Some background on demo flights. A demo flight is a $59 half hour of flight time and a half hour of ground time as a first flight. It's a loss leader and is intended to hook the student into getting their Private Pilots License.
I have a love/hate relationship with them because you can get students out of them but it's frightening for me as a CFI because you have a student with zero experience and skill and literally anything can happen. Sometimes, the student kicks ass and takes names. Other times they try to kill you and you end up flying half the flight to keep everyone from dying.
The student wanted a demo flight, so I gave him a demo flight. The preflight went quick and I explained everything, and I was hoping it would go well. The student was a student in a groundschool of another instructors and I figured they would know something about flying. Sadly, no.
Taxi went ok, not great but not exactly we're going to run into that jet over there. The takeoff went amazingly bad.
We lined up with a position and hold clearance, and then reviewed what we would do. When tower cleared us to takeoff, the student pushed the throttle fully in and start rolling down the runway. Sadly, the student is using the brakes to keep it on the centerline. Brakes are not good to use during the takeoff roll (for the obvious answer and some not so obvious). I tell the student to not use the brakes and we start veering left. Right rudder... more right rudder... even more right rudder...
At this point, we are seconds away from the edge of the runway and about to hit the runway edge lights. My normal trick is to remind the student to pull back because we are at 60kts by this point. So I say pull back ;(
The student takes it literally and pulls the elevator FULL back. This is VERY bad because we are 1) slow 2) low 3) about to run over some runway lights 4) about to stall 5) turning (the student also somehow turned the yoke putting us in a 30° bank). Witnesses said I came within 1ft of hitting the wingtip into the ground. After a successful recovery and a little breather, I put us in a gentle climb and get us to a few hundred feet (it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't trust you).
The student ended up taking alot of photos on that flight. I was happy because when he was taking photos, he wasn't trying to kill us and I was flying.
The ironic/bad part of the story is that one of the witnesses that saw the event was the 2nd highest manager of the line crew. He called the flight school to report me :( I have a bad feeling it's going to get back to my boss/bosses and I'm going to get a lecture :(
And in the end, skill is good to have in aviation. Reflexes are even better to have. And if you have luck you don't need either of the two above :)
4/17/08
Random Student
Definition: Random Student - A student that shows up on your schedule and you don't know anything about what the student wants to do or what's going on. The CFI is in the dark as to what is going on and is most likely happier not knowing.
You are now informed!
You are now informed!
4/16/08
'Tis windy
What a warm sunny day! Sadly, not a good day to go flying... Peak wind of 37kts, that's faster than the stall speed of a 152 I could have taken off of the airport like a helicopter if I was flying today :)
Metar at Madison, WI during the peak gusts: KMSN 161753Z 19020G29KT 10SM CLR 19/04 A2971 RMK AO2 PK WND 19037/1723 SLP061 T01940044 10194 20083 58023
Just because it's sunny doesn't mean it's safe to fly. Oh well, it'll clean off the ramp of the dust/salt/gunk that has built up over the winter.
Rain tomorrow, looks like the rest of this week will be a wash.
Metar at Madison, WI during the peak gusts: KMSN 161753Z 19020G29KT 10SM CLR 19/04 A2971 RMK AO2 PK WND 19037/1723 SLP061 T01940044 10194 20083 58023
Just because it's sunny doesn't mean it's safe to fly. Oh well, it'll clean off the ramp of the dust/salt/gunk that has built up over the winter.
Rain tomorrow, looks like the rest of this week will be a wash.
4/13/08
Instrument Study Stuff
I promised a student a website on ADF training: http://roye.home.netcom.com/flighttraining/
It seems to have disappeared since the last time I saw it. Let me say, it was a VERY good flash trainer on how to use the ADF.
Also, as a bonus there is a good navigation program: http://www.visi.com/~mim/nav/ I sometimes use it in hidden mode and practice flying around blind in relation to the two navaids (press 1 or 2 to change them to ADF's if you want to practice ADF navigation).
Enjoy, and remember, crashing is bad and if you do it on a checkride you will fail :)
It seems to have disappeared since the last time I saw it. Let me say, it was a VERY good flash trainer on how to use the ADF.
