'27 Chrysler update:

Pretty, ain't it?

Yeah, that's not the one I am working on. Mine needs some work to look like that.

I was asked for an update with pictures, so this is gonna be pic heavy.

This is the one I am trying to resurrect:

Yes, my garage is.....cluttered. 

Good, solid body. Paint is rough though. Doors close firmly and latch. Trunk as well. Wooden wheels are tight and not rotted, but need some TLC. Tires hold air. Drivetrain is loose, it rolls easily. Running boards are solid, as is the frame.

Engine runs and is tight. Carb is now clean and operable. Carb is NOT correct, but apparently many of these cars were retrofitted from the Carter to the bronze Stromberg that is on the car, apparently due to corrosion in the zinc body of the original Carter carb.

 New plug wires (of course)...filed the points flat and installed a new fan belt...can't find the right condenser (or the exact points), but the one that is on the distributor is good. . Surprisingly, Gates had a listing for the belt and I got the belt one day after ordering it.

Note: Automotive engineers back then were just as bad as today's engineers...some things are just a pain to work on or are unnecessarily complicated when they don't have to be. If there was a Haynes manual for this car every procedure forward of the firewall would start with "remove radiator and support rods".

New manifold gasket and the manifold bolts that snapped are drilled out and new threads tapped. No exhaust leaks now.

Carb is cleaned and put back together. It works well now that the varnish is gone.

I found all the parts to the vacuum tank fuel pump in the trunk, but can't make it work. (that is the round thing on the firewall at the upper right in the picture above).

I did make a new gasket for the top, but there are too many worn/dried out parts in it, so I am gonna send it in to a rebuilder. 

Yes, it looks weird, but that is what the gasket that was on it looked like. Offset and one hole at the edge of the gasket.

(for an explanation of how this canister works as a fuel pump, go HERE... It is a kinda Rube Goldberg-ish, but apparently they work well when complete and in spec (which this one is not!)). I have a low pressure electric ordered in the meantime. 2 psi MIGHT be too much for this carb, have to see. 

So, it starts and runs when the starter motor decides to work. I pulled the starter and switch out and took it to a rebuilder. Should have it back on Saturday. Hand cranking is dangerous! 

When running, it has decent oil pressure and doesn't smoke. I changed the oil and cleaned the pickup screen. Have to see how long that oil stays clean...it is already getting dark after about an hour of runtime. Lots of Gunk in the crankcase. Haven't gotten to check the generator, but those are easy to work on, as is the voltage regulator, so not a worry there. 

I'm still not happy with the distributor. That's the next project. Lots of play in it and it has skipped time once again. Something isn't put together correctly. I'm trying to find an exploded view before I pull it apart.  I can time it and the engine will start and run...then suddenly after 3 or 4 or 10 or 15 minutes it will backfire and die and the timing will be off by about 20 degrees. Someone else was in the distributor and it's associated drive before I bought the car, so I don't know what they did or if it is put back together properly. The drive gears are sharp and not worn, on both the distributor and the cam. I painted the distributor gear with a Sharpie, and the engagement is good. I dunno. More research before taking it apart though. It's been about 20 years since I rebuilt a distributor. And it isn't like I can order another one from AutoZone if I screw it up. 

I got about 5 gallons of evil smelling varnish old gas out of the tank, and flushed it with new(ish) gas (Thanks to my brother for his help there). Left some good gas in the tank to soak the bottom.  Lot of icky stuff in there. Probably gonna have to coat the inside of the tank after I get all the varnish out.

After that will be trying to get the clutch to move on the splines. I think it is just rust in the splines. Having said that, I will have to see if there is a cover or inspection plate to let me look, or, if need be, I can easily drop the driveshaft and pull the trans. 

The brakes, including the parking brake, now work. The radiator holds water and so does the block, so I got that going for me. 

One step forward, three steps back. Everytime I fix one thing, I find more yet to fix, or an issue that was masked by the thing I fixed.  And the distributor is just plain pissing me off. 

Lots of work, but it keeps me out of the bars. 

thing is...

It isn't unusual...especially in any large urban area. Happens all the time, has been happening practically forever.

But, like many things in Chicago (Voter Fraud, bribery, etc), it is so BLATANT. They don't even try to hide their misdeeds. They just do it and the people (and the Media) let them get away with it.

I want a Border Wall.

But I am against this sort of shenanigans:

The Pentagon has formally greenlighted the transfer of up to $1 billion towards the construction of “roads and fences” as well as lighting along the US-Mexico border wall, as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking.
In a memo to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen, acting defense chief Patrick Shanahan wrote that he authorized the US Army Corps of Engineers to “immediately begin planning and executing up to $1 billion” in support of the range of activities necessary to seal “11 drug-smuggling corridors.”

The money was allocated by the Congress of the United States to the Pentagon for military uses . It isn't the Pentagons to give away for other purposes, nor is it Donnie's choice where that money goes.

I gotta say, this comes close to bordering on unconstitutional and illegal actions. 

So next time...

Someone commits a "hate Crime" or a "Hoax crime" will the prosecutor let them go as well?

Or is it only stupid, gay, half black, actors who get off for crimes? People of a protected class.
I mean, this seems to be as much justice as Hillary Clinton got...

"yes, the accused is guilty"
"Yes, their actions had costs"
"but no, we won't force them to do any punishment, nor even pay for the costs of, nor the consequences of their actions."
"In the end, they re gonna get away with it.

Yes, the Fix is in.

What's next? If I know the right people who are willing to make the right calls to the right people, can I get away with Murder too? I mean, if I am rich and powerful enough.....

Next time some person actually commits a Hoax Crime, or gives false testimony, or makes a false accusation, do they get off as well?

What happened to "Equal Protection under the Law?"

Who has to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for the investigation of this hoax?

The Chicago Way.

So it would seem that Jussie Smollett, while guilty, has finagled things so that the charges against him are suddenly dropped. No trial. And the case is, oddly, sealed.

I am sure that there was, in this case some sort of "agreement" made between some parties...It is, after all, the Chicago Way. Been happening that way since long before my father was born. If it isn't the Cops, it is the Politicians, or the Unions, or the Judges....Power Brokers make some difficult things happen....For a price.

First Assistant State's Attorney Joe Magats said that he thought Smollett was guilty but that 'based on the facts and circumstances' of the case and his 'lack of criminal background', the decision was made not to pursue the 16 felony disorderly conduct charges that a grand jury returned. 

It came after a furious press conference from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson who decried it as a 'whitewash of justice' and said Smollett got off 'scot-free' because he is famous.

Odd, how 16 felony charges of lying to police and other charges were expiated over $10,000 in bond forfeiture and 16 hours of phantom community service....

(I am sure that that there was more than $10K involved as well)

This is blatant. A terrible injustice. A manipulation of "Justice".  Jussie, for whatever reason, somehow got out of his wrongdoing.

Lots of "influential" people were trying to make Jussie's misstep go away...apparently, enough people with enough pull were able to make that happen.

And this sort of thing is why I don't believe that we can trust the integrity of the votes coming out of Chicago either. Politicians, Aldermen, government workers, prosecutors and Judges don't even TRY to hide their blatant misdeeds and twisting and manipulation of the laws... There is not even shame to keep them in line....most are willing to sell their integrity. One must expect that Kim Foxx and her minion, Joe Magats, are either retiring soon or have been well compensated by someone...


