Apologies to Loudon Wainwright III.....
I'm not gonna discuss Skunks, but Armadillos!
When Ole Prairie Dog and Greybeard were going to
Primary Flight School in Mineral Wells, TX.,
(Miserable Gulch to those of us training there),
it was not abnormal to observe a dead Armadillo about every 50 feet alongside the road on a normal cross-country drive.
Later, on drives in Florida and Southern Alabama, we encountered them too.
The Armadillos' natural defense against enemies dooms them when they meet with autos. Encountering a predator, they jump straight up two or three feet, and then beat a retreat while their opponent is trying to recover from this strange behavior.
When a car passes over them on the road, the "straight up jump" is followed by a "thump" and a tumble down the road at speeds faster than they have ever gone in their lives, resulting in dead Armadillo alongside the road!
On a drive North of Birmingham last month, I was surprised to see Armadillo carcasses alongside the road! Conventional wisdom was that they wouldn't be able to withstand cold temperatures North of Southern Alabama!
A quick google check turned up this site, which I found interesting:
http://www.theharbinger.org/salvo/951010.html
They eat fire ants?
Next time I'll swerve a little harder to avoid passing over one!
UPDATE:
Illinois? Are you kidding?
Nope!........
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503180231mar18,1,3428288.story
31 May 2005
30 May 2005
Job Satisfaction
1 A.M., and it's DARK!
We landed on the centerline of the hilly, curvy highway
in a very tight LZ,
the red/blue lights of 15 or or so emergency vehicles flashing around us..........
Police Cars,
Fire Engines,
Rescue Trucks,
Ambulances.
A BRAND NEW, Red, Pontiac Trans Am was bent nearly in half around a surprisingly small tree.
The car had departed the road at a high rate of speed at a sheer drop-off and had flown about 20 feet where it struck and wrapped itself around the tree........suspended 5 feet in the air, making it exceedingly difficult for first responders to extricate the driver!
He was bleeding pretty badly.
The car was full of Teens.......amazingly, three others, all belted in, were relatively unhurt and had somehow gotten out of the car and jumped to the ground to call for help for the trapped driver.
The extrication took so long, I finally shut the aircraft down to wait.
By the time they brought the 17 year old patient up the hill to the aircraft, my nurse was worried we didn't have enough fluids to replace his lost blood. She made the comment, "His heart needs something to pump........if we had a Coca Cola, I'd be tempted to put it in his IV!"
He made it alive to the Trauma Center. I didn't follow up on him.
About a year later I was giving R22 rides at a fly-in at a local airport when a classy looking, older couple walked up to the aircraft.........
We hear you also work for "**** ********?"
"Yes, I do, why?"
"Our son was involved in an accident a little over a year ago on Highway ###, do you know anything about it?"
"Was he driving a new Trans Am?"
"Yes."
"I was the pilot that flew him out."
And this attractive couple began to cry.
Their son was alive and in rehab. He was learning to walk and talk again, after being head injured and busted up badly.
He had to use crutches, but was at home after a long hospital stay.
The older gentleman was a pilot and owned a classic old Stearman Biplane.
He gave me his business card, which had a picture of the airplane on it.
He wrote "Thank You" on the back of the card and signed his name.
"If you ever make it here to the airport in the future, call me, and I'll take you for the best Stearman ride you have ever had!"
I never took him up on the ride.
I frequently wish I had.
But their tears said more than enough.
We landed on the centerline of the hilly, curvy highway
in a very tight LZ,
the red/blue lights of 15 or or so emergency vehicles flashing around us..........
Police Cars,
Fire Engines,
Rescue Trucks,
Ambulances.
A BRAND NEW, Red, Pontiac Trans Am was bent nearly in half around a surprisingly small tree.
The car had departed the road at a high rate of speed at a sheer drop-off and had flown about 20 feet where it struck and wrapped itself around the tree........suspended 5 feet in the air, making it exceedingly difficult for first responders to extricate the driver!
He was bleeding pretty badly.
The car was full of Teens.......amazingly, three others, all belted in, were relatively unhurt and had somehow gotten out of the car and jumped to the ground to call for help for the trapped driver.
The extrication took so long, I finally shut the aircraft down to wait.
By the time they brought the 17 year old patient up the hill to the aircraft, my nurse was worried we didn't have enough fluids to replace his lost blood. She made the comment, "His heart needs something to pump........if we had a Coca Cola, I'd be tempted to put it in his IV!"
He made it alive to the Trauma Center. I didn't follow up on him.
About a year later I was giving R22 rides at a fly-in at a local airport when a classy looking, older couple walked up to the aircraft.........
We hear you also work for "**** ********?"
"Yes, I do, why?"
"Our son was involved in an accident a little over a year ago on Highway ###, do you know anything about it?"
"Was he driving a new Trans Am?"
"Yes."
"I was the pilot that flew him out."
And this attractive couple began to cry.
Their son was alive and in rehab. He was learning to walk and talk again, after being head injured and busted up badly.