Also, as a bonus there is a good navigation program: http://www.visi.com/~mim/nav/ I sometimes use it in hidden mode and practice flying around blind in relation to the two navaids (press 1 or 2 to change them to ADF's if you want to practice ADF navigation).
Enjoy, and remember, crashing is bad and if you do it on a checkride you will fail :)
4/11/08
Advanced learning
I find often times pilots can learn from other disciplines. You might be asking yourself what am I talking about? I am saying do pilots learn the bare minimum and then keep learning within one track or do they then go on to cross train with mechanics, helicopter/glider pilots, ATC, weather forecasters, and line guys?
I think the lack of cross training between various disciplines of aviation is a mistake. I went to a seminar on gliders last Saturday and found it VERY informative. And in many ways, it was more informative to me as a powered fixed wing pilot than sitting through the an FAA wings seminar would have been (which are snooze fests IMHO).
The seminar started off with a talk about emergencies and how they can happen ANYWHERE and the need to access the situation is important. For instance, if a gliders rope brakes at 100ft, where are they landing? How can you plan for this situation at your home airfield? What decisions beforehand can you make as a pilot to minimize the risk and come out alive and in one piece? Not exactly applicable to me as a powered pilot, but there are serious similarities that I use in my every day life (ironically, my checkout for doing skydiving included just this very thing).
The second speaker talked about NTSB accidents and common errors to glider pilots. Again, not 100% applicable to me as a powered pilot but still VERY applicable to myself. One accident (CHI07CA291) involved a pilot failing to reset his altimeter. A simple error that destroyed a glider. The next two accidents (LAX60LA929 and LAX05CA294) were easily preventable if the pilot had not reacted in an impulsive way (one of those hazardous attitudes). Plus, a little more training would have resulted in two less crashes and an extra person living today. The final accident was LAX06FA277A. As a powered pilot, I am SHOCKED at the damage the jet took from hitting a simple glider:
The Glider was destroyed totally, the largest piece was a spar sticking out of the Hawker's nose section...
The final speaker was talking about parachutes. I'm interested in parachutes because I am forced to wear one while doing skydivers. I have zero interest in jumping out of aircraft, but if you gotta jump you gotta jump. Let me say it was less interesting than I would have thought and contradicted some things I learned during my skydiver pilot checkout. Still fairly informative IMHO.
4 hours of learning by going to this free seminar on glider flying, and yet I still walked away with a ton of information and new skills that I can use to fly safer in my powered flight time.
If you get an ability to go to other seminars (if it was helicopters, glider, maintenance, ATC, weather, whatever), I would HIGHlY recommend it. Yes, it's not all useful stuff but it will give you a better idea of why other people do what they do, and how you can best react in situations that involve them to keep everyone safe.
I think the lack of cross training between various disciplines of aviation is a mistake. I went to a seminar on gliders last Saturday and found it VERY informative. And in many ways, it was more informative to me as a powered fixed wing pilot than sitting through the an FAA wings seminar would have been (which are snooze fests IMHO).
The seminar started off with a talk about emergencies and how they can happen ANYWHERE and the need to access the situation is important. For instance, if a gliders rope brakes at 100ft, where are they landing? How can you plan for this situation at your home airfield? What decisions beforehand can you make as a pilot to minimize the risk and come out alive and in one piece? Not exactly applicable to me as a powered pilot, but there are serious similarities that I use in my every day life (ironically, my checkout for doing skydiving included just this very thing).
The second speaker talked about NTSB accidents and common errors to glider pilots. Again, not 100% applicable to me as a powered pilot but still VERY applicable to myself. One accident (CHI07CA291) involved a pilot failing to reset his altimeter. A simple error that destroyed a glider. The next two accidents (LAX60LA929 and LAX05CA294) were easily preventable if the pilot had not reacted in an impulsive way (one of those hazardous attitudes). Plus, a little more training would have resulted in two less crashes and an extra person living today. The final accident was LAX06FA277A. As a powered pilot, I am SHOCKED at the damage the jet took from hitting a simple glider:
The Glider was destroyed totally, the largest piece was a spar sticking out of the Hawker's nose section...