ETA: Good question: Can we whites start rioting and burning and generally commit mayhem since a black man was let off for a crime?

444 miles

3.5 hours. 126 knots.

The day (Saturday) was clear and warm(ish) and not much wind. The Weather Briefer said it was gonna be awesome there and back. She was correct.

Pulled the plane out, did a preflight, checked the fuel and called for a top off . Was told I was number 5 in line for 100 LL. (The Self Serve fuel being out of service, so it is fuel truck or nothing)

So I warmed up the motor and cycled the prop and did all could do while waiting and moved it farther down the taxiway while we waited.

Got fuel after a 40 minute wait and then waited 10 more minutes to check for water. Found none.

Fired up, taxiied to the end of the runway, waited for two planes in the pattern to land, called my runway and took off with a southbound departure. Set course for Evansville (EVV).

Called for Flight Following and the Chicago departure controller was cheerful and professional. She handed me off to Champaign approach, who handed me off to Hulman aproach, then to Evansville. The winds were negligible at 6500 feet MSL, so our groundspeed was pretty much our airspeed.
1:40 wheels up to wheels down.

Evansville Regional (Evansville Indiana) is a pretty nice set of runways and is well maintained.  I did a nice slight crosswind landing, barely even chirped the tires.

Evansville tower sent me to Tri-Star (the FBO at Evansville field) for transient parking. They gave us a crew car no questions asked and we went to do our errands and then have lunch.

Lunch was Mission Barbecue...yes it's a chain.  Good chow. Great folks. Nice, polite, happy to see customers. Awesome respect to Veterans.

as you walk up: right in front of the door, right next to the Handicapped spaces. 

tons more like these all over the walls.

The food was good, the prices fair, For a chain, this is pretty good barbecue....and sides.

After eating, we drove around a bit more, then decided to beat the clouds building to the west (Perfect conditions for icing!!) and went back to the airport. Fueled up and that's when my impression of the folks at Evansville field took a nosedive.  The nice, polite crew that had greeted us at first call had obviously gone home and another crew had taken over....The clearance woman was pretty much a snotty bitch. She was GREATLY offended when I asked her to speak slowly enough that I could understand her. The Ground controller took the cue from Clearance, and the Tower controller was also a snot.
Departure controller was nearly impossible to understand (Hint: take the wad of chaw out of yer mouth when giving heading instructions to folks on a radio!) I wasn't the only pilot who had to ask him to repeat his instructions either. Was really glad to be out of their airspace. While I haven't got that much experience, that is the first time I have ever felt unwelcome at an airport.,,,also the first time I have ever encountered unprofessional attitude in a controller.

The trip home at 7500 MSL was mostly uneventful after that, except for the dude with his transponder on standby that passed us in a steep dive from left to right about a quarter mile in front of us...passing through our altitude at about 200MPH (really,, that fast) He didn't show on the IPAD on ADSB until about 2 minutes later...I don't know if he had his transponder off, on standby, or what..... MC saw him as he passed through our altitude, before I saw him. The controller didn't warn us about him either, so I don't think he saw him. I dunno. We didn't hit him, so all was good.

Other than that small bit of excitement, it was an uneventful flight home. I hand flew for practice rather than use the autopilot. I did let "George" fly for a moment while I took a couple of pictures of some gravel pits/mines . (there isn't much else to see besides wet and soggy fields in Indiana right now.)

yeah, that is about 1.6 miles long, taken from 7500 ft MSL...figure 7000 AGL more or less. A  big trench.

Time to get home was only 1:38. Did a 45 entry to the downwind and a decent approach. But a slight bounce at the end. Not bad, but still, a bounce that shouldn't have happened.

overall, a good day. Left in the daylight, landed just before dusk.

3.8 (what with taxi and runup) and 2.

Innit odd....

So when Hillary actually DID commit a crime, the Media didn't spend 1/10th of the time discussing it. Even though the summary of THAT investigation DID say that she had violated the rules in her handling of Confidential and Classified (and higher) documents and information. Had she been anyone else, she'd have been charged and tried and convicted.

The media is, once again, showing their bias. I wonder if they are even self aware enough to realize that their bias is showing. Their disappointment of the results of the Mueller investigation and their dashed hopes that Trump would be found to have done something wrong is plain. But their coverage shows, with no room for doubt, their bias. The DNC folks who are clamoring for the full report....where were they when, at best mishandling of classified documents and, at worst, treason were committed by a presidential candidate?....Why did they not demand the release of the full investigation and supporting documents then?

Why didn't they have a 1 hour hit piece "special" on Hillary's misdeeds like they are all having about Trump?


I'm loving the cries that "If only we looked harder or broadened the scope we could find SOMETHING to pin on Trump". Again, we couldn't look too hard at Hillary, only at her use of an unsecured server.....not at the Clinton Foundation or any of the other shenanigans like Uranium One...
But they want an investigation into EVERYTHING about Donnie.....

Look, I am all for it, either way...., but lets have ONE standard. Not one for (definitely) sleazy Democrats and another for (maybe, and [probably}) sleazy Conservatives....

I was told there would be Collusion:

We were promised "Collusion" by the DNC folks.
Where is ANY charge of collusion?

All this time and we get NOTHING. Waste of time.

There was enough that they were able to get Mueller appointed so he could do a fishing expedition...with open ended options to investigate pretty much any avenue that would get Trump or his team members in trouble.

How many MILLIONS of dollars spent? Thousands of investigative man hours wasted (but paid for by the US taxpayers) just to inconvenience the Trump administration? All based on dubious evidence from the losing team in a Presidential election...Sour grapes, really,,,,people who could not admit to the world (or themselves) that they lost because of who they were, rather than because someone "cheated".

At the beginning of this, there was no proof, no evidence, nothing to validate the claims of "collusion". There was only a claim by the losers....and NOTHING credible to back that childish claim. Mostly innuendo and veiled accusations that had no basis and could not even be validated.  This investigation should never have been funded in the first place, much less gone on for as long as it did.

Since the DNC cried "Wolf!" then perhaps they should be saddled with the bill for the fishing expedition investigation by their chosen attack dog and all his minions.

At least Mueller is honest. I did not expect that from a person hand picked by the DNC.

Remember: The claim of Russian "hacking" the DNC server was based on a claim by the DNC...the server was NEVER forensically examined by any Law Enforcement or by anyone because the DNC would not give it up....So then after that, they floated (and pushed) the "Collusion" story.

'tis difficult

Working on a car that has pretty much ZERO documentation. And there isn't much available for a 1920's vintage car.

No exploded drawings....no specifications for clearance.
And no torque specs. How tight do you tighten manifolds? Snug? Tight? Really tight?
Sure as hell no good Chilton's or Haynes manual. I am looking for a "Motors" manual, but can't find one for anything pre-'35.

I mean, one can adjust the valves and make it work, at at worst they will be a bit noisy. Best to err on the side of too much clearance than too little. Easy choice to make.

Belts are pretty standard on tightness. Same on carb bolts.
But manifolds? Head bolts? Not much tolerance there.

And it ain't like on can easily get those parts if they break....
 And I have had enough drilling and tapping old, hard, broken bolts and studs for a while.

