long time ago, when you could park near the fence, and weren’t shooed away by security. The airlines were still using the Constellations and DC-7’s, airliners with four eighteen cylinder compound turbo-supercharged radials. These aircraft sound like no other, and if you’ve not heard one, I simply can’t describe it. It’s a sound like NO other. At full throttle, they’re deep, throaty and powerful. Jet’s were on their way in, and were cool to watch but the recip aircraft still hold a dear spot in my aircraft loving heart. I’ve been hooked ever since. In the summer of 1980, I decided to do something about it, and started the process of obtaining my private ticket. I was in heaven. I was finally able to join the other lucky bastards who fly. It was every bit as good as I thought it would be. And better. I felt at home. Then, after a couple of years, economic reality hit. Flying isn’t cheap, and I had to make some hard decisions. In addition to being put on the Ronald Reagan vacation plan in late 1982, my wife became pregnant with our first child. Kids aren’t cheap either. Now, to stay current, you have to do a certain amount of flying, including a prescribed number of takeoffs and landings, within a certain amount of time. I agonized over it quite a bit, and finally came to the conclusion that if I just flew the minimums, I’d be current, but I couldn’t consider myself safe. That was, and is, a big deal with me. I didn’t want to be one of those somewhat incompetent weekend warriors who smeared himself across the landscape that we read about. Now once you have your license, you don’t lose it. It just goes inactive if you don’t stay current. That means you don’t have to go through the entire training process again. You just have to visit your friendly local flight school, find a good seasoned instructor, and get some dual time in and bring your logbook up to date. When the instructor thinks you’re good to go, you get a review from an FAA inspector and once he signs you off, you’re back in business. This could take anywhere from 15 to 20 hours, depending on how rusty you are. My sons are in college, so money is still an issue. When they’re done, I’m kicking their asses out of the house and I’m getting back in the saddle.
That was the flying part.
While I’d had an abiding love of aircraft by then, I didn’t display the same infatuation for cars until my Dad’s brother brought his hot rod by. It was a 1940 Ford Deluxe Opera Coupe, with an Olds tri-power engine and a Lincoln Zephyr tranny. Primer red, with red and white tuck and roll interior. The first time he wound the motor up, dumped the clutch, and grabbed a couple of gears, I was hooked. My mom never quite forgave him for that. For a long time, it was just hot rods in general that I liked. In fact, I was partial to Chevys for a while. Then, in high school, a friend gave me a ride in his ’67 Olds 442. What a kick in the ass! It was refined, smooth, powerful, and no one else would race him. I became an Oldsmobile devotee, and have NOT forgiven GM for killing the marque. While I love all sorts of car racing, drag racing remains my favorite. I’ve since gone through a variety of cars. Oldsmobiles from the mid sixties remain my favorite, in both style and power.
2. There seems to be a dramatic increase in what's been termed "Pilot Error", that sometimes cost lives. You wrote here: ".....there was the case in Lexington Kentucky where a regional jet lined up on the wrong runway that was too short for the plane. The resulting crash killed 49 people. More recently, a Continental 757 lined up on the right heading, but landed on the taxiway next TO the runway instead. The next Monday, an Alaska Airways 737 used the wrong runway to take off."
Are these errors really the fault of the Pilots themselves, or is it the technology, the increased pressure by airlines on their pilots to adhere to schedule, "scapegoating", or other reasons? If you choose Pilot Error, please explain in detail.
All of the above.
Now, that may seem like I’m ducking the issue, but it’s been proven that in most cases, it’s not ANY ONE PARTICULAR thing that causes these incidents, but a whole combination of little things that all pile up and end in disaster. In the Kentucky incident, the pilots had flown out of that airport before. Familiarity can breed laziness and complacency. The transcripts from the cockpit voice recorder shows that these two were thinking about everything but the job at hand. They’d probably made this flight dozens of times before. But the taxiways had been recently changed because of work done on the main runway. They were flying early in the pre-dawn hours. They acknowledged clearance to use runway 22, but ended up using 26, a short runway not intended for night time use. By the time they realized they were in deep shit, they were so far behind the curve there was nothing they could do about it except hang on. The airport tower was supposed to have two controllers on duty, but there was only one. You get the picture. Just a whole lot of little things that all added up.
