Commercial US air travel is a bus trip, it only takes a few crazies' to screw up the flight for the rest, if its not on the plane, its in the terminal. glad my days of flying the " Friendly Skies " are over and my flights are just in my J-3 with the doors off on a warm sunny day at 1000 to 1500 feet VFR

(Written on 2021年07月09日)(Permalink)

Biden has already caved to China on the CO-19 issue and his son is chin deep in Chinese connections

(Written on 2021年06月11日)(Permalink)

Boeing, Airbus and many other aviation suppliers who have rushed to China over the last 20 years to " TAP ' the Chinese market have also had to transfer the technology to build those airframes and engines as well as the electronics. Anyone who can sent a Rover to Mars and land a rover/probe on the dark side of the Moon as China has done does not need Boeing or Airbus to buy aircraft from, they CAN BUILD THEIR OWN and are already doing so. Boeing and Airbus will feel the heat from China in sales competition around the World in the near future. China is already the world's biggest economy and has the largest foreign currency reserves of any Country, they don't need the US or Europe to push them over the top unless its to steal technology they don't have and stealing is what they have been doing for the last 20 plus years while we and Europe sat on our ass picking our nose thinking about how much money we could make in China.

(Written on 2021年06月11日)(Permalink)

Another reason why I don't miss the " Friendly skies " of commercial flying now that I am officially retired, the best airborne experience is flying my J3 Cub with the doors off on a warm sunny day.

(Written on 2021年05月28日)(Permalink)

RIP Michael Collins, as an old Materials NDT Engineer, I am glad to have been able to have put my hands on some of the hardware that went to space on the Apollo program. Those were different times, national unity was real and National politics were not the slash and burn they are today. Sadly China will be the ones going to the moon before the US gets back.

(Written on 2021年04月30日)(Permalink)

Sometimes the best of intensions fail, in hindsight the design of the 4077 blade set up the failure mode and the TAI inspection process was questionable at best. As an Engineer with over 50 years in and around the aviation world, I think all designs must ere on the side of conservative material properties and I have my doubts about the growing size of fan blades especially on two engine aircraft flying over long expanses of ocean

(Written on 2021年04月10日)(Permalink)

Yes, I know how deicing works at a airport When flying in known icing conditions, its common for a good cockpit crew to watch for ice buildup at all times until they advance power for take off roll, there is no excuse for not knowing if you have a potential problem with ice, just as there is not knowing if you have the correct amount of fuel on board. Many hours in a C-141 taught me to not trust others when I can do a preflight because its my ass that's going down if some ground crew screwed up.

(Written on 2021年03月05日)(Permalink)

That's what you get with a Second Officer kick the tires walk around, deicing is to important to just leave to just anyone to catch lucky here, remember the Air Florida Washington fiasco that didn't have to happen.

(Written on 2021年03月05日)(Permalink)

You may be right, I just think drinks should be limited, just one loud drunk can screw up the environment for others, I always used my D/C noise cancelling head phones on my overseas flights normally you have a 5 to 7 thousand ft cabin at cruise altitude correct?

(Written on 2021年02月19日)(Permalink)

Alcohol should not be served on flights, just as cigarettes' were banned years ago, if you want a drink, you can have one before you board or after you deplane, the risks outweigh the gains.

(Written on 2021年02月19日)(Permalink)