He had to use crutches, but was at home after a long hospital stay.
The older gentleman was a pilot and owned a classic old Stearman Biplane.
He gave me his business card, which had a picture of the airplane on it.
He wrote "Thank You" on the back of the card and signed his name.
"If you ever make it here to the airport in the future, call me, and I'll take you for the best Stearman ride you have ever had!"
I never took him up on the ride.
I frequently wish I had.
But their tears said more than enough.
Memorial Day
This came today, addressed to several veterans, from a Paramedic that used to fly with me.......
(and Sis, this means you, too!)
Hello,
Every Memorial Day and Veteran's Day I try to take a moment and simply inhale the freedom that surrounds me and my family.
I wouldn't have that opportunity if there were not men and women like you who stood up and said "I Will" when the call came.
The fields of battle have taken your brothers and sisters, and mine.
Husbands, wives, sons and daughters have given life and limb
so that I may not worry for mine.
Thank every one of you who has served, continues to serve or has lost one who served.
As long as I live I will thank you and remember you for your sacrifices.
Mike
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
General George S. Patton Jr.
Wow.
It's wonderful to get a note like this.
Thank you, Mike, for taking the time to make me feel better!
And I say, to all those men and women out there selfless enough to risk their lives for others:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And I also thank you for those that won't say it,
and use their freedoms to denigrate you and subvert your goals,
and are too self-centered to think how without you, their lives might not be worth living!
(and Sis, this means you, too!)
Hello,
Every Memorial Day and Veteran's Day I try to take a moment and simply inhale the freedom that surrounds me and my family.
I wouldn't have that opportunity if there were not men and women like you who stood up and said "I Will" when the call came.
The fields of battle have taken your brothers and sisters, and mine.
Husbands, wives, sons and daughters have given life and limb
so that I may not worry for mine.
Thank every one of you who has served, continues to serve or has lost one who served.
As long as I live I will thank you and remember you for your sacrifices.
Mike
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
General George S. Patton Jr.
Wow.
It's wonderful to get a note like this.
Thank you, Mike, for taking the time to make me feel better!
And I say, to all those men and women out there selfless enough to risk their lives for others:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And I also thank you for those that won't say it,
and use their freedoms to denigrate you and subvert your goals,
and are too self-centered to think how without you, their lives might not be worth living!
Fallout From the "Non" EU Vote
The French have voted NO on the EU Constitution.
Holland and Denmark are scheduled to vote soon, and may also vote "NO".
The long term fallout from this is impossible to predict, but it will be interesting to watch the near-term reaction of the rest of the world.
I would think there will be an immediate flight back into U.S. dollar assets, positively affecting our Bond and Stock markets, at least in the short term.
The negative effect on European Nations will make them less able to buy our exports, and that will have a negative long-term effect on our economy.
Is this the beginning of an economic "sea change"?
Keep your eyes open.
Holland and Denmark are scheduled to vote soon, and may also vote "NO".
The long term fallout from this is impossible to predict, but it will be interesting to watch the near-term reaction of the rest of the world.
I would think there will be an immediate flight back into U.S. dollar assets, positively affecting our Bond and Stock markets, at least in the short term.
The negative effect on European Nations will make them less able to buy our exports, and that will have a negative long-term effect on our economy.
Is this the beginning of an economic "sea change"?
Keep your eyes open.
A Religion of Peace......
We all need to know what we are dealing with:
http://activistchat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4985&view=next
I guess this is what happens if you don't wear your Burkha?
http://activistchat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4985&view=next
I guess this is what happens if you don't wear your Burkha?
29 May 2005
Try not to gloat!
From "U.S.S. Neverdock".........
"You may be forgiven if this is news to you: The mainstream media have chosen to ignore or downplay the significance of the UN’s vindication of President Bush’s policies. In fact, the predictably left-leaning Reuters news service blamed these WMD shipments…on America. Reuters wrote that “the U.S.-led occupation force” had not adequately “protected sites or items that inspectors tagged before the war because of their potential use in weapons of mass destruction.”
http://ussneverdock.blogspot.com/2004/07/bush-lied-campaign-collapses-democrats.html
Don't ya love it when the truth catches 'em with their pants down?!
"You may be forgiven if this is news to you: The mainstream media have chosen to ignore or downplay the significance of the UN’s vindication of President Bush’s policies. In fact, the predictably left-leaning Reuters news service blamed these WMD shipments…on America. Reuters wrote that “the U.S.-led occupation force” had not adequately “protected sites or items that inspectors tagged before the war because of their potential use in weapons of mass destruction.”
http://ussneverdock.blogspot.com/2004/07/bush-lied-campaign-collapses-democrats.html
Don't ya love it when the truth catches 'em with their pants down?!
Inverted Aircraft
Today is the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500, my favorite auto race.
I'm always amazed, watching these cars, to realize these drivers are going faster down the back straight than I have ever gone in a helicopter!