The final speaker was talking about parachutes. I'm interested in parachutes because I am forced to wear one while doing skydivers. I have zero interest in jumping out of aircraft, but if you gotta jump you gotta jump. Let me say it was less interesting than I would have thought and contradicted some things I learned during my skydiver pilot checkout. Still fairly informative IMHO.
4 hours of learning by going to this free seminar on glider flying, and yet I still walked away with a ton of information and new skills that I can use to fly safer in my powered flight time.
If you get an ability to go to other seminars (if it was helicopters, glider, maintenance, ATC, weather, whatever), I would HIGHlY recommend it. Yes, it's not all useful stuff but it will give you a better idea of why other people do what they do, and how you can best react in situations that involve them to keep everyone safe.
Lack of posts
No, I'm not abandoning the blog. It's just that I'm gearing up for teaching instrument ground school this Saturday, working on taxes for April 15th, and typing up MEI stuff (and practicing approaches on MSFS 2k4).
I'm working on several posts, bear with me and I'll spew out some good thoughts :)
I'm working on several posts, bear with me and I'll spew out some good thoughts :)
4/6/08
4/4/08
Stuff you see from the air
So, I zone out when flying. I will look out my window and wonder WTF stuff on the ground is. 99% of the time, it's obvious but the 1% of the time I don't know what it is. You would be amazed at some places I've driven in a car to answer my question (or maybe not).
For instance, there is ONE green strip maybe 100ft long by 10ft wide (I'm guessing) in Amund Reindahl Park. It's a bright green (almost algae color) compared to the brown grass around it. In google maps, it comes out as a black line oriented North-South:
View Larger Map
My bet is it's some sort of water.
Also, I saw guys out on the Bridges Golf course!!! I might get a few rounds in soon =D The golf course is on the south side of the airport right under the approach path to runway 18.
View Larger Map
This is going to be my hangout during the summer when I'm not working. $17 a round during M-T and $175 for 25 large buckets of balls. They've got my vote!
Finally, there is this mystery. I have no clue what is other than some sort of underground storage. The thing is, the doors are open on the south side and closed on the north side, and I can't tell if it's abandoned or just not being up kept. In google maps, it looks like a grassy place but it's obviously some sort of storage with concrete bunkers with a grass roof...
View Larger Map
Oh, and the bunkers are built on top of a garbage dump... I think they date back to the 50's (we have an old map) but I may be reading the map wrong or it might be some sort of other storage that was torn down and made way for this.
For instance, there is ONE green strip maybe 100ft long by 10ft wide (I'm guessing) in Amund Reindahl Park. It's a bright green (almost algae color) compared to the brown grass around it. In google maps, it comes out as a black line oriented North-South:
View Larger Map
My bet is it's some sort of water.
Also, I saw guys out on the Bridges Golf course!!! I might get a few rounds in soon =D The golf course is on the south side of the airport right under the approach path to runway 18.
View Larger Map
This is going to be my hangout during the summer when I'm not working. $17 a round during M-T and $175 for 25 large buckets of balls. They've got my vote!
Finally, there is this mystery. I have no clue what is other than some sort of underground storage. The thing is, the doors are open on the south side and closed on the north side, and I can't tell if it's abandoned or just not being up kept. In google maps, it looks like a grassy place but it's obviously some sort of storage with concrete bunkers with a grass roof...
View Larger Map
Oh, and the bunkers are built on top of a garbage dump... I think they date back to the 50's (we have an old map) but I may be reading the map wrong or it might be some sort of other storage that was torn down and made way for this.
3/31/08
Experience, or lack thereof
I was listening to two commercial pilots today practicing for their CFI. I'm amazed how badly they were doing (for instance, instead of spin they were talking about 'wing overs'... FYI: you are going to scare the shit out of a student pilot with 5 hours with talk like that).
And their conversation made me think about the experience I've gained and how much I've learned since I got my CFI. I look at the other two guys as inexperienced, but I realize that I'm inexperienced too compared to a lot of other pilots...
The old joke of you start with a full bag of luck and trade it for experience to put in an empty bag. Hopefully you fill the bag of experience before your bag of luck runs out. I've had some close calls (nothing too close luckily thus far) and it's amazing what I've learned.