I dunno

Irish has a pretty convincing argument that the New Zealand shooting at the Mosque was not real, but rather a CGI fake.

I just don't know.

I DO know that it is not impossible. Which is, really, frightening to me. 

Fresh trout

So my brother, who is a very skilled outdoorsman, called me:

"Want some fresh trout? I just pulled in 2 large trout and if you'd like some, come get it".

So, since I was going that way, I did.

Man, was that was worth the trip.
A hot pan, melted butter. a 1 pound filet. Just a dusting of  onion powder (I didn't have an onion) and a blessing of cayenne on one side.
Cook 4 minutes, flip.

A little seasoned rice on the side and a piece of bread.

Man, there is nothing like FRESH pan fried trout. Less than 2 hours hour from stream to plate.

The only way it could have been better was if I had other companions and it was cooked on a campfire streamside.

Thanks, bro. 

'27 Chrysler update

Gettin there....
Got the issue with the distributor fixed, and it now stays in time. Odd how well it works when it is out together correctly instead of how the prior owner did it...

Runs pretty well, except for the exhaust leak. Leaks, actually. Major.

I found gaskets at Olsonsgaskets.com. He has gaskets for pretty much any car up to the early '70's. Pretty nice guy to work with too. Highly recommended. Not cheap, but good gaskets and good advice and quick service,

Of course, when taking the manifolds apart, some of the bolts in the manifold snapped.

So drill and tap,...Except they were so hard after all these years that that was difficult, as I could not get a punch to make an impression in the bolt. So very careful drilling and filing was necessary....It ain't like I can go to a U-Pull-It Junkyard and get another manifold for a car that is nearly a hundred years old. But I got the remains of the studs out, even though no local stores had any left handed drill bits for extraction. 

2 drilled and tapped, one had to be tapped up to the next size. (from 5/16" to 3/8") I left the other 2 the original size....One can always move up but it is hard to shrink them....

All surfaces cleaned, scraped, and brushed, and assembly should take place tonight or tomorrow.

Oddly, none of the auto parts shops in the area carry copper based Never-Seize....which I like to use because I may have to take it apart someday....And they don't carry much in the way of studs either. Still have the Dorman drawers, just nothing in them anymore. I ended up making the studs I needed with some rod and a die set.

Then I gotta see if the cooling system will hold any pressure (or water). I know for sure I gotta make a gasket for the radiator cap.

After that, of course, is cleaning out the fuel tank and lines (and fixing the vacuum fuel pump setup) and then it should be roadable.

Between flying (and doing the annual on the aeroplane), shooting and now this project, I'm keeping pretty busy. Keeps me out of trouble though.

Sporty...but nothing important fell off....

Time to do the first flight after the annual.: Weather was a bit better for VFR flight on Friday than it was on Thursday.....Winds 36 ,12 gusting 29. But skies clear to 12000 and vis was greater than 10. It was time to fly after nearly a month...
Windy and gusty...But, since I have a runway 36, I pulled the plane out, cranked it for 3 minutes (30 seconds crank, 3 minutes to cool the starter, repeat) and then pushed in the mixture and primed three times.
The engine caught and ran. I had oil pressure.

I warmed it up and then cycled the prop until it FINALLY (took like 10 minutes) until it too was full of oil and working as it should.

Taxiiied, did my runup, called my runway (36) and took off to the north, entered a crosswind and did a downwind departure to the south.

Climbed, trimmed, and leaned. Then climbed some more. Then did some turns, some descents, and ended up at 2000 feet and did some turns around a point over barn south and west of the airport. Climbed some more and then the air was (relatively) smooth, so I leveled at 4500 and drove straight west. I flew at 136 KIAS for about 10 minutes, but then it got rough again, so I slowed to 95.

Turned into the wind, climbed and did some stalls. At 5500, the wind was 36 at about 48 knots, so I was at zero ground speed and, at one point, slightly negative GS.

Recovered after some of that fun, leveled off and went back to flight at 90 or so and turned for home.

Entered the pattern and my first approach was less than perfect. But my short final was pretty good and my touchdown was right at my aim point and smooth and on centerline.  Took off and did the pattern, this time a better approach. Final was great and the touchdown as, again, exactly where I wanted it. It should count for two though, 'cause just as I lowered the nosewheel to the pavement, that pesky wind gusted and lifted me up about 2 inches and set me down again. Kinda fun, actually. I think it was the retracting flaps that made it settle down again.

I figured that was enough, so I taxiied back and put the 182 back in the barn.

Saturday, a short cross country, and then the start of the the reassembly of the manifolds on the '27 Chrysler.

Maybe today

So the plane is ready for runup and flight. Was ready Wed evening, actually.

Sadly, yesterday (Thursday) the ceiling was 400 ft and the visibility was less than a mile.

Today is spozed to be clear and unlimited. I intend to wring it out for a trip on Saturday.

But, yesterday, I got the broken bolt holes drilled and retapped on the '27 Chrysler exhaust manifold  and picked up the fan belt. (No one stocks it...who knew??)
Reassembly happens this weekend.

Plus selling raffle tickets for the range at a gunshow this Sunday.

737 MAX

Some interesting comments here.

If you are interested.

Plus, read the linked blogpost.

Apparently, the "anomaly" wasn't a new thing, it's just that most other pilots had the training to overcome it. The ones from places where there was good training and oversight by the governments had "incidents" and the pilots disconnected the automation and simply flew the plane manually....pitch and power/stick and rudder.

The 'Third World" airlines: Not so much.

Please note that the "copilot" only had 200 hours of time in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Prop Day

So the prop came in for the 182 yesterday. Fully rebuilt/resealed/repainted... Last thing besides pressurizing the front strut and putting the cowling on.

And the weather is suppozed to be AWESOME! tomorrow.

I should be flying about noon local on Thursday. 

And again, MAGA

"MAGA" is only used by Liberals. MAGA is not used by folks who think it is time to "Make America Great Again"....

Pretty much only journalists and Liberals who ahve never actually known a Conservative (or a Blue Collar tyoe, or anyone else who might wear a 'Make America Great Again" hat.

Jussie Smollet told everyone that 2 people told him "This is "MAGA" country" before they put another leftist symbol around his neck...and we found out later (although anyone with a brain already knew) that he had made the wole thing up.

So, having said all of the above, O gotta wonder....Who paid this guy to write "MAGA" and all the other stuff that Leftists think means some secret hate speech slogan on his hand?

Suspected mob boss killer writes ‘MAGA Forever,’ QAnon symbol on his hand

The only people they are gonna influence are already convinced.

And no father in sight

Not mentioned in the article, either. Wonder who is payin' for all those kids???

Woman gives birth to sextuplets in Houston

ETA: Kenny had the link first, I think.

'Twas very sad

So in trying to get the manifold apart for the '27 Chrysler to fix the exhaust leak, I snapped off 3 bolts.

Not a surprise, they are likely the original '27 bolts in an exhaust manifold been heated and cooled man, many times......but I needed some left handed drill bits to try to pull out the bolt stubs and my lefty bits (at least the small ones) were worn and of dubious utility.

So, off to Menards.
Pretty disappointing. Not much selection and what was there were all brands that I had never heard of. I really don't want to use cheap drill bits that will snap off in the work and compound my problems...