A contemporary once related this story:
He was flying an Agusta 109 and was contracted to take videos of Mario Andretti in his Indy car at a test track at Phoenix.
They had to choreograph their timing to insure the helicopter was going full speed in the corner so they could video Mario come out of the corner and down the backstretch, going a full 60 miles per hour faster than the top speed of the Agusta.......a VERY fast helicopter!
These cars use lift in reverse (downforce) to stick them to the track. Above 120 m.p.h., theoretically they could actually drive upside-down, if they had a track that would allow them to do that!
I'd like to see a video of that!
I'm always amazed, watching these cars, to realize these drivers are going faster down the back straight than I have ever gone in a helicopter!
A contemporary once related this story:
He was flying an Agusta 109 and was contracted to take videos of Mario Andretti in his Indy car at a test track at Phoenix.
They had to choreograph their timing to insure the helicopter was going full speed in the corner so they could video Mario come out of the corner and down the backstretch, going a full 60 miles per hour faster than the top speed of the Agusta.......a VERY fast helicopter!
These cars use lift in reverse (downforce) to stick them to the track. Above 120 m.p.h., theoretically they could actually drive upside-down, if they had a track that would allow them to do that!
I'd like to see a video of that!
28 May 2005
LTE (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness)
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27 May 2005
Roller Skates Don't Kill People.......
It made the news because it was odd:
A teenager in a town 20 miles South of us had killed an acquaintance with a roller skate!
(This was 20 years ago.........and was a "pre"-inline, metal, ya gotta have a key to attach them to your shoes- type skate.)
At the time I chuckled to myself:
"How long before there are calls to register roller skates?"
Now, from the U.K., on the heels of their disastrous gun control legislation, comes something just as ridiculous!
Emeril Lagasse beware......they're coming to your kitchen!
A teenager in a town 20 miles South of us had killed an acquaintance with a roller skate!
(This was 20 years ago.........and was a "pre"-inline, metal, ya gotta have a key to attach them to your shoes- type skate.)
At the time I chuckled to myself:
"How long before there are calls to register roller skates?"
Now, from the U.K., on the heels of their disastrous gun control legislation, comes something just as ridiculous!
Emeril Lagasse beware......they're coming to your kitchen!
26 May 2005
Why They Get it Wrong
The New York Times is laying off 190 employees, mostly at their flagship newspaper.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/2234074066
I think they're in big trouble.
I regularly read the free online version of the newspaper, but I wouldn't subscribe to the "kill trees" version of the blurb because I don't want to put money into the pockets of an organization I perceive as having a terrible left leaning bias.
Faced with Democracy breaking out in Iraq, Egypt, and Lebanon...
and Libya and Syria looking more and more moderate, The Times has been unable to find a kind word to say about the President and his influence in the region.
As a retired soldier that truly believes we have been at war with Muslim fanatics since the first of the Palestinian hijackings back in the 1970's, I'm disheartened by the anti-military, anti-Bush harangue I am exposed to every time I try to read the Gray Lady! It's my impression they have an agenda to follow, and facts that don't advance their agenda don't make it into print.
But there is another problem, and the NYT isn't the only media outlet that fails this test:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ep/20050524/en_bpiep/studyjournospublicholddivergentviewsonmedia (Thanks to Rogerlsimon.com)
Their credibility is gone.
I think too many people have had the same experience I have had...
Let me relate why I'm concerned about the details of the news we recieve.
For several years I flew the traffic helicopter for a "50,000 watt Blowtorch" Midwestern AM radio station that is heard regularly in 43 states.
Suffice it to say, if I mentioned the station's call letters, you'd know them...
a "giant" in the information transmission business.
I had preflighted the aircraft. The traffic reporter and I were waiting until takeoff time, listening to the news on the station for whom we would be doing traffic reports in 15 minutes.
On the local news, there was a report that a well known owner of a large local business had been killed flying his "helicopter".
I knew this man, and I knew his machine.
At this time in my life, I frequently went to fly-ins at airports to give helicopter rides in the R22. At many of these events, you would run into the same folks you had seen at another meet in another town, just two or three weeks ago.
The gentleman in question had a bad heart. He could not pass an FAA flight physical, but he still wanted to fly.
There are ways of doing this... ultralight aircraft are not registered by the FAA, and no flight physical is required to fly them.
(The FAA's thought process on them is that they are so light, the only person at risk from them is the person flying them!)
This old fella had purchased an ultralight gyroplane, and flew it almost every weekend. He loved going to fly-ins to socialize with other people that fly.
He had a zest for life.......he was interesting and fun to be around.
My guess is that his ticker gave out while he was flying. He may have been dead before his aircraft hit the ground.
A sad event, certainly, but I take comfort knowing he died doing something he truly loved to do.
But back to the problem at hand. A gyroplane... sometimes called a "gyrocopter", is NOT a helicopter!
They cannot hover. They are more like airplanes... using a rotor instead of a fixed-wing to lift them into the air, and a regular propellor to drive them forward.
They DO NOT fly like helicopters... to fly them safely, you must fly them like an airplane.
