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Showing posts from February, 2019

Wyoming and Idaho

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We are back from a quick vacation. I managed to score three (actually several more) bucket list items in 4 days. 1.) Long Snowmobile Trip. 2.) Yellowstone Park and 3.) Wyoming. I reached my 50th State --Wyoming! And we took a 90 mile snowmobile trip in Yellowstone National Park. We went to the "Craters of the Moon--National Monument and Preserve" in Idaho and also stopped at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) where I got to see (with my own eyes) the very cool nuclear powered twin turbojet engine. It was a successful experiment in the 1950s and 1960s. https://whatisnuclear.com/safety-minutes/htre-3-meltdown.html Of course, I had my Radiacode scintillation detector with me and yes, the apparatus is "Hot". The screenshot of the readings from my three walk-arounds the artifact. I swear you could smell the radiation. There was a very un-natural burnt smell something reminiscent of burned bakelite. Although, I am quite certain the emitted radition was not the source...
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My flying club (I am part owner) just bought another plane, a piper warrior. That makes 4 planes total at Aeroventures. A 152, (2) 172Ns and the Warrior. All hangered. N733XE gets a new Penn Yan Engine this week. I wish I was there to help with the engine. I haven't been flying much at all. However, there are opportunities at John Wayne airport (SNA). I live about a mile away. There is a flight school with several decathlons.
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One of the things I find interesting in SoCal is the workman waiting outside Home Depot to help you with your projects. They flag you down and wave to you as you leave. I have not seen this behavior any other HD I have been too. And I have been to many in many different states. Illegal immigrants are a significant component to the economy in SoCal. It is expensive here. You have to find desperate people to work at low (affordable) wages. The politicians will pull at heart strings through words like justice, fairness, compassion, but only to get the economic boost for their constituents.
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I had a fast trip to Atlanta, factually. The "My flight" information on the airplane showed a ground speed at high as 657 mph. A tail wind of over 150 mph certainly helps. It was a little over 3 hours from Orange County California to Atlanta. Things slow down when you get close for the class B airspace. Yes, there are speed limits, 250 knots for class B.
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Not much to say. It's wintertime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strelitzia
One of my mentors had a simple message recently. Many of my mentors (and perhaps yours) have practiced a similar approach and it had impact. Today, (maybe only today) be nice to one another.