Next stop: Home Depot. Not only NO lefty drill bits, but also the clerk in the hardware section was unbelieving that they even made such things....the look she gave me was one of "Don't fuck with me, dude, I know they don't make 5 lb tubs of "Elbow Grease" either....".
 I had to explain (and show via her internet) that there really are such things as left handed drill bits. She'd never heard of them. So much for qualified folks in the stores.... But Home Depot doesn't stock 'em . So no joy there.

Lowes online only has "Hanson", "Irwin",  and another brand which I haven't ever heard of, so I think I will pass there as well. Hanson/Irwin drill bits are about Harbor Freight quality in my experience...

I guess DeWalt and Bosch don't make left drill bits. I really don't want to use some cheap bits that will break off or some cheaper cast screw extractor that will break inside the work and leave me in worse shape.

I may well track down a Snap-On guy and buy some lefty drill bits...maybe some extractors too Snap-On is pricey, but their tools are good. Not so much with the home improvement stores cheapo ones....The manifold on which I am working is too hard to replace.

Only White Nationalists

do mass murder....And we are told it is terrible to be a Muslim in the US today....
Yet things like what Joe refers to happen often around the world....and the media doesn't make a big deal about it.
And it isn't very newsworthy, for some reason.

Haters of all races/cultures/religions are haters. And these folks should be stopped, no matter who they are killing. No matter who you are, as a group, someone hates you. Someone wants to kill you because your beliefs aren't theirs. Because they think they know the One True Way and younaren't following it.

But the selective media reporting would make you believe that it only happens to Muslims (and the outcry would make you think that as well).
(Ok, maybe the Jews and the homosexuals cry that they are just as persecuted....) But the statistics here in the US don't support that. Other countries? Well. they even eat their own.

 Bottom line: If every time they attempted this they'd get shot (early and often), the attacks would stop pretty quickly There are hateful people who would commit mass murder in nearly every society. Don't be defenseless.  Let them do the dying, not you and your group. Not saying go looking for trouble, but don't let it happen if it comes to you.

How is this not prostitution?

Now, make no mistake, I believe that men and women should be able to rent themselves out or otherwise choose what they do for pay. It really matter little to me if you work 8 hours on a factory abusing your hands to assemble Widgets or on your back...either way, it is renting your body. The only difference is the work you choose to do.

Having said that, lets look at this:
Johnson said often older men have paid for her school, where she lives and even what she drives.

Now, if she and her (ahem) "Sugar Daddies" are happy with the arrangement, I'm all for it. This sort of thing has, in one form or another, been going on informally since the beginning of time. Young women and older/rich/successful men. In the Keys and Bahamas, they have "Boat Bunnies"....in the ski areas, they have "Snow Bunnies". And it has been going on elsewhere where some folks have "Mistresses" or "Kept Women".

But this? This is pretty blatant. And while I think it ought to be legal, it is, at best, the authorities turning a blind eye to prostitution.

More jobs than people

Yeah, it is a simplistic headline.

But in the end, there are more job openings than there are unemployed people to fill them.

This does not really mean more jobs than people, just more jobs than people that are looking for jobs.
Nor does it take into account that many of these jobs require some skill, not just a strong back or willing hands. (and many of the jobs require a clean blood test and/or that folks actually show up on time and/or work for a whole 8 hours....)
And this is the FIRST TIME IN 18 YEARS that there are more jobs available than there are people looking for jobs.

Lets hope that the DNC majority in the House doesn't break that.

Terrorism

So some dude shot up a mosque in Christchurch.

Now, I totally hate folks like this. I won't use their name. They don't deserve any fame.

This sort of act is despicable. I hope they hang him. It would seem that he livestreamed the heinous act. There is little doubt of his guilt.

I also, however, despise the folks who use this sort of act as a Gun Control lever....One where they cannot help but dance in the blood of the victims to further their aim.

Also, I despise the folks who use this sort of act to tell us about how terrible it is to be a Muslim in America....Hint: It didn't happen here, and it isn't just white people who kill Muslims. More Muslims kill other Muslims around the world than non-Muslims. You are safer here in the US as a Muslim than anywhere else in the world. (and, the terror attack in New Zealand notwithstanding, in most majority Christian countries). My disgust also goes to the Jewish people who use this sort of act as a soapbox to tell us how THEY are persecuted as much or more than any other group).

The world is an imperfect place. There are folks that hate people of any other religion. Christians are persecuted in many places. Jews in others. Muslims are, for the most part, not persecuted in "Western" countries. Disliked, perhaps. Persecuted systematically, no.

Perhaps, since the genie in out of the bottle, instead of bemoaning the persecution, these folks should choose to protect themselves. With armed security, the asshole of Christchurch would have (maybe) gotten off 3 shots before beginning to assume room temperature. It need not be blatant, but a few vigilant and trained concealed carriers could stop things before they become massacres.

I'm not sure how we stop such attacks. Haters are out there, and one can make bombs, either explosive or incendiary, easily. For that matter, Arson is also easy to perpetrate. Haters gonna hate. Simple vigilance and security precautions can change a massacre of innocent worshipers into a small incident. Choosing not to be a victim is what it takes to stop this.

I hope they try him and his cohorts and find them guilty and kill them in a public and messy way as a deterrent to others who might think such actions are a grand idea. 

Yup: Hint for those who believe in Socialism

.

Eagle cam

Yust in case you wanna watch a Bale Eagle nesting (and hopefully brooding her chicks).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b2dUgK6VV4

It lives

Finally, with assistance, found out why the 1927 Chrysler 58 would not stay in time.

Once we found a fix for that, it ran, and ran rather well, at that. I must have gotten the carb setting pretty close after pulling it apart to clean the sludge out of it. Now I gotta get the tank cleaned out and get the (rather odd) vacuum fuel pump working....

Of course, it needs an exhaust manifold gasket, some hoses and belts, and the intake manifold gasket, but aside from that, "She's Cherry".

Gonna take some more work, but this is a BIG milestone.

Updates as they happen.

Reference to the "Cherry" comment: (about 1:29) 

AAAANd it is definitely Spring

We got our first Tornado today.

Yes, It missed me.... and everyone I know....As far as I can tell from the news, it hurt no one and wasn't much of a tornado.

But still.

I grew up in this area, and these things can pop up quickly and move at over 70MPH.
I've had my experiences with spring tornadoes from the time I was in grade school.  I'm a believer.

3.14

Pi day.

Act accordingly.

I'll be at the dentist

Pretty much inevitable, wasn't it?

So it would seem that Finland is failing.

I mean, their current society is. They are running out of "Other People's Money".

Seems that their Socialist Health Care program that was touted as a great idea....One that we should model our heakthcare system on (The Affordable HealthCare Act, AKA ObamaKare) is gone bust......Broke. Kaput. Bankrupt. 

Broke enough that the entire Government has decided to resign.

Once again, Socialism has failed. They gave up on Universal Basic Income a few months ago because it too didn't work, despite being touted as a wonderful idea that would bring everyone out of poverty....

I am reliably informed that most European "Socialist Democracies" are not far behind.

Let us not forget that, despite our problems, by nearly any standard, even the "Poor" in the US have a  better standard of living that the middle class in Europe.
But we should, according to the Liberals and the "educated" emulate the Europeans.....