I discussed the station's reporting error with the traffic reporter, and he suggested I call the newsroom to correct their mistake. I had him make the call, to lend credence to my information, then hand me the phone for the explanation. I talked with the woman that had filed the report and told her the report she had given was in error. She thanked me for my correction, and I got off the phone feeling like I had made the world a tiny bit better.
In half an hour she did the report again, and didn't change a word!
I couldn't believe it.
I realize the difference is unimportant to the general public, but how hard would it have been to have announced he died flying a gyroplane, rather than by crashing his "helicopter"? He didn't crash his helicopter... he didn't have one to crash! With the correct information at hand, why not get the story EXACTLY right?
And there is my question...
I consider myself an expert in my field. Media folks can be experts in their field... "the media", but they generally have no detailed knowledge of technology, protocols, or procedures they report on. Wouldn't you hope they would lean heavily on industry experts to get their stories straight?
How often does this happen? If they screw up every story they broadcast as they did this one, even if it is by the tiniest little bit, how often do they get the story right?
In this case, they didn't. They knew I was an expert and ignored my correction.
Why? Maybe because it was too much trouble. Maybe the reporter felt it made no difference to her listeners. In this case, I don't think there was a willful attempt to mislead.
I'm NOT sure of that in the case of political stories in the NYT!
With expert information just a keyboard away, the major media outlets have to strive to NAIL their information if they want to regain the confidence of their audience.
With some sources, I double and triple check the information they broadcast these days.
I'm amazed at the disinformation I receive from friends and family!
They still WANT to believe.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/2234074066
I think they're in big trouble.
I regularly read the free online version of the newspaper, but I wouldn't subscribe to the "kill trees" version of the blurb because I don't want to put money into the pockets of an organization I perceive as having a terrible left leaning bias.
Faced with Democracy breaking out in Iraq, Egypt, and Lebanon...
and Libya and Syria looking more and more moderate, The Times has been unable to find a kind word to say about the President and his influence in the region.
As a retired soldier that truly believes we have been at war with Muslim fanatics since the first of the Palestinian hijackings back in the 1970's, I'm disheartened by the anti-military, anti-Bush harangue I am exposed to every time I try to read the Gray Lady! It's my impression they have an agenda to follow, and facts that don't advance their agenda don't make it into print.
But there is another problem, and the NYT isn't the only media outlet that fails this test:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ep/20050524/en_bpiep/studyjournospublicholddivergentviewsonmedia (Thanks to Rogerlsimon.com)
Their credibility is gone.
I think too many people have had the same experience I have had...
Let me relate why I'm concerned about the details of the news we recieve.
For several years I flew the traffic helicopter for a "50,000 watt Blowtorch" Midwestern AM radio station that is heard regularly in 43 states.
Suffice it to say, if I mentioned the station's call letters, you'd know them...
a "giant" in the information transmission business.
I had preflighted the aircraft. The traffic reporter and I were waiting until takeoff time, listening to the news on the station for whom we would be doing traffic reports in 15 minutes.
On the local news, there was a report that a well known owner of a large local business had been killed flying his "helicopter".
I knew this man, and I knew his machine.
At this time in my life, I frequently went to fly-ins at airports to give helicopter rides in the R22. At many of these events, you would run into the same folks you had seen at another meet in another town, just two or three weeks ago.
The gentleman in question had a bad heart. He could not pass an FAA flight physical, but he still wanted to fly.
There are ways of doing this... ultralight aircraft are not registered by the FAA, and no flight physical is required to fly them.
(The FAA's thought process on them is that they are so light, the only person at risk from them is the person flying them!)
This old fella had purchased an ultralight gyroplane, and flew it almost every weekend. He loved going to fly-ins to socialize with other people that fly.
He had a zest for life.......he was interesting and fun to be around.
My guess is that his ticker gave out while he was flying. He may have been dead before his aircraft hit the ground.
A sad event, certainly, but I take comfort knowing he died doing something he truly loved to do.
But back to the problem at hand. A gyroplane... sometimes called a "gyrocopter", is NOT a helicopter!
They cannot hover. They are more like airplanes... using a rotor instead of a fixed-wing to lift them into the air, and a regular propellor to drive them forward.
They DO NOT fly like helicopters... to fly them safely, you must fly them like an airplane.
I discussed the station's reporting error with the traffic reporter, and he suggested I call the newsroom to correct their mistake. I had him make the call, to lend credence to my information, then hand me the phone for the explanation. I talked with the woman that had filed the report and told her the report she had given was in error. She thanked me for my correction, and I got off the phone feeling like I had made the world a tiny bit better.
In half an hour she did the report again, and didn't change a word!
I couldn't believe it.
I realize the difference is unimportant to the general public, but how hard would it have been to have announced he died flying a gyroplane, rather than by crashing his "helicopter"? He didn't crash his helicopter... he didn't have one to crash! With the correct information at hand, why not get the story EXACTLY right?
And there is my question...