And their conversation made me think about the experience I've gained and how much I've learned since I got my CFI. I look at the other two guys as inexperienced, but I realize that I'm inexperienced too compared to a lot of other pilots...
The old joke of you start with a full bag of luck and trade it for experience to put in an empty bag. Hopefully you fill the bag of experience before your bag of luck runs out. I've had some close calls (nothing too close luckily thus far) and it's amazing what I've learned.
3/29/08
Newbie Controller
Newbie controller on the airwaves at tower position today... Talk about a cluster fuck and I am glad no one got hurt (that I know of). Unfortunately, my student isn't the greatest on the radios and is an ESL student, and gets confused when someone starts yelling at him...
Best exchange of the day:
ATC: Cessna 49439, turn base.
Student: Say again?
ATC: Cessna 49439, TURN BASE!!!
*Student looks at me with deer in headlights look*
Me: Cessna 49439 is on final, unable turn base.
Another quality exchange:
ATC: Dakota 8183X, go missed approach [for runway 18]
8183X: Dakota 8183X going missed.
ATC: Cessna 49439, do you have the Dakota in sight? [we are on final for 14]
Student: Looking for traffic.
*30 seconds later and we are on short final*
ATC: Cessna 49439, do you have the Dakota traffic in sight?
Student: Negative.
ATC: It's right off your right wingtip!
*I know the Dakota isn't anywhere near where we are*
Student: Negative traffic
*student begins to take evasive action on short final and I tell him to fly the aircraft before we become a smoking hole*
8183X: We have the two cessnas in sight
Later on, I talked to the Dakota pilot and she said she was 500ft away from the Cessna behind us in the pattern. I bet the other Cessna had no clue they were about to die if the Dakota didn't maneuver out of their way. GO ATC!!!
I hate this controller, and on a busy day like today he screws up and begins yelling at the pilots. Then the flight training becomes totally unproductive with students b/c the student is getting yelled at for not complying with non-nonsensical demands and they shut down.
Best exchange of the day:
ATC: Cessna 49439, turn base.
Student: Say again?
ATC: Cessna 49439, TURN BASE!!!
*Student looks at me with deer in headlights look*
Me: Cessna 49439 is on final, unable turn base.
Another quality exchange:
ATC: Dakota 8183X, go missed approach [for runway 18]
8183X: Dakota 8183X going missed.
ATC: Cessna 49439, do you have the Dakota in sight? [we are on final for 14]
Student: Looking for traffic.
*30 seconds later and we are on short final*
ATC: Cessna 49439, do you have the Dakota traffic in sight?
Student: Negative.
ATC: It's right off your right wingtip!
*I know the Dakota isn't anywhere near where we are*
Student: Negative traffic
*student begins to take evasive action on short final and I tell him to fly the aircraft before we become a smoking hole*
8183X: We have the two cessnas in sight
Later on, I talked to the Dakota pilot and she said she was 500ft away from the Cessna behind us in the pattern. I bet the other Cessna had no clue they were about to die if the Dakota didn't maneuver out of their way. GO ATC!!!
I hate this controller, and on a busy day like today he screws up and begins yelling at the pilots. Then the flight training becomes totally unproductive with students b/c the student is getting yelled at for not complying with non-nonsensical demands and they shut down.
3/27/08
Flying - the ultimate rush
One reason I love flying is the absolute feeling power you get.
Takeoff has to be one of the greatest rushes known to man (short of illegal drugs). Roll onto the runway, line up and look down the runway. It's a piece of concrete (or even grass, mud, gravel, or who knows what) and at the end there is a fence. Behind the fence there are trees. You are going to go OVER the trees!!!
Bring the engine up and triple check the instruments that they are all in the normal range. Finally, you let go of the brakes and begin to roll. Airspeed indicator alive! Roll out those ailerons, keep it on centerline, the centerline stripes are now starting to come fast and furious, V1, V2, ROTATE! Goodbye fair world! So long suckas!