Note: Wild animals are not as cuddly as they appear:

Seems some idiot woman moved past a barrier and come too close to the bars separating her from a Jaguar while taking a selfie....and the Jaguar decided to claw her because ....well, Jaguar,....not a Big Kitty.

She got off with just some claw marks.

Lesson here: These are not domesticated felines. Not tamed. Not just big housecats.....

No arrests

Oddly, there was a 7 hour Police Standoff in Lincoln Park, Illinois, a neighborhood of Chicago.

A party at a Lincoln Park Airbnb ended in a seven-hour stand-off with police, but the three people involved are not facing any charges Monday morning.

No wonder there is a crime issue in Chicago...7 hour SWAT standoff. No charges were filed. 7 hour standoff, and everyone walked away...

Further, there were several "assault Rifles" recovered and confiscated by the police, as well as 7 handguns....but, again, no charges. And this is Chicago, where such items are all but banned. If not the property of the folks involved in the standoff, then they must be the property of the owner of the home.
Yet, again, no arrests were made.

Odd. 

Faithful Discharge

So what with all the talk of impeachment of Donnie Trump, can we impeach (or recall) the senators from Hawaii?  (or can we, at least, get the folks in Hawaii to do so, since they are their senators)

Their oath is (in part) to " support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, and that I will faithfully discharge my duties to best of my ability." .

Seems to me that trying to destroy the Second Amendment of that Constitution (as well as the Hawaiian Constitution [Article 1 section 17] )is in violation of that oath. Pretty blatant violation, actually.
We have a process to amend the US Constitution (as does Hawaii for the State Constitution).
I am all for the United States Constitutional Convention to take place......
Lets open that ball. It'll be fun and exciting.....

Here's a list of those that have violated that oath:

Senator Stanley Chang
phone: 808-586-8420
fax: 808-586-8426
senchang@capitol.hawaii.gov

Senator Karl Rhoads
phone: 808-586-6130
fax: 808-586-6131
senrhoads@capitol.hawaii.gov

Senator Rosalyn H. Baker
phone: 808-586-6070
fax: 808-586-6071
senbaker@capitol.hawaii.

Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha
phone: 808-586-9385
fax: 808-586-9391
senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov

Senator Laura H. Thielen
phone: 808-587-8388
fax: 808-587-7240
senthielen@capitol.hawaii.gov

It has begun

The reassembly of my plane...

All inspections passed.

I got most of the inspection panels replaced this afternoon.

Tomorrow, the rest of the panels and the interior. Plus some minor mods and a bit of repair.

Should be that all that is left is waiting on the prop reseal. 

Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday.

You can do as you wish with that info.

How to drive away customers:

So I used to be a customer of "Drs Foster and Smith" online store for Pet medicines and other pet supplies.

They were bought by PETCO. I got the email about that a month ago.

In the past two weeks I have gotten more than 30 emails telling me about the wonderful deals available to me from Petco.

I unsubscribed... three times.

But they "want my business"..."to establish a relationship" as a pet owner . Nice way to start out there, assholes. I got maybe 3 emails a year from Foster and Smith, and I liked it that way. Spamming me at a rate of more than twice a day doesn't do much to make me want to do business with you. In fact, It pretty much makes sure I won't.

Does anyone in the marketing department have any sense at all?

Annual

SO the plane is up for an annual inspection.

I was offered the option of "Owner Assisted Annual".

Which means I am the shop monkey that removes inspection covers and pulls the interior.

10 hours of work (so far).

Jesus there are a lot of access/inspection plates,,,and lots of screws. (And someday, in a dark alley, I'm gonna have a discussion with the ham handed asshole who burnt the centers out of a bunch of the phillips screws last annual...probably with a ball peen hammer to the knees....some people just should not be allowed power tools).

Anyway, this morning I'm feeling pretty out of shape. Too much crawling around and unusual (for me) positions

Breakfast of former champions for me today. (Ibuprofen and coffee).

But I have learned a fair bit about my aircraft, which is the real reason for this evolution, rather than paying someone else to do it.

And today, a work party painting the range. Oughta loosen up my arms, if nothing else. 

I sincerely hope

That when I am judged in the afterlife, I get credit for the tings that I DON'T say.

Somedays I should get a medal and cookie for the fact that let some shit go.

Just sayin'. 

'Private" testimony

Seems that Mr Cohen has some words that we mere citizens are too fragile to hear, so today's testimony is behind closed doors and private in order that special secrets are not revealed on television. 

Which means that the spectacle yesterday was just for show, and had no real import, but was, rather just a method of making TheDonald look bad as this dildo-holster was able to say really bad things about Mr. Trump with no real recourse by the accused.

And anyone who cannot see that Cohen was coached and instructed to say certain things in a certain way is either blind, stupid, or just plain so partisan that they will believe anything as long as it fits their belief.

I must confess

So there I was, putting my stuff back in my pockets and putting my belt and shoes on after passing through the TSA checkpoint.

And, behind me in the line is some poor middle aged woman getting hand searched after triggering something on the  machine she had passed through.

And another TSA woman was gathering up her bins of stuff from the belt after passing through the scanner.

And I'm thinking"Poor lady, you can tell she's a terrorist looking person" as she is taken away for further inspection, looking terrified.

And I, helplessly,watched it happen.

I am part of the problem with this country.

GWB should be hung for letting this happen.

ADS-B

And, Finally.

I didn't do anything different the second time.

Where was I??

Sorry, I was out for a few days. 

I had a bit of fun, and some stuff is more important than other stuff. 

Lemme get caught up and Blogging will resume shortly. 

Well, that sucks

So I got my new ADS-B transponder installed.

I have a reservation for a $500 rebate. Which is nice, since the equipment and installation cost $4500. (I knew this cost when I bought the plane, and figured the installation cost when I made an offer).

So, today, perfect VFR weather. Skies clear to above 25,000 feet, visibility greater than 10 miles.

One of the requirements of getting the $500 rebate from the FedGov is a "validation flight".

One must have at least 30 minutes of "Mauevering Flight" in class C or better airspace to "validate" the installation.... "Manuevering Flight" is, however, undefined.

That was the flight I did today. I flew around the outer shelf of a class C airport for 1.1 hours plus a bunch of class E and G airspace...total time 1.6 hours. No, ATC doesn't have a defined route nor any procedure in place for ADS-B validation requirements....I asked. So I did turns, climbs, descents touch and goes and straight and level. ATC wasn't thrilled.

And I just got my report. Not good enough.

Thing is, apparently LOTS of people are having this same issue. Yes, the system sees you. Yes, we fly the areas. Yes, we met the time limits. And No, sorry, not enough. Try again.

But it is kinda hard to meet requirements when the standards are undefined.

At this rate, I've burned $110 dollars worth of fuel failing to meet those undefined standards.

Gonna go do touch and goes and REALLY piss off the ATC folks tomorrow.

At this rate the fuel is gonna cost more than the rebate. 

Because they don't care enough to check

Seems that the Media is decrying the terrible fate of all those poor people who are doing their taxes and are finding out that, while they got an overall reduction in taxes, they failed to bother to look at their payroll deductions and now aren't getting as large a tax return (although other, more credible news outlets claim that tax refunds are up a tiny bit over last year.

