Willkommen 2009

You know what 2009 will bring? A pile of poop. Ha ha, just read it.

#764

Deadly icicles outside my window, pretty awesome, I know.

On the ice in the Arctic of Utah.

Reason #764: Hangar space.

Snow days snow days!

There is something serene about the lights of Vegas at midnight, even if it was captured on a cell phone. Anyway, we desperately needed to go to Vegas before the "storm" hit, so the night before it's arrival we fled, as bumpy as it was. After being denied into Mccarren, we ended up in Northtown, we flirted with the idea of hitting Nellis AFB, but at this point I just wanted to go home.

Thankfully on the way back, we had an awesome tailwind, which bumped our ground speed up to 168 knots, that's 193 MPH for you groundies. You never get that in any normal conditions with the can I fly, we usually average 100, 110 knots on a GOOD day. Which should tell you how fast the winds were, cold front pushing it's way through. Oh, and never mind the blur, cell phone and turbulence.

Anywho, since that first initial storm last Saturday, every other day we get a gorgeous dump of new powder, usually around 4 inches. I made a snow angel before work yesterday and plan to make another in the morn. Ah, gotta love global warming, eh? If I haven't said it enough, this storm is awesome! They closed Vegas airports for a bit and diverted them up to SLC, we had an emergency divert come in to Cedar on their way to Northtown due to low fuel, ceilings were dropping fast, they made it just in time. Good times. Oh and they canceled school in St. George because Vegas is having the worst snow fall in 30 years (3 inches so far), they're just anticipating. I do love it, it's so exciting.

In case anyone was serious about my new VLJ (my toy, very light jet), the Eclipse. You can pick them up for around $1.2 mil, not bad considering they are worth $2.6. I'm just saying (clearance sale, they filed Chapter 11). But if you're REALLY REALLY serious, I'll take a Gulfstream, $20 mil on a good day, or a little cruiser Cirrus for $400,000. I'm pretty picky about colors too. I'll give you a ride, for free. Just pay for fuel. Ha ha.

Enjoy your holidays folks.

My list

What I want for Christmas, any takers? They'll be on sale. December was lonely.

I don't know how many of you have had an opportunity or patience to watch clouds build, generally they're slow and subtle. But on a moist and convective afternoon, anything is possible. The best seat in the house is obviously a mile above beloved earth, and only a few thousand few away from it. I could stare at clouds for hours watching them build, expanding effortlessly. Like smoke billowing out of some center, core of billowing possibilities. And of course it's miraculous ability to exude that very pillow, fluffy shape. As soft as they look, they're one of the most dangerous, like murderous bunnies.




The sultry air of the Tucson valley, yes sultry. Not sexy, just hot and sweaty.

Oh and I don't know what you all do on Thanksgiving besides eat your heart out, but we roll with fireworks, good ones. Come 'round for Christmas, we do the same.

#382

On occasion, I find myself in odd places, not unlike I'm used to or expect when I travel. I love these places. I find better amenities elsewhere other than my home. For instance, the big screen tv with Dish, and my choice of four couches. Around the way, sleeping rooms (I avoided using restrooms due to the nature to think toilet), with an all comfy recliner and lamp stand, and hey, some of them have a bed.




Upon awakening or television rehab recuperation, I mosey over to the kitchen, with a refrigerator and a soda machine, can't get any better. Oh, free coffee and hot cocoa.




After wetting my whistle, I have a chance to do some dishes or use a highly technological looking Hamilton Beach toaster for my Pop Tart from home.





Finally, I make my way to the real restroom, you can't see much behind the free Listerine, but this room is very nice and has a shower in it, other places I've been to have provided toothbrushes and lotion, it was great.


Anywho, reason #382 in the count as to why I love to fly, great home getaways, places I'd almost pay to be in and use but get for free. Why? Cause people think I fly the big jet out front, haha. One day, one day. I've always said I feel like a glorified trucker.

Do I like to brag? Not really, it's just really fun and cool. I am willing to share.

#136, I get paid to do it...

Cloud Chasing

My morning started out like this. Fog, a great threat to my flight which relies on VISUAL clues to accomplish maneuvers. It was moving easterly very slowly and then overtook my current position, my house. Feeling somewhat disgruntled at the situation, I continued on to work facing the inevitable, no flight.






It looks like smoke really, and I don't despise fog or any low cloud for that matter, it just ruins everything I ever try to do...




As it turns out, conditions permitted flight through these low clouds. Generally for our little carousel planes, flight into clouds usually is impossible due to the height of the clouds (and the lack of performance of our plane to go that high), or the fact that the low clouds are either associated with thunderstorms (summertime no-no), or icing (wintertime disaster). Occasionally, the planets align and fog is brought in with warmer temperatures, thin layers, and little icing. Horrible for visual flight, but perfect for instrument. You have to meet certain restrictions to LEGALLY fly into clouds and actually log it, kind of like chasing a unicorn, very coveted time for little pilots like we. Anywho, we did what we had to do, got a clearance and off into the great beyond we go! (I don't really like to use exclamation marks, this may be the only one, so enjoy it, gots to be proper sometime.)


This may be a long story, it was exciting and many picture were involved, enjoy.


This is how empty my paper started...

...and this is how full it became. When on with a controlling center, you have to abide by all of the rules and regulations and be in constant contact with people, a lot is being said, advised, amended, and informed to us, this paper has very little to do with that, ha ha. I was just a ghost writer on this trip. Most of what you see was time, position, and conditions of our flight. Decode it, I dare you.

Popping into the layer, enjoying the ride, taking in the scenery.

The other side of life, the escape, the getaway. I've seen those mountain tops hundreds of times, changing with the seasons, but seeing it on the other side of life, truly amazing. We only had about a 500ft layer, no ice, no turbulence, perfection.

We did end up getting some ice on the tires and struts around ten thousand feet in a thick cloud, was a bit bumpy but that's to be expected. 10 minutes in cloud will sometimes make you forget any training you ever had, it's funny really...

Many photos and a missed approach later, we come on in, clouds lifting, blue sky dominating, and our roller coaster coming to an end. It was a great morning to say the least.

It's a bug...

Guess who likes airplanes (for a 3 year old anyway)? Yup, my niece Tessa, actually her younger sister Skye does as well, but she didn't accompany me to the airport to gawk at my colleagues' flat tire on the taxiway.

The Fourth of November, catchy ain't it?

Yup, I voted this morning. It is my first Presidential vote, I wasn't peeing my pants in anticipation, however I do enjoy checking the race now and again during my movie marathon. Yes, it is a very important election, I will be anxious to see what will happen when the candidate I didn't vote for win, if he does. Maybe they'll change my views. But I will not, unlike many others in this country, be absolutely outraged if I don't get who I really didn't want in the office in the first place. Neither of them are absolutely fantastic, but it's what we have to work with, maybe I should have voted Green. Ha ha, I think they were both women, scary stuff...

Anyway, back to my first presidential vote, I had no idea I would wait as long as I did. The last vote I did cast I was in and out quicker than fast food, this time, a little longer, to the tune of going to Olive Garden on 'friday date night' in St. George, waiting for a table AND possibly ordering, yup, about that long.

All in all it wasn't bad in line, someone made a comment about being in the right line and I responded with a cafeteria quip (we were in a middle school). It was a nice chuckle had by all involved that ended and was never brought to life again, so then it got boring and I proceeded to do what I always do in public places, people watch, it was enjoyable. I learned that Fiji is the quintessential paradise/beach spot, even though the couple only made day trips there, they were on a cruise. When I go, I'm doing it full force, no cruise ship involved during my awesome vaca.

Approach

It gets exciting even the third or fourth time.