I consider myself an expert in my field. Media folks can be experts in their field... "the media", but they generally have no detailed knowledge of technology, protocols, or procedures they report on. Wouldn't you hope they would lean heavily on industry experts to get their stories straight?
How often does this happen? If they screw up every story they broadcast as they did this one, even if it is by the tiniest little bit, how often do they get the story right?
In this case, they didn't. They knew I was an expert and ignored my correction.
Why? Maybe because it was too much trouble. Maybe the reporter felt it made no difference to her listeners. In this case, I don't think there was a willful attempt to mislead.
I'm NOT sure of that in the case of political stories in the NYT!
With expert information just a keyboard away, the major media outlets have to strive to NAIL their information if they want to regain the confidence of their audience.
With some sources, I double and triple check the information they broadcast these days.
I'm amazed at the disinformation I receive from friends and family!
They still WANT to believe.
An Unbeatable Record!
Truly remarkable:
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_002441.shtml
If he blew the landing, who'd come and get him?!
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_002441.shtml
If he blew the landing, who'd come and get him?!
25 May 2005
Assisted Suicide
Five minutes into my shift we got the call:
"Your patient is a 21 year old male. He was a pedestrian, struck by a car."
But that wasn't the whole story.......
When we arrived at a very busy "Littletown" Regional Hospital, you could see the fatigue on the faces of all the ER personnel. This was early Saturday afternoon..........warm and comfortable...... prelude to an equally comfortable night. A night for beer, barbecue, and socializing.
The "Natives" were restless!
Already tired, the folks in this ER were in for a wild evening!
Our patient turned out to be schizophrenic. He had stepped in front of the car because he didn't want to hear voices anymore.
Banged up, bruised and lacerated, a broken femur was his worst injury.
But it made me think...........
Last fall, Sara Jean and I were driving home after eating dinner at a restaurant in a neighboring town. It was late.........drizzling and uncomfortable. Up ahead, I saw emergency flashers on a car pulled over on the shoulder. I slowed as I approached and noticed someone laying on the ground in front of the car. As we passed, I could also see the right headlight was not illuminated. First responders weren't yet on the scene, but I told Sara Jean, "someone got hit back there."
Three days later we got the full story: Friends of ours had also been out to dine, and while driving home, a young man, dressed in dark colors, had jumped out in front of them. He was dead.
Just an hour before, he had been released from the hospital, where he had been taken after an unsuccessful attempt to kill himself by jumping from a moving train!
It's impossible for most of us to understand the desire to end our lives.
It's harder still for me to understand the thought processes that bring someone to such a point of desperation they are willing to take an action that will give others a lifetime of nightmares!
I'm sure mental illness was a factor in this later event, also.
I hope we eventually are able to better identify and cure it.
Right now, we need to try and better understand it.
"Your patient is a 21 year old male. He was a pedestrian, struck by a car."
But that wasn't the whole story.......
When we arrived at a very busy "Littletown" Regional Hospital, you could see the fatigue on the faces of all the ER personnel. This was early Saturday afternoon..........warm and comfortable...... prelude to an equally comfortable night. A night for beer, barbecue, and socializing.
The "Natives" were restless!
Already tired, the folks in this ER were in for a wild evening!
Our patient turned out to be schizophrenic. He had stepped in front of the car because he didn't want to hear voices anymore.
Banged up, bruised and lacerated, a broken femur was his worst injury.
But it made me think...........
Last fall, Sara Jean and I were driving home after eating dinner at a restaurant in a neighboring town. It was late.........drizzling and uncomfortable. Up ahead, I saw emergency flashers on a car pulled over on the shoulder. I slowed as I approached and noticed someone laying on the ground in front of the car. As we passed, I could also see the right headlight was not illuminated. First responders weren't yet on the scene, but I told Sara Jean, "someone got hit back there."
Three days later we got the full story: Friends of ours had also been out to dine, and while driving home, a young man, dressed in dark colors, had jumped out in front of them. He was dead.
Just an hour before, he had been released from the hospital, where he had been taken after an unsuccessful attempt to kill himself by jumping from a moving train!
It's impossible for most of us to understand the desire to end our lives.
It's harder still for me to understand the thought processes that bring someone to such a point of desperation they are willing to take an action that will give others a lifetime of nightmares!
I'm sure mental illness was a factor in this later event, also.
I hope we eventually are able to better identify and cure it.
Right now, we need to try and better understand it.
Main Rotor in Flight
I first saw this video in 1981 when I was at Ft. Rucker, AL., going to Aviation Safety Officer's school. The instructor had it running on the screen on an endless loop tape as we entered the class, and asked us to identify what we were looking at.
It took us a while, because we were actually confused by the intermittent passing of the tail rotor.
I think the helicopter in the video is a Sikorsky S-58, (CH-34).