It is, of course, Trump's fault.

It's his fault that they never learned how it works. That tax time is merely a time to settle up your accounts. To determine if you paid too much, or too little over the previous year. (Perhaps it is the fault of the schools that don't teach this?? I dunno. I learned it school, but I am old)

All of a sudden, the media is trying to make Trump look bad, again, because some folks can't manage their tax burden. Because they, apparently (and I heard this many times from folks who worked for me) "I don't pay taxes....I get money back every year! "

I don't, in case you haven't figured it out, feel sorry for folks that are that ignorant of how things work.

charged

Seems that Jussie turned hisself in this AM for charges of Disorderly COnduct and Filing a False Police Report.

Apparently this opens him up to paying the entire costs of the investigation.

Toldya this "attack" was bullshit.

Plus, apparently, there are possible Federal Hate Crime charges because of another prank using the mail.

Poor Jussie. He got a lot more than he bargained for. One would have thought he'd be a lot smarter than this.


How many of those folks who told us how terrible whites are are gonna apologize for paining us all with the Racism: brush?

Again: if it weren't for staged "racist" "Hate Crimes" there would be almost none.

Was he already on his way out?

Or did his "assault" story just exacerbate his already tenuous employment status?

Smollett Cut From ‘Empire’ Episodes As Attack Probe Continues

One wonders what he was thinking.
The CPD may have poor leadership, but they are pretty good investigators when they try. 

You heard it here first:

I overheard a conversation the other day postulating that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is gonna be the next creation of the DNC machine. Pretty hard to argue with the parallels. And the formula works:

Yep, just like Barry Obama, she's being groomed to be the next DNC front runner as President.

It worked with the Black population of the US, and it worked with the more liberal voters in general. White Folks couldn't vote for him fast enough in order to prove they weren't racist and stuff like that.

It is possible that Ocosio-Cortez will be the same sort of thing...

She is hispanic, Female. Not really too bright. But photogenic and she appeals to the darker (black) and the latinos (brown) folks  and women...important voter blocks for the Dems....

The formula worked with Barry Obama. Similar profile. He was perhaps better educated, but not really that intelligent. But for many, he was a well spoken Black man and that was good enough to vote for because We Aren't Racist and We Vote Democratic. And he DID energize the Black votes for the DNC. And lots of DNC white types were surprised to find a black man who spoke good english....And were willing to vote for him based on that low a bar. Because Not Racist.

Might be that they try the same formula with Alexandria. It worked once.

President's day

Another Federal Holiday modified to give the federal (and usually State) workers a three day weekend.

Moveable Holidays should be abolished. Pick a day (or, in this case, days) and then either celebrate on that day, or don't.

I'm surprised we haven't made Christmas a moveable holiday.

Get.off.my.lawn

Question:

Since Jussie Smollett committed a "hate Crime" against himself, does he get charged with said "Hate Crime"?

Does he get the extra penalties connected with a crime that is deemed a "Hate Crime"?

I mean, if you or I had done such a crime....one that was racially, sexual preference or politically motivated, we'd get extra penalties....shouldn't he? 

Or will they just hope to sweep this under the rug?

Open border advocates

They don't care about the country. Nor the citizens of the USA.

But (some) Democrats support Open Borders. Yep, they'd be happy when all of the USA is a third world shithole. They don't care about the economic damage that  folks who cross even our current porous (but difficult to pass) border do....and they'd cheer if more folks crossed an open border, despite the additional damage it would do to our country. 

But it'd be a leveler, which is what Socialists want, right?
And it would help increase the number of voters that vote Democrat....Like Blacks, Latino voters vote Democrat....they don't know why, but they do it because that is what they are told and that is what their friends do.....

But (some) of the Democrats in Congress would prefer to sell out the country....despite the oath they took. For more power and more Socialism.

And if the Press would do their job, then these folks would get tossed out on their ear. But the press supports the Agenda of the Dems. Over the safety and security of the Country and the Citizens. 

The Unravelling

I was wrong....it did happen. Sorta.

So the Po-Po in Chicago (hey, that rhymes, sorta) have done their job and have tracked down and found the perpetrator of the terrible, heinous, racist attack by "MAGA" hat wearing Redncek Trump supporters (in the middle of the night, on the coldest day of the year)...

Seems it was folks the good ole' Jussie Smollett HIRED to do the job.   They have the confessions, they have the rope that they bought at an Ace Hardware.....They have all the details.....Excellent Job, CPD.

Funny, those Nigerians don't look anything like the folks Jussie portrayed in his description. I doubt if they even own a red baseball hat. Probably aren't Trump supporters either. And certainly aren't Rednecks.

While I doubt he will admit he lied and apologize to anyone, I hope he gets charged with Filing a False Police Report and is forced to pay for the costs associated with the investigation.  Ought tor be a pricey lesson for him...

(Isn't it odd how, when anyone investigates, nearly all the "Hate Crimes" based upon race, "gender" or sexual preference just aren't perpetrated by white conservatives? How it is (in nearly all cases) one of those "minorities" affected that commits the crime???(Often the one the crime was supposed to harm)? )

Odd, that.
But hey, Leftists. Symbols matter more that anything else.
More than reality.

Challenge

SO I bought an old car at an acution (for my Dad).

a 1927 Chrysler.

not in the best shape, but the motor turned with a crank and it had (some) compression.

oiled up the cylinders, and it has pretty decent compression now.

Spark? Yeah, that's the issue at this time. Haven't worked on a points ignition system for a lot of years.

Cleaned and gapped the points, and ran a hot wire to the switched side of the coil. It has spark now.

Now if I could just remember where I put the timing light away 20 years ago....

One thing at a time. 

Bummed

I'm once again disappointed by Trump.

He has failed, again, to lead. Or at least lead well.

The Dems are keeping a Wall from being built....at least any meaningful amount of Wall.

Essentially, they've thwarted him (again).

So much for "The Art of the Deal".

He SHOULD have forced Wall funding when he had a majority in the first 2 years. He didn't.

He SHOULD have taken some of the deals offered. DACA. Border Adjustment Tax. Others. All were better than what we got.
Now? Yeah, we get, essentially, nothing.
He SHOULD have stood fast on the "shutdown". He didn't. Like Charlie Brown and Lucy, he trusted them, and they snatched the football away. Again.

At the end, all we got is that he isn't Hillary.  

And it crumbles a bit more.

So it seems that the "attackers"  KNEW and had worked with Jussie....and he knew them. Apparently had worked with them in the past on the set of "Empire"...and they had worked out together at the gym.....Friendly like. .

And now the Police think he orchestrated the entire scene. 

Which would explain why he didn't wanna give up his phone, among other things. 

Seems they weren't supposed to be caught....but the police did an excellent job and they were tracked and found...

Interestinger and interestinger. 

Screw that

Forget "declaring an emergency".

I'm all for Donnie simply refusing to sign the spending bill.

Go full shutdown again.

I don't want to see another shutdown. But I DO want our southern border secured....at least not open (as it is now).

Let Donnie go forward and ask why the Dems don't want to secure our southern border.

Let the shutdown happen (again). Let him stand fast.

