LavaCon 2026 and the future.

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LavaCon is a conference now going on 25 years. Its always fun at conferences where folks collaborate on what the future holds. This year I drove to Charlotte NC from Duluth GA to attend. I used the Tesla in Full Self Drive. I went park-to-park without touching the wheel for over 200 miles. It's crazy. I don't think most people understand how well it works. Lots of nay-sayers still, but it really does work. Be on guard, but enjoy. I spent some of my time "driving" while conversing with Grok as part of my daydreaming. I was discussing with Grok an idea I have of building a West system (cold molded) old style barrel-back runabout maybe 20 feet long- all varnished Mahogony. Of course this boat would have an exotic 12-cylinder engine under a transparent engine hatch between the twin cockpits. We discussed the designs, available actual study plans and pre-lofted design documents for the hull. We also discussed the best engine (perhaps a BMW N73) coupled with a Velvet Dri...
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We are back from Alaska. We drove 1181 miles in Alaska. We went on a glacier cruise, rented a plane for a PIC (Pilot In Command) glacier flight from Anchorage (PAMR) and took my first bush pilot/float plane instruction in Moose Pass. We stayed at Chena Hot Springs and bathed in the hot mineral bath. The place gave me a lot to daydream about. This was the most north I have been on the planet (so far) at 65.03 degrees North. http://www.chenahotsprings.com


My expectations were set very high for the bush pilot training. I was not disappointed. My instructor was a military pilot with well over 300 carrier landings. Very good exposure to precision flying and becoming part of the wind. Landing on a glass smooth lake is impossible by visual reference. After the point of last visual reference on a glass smooth lake --it is all feel and VSI. You can trust the water is flat and level, after all. You can't see the "runway" at all. The refection is just too strong. You can only feel it. Some other tidbits: Watch how the cloud curls over (or not) a ridge, The downwind side of an Aspen tree shows the light colored side of the leaves. Look for the sink from cold air rolling off the snow. Look for the lift on ridges and take advantage. A specific pitch attitude is extremely important lifting-off and landing. http://www.alaskafloatratings.com





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LavaCon 2026 and the future.

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Image
LavaCon is a conference now going on 25 years. Its always fun at conferences where folks collaborate on what the future holds. This year I drove to Charlotte NC from Duluth GA to attend. I used the Tesla in Full Self Drive. I went park-to-park without touching the wheel for over 200 miles. It's crazy. I don't think most people understand how well it works. Lots of nay-sayers still, but it really does work. Be on guard, but enjoy. I spent some of my time "driving" while conversing with Grok as part of my daydreaming. I was discussing with Grok an idea I have of building a West system (cold molded) old style barrel-back runabout maybe 20 feet long- all varnished Mahogony. Of course this boat would have an exotic 12-cylinder engine under a transparent engine hatch between the twin cockpits. We discussed the designs, available actual study plans and pre-lofted design documents for the hull. We also discussed the best engine (perhaps a BMW N73) coupled with a Velvet Dri...
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