The video is narrated in German.
http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/122104-rotor.avi
Here's the translation:
"The rotortips absorb the turbulence with their flexibility. This recording was made, during flight, by a camera mounted to the leading edge of the rotorblade. At every turn you can see the tailrotor. If the flexible rotorblades wouldn’t absorb the the forces, they would be transmitted to drive mechanism and fuselage and the vibration would destroy the helicopter."
After watching the contortions the rotor makes, I wasn't too sure I wanted to get back into a helicopter!
I found this link at http://www.rapp.org
There are more interesting aviation videos there, if you want to take a look!
It took us a while, because we were actually confused by the intermittent passing of the tail rotor.
I think the helicopter in the video is a Sikorsky S-58, (CH-34).
The video is narrated in German.
http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/122104-rotor.avi
Here's the translation:
"The rotortips absorb the turbulence with their flexibility. This recording was made, during flight, by a camera mounted to the leading edge of the rotorblade. At every turn you can see the tailrotor. If the flexible rotorblades wouldn’t absorb the the forces, they would be transmitted to drive mechanism and fuselage and the vibration would destroy the helicopter."
After watching the contortions the rotor makes, I wasn't too sure I wanted to get back into a helicopter!
I found this link at http://www.rapp.org
There are more interesting aviation videos there, if you want to take a look!
23 May 2005
Things That Go Bump in the Night
"Snap...........snap...............snap!"
My attention was instantly focused on this new noise!
It's another of those old aviation adages: At night, the engine goes into "automatic rough". This means while flying at night, pilots are likely to be listening so closely to the sounds their aircraft makes, they'll notice normal vibrations and sounds and think they've not heard them before.
Good helicopter pilots are attuned to their machines in this way ALL of the time. So many things on helicopters move to do their jobs, the machines are wonders of noise and vibrations!
Abnormal sounds and vibrations need immediate attention!
I was teaching Jeff to land on inclined ground......."slope landings".
In my 35 years of teaching in helicopters, I've learned to watch a students' technique when doing this difficult task. In order to do them well, you must be comfortable with coordinating all the controls together. Many helicopter pilots never get completely comfortable with landing on sloping ground.
Jeff was one of those "naturals". He learned everything so quickly, there was a cockiness about him that concerned me a little. It was true with slopes too........he concentrated on trying to do each landing perfectly.
"Snap........snap........snap!"
There it was again!
This, in a practically new R22! And once the bugs are worked out of a new R22, they are as dependable as your new Ford or Chevy!
So to Jeff:
"Did you hear that?"
He cocked an ear for a moment and answered, "Hear what?"
"That snapping sound. I heard a snap, snap, snap.....rhythmic.......
about once a second."
He brought the little bird to a stable hover and we both listened.
The engine hummed like a sewing machine.
No unusual vibrations.......no "snaps"!
So we went back to approaching the uneven ground........
"Snap...........snap...........snap..........snap!"
"There Jeff! Hear that?"
Again, back to a normal hover......... four ears attuned to all the noises and vibrations.
"I don't hear anything out of the ordinary", Jeff replied.
"Okay, let's do one more and we'll do some hovering autorotations."
And as soon as he started his gentle descent........
"Snap..........snap...........snap..............snap!" This time I didn't say a thing.....I just listened to try to determine where the noise was coming from.
"Snap.........snap...........snap."
It was coming from my right.
Strange. Not, as I expected, from the rear of the helicopter!
"Snap.........snap!"
I turned to look at Jeff. He was vigorously attacking a piece of "Juicy Fruit"!
My student was one of those that worked a little bubble of air into his gum as he chewed, then popped that bubble with a resounding "Snap"!
Like some of the teachers I had encountered in my early school days, I stuck my hand toward him, palm up............"okay, spit it out!"
No more strange noise in the cockpit. And from that point on, I "preflighted" Jeff to insure there was no "Juicy Fruit" on board when we started our lesson!
My attention was instantly focused on this new noise!
It's another of those old aviation adages: At night, the engine goes into "automatic rough". This means while flying at night, pilots are likely to be listening so closely to the sounds their aircraft makes, they'll notice normal vibrations and sounds and think they've not heard them before.
Good helicopter pilots are attuned to their machines in this way ALL of the time. So many things on helicopters move to do their jobs, the machines are wonders of noise and vibrations!
Abnormal sounds and vibrations need immediate attention!
I was teaching Jeff to land on inclined ground......."slope landings".
In my 35 years of teaching in helicopters, I've learned to watch a students' technique when doing this difficult task. In order to do them well, you must be comfortable with coordinating all the controls together. Many helicopter pilots never get completely comfortable with landing on sloping ground.
Jeff was one of those "naturals". He learned everything so quickly, there was a cockiness about him that concerned me a little. It was true with slopes too........he concentrated on trying to do each landing perfectly.
"Snap........snap........snap!"
There it was again!
This, in a practically new R22! And once the bugs are worked out of a new R22, they are as dependable as your new Ford or Chevy!
So to Jeff:
"Did you hear that?"
He cocked an ear for a moment and answered, "Hear what?"
"That snapping sound. I heard a snap, snap, snap.....rhythmic.......
about once a second."