And, just so I am clear, I think declaring an "emergency"  for wall funding is a misuse of presidential powers.  This has been an ongoing issue, and using the emergency powers is not right.

I still think he needs to call out ALL the legislators that won't fund the security of our southern border. Call 'em out by name and ask the American people to ask 'em WHY they won't. 

If they spend any time, they should sue "Jussie"

Seems that the po-po are "questioning" two "persons of interest" in the "assault" that happened in Chicago. 

Now, The men are "not suspects" and are simply being questioned.
But if they spend any time at all with the police, and it is later determined that Jussie was not entirely truthful in his claims, they should sue him for the time they spent with the police and the stress that this is no doubt causing them.

And the police, should they be able to prove he is "less than truthful" should be able to force him to pay all of the costs for the investigation.

I say "not entirely truthful" because small bits of the story...small but important bits....keep changing. 

I am slowly coming to believe that if it weren't for fake racist (both anti-black and anti-muslim) incidents, there wouldn't be any at all.

ETA: Seems that the Chicago Police Department RAIDED the home of the "Persons of Interest".
Raided. Kicked down a door and tossed the apartment. Lots of damage.
I would think that Mr. Smollett should be liable for that damage as well, if and when.

As expected

Negotiations to end the Shutdown were, as expected, in bad faith.

Pretty much the past few weeks has been a waste of time, as the parts of the funding bill for border security are, as expected, a joke. Read some of the limits they have placed.

Apparently these folks are willing to sell out the country and the citizens therein.

I'm thinkin' lampposts and rope, but then again, I hate the sight of innards and such.

Trump should stand fast, and veto this abortion.

And yet she spent $20K on air travel last year....

So Ocasio Cortez wants to eliminate air travel, among other things, to save the planet.

Yet during her campaign she spent nearly $21,000 on air travel.....and only $3100 on travel by rail....so much for long distance travel.  7:1, more or less. Odd, for someone who believe that we are ruining the planet, innit?

I'll maybe start thinking these people really believe what they say when they start acting like they believe what they say.

Hypocrites. 

What is he hiding?

I mean, if one had been the "Victim" of a racist and homophobic attack, wouldn't you want to do whatever it took to find those folks who perpetrated the attack? Cooperate with the police?

Do everything you could to prove your story is correct? Truthful?

Like, maybe, turn over your phone records to the police when requested? Metadata and geolocation tags?

Or would you turn over records that were so heavily redacted as to be useless?

(Sources close to the Chicago Police Department tell me that the theory is that it was a Grinder date gone bad)

Seems the video records don't show the "noose" readily apparent as he reenters his apartment after the fact, but it was around his neck when the police got there. And he apparently was able to retrieve his Subway sandwich that was purchased BEFORE the attack. Odd.

it is also reported that "The growing lack of evidence in the case has reportedly pushed Chicago police to even consider charging Smollett with filing a false report. ".

Ice, Ice, Baby

First rain,

Then turning to a half inch of ice.

Then some more rain.

Then snow, to make the load on the trees and powerlines greater as it sticks to the wet ice.

Now wind. Ice is falling from the trees, along with small branches.

Oughta be interestin' later.
I pity the power line guys. (never yet seen a girl lineman)
I think they're gonna be busy this afternoon and evening.

Let 'em go to Venzuela

More than one in four Democrats, 26 percent, now say socialism means “equal standing for everybody, all equal in all rights, equal in distribution,” 

Y'know, I don't see any of these folks reducing their lifestyle, living at the Poverty level, giving all of their hard earned money and possessions away,....not one. They all take their pay, their income, and live well. Make no mistake, I don't begrudge them the fruits of their success, be it from hard work or from inheritance (which is the hard work and success of other before them). Sometimes, a level of success comes from simply not making bad choices...from an eye to the future, from impulse control. From making GOOD choices.

But failure to realize that their money came from SOMEONE's hard work, luck, or skill is stupidity....

And if they AREN'T living at the level of those they claim to want to help, those that they wish to take from other successful people to "level the playing field" then they are hypocrites.

And we should call 'em out for their hypocrisy.

Have you ever noticed

That when teachers unions strike "For the Students", they almost always also require a substantial pay raise?

"For the Students".
"For Better Education".

Sure.

One interviewed teacher:
"I have a Masters degree, and I never expected to be at this position at this point in my life...I deserve more".
Then get a different job, dearie. A Masters degree to teach elementary school? High school?

Conversation in class:

Calling "bullshit"

The inevitable Glock vs 1911 came up (no surprise there!) during one of the breaks. (For the record, I carry 1911 style pistols. Don't like GLOCK, but they are good pistols that do what they are supposed to do:..go "Bang" when the Bang Switch is squeezed and hit where they aim. I don't like the Safe Action trigger....my choice. Doesn't mean GLOCK are bad firearms, just not my preference.)

"You can take a dozen GLOCK pistols and field strip them and put all the parts in a pile and then stir them up and reassemble a dozen GLOCK pistols from random parts in the pile and end up with a dozen working GLOCKs."

True.

"you can't do that with 1911's, they have to be hand fitted".

I asked if they really thought that, say, Springfield Armory hand-fitted their production 1911 pistols at a an MSRP of $900 or so? Seriously?

No, they assemble them from bins of parts.....then test fire them and put them in a box with a manual, just like GLOCK.

I also pointed out that when GI 1911's are rearsenaled, the same process happens. Stripped into parts, inspected, and then reassembled from bins and racks of parts. And, if the parts are in Spec, then the pistols work as designed.

One cannot take parts from different specifications of firearms and do this. You can't mix Gen 1, Gen 2 and Gen 3 and 4 GLOCK parts and reassemble them randomly into working pistols, same way one cannot take parts from 1911 pistols from different manufacturers (and therefore slightly different dimensions) and end up with working pistols.  1911 describes a TYPE of action in a pistol, not pistols made to the same specifications by different manufacturers (Wartime military production notwithstanding). Different brands have different dimensions, just as different series of GLOCK pistols have different dimensions.

But the same brand and same model of production 1911 style pistols? Yes, yes you can.

(ETA: Please, this was not meant to start a "1911 vs Glock" fight in the comments.)

Geh.

Long day Saturday.
9 hours of class.

But I are now an NRA certified Range Safety Officer. (Or I will be once the paperwork and NRA fees are paid)

This way, the range has more than one NRA trained RSO.

It was an interesting class. I knew most of it, but details matter, and I learned a bit that was good. 

Short Sporty trip

So I had to get the plane to the avionics shop for the transponder upgrade.

But the weather wasn't cooperating. Clouds, low ceiling, ice, snow. T he forecast changed hourly, it seemed, and trying to get the plane to the shop for the appointment was gonna be difficult due to weather.
But Friday was supposed to be clear.
It was.
With winds out of the west at 25 gusting 38. ceilings broken at 3000. Fun.
So, at the end of the day, when winds were down to 18 gusting 30, I preflighted and took off for the 35 mile flight to the airport where the avionics shop is located.