And you are now a bird, and your are only limited by your skill and fuel in the tanks :)
Takeoff has to be one of the greatest rushes known to man (short of illegal drugs). Roll onto the runway, line up and look down the runway. It's a piece of concrete (or even grass, mud, gravel, or who knows what) and at the end there is a fence. Behind the fence there are trees. You are going to go OVER the trees!!!
Bring the engine up and triple check the instruments that they are all in the normal range. Finally, you let go of the brakes and begin to roll. Airspeed indicator alive! Roll out those ailerons, keep it on centerline, the centerline stripes are now starting to come fast and furious, V1, V2, ROTATE! Goodbye fair world! So long suckas!
And you are now a bird, and your are only limited by your skill and fuel in the tanks :)
3/26/08
Wensdays
Student first solo... I hate student first solo's. They never go as planned and you truly don't know WTF is going to happen.
Then a student failed a stage check. And he had his check ride scheduled for Friday. And he is leaving a week from Friday back to Alaska. I hate my life...
Went home for lunch, and got a short nap.
Then I taught PPL groundschool. This is somewhat depressing, but somewhat uplifting. The students study a little, but they really don't know the material. I wish I could scream "JUST LEARN THE MATERIAL BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MEMORIZE IT ANYWAY".
4 hours billed, at work from 8 AM - 11AM and 2PM - 9:30PM. Welcome to the CFI world, get paid for half the time you are at work...
Then a student failed a stage check. And he had his check ride scheduled for Friday. And he is leaving a week from Friday back to Alaska. I hate my life...
Went home for lunch, and got a short nap.
Then I taught PPL groundschool. This is somewhat depressing, but somewhat uplifting. The students study a little, but they really don't know the material. I wish I could scream "JUST LEARN THE MATERIAL BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MEMORIZE IT ANYWAY".
4 hours billed, at work from 8 AM - 11AM and 2PM - 9:30PM. Welcome to the CFI world, get paid for half the time you are at work...
NOS vs. Jepp
Forewarning, if you don't know what NOS is, you don't get a say in the debate. NOS is now NACO charts.
When I see stuff like this: http://joe.emenaker.com/Aviation/JeppVsNACO.html, I cringe.
My first rebuttal would be that Jepp charts don't pay to flight test the approaches, but neither does NACO. The FAA flight tests the approaches to make sure the layout and navaids still work. My second rebuttal to the cost is that the government can't be sued for bad charts but Jepp can. Good luck with a multi-billion dollar suit when an airliner augers in and it could be your fault.
And truthfully, I know that Rand McNally cribs off maps published by city/state/national governments. You too can get one by writing your local state congressman (or stopping by the local DOT). Jepp isn't the only company profiting by duplicating a government publication.
The cost issue isn't all that bad. First, Jepps cost about twice what NACO charts cost. In my case (WI/IL), it costs me $145 for Jepps and $50 for NACO for a year. On the other hand, my Jepps show up at my door in advance and I don't need any planning to keep up to date charts in my flight bag. And, if you count the 28 day updates for Jepps, I get twice the chart updates for about twice the price!!! Why take the chance you missed an MDA change?
The chart holders are a one time cost. Plus, Executive sized 3 ring binders work well for Jepp charts $3.50 at staples.
Lately the Jepp charts have been publishing full updates every 56 days. I love this because I can throw my old charts out and not worry about it. It's not as bad as it used to be.
Let me now get into the artistic gripes.
Gripe 1: Do I give a rats ass about military airports? Also, brown blends in pretty well to the various background stuff (especially at night in bad lighting). I prefer my airports in high contrast to the background.
Green vs blue, is easily distinguished under red and white lighting. Plus, it highlights those airports and makes them easier to pick out.
Also, if life is going to hell in a hand basket, the last thing you are going to be doing is looking at the chart. It's called radar vector to divert please.
Gripe 2: I like having the huge compass rose's. It makes it much easier when you need to go 'off roading' and not follow the airways to your destination.
I won't put it delicately, OMFG, you want to NOT have terrain altitudes depicted on your chart!?!?!? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH? GPS has gone this way and with good reason. Turning the wrong way in IMC in mountainous terrain has a way of punishing failure in ways that a IFR checkride doesn't.