He brought the little bird to a stable hover and we both listened.
The engine hummed like a sewing machine.
No unusual vibrations.......no "snaps"!
So we went back to approaching the uneven ground........
"Snap...........snap...........snap..........snap!"
"There Jeff! Hear that?"
Again, back to a normal hover......... four ears attuned to all the noises and vibrations.
"I don't hear anything out of the ordinary", Jeff replied.
"Okay, let's do one more and we'll do some hovering autorotations."
And as soon as he started his gentle descent........
"Snap..........snap...........snap..............snap!" This time I didn't say a thing.....I just listened to try to determine where the noise was coming from.
"Snap.........snap...........snap."
It was coming from my right.
Strange. Not, as I expected, from the rear of the helicopter!
"Snap.........snap!"
I turned to look at Jeff. He was vigorously attacking a piece of "Juicy Fruit"!
My student was one of those that worked a little bubble of air into his gum as he chewed, then popped that bubble with a resounding "Snap"!
Like some of the teachers I had encountered in my early school days, I stuck my hand toward him, palm up............"okay, spit it out!"
No more strange noise in the cockpit. And from that point on, I "preflighted" Jeff to insure there was no "Juicy Fruit" on board when we started our lesson!
22 May 2005
Blacks/Whites in Viet Nam
According to Al Sharpton, a disproportionate number of Blacks were killed in Viet Nam.
Do ya believe that?
This, and several other "facts" are dispelled at this site:
http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html
Some interesting stuff here.......some of it, open to argument.
Worth a look, nevertheless!
Do ya believe that?
This, and several other "facts" are dispelled at this site:
http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html
Some interesting stuff here.......some of it, open to argument.
Worth a look, nevertheless!
Alcohol is a Powerful Drug!
"You have a scene response. Your patient is a 38 year old male with a head laceration. Your landing zone is the helipad at 'Littletown Regional'........the ambulance will meet you there."
Nine minutes flight time and we are on the pad, awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. A car drives into the parking lot and a woman gets out dressed in short-shorts and a halter top. She has the equipment to properly wear this uniform......
Two minutes later, the ambulance arrives. I stay and guard the still running helicopter as my crew gets in the ambulance and takes charge of the patient, prepping him for the 15 minute flight to the trauma center.
"Short-shorts" walks to the back of the ambulance like she knows what she's doing. No one challenges her.
When my crew gets out of the ambulance to move the patient to our stretcher, she bends down and says a few words to him. And I notice............no kiss.
He is so drunk he is nearly incoherent. He woke up in his bed in a pool of blood, and cannot remember how he got to the bed, or how he was injured.
"Short-shorts" is his ex-wife.
She says they were at the same bar earlier......but not together.
We are left to fill in the blanks of this drama ourselves.
Nine minutes flight time and we are on the pad, awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. A car drives into the parking lot and a woman gets out dressed in short-shorts and a halter top. She has the equipment to properly wear this uniform......
Two minutes later, the ambulance arrives. I stay and guard the still running helicopter as my crew gets in the ambulance and takes charge of the patient, prepping him for the 15 minute flight to the trauma center.
"Short-shorts" walks to the back of the ambulance like she knows what she's doing. No one challenges her.
When my crew gets out of the ambulance to move the patient to our stretcher, she bends down and says a few words to him. And I notice............no kiss.
He is so drunk he is nearly incoherent. He woke up in his bed in a pool of blood, and cannot remember how he got to the bed, or how he was injured.
"Short-shorts" is his ex-wife.
She says they were at the same bar earlier......but not together.
We are left to fill in the blanks of this drama ourselves.
The Expert Fliers
From the Animal Planet:
http://media.animal.discovery.com/convergence/spyonthewild/birdtech/birdtech.html?ct=1329.15073148073
Interesting and entertaining!
http://media.animal.discovery.com/convergence/spyonthewild/birdtech/birdtech.html?ct=1329.15073148073
Interesting and entertaining!
21 May 2005
The New Car, Part I
"It was green." That was her answer.
The question was, "What kind of car is it?"
But I'm gettin' ahead of myself.
We had been driving the Station Wagon six years. I had taken great care of the car, and it had been a dependable part of our family. But with 186,000 miles on it, it had begun leaking oil from both the engine and transmission. I was afraid to set out on long trips with it.
Sara Jean and I began looking for a replacement.
I've owned several new cars in my life. She has not. I decided to treat her and buy her a new toy!
We started looking around at cars we liked. I like the utility a Station Wagon provides.....you get most of the benefits you get with a Minivan without having to drive a "mini-school bus".
The wagon would seat 8 people in a pinch. None of the Minivans would seat more than 7. Minivans are "draggy".....they push a lot of air in front of them. The wagon design is more aerodynamic and gets better gas mileage.
The wagon did better than any of the vans in safety tests.
She made it known right away.......she wanted no part of wagon OR minivan!. She wanted to buy a car she could drive with pride!