In other incidents, other factors include an increasingly antiquated ATC system, overworked controllers, airlines forcing less pilots to fly more hours, in many cases bumping up against FAA mandated monthly limits. (Can you say NWA??)
If automation does play a part, it’s when a crew becomes so involved in trying to solve a problem with something in the cockpit, they simply forget to fly the plane. That’s NOT unheard of. Most of the pilots flying US flagship carriers are very good at what they do. In spite of recent cutbacks by airlines looking to cut costs, US airlines still employ some of the finest pilots in the world. But their job isn’t getting any easier.
3. You wrote of an awful period of time with your Son's health, during which the possibility of losing him was very real. Now that he has fully recovered.....IF...you wish to answer: Did that have a drastic impact on your familly dynamics? If so, in what way, and what would you say to a parent facing the same type of thing?
If it had any impact that I can talk about, it had the effect of drawing us closer. This is particularly true with his brothers. Before, they had the typical love/hate brother relationship. Young men that age tend to think of themselves and others their age as being immortal. Something like this drives home the fact that life brings no guarantees to the table. Since then, they’ve been getting along better and arguing less. Now, it could be said that they’re simply becoming more mature, but I believe this made them realize that every day is a gift. This time also brought the wife and I closer together. We had to give each other a lot of support as we worked through this, and we learned more about each other in the process.
The thing I’m most grateful for is that my Son, ever the workaholic, is now taking more time to stop and smell life’s roses. Before, he was driving himself as hard as he could to finish the degree he was working on, pulling all niters studying, in addition to his job, and he had put himself under a lot of stress in the process. It turns out this stress may have partly triggered the seizure that revealed the condition. He was on about 3 hours of sleep, and hadn’t had any breakfast. Since then, he’s given himself permission to slow down a little bit and do things like sit on a bench in the middle of a park and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. At least for a few minutes. And I’m grateful he learned how to do that. Most people never figure that out. He has.
4. You've written occasionally that you like to cook. Where did you learn the art, what are a few of your favorite meals/dishes, and what would you have to say to the "Macho men stay out of the kitchen" gang?
My mom taught me a lot of what I know about the basics of cooking. She also taught me how to shop. A lot of the “fancy” stuff, like finger tip sushi and the like, I’ve taught myself. I’m not afraid to try anything in the kitchen. The first time I “fire roasted” peppers and tomatoes on the gas stove in the middle of the winter, I thought my wife was going to have a cat. (You put the tomatoes and peppers right on the open flame until the skin is seared and the meat starts to get slightly tender, then peel it under a cold stream of water. And yes, the fire alarms weren’t happy with me.
My favorite dish is chili. I also make a pretty mean batch of beef enchiladas. I really enjoy BBQ. Just this weekend, I did a turkey on the grill that turned out pretty darned good, if I do say so myself.
For the guys who don’t think they belong in the kitchen, fine. Starve your silly asses or eat raw hot dogs. Suit yourself. All of my sons know how to cook, and are pretty competent at it. Plus, their girlfriends seem to really enjoy watching me womp up a mess of food when they come over to join us for supper.
5. You just won billions in the lottery! You can have a whole fleet of airplanes to fly, and a lot full of cars to drive! But alas.....(: Your wife lays down the law and says "just one each and that's it!" Assuming you didn't get rid of your wife, what ones would that be, who makes them, and what made you choose them?
For cars, it would have to be the Chevrolet Z06 Corvette, with Lingenfelter upgrades, including twin intercooled turbochargers and 6 speed transmission. It would be “Write me a ticket Red” with approx 700+ Hp. Do you need that much horsepower? Hell no. Would it be fun to drive? Hell yes! American made muscle. ‘Nuff said!
For Aircraft, my plane of choice would have to be a North American P51 Mustang. They don’t make them any more of course, but that’s what makes them so expensive. They’re fast, good looking, noisy, and powerful. What more could a man possibly want??? There’s an old saying in aviation. “If it looks right, it’ll fly right.” The P51 looks good from any angle. I’ve studied models that I’ve made of them before. I’ve looked at it from all angles, and I simply cannot find a bad angle to this aircraft. Not one.
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