Gripe 3: Jepp labels backcourses in big bold letters. Hell, they even have a SEPARATE symbol for backcourse. Congrats?
The update problem has been resolved. And if you use NOS charts that aren't in the book and are loose leaf, it's just as bad as Jepp.
But the other thing with Jepp is that it's not designed for someone tooling out in the practice area. It's for people who go places, and it is designed for that. The important information is bolded over the non-essential info. Information not needed when doing the approach is stashed away on another page. They put taxi diagrams for ALL IFR airports on a separate page, instead of tiny sizing it and putting it at the bottom where it clutters up the approach page.
At large airports, they are now doing color coded red circles showing runway incursion areas. When going to airports with temporary approaches, it's a different color of background paper.
My biggest gripe is that Jepp charts are expensive, but you get a superb product for the extra cost. And Jepp is starting to come around a little to it's smaller customers complaints.
When I see stuff like this: http://joe.emenaker.com/Aviation/JeppVsNACO.html, I cringe.
My first rebuttal would be that Jepp charts don't pay to flight test the approaches, but neither does NACO. The FAA flight tests the approaches to make sure the layout and navaids still work. My second rebuttal to the cost is that the government can't be sued for bad charts but Jepp can. Good luck with a multi-billion dollar suit when an airliner augers in and it could be your fault.
And truthfully, I know that Rand McNally cribs off maps published by city/state/national governments. You too can get one by writing your local state congressman (or stopping by the local DOT). Jepp isn't the only company profiting by duplicating a government publication.
The cost issue isn't all that bad. First, Jepps cost about twice what NACO charts cost. In my case (WI/IL), it costs me $145 for Jepps and $50 for NACO for a year. On the other hand, my Jepps show up at my door in advance and I don't need any planning to keep up to date charts in my flight bag. And, if you count the 28 day updates for Jepps, I get twice the chart updates for about twice the price!!! Why take the chance you missed an MDA change?
The chart holders are a one time cost. Plus, Executive sized 3 ring binders work well for Jepp charts $3.50 at staples.
Lately the Jepp charts have been publishing full updates every 56 days. I love this because I can throw my old charts out and not worry about it. It's not as bad as it used to be.
Let me now get into the artistic gripes.
Gripe 1: Do I give a rats ass about military airports? Also, brown blends in pretty well to the various background stuff (especially at night in bad lighting). I prefer my airports in high contrast to the background.
Green vs blue, is easily distinguished under red and white lighting. Plus, it highlights those airports and makes them easier to pick out.
Also, if life is going to hell in a hand basket, the last thing you are going to be doing is looking at the chart. It's called radar vector to divert please.
Gripe 2: I like having the huge compass rose's. It makes it much easier when you need to go 'off roading' and not follow the airways to your destination.
I won't put it delicately, OMFG, you want to NOT have terrain altitudes depicted on your chart!?!?!? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH? GPS has gone this way and with good reason. Turning the wrong way in IMC in mountainous terrain has a way of punishing failure in ways that a IFR checkride doesn't.
Gripe 3: Jepp labels backcourses in big bold letters. Hell, they even have a SEPARATE symbol for backcourse. Congrats?
The update problem has been resolved. And if you use NOS charts that aren't in the book and are loose leaf, it's just as bad as Jepp.
But the other thing with Jepp is that it's not designed for someone tooling out in the practice area. It's for people who go places, and it is designed for that. The important information is bolded over the non-essential info. Information not needed when doing the approach is stashed away on another page. They put taxi diagrams for ALL IFR airports on a separate page, instead of tiny sizing it and putting it at the bottom where it clutters up the approach page.
At large airports, they are now doing color coded red circles showing runway incursion areas. When going to airports with temporary approaches, it's a different color of background paper.
My biggest gripe is that Jepp charts are expensive, but you get a superb product for the extra cost. And Jepp is starting to come around a little to it's smaller customers complaints.
3/24/08
11/11/06
11/1/06
Andrew Sullivan and Bush
I think Rumsfeld was an overall positive, but lately his unwillingness to change is becoming a liability. The strategy isn't working as well as originally hoped (I don't think it's been a total loss). I think that in the long run, the current strategy will work, but it will take longer and bloodier than necessary (the country would have been more stabilized than what I think is happening).