She came home one day and announced, "I saw the car I want today!"
"Great! What kind of car was it?"
"It was green."
"Uhh, okay. I'll buy you a green car!"
(Tim Allen sound here.)
So I had to quiz her.
Where was the car?
Dark green or light green?
Remember anything else about it?
I made a special trip into town to find the car. When I saw it, I had to agree......it was a nice ride.
But we couldn't afford it. It was about $5,000 more than I had planned on spending. I started looking for used versions of the car.
By chance, I stopped at a dealer about an hour away from home to see if he had any in his stable. As luck would have it, the owner of the dealership had been driving one as a demonstrator and was ready to sell!
Considering my trade and my down payment, I found we were still about $2,000 from agreement on the price of this car.
I gave the salesman my business card and walked out the door.
The phone rang the next morning. "What do we have to do to put you into this car?"
Don't ya hate that? I had made it VERY clear to this bozo what I needed the night before!
The calls continued for two weeks. Finally, the salesman called and said they were ready to agree to my requirements.
So I gathered up my checkbook and the title to the wagon and drove the hour to the dealership.
The sales guy brought the car around....clean, shiny.........seductive. He knew exactly the effect it would have on me!
We took a test drive. It had 7,000 miles on it, but it looked and smelled like a new car.
It was a dream to drive....it had an outstanding stereo, and bells and whistles I'd have to get the book out to learn how to use!
But when he brought out the sales contract I noticed he had dropped the trade-in value of the wagon by 2 grand, and had hidden this fact by scrambling the numbers in the loan agreement!
So again, I walked out the door.
If anyone wants to know why car dealerships, and particularly used car salesmen, have bad reputations, they should take a look at negotiations like these!
To be continued.........
The question was, "What kind of car is it?"
But I'm gettin' ahead of myself.
We had been driving the Station Wagon six years. I had taken great care of the car, and it had been a dependable part of our family. But with 186,000 miles on it, it had begun leaking oil from both the engine and transmission. I was afraid to set out on long trips with it.
Sara Jean and I began looking for a replacement.
I've owned several new cars in my life. She has not. I decided to treat her and buy her a new toy!
We started looking around at cars we liked. I like the utility a Station Wagon provides.....you get most of the benefits you get with a Minivan without having to drive a "mini-school bus".
The wagon would seat 8 people in a pinch. None of the Minivans would seat more than 7. Minivans are "draggy".....they push a lot of air in front of them. The wagon design is more aerodynamic and gets better gas mileage.
The wagon did better than any of the vans in safety tests.
She made it known right away.......she wanted no part of wagon OR minivan!. She wanted to buy a car she could drive with pride!
She came home one day and announced, "I saw the car I want today!"
"Great! What kind of car was it?"
"It was green."
"Uhh, okay. I'll buy you a green car!"
(Tim Allen sound here.)
So I had to quiz her.
Where was the car?
Dark green or light green?
Remember anything else about it?
I made a special trip into town to find the car. When I saw it, I had to agree......it was a nice ride.
But we couldn't afford it. It was about $5,000 more than I had planned on spending. I started looking for used versions of the car.
By chance, I stopped at a dealer about an hour away from home to see if he had any in his stable. As luck would have it, the owner of the dealership had been driving one as a demonstrator and was ready to sell!
Considering my trade and my down payment, I found we were still about $2,000 from agreement on the price of this car.
I gave the salesman my business card and walked out the door.
The phone rang the next morning. "What do we have to do to put you into this car?"
Don't ya hate that? I had made it VERY clear to this bozo what I needed the night before!
The calls continued for two weeks. Finally, the salesman called and said they were ready to agree to my requirements.
So I gathered up my checkbook and the title to the wagon and drove the hour to the dealership.
The sales guy brought the car around....clean, shiny.........seductive. He knew exactly the effect it would have on me!
We took a test drive. It had 7,000 miles on it, but it looked and smelled like a new car.
It was a dream to drive....it had an outstanding stereo, and bells and whistles I'd have to get the book out to learn how to use!
But when he brought out the sales contract I noticed he had dropped the trade-in value of the wagon by 2 grand, and had hidden this fact by scrambling the numbers in the loan agreement!
So again, I walked out the door.
If anyone wants to know why car dealerships, and particularly used car salesmen, have bad reputations, they should take a look at negotiations like these!
To be continued.........
"Main Stream" Media
In addition to the Dan Rather/CBS fiasco that was the subject of an earlier post, you need to read the following:
Bill Moyers-
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010513.php
Eason Jordan/CNN-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17462-2005Feb11.html
Linda Foley-
http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/05/19/linda/
BBC-
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/1/28/135817.shtml
Ya gotta be aware of what is goin' on, so you can detect the smell early!
Bill Moyers-
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010513.php
Eason Jordan/CNN-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17462-2005Feb11.html
Linda Foley-
http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/05/19/linda/
BBC-
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/1/28/135817.shtml
Ya gotta be aware of what is goin' on, so you can detect the smell early!
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