Nice. At 3500 feet the winds were 50+ knots. at first it was not too turbulent, so I enjoyed ground speeds of 170 knots. But shortly I had to reduce to Va (and then to less than that for a while) to prevent damage due to turbulence.
Approach vectored me to the base entry and then final was.....fun.
Turbulence on the descent and lots of side vector. Winds were 18 gusting 28 10 degrees off the runway centerline. I did a faster approach with only 10 degrees of flaps.Dancing on the rudder all the way down. Smooth touchdown and then I had to get progressive taxi instructions from Ground to find my way.
Was fun taxiing too, what with the gusty (and high) winds. But the plane is in the shop in time for it's appointment.

So I'm not flying for about a week while they tear into the panel and install an ADS-B transponder.

Toady I am at an NRA Range Officer course.

Built well.

It just amazes me that our buildings and bridges and other things that Man has built are still standing after weather like we are having this winter.

Last week: -25F to plus 28F in less than 24 hours.

Today, +50F to +4F in 12 hours.

One would think that concrete and stucco and brick would just spall and crumble.

An interesting speech:

Not the State ofThe Union, although that was interesting and somewhat thought provoking.

Rather, I am discussing the DNC response to the SOTU by Stacy Abrams.

Nice set of talking points, somewhat divorced from reality and pretty much not a rebuttal, just a bunch of illogical responses and statements containing half truths and slogans. Failed to address much, really.

Sad, it was. Very sad. Almost as if it had been written by N. Pelosi in one of her less-lucid moments....

I would have welcomed a decent response.
But there was none. 

I think I may have solved the case:

Hollywood eating it's own?

The case, that is, of Jussie Smollett.

So, to recap, Jussie claims he was assaulted by a person who knew he was a gay actor.....at 2 AM when, on a whim, he chose to go out on the coldest (to date) night of the year to get a sandwich and this person who assaulted him knew he was black despite being bundled up head to toe against the cold...Said person or persons attacked him and beat him and put a "noose" around his neck and then poured "a chemical" on him all while telling him that "This is MAGA Country" (which is a term not used by folks that wear "Make America Great Again" hats, but rather by liberals, Hollywood types and journalists (but I repeat myself) who have never met anyone who supports Trump's agenda). 

But there MAY be a break in the case. It appears that the latest Hollywood news is that actor Liam Neeson had , because of a crime committed against a "friend" of his by a black man, decided to take revenge against all black people and especially against a black man.....


And so here we have it....Hollywood, again, eating it's own. 

There, I solved the case.

(No, despite rumors, the attack wasn't really a GRINDR date gone bad and we are sure of that because Jussie won't let anyone check his phone or cooperate in any fact finding by the police)

Boosting the signal

Via Ken:

MARLOW, Ok. (WIBW) — A World War II veteran from Marlow, Oklahoma is turning 93 on April 17th and his family is trying to get cards sent to him for his birthday as a surprise.

Daughter Liz Anderson tells CBS affiliate WIBW her dad Recil Troxel loves getting any kind of mail, and is obsessed with checking the mailbox.

"He sits here in his chair looking out the window every day," Anderson said. "When the mail is here, he's like the mail is here, we better go get the mail."

I'll be picking up a couple of cards.

You have until early April to send his card. April 17 is his birthday. 

Let's make an old man (and a WWII veteran) happy. 

I was disappointed

By the Superbowl commercials.

The game was OK.

I didn't bother to watch the halftime show.

I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of politics.

DIllema:

So if a woman is a lesbian, Vegan, Does Crossfit, Does Yoga....

Which one does she tell you about FIRST in the first 30 seconds after being introduced?

I mean, the rest will come out soon....But what is the FIRST one she tells you about? 

What the cops are saying:

Yeah, I know the "official" line is different....'cause no one wants to call it for what it is,
.....But here is what the cops are saying about the whole thing:

Well, that's just bullshit. Would you like to know what detectives are telling us?
It never happened. CPD is wasting hundreds of man hours to solve a Grindr date gone bad. The "victim" is refusing all forms of cooperation, his "ear witness" isn't cooperating, the Hollywood press is running with a non-existent narrative. The "persons of interest" are all but unidentifiable and left the area 20 minutes before the "attack," not to mention the anonymous witness who saw a "hillbilly looking" character that not a single camera in a one mile radius has a picture of.
And that's just from a couple of people working the case.

Anyone with two working neurons to rub together can see that the story just doesn't smell right.
Let us recap:

1. Some dudes were waiting for him in the middle of the night when he JUST HAPPENED to decide to go out at 2 AM to get a sandwich.......And they recognized him and somehow knew he was an actor and gay (cause it shows, AmIRite?) and cared enough (I had to look up the dude on Google just to find out who he was) and therefore knew enough to take this action.........and this occurred, mind you, on one of the coldest nights of the winter so far ('Cause all MAGA hat wearing people have nothing else to do on a cold night, and are stupid enough to not go inside where it is warm)....and after they roughed him up, they just happened to have a handy noose to put around his neck (Hint: a noose is only a symbol to black progressives, not to anyone else)....How many rednecks say things like "MAGA Country"?

2. He somehow staggered home despite the (mild) beating and called for help....not the police, mind you, but someone else (his ("manager")....who he may or may not have been on the phone with at the time of the "attack". Said person sometime later called the police (if he had a phone with him, why didn't he call RIGHT THEN?) and reported the "beating"..... (Hint: If you've ever been set upon by a couple of rednecks, then you might not believe that they will just be satisfied with pushing you down and (maybe) striking you on the cheek.....Trust me, it is generally a LOT more beating...kicking and stomping and general mayhem, that takes place before they leave).

3. When police arrived approximately 45 minutes later....for some reason the "noose" was STILL around his neck. Odd, that. Almost as it were a symbol or something....

4. Neither the "victim" nor his "Manager" are willing to give access to their phones. One might think that they were hiding something.

5. The ONLY men that can be seen for over a MILE around the alleged attack location anywhere near the time of the (alleged) attack on video cameras are walking away calmly, not hurrying as one might expect after (gently and/or slightly) beating someone....and their position and timing says that they had to have done it at least 20 minutes before the alleged attack occurred.  Again, kinda odd.

I'm not sure what the motivation is for this claim, but I strongly doubt that anything remotely like what the "Victim" claims happened actually happened.....I think he made up many, if not all, of the details he reported. Like someone who has never met a Good Ol' Boy (say a Hollywood type) might THINK that they speak and act...(if, say, one had never met anyone outside of those Hollywood circles)....not like how they really do.

How many hundreds of man hours are being wasted on this "case"?

Today

Groundhog Day.

Either you've seen it and understand, or you haven't and don't.

Float

So since I hadn't flown since 1/5, and the day was clear and wind was light, I went up and flew touch and goes.

6 of 'em. 1.1 hours. Density altitude was -2200 ft , the plane climbed like a rocketship. First time I overshot my pattern altitude by 200 feet.

Landings were "Meh" simply because I am out of practice.....Like shooting, flying is a perishable skill. And it has been nearly a month.

Winds were 120 at 8, so Runway 9.

First one was ok, second one was too fast. Third and fourth were just right...but in the low density altitude air, the damned plane just would not set down on the runway. I sat in ground effect for over a thousand feet, stall warning horn blaring, at an altitude of like 5 feet, at an airspeed of about 35-40 knots FOREVER, just tying set the plane onto the runway. Float float and more float

5th and 6th landings were good, but still a bit long.

I might go up tomorrow and practice some more.

Liking this cold, dense air.

1.1 and 6.