Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site r2d2.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!nbires!r2d2!ron From: ron@r2d2.UUCP (Ron Schweikert) Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Happy New Year Message-ID: <116@r2d2.UUCP> Date: Thu, 2-Jan-86 12:12:58 EST Article-I.D.: r2d2.116 Posted: Thu Jan 2 12:12:58 1986 Date-Received: Mon, 6-Jan-86 03:04:27 EST References: <729@ucsfcgl.UUCP> Organization: NBI Inc., SOSC Boulder Co Lines: 122 > > Another newsgroup recently initiated an exchange of brief biographies. > This seems a good idea for net.aviation, as you come across as a pleasant > group of people, with none of the "...you idiot, everyone knows...etc" > responses to requests for information that disfigure some other groups, > and with many solid, well-informed postings (thanks Jeff Williams in > particular). > > We seem to range from beginners to long-time pilots but we all obviously > love to talk about flight. Though a fly-in might be a problem, maybe we > can have a post-in? > > Since I suggested it, herewith my contribution: > > First trained and soloed in a single seater (any guesses as to type :-) > with the junior RAF (Air Training Corps) while at high school in England > in 1950. Later flew Tiger Moths and Chipmunks. Long lay-off after coming > to Yale as postdoc in 1957. Began again and FAA licenced at Princeton in > 1970, both power (Cessna C-150 and C-172, Beech A-23, Yankee AA-1) and > sailplane (Schweizer 2-33 and 1-26 (cross country for FAI Silver C in 1974)). > After all these years have only 250 hrs power time and 100 in sailplanes! > My biennial is now 3 months overdue. Put in many more hours on business travel > (over 200 hrs/yr over the last 5 yrs). Biggest recent flying thrill: JFK-LHR > via Concorde (though to be honest, if it was my money to spend on flying, > I would have made the trip in a 747 as usual, and used the rest of the money > for solo time in a 172 :-) > > New Year resolution: > > To improve on my pilot average of 10 hrs per year (!) and then to get an > instrument rating for those days when low stratus makes VFR a problem in the Bay Area. > With two kids through college, maybe that isn't such an unrealistic aim. > (If God meant man to fly, he would have given him more money :-) > > Who will volunteer next? I'd like to hear from the present read-only > individuals as well as the read/write subscribers whose contributions > have already made net.aviation so enjoyable. > > Thanks and A Happy New Year to all of you. > > Bob Langridge rl@ucsfcgl (ARPA, UUCP, BITNET) > Computer Graphics Laboratory > University of California +1 415 476 2630 > San Francisco CA 94143 +1 415 476 1540 And a Happy New Year to all net.aviation subscribers and Bob Langridge for his good idea. I am a "read-only" individual. We have only recently got the news net up, so I'm not up on all news 'protocols'. (I do know enough however to ask for "no flames" if I've posted this in error!). Anyway, I have enjoyed this group. I am an ex flight-instructor and occasional charter pilot. Not even sure how many hours I have now since I haven't updated my logbook in awhile. (I know I'm not the only one who waits until they have ten pages before they add them up!). I have a CFI/ASME, instrument. Also have private priveleges for glider. Learned to fly in the Sacramento valley, and had a lot of flights to the Bay area, so yes Bob, you'll find the instrument rating not only handy, but also a lot of fun...after five days of light rain, being able to take off into the soup, and after just a few minutes you wince as the windscreen gets lighter, then all of a sudden sunlight comes streaming in. Report "VFR on top", make a nice turn towards those beautiful Sierras and have a nice lunch up at that jewel, Lake Tahoe. Ah, the smell of coffee as you open the thermos (carefully and slowly!!). Did a lot of flying around that area. After leaving the service I returned to home state of Colorado. Left flying after a year and a half here. Was difficult to compete against all the retired military and winter storms which shut down operations for a few days at a time. (Worked at non-va school so the aircraft weren't certified for hardly anything!). Flying now is ocassional fun-flights only. I think what I miss most are all the fun places to go in California. A twenty minute flight and you can be up to a nice "mom and pop" airport and taxi right on up to the coffee shop. Sorry, this is getting long and probably boring. I do have an idea though, net.aviation is a great sounding board for all topics. One thing that I think others would enjoy though, is to read of "memorable flights". Might be kind of fun to stimulate the senses and imagination for those who don't seem to have that many any more. How 'bout those night flights on a full- moonlit night on top of a smooth cloud deck. Ever imagine clouds could appear so silver!? Or how about the flight you were glad you lived to tell about when you unwisely continued VFR on top (before your instrument rating) because your destination was reporting clear, only to find out that between you and your clear destination was a cloud deck higher than reported? (C'mon, don't flame me here, we've all done dumb things.) I think that good pilots are those who can exercise judgement sure, but also those who learn from the mistakes of others. Anyway, in my particular case, I got extremely fortunate (actually I tend to believe it was answered prayer) that a hole opened up which I was able to descend through. (Yes, I did go into the clouds when doing this. VERY STUPID!!) What can I say, I learned my lesson, was fortunate to survive, and a couple years later when I started teaching, I believe I was able to really drill into my students some judgement and "keeping cool". Never met a pilot yet, that when he was honest, didn't do something that the rest of us could second-guess as poor judgement, illegal and dumb. But hey, one way to survive is to learn through the mistakes of others and learn from them. From that instance that I put myself into because of "get there itis" (you better believe that is real), poor judgement and preparation, flights since then have been much better planned and prepared for with a way out. Enough of this already. For you who are still judging, I consider myself an excellent pilot. I don't do stupid things like that 80 hr. pilot did 6 years ago. I learned from that, and the experiences of others. I do not condone flights like that. (By the way, I had been VFR on top for so long, that the clear weather behind me was out of range, and the sun was setting, hence the spiral through the hole.) If anyone else has memorable flights, how about posting them? I'll keep in touch so I can answer questions if people have them. If any students are out there reading this, keep in mind one thing, listen to other pilots. Although some are stupid and dangerous, others do have a lot of valuable knowledge to impart. Either you learn from their mistakes, or you may be doomed to learn from your own. Okay I'm done, you can flame me for this mini-novel being so long. Ron Schweikert 1 (303) 666 - 4678. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***