The main problem with the situation is that you can't trust any of the party lines. The media sings it's doom and gloom song, and yet there is still progress (it's like the Japanese propaganda during WW2, if they keep winning victories, why do the battles keep moving closer to Japan?). The White House is much the same, that's total bullshit (it's a political operation so I wouldn't expect the truth anyway). Al Qaeda keeps gloating over 'glorious victories' which make no sense and when thought about rationally aren't really great victories (you killed 2 people this week, I've seen more deadly car accidents). Battlefield reports from bloggers/independent media are snapshots of small areas, and it's hard to expolate (sp?) a small town or section of a large city to the whole country.
The main problem with the situation is that you can't trust any of the party lines. The media sings it's doom and gloom song, and yet there is still progress (it's like the Japanese propaganda during WW2, if they keep winning victories, why do the battles keep moving closer to Japan?). The White House is much the same, that's total bullshit (it's a political operation so I wouldn't expect the truth anyway). Al Qaeda keeps gloating over 'glorious victories' which make no sense and when thought about rationally aren't really great victories (you killed 2 people this week, I've seen more deadly car accidents). Battlefield reports from bloggers/independent media are snapshots of small areas, and it's hard to expolate (sp?) a small town or section of a large city to the whole country.
10/31/06
Progress comes at a price
I hate people who argue that we shouldn't do Embryonic Stem Cell Research because it's unpromising. It's the lamest excuse in the book, because at the start of research, by definition, you won't know what you will come up with at the end. Plus, much truly groundbreaking research is dangerous.
I would compare Embryonic Stem Cell Research to flying at the start. Many early wannabe pilots died when their 'aircraft' crashed. The most famous is Otto Lilienthal, whose famous quote "sacrifices must be made" was all too prophetic of his own death due to a glider accident. The first passenger in an airplane died (Signal Corps Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge). I can't find statistics on early pilots trying to cross the Atlantic, but many died in the attempt before Lindberg successfully made history. And the US Air Mail had a horrendous survival rate during it's first years of operation.
Plus, we learned how flight crews were unable to work together effectively to the Tenerife disaster at the cost of 583 deaths. UAL 232 is a testament to CRM in that 184 people survived on a flight that should have ended up as a smoking hole in some cornfield.
Today, the most dangerous part of aviation is the drive to the airport. The deaths of yesterday make flying very safe because we learned from our mistakes and have improved safety.
I would compare Embryonic Stem Cell Research to flying at the start. Many early wannabe pilots died when their 'aircraft' crashed. The most famous is Otto Lilienthal, whose famous quote "sacrifices must be made" was all too prophetic of his own death due to a glider accident. The first passenger in an airplane died (Signal Corps Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge). I can't find statistics on early pilots trying to cross the Atlantic, but many died in the attempt before Lindberg successfully made history. And the US Air Mail had a horrendous survival rate during it's first years of operation.
Plus, we learned how flight crews were unable to work together effectively to the Tenerife disaster at the cost of 583 deaths. UAL 232 is a testament to CRM in that 184 people survived on a flight that should have ended up as a smoking hole in some cornfield.
Today, the most dangerous part of aviation is the drive to the airport. The deaths of yesterday make flying very safe because we learned from our mistakes and have improved safety.
Republican Closet
I've been there, done that. Since I live in Madison, WI, often times I am assumed to be a Democrat/Green party supporter. This usually manifests itself as someone starts in on how the Iraq war was unnecessary/unjust/illegal/treasonous/etc and Bush/Cheney/etc should be impeached, put on trial, or whatever.
Usually I just sit there and tune out the conversation or walk away. The only real defense mechanism I can use if I want to argue is to claim I'm a libertarian (and I am, but I don't vote that way usually). And lord forbid that I actually say I'm for Bush, because I will get a hearing to from the people there for the rest of the day.
Usually I just sit there and tune out the conversation or walk away. The only real defense mechanism I can use if I want to argue is to claim I'm a libertarian (and I am, but I don't vote that way usually). And lord forbid that I actually say I'm for Bush, because I will get a hearing to from the people there for the rest of the day.
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