For the last twenty-nine years I’ve regularly flown airplanes since I was eighteen. The overall goal was to get paid to do it so all the training to obtain certificates and endorsements and ratings was for that purpose. Within that flight time there were moments for just going flying and enjoying it; however, that time also went toward the overall goal:

Haulin’ ass, Gettin’ paid.

I’ve tried to finish up the tail wheel (conventional gear) sign off but each time either schedule or money got in the way. I had to actually pay taxes! Couldn’t afford to rent a plane. But now, eh, I can do it.

So I go and study a manual, learn the speeds and weights again and get checked out in the local rental plane. A safest plane ever made and a stable plane for training. A boring as hell Cessna 172. But it does have a bigger than normal motor which is great for the 5,000 foot airport altitude.

I realized I haven’t been totally alone in a plane since....my cargo days? Yes. Since then I have had someone with me as captain or first-officer or instructor for the last 12,000 hours. But yesterday, nope! Just me! And it felt really weird.

Then I took off just for takeoffs and landings. I still gotta get decent at that again! It’s tiny, and floats, and doesn’t have mammoth Boeing shock absorbing struts. It will bounce. Regardless, I arrive a thousand feet up, parallel to the runway and feel all normal again - relaxed even. Normality restored.

It was like being home by yourself. If I desired I could hum or talk to myself, whistle, sing, even belch out loud without apology! I mean, should I ever wish to do those things.

I flew an hour on my own without a desire to build time or fulfill a cross country requirement or practice a maneuver. Just me and a quiet airport and five takeoffs and landings. Only one was any good in my own book of high standards.

I was done abusing the nose wheel of this old paint chipped girl. She was solid, but not fast nor exciting. I parked and tied the ropes which I also haven’t done since 2000! But I remembered how without thought.

It was interesting. I taught for two years and I think worked fifteen students through their private license. In dash GPS units were only just a thing then and glass replacements for instruments were only for corporate planes. But now in a Cessna? Man. For some things I would prefer a sweeping hand to show RPM or oil temps.

After flying this 172, I have no idea at all how in the heck I fit or even taught in a Cessna 150.

And it worked as intended!
K550 motor pushed well. But many more of those big push long burns and the aft end will start to really cook.

Also flew the big tall rocket, 5500feet there.

But it’s a lot of rigging and prep. Any bigger builds and transportation is an issue.
Was a real nice day on the BLM lands.

For a very long time, dad has had media credentials at the Indy speedway. I was also briefly a ‘reporter’ with him but only for May...at least my passes said so.That pass comes with access to garages and pits and the main straight pagoda. Once in a while things are left behind by teams or considered single use. Dad picked up two of those left behinds at one of the Brickyard races while roaming the pits.

So on the kitchen island, sits Joey Logano’s nuts.

In the parents garage is a set of 1/2” drive 12pt Thorsen sockets. Extensions, and ratchet. It’s apparently my Illinois Grandpa’s set, but who knows how or why he got them because he was a sales territory manger, but, he did build planes for Douglas in Chicago during ww2. Perhaps they came out of that? They are 12 point. More frequently found in aircraft. I wonder how many tool sets on a wartime production line were offered to the workers after the war is over? Obviously surplus by that time.

As far as quality the internet says old Thorsen was amazing. As good as gold. Although it’s old, the tools are not rusty and in great shape. Where some are missing a few ancient SK sockets stand in. The box has rust outside but it’s still good. My dad never used the set. He is decidedly NOT a mechanic.

I wonder the history here...

Mini wants basket.

Dads retirement present to himself, a 435ix, has 85k miles now. I got to drive it around and see my old town. 40-80 in 4 seconds...if I need that.

Enough changes each year that when I do get back, it just ain’t my town anymore. Changes man.

So I stopped at the old airport FBO to visit and see what is new. Saw some old faces and chatted a bit. Someone pulled a stearman out and took off, and another guy had his T28 readied.

(That guy used to own a pet food company)

And then went home for lunch with dad at a mom n pop burger place. His bypasses needed that, and the pineapple shake! We then drove out to see a friend of his who recently acquired a restored ‘78 series 3 diesel. It only goes about 50mph. But was a real fun ride.

Followed by lots of doggo pets.

Other than that, the past few days have been filled with doing to do lists old folks need done, teaching them UNO flip, learning rummikub, and puttering around. Oh, and ice cream on a screened porch in very mild Missouri evenings.

Is nice to do that. It’s been 3 years since I’ve been back. Still ain’t my home town anymore.

Back in the revenue saddle! Flew it to Florida. Real smooth operator. With 170 people at 36000 feet, it burns the same gas as a full e170 (70 peeps). Magic.

Highway 191 south from Rock Springs, Wyoming into Utah produces magnificent nothingness and little other traffic, disturbingly so. My wife drove this leg and she was a bit uncomfortable at so much nothing for wide distances. 191 travels along a ridge overlooking expansive valleys and eventually paralleling Flaming Gorge through Ashley National Forest, pictured above.

The road became ever twisty and hilly with multiple steep grades with truck emergency runoffs. I taught her more about selecting gears for descents and how brakes can really cook. I also got a bit nervous….I like controlling machines.

Anyway, it was such an epic view for two solid hours as we drove deeper and deeper into dinosaur country.

From north of Denver, to Yellowstone, to Dinosaur Monument in Utah and back , we just rolled the data above. I have all kinds of praise for the Flex.

Mind you that is WITH an XXL Thule roof box.

About a zillion bugs, some butterflies, and one confirmed small bird, struck at 73mph, sacrificed themselves for the betterment and formative youth experiences of this family.

There were no fights or arguments from the back seat. My lower back was adequately supported by the front seat. The AC blew as cold or colder than required and while doing all of this for us in 100 degree Wyoming temperatures the engine temp never budged above half scale.

We saw things!

And stuff!

And did math to figure out what the hell a 4-inch pancake even is because I only do 12-inch pancakes at camp. Pro tip: if the box says 22 4” pancakes, that’s about 5 of mine.

In the end, I’m a huge fan of the flex, Continental cross contact all weather tires (snowflake stamped) and the family unit is still whole. Yay.

Bonus: last year you may have seen the news coverage of the massive record setting for season we had out in Colorado. Today we drove over Cameron Peak and through the remains.

Here it is 10 months later. And this wasn’t even representative of the sights we had of it.

So here’s to your vacation seasons if you get one. I hope you see something good that gives pause to daily regimen and focus to future endeavors.

Realize you don’t have to know everything. That’s part one. Pictured is the gear well. The landing gear folds up and the tires fill this area. I check five things in here, hydraulic and fire extinguisher pressures. Otherwise if I see a leak or a fluid mess, I tell someone and they deal with it. I have no idea what the rest of this rat mess is. What I do know is a white shirt is immediately ruined if I bump against anything in here. So I carry a spare in the suitcase. I learned quickly that not only can you wear the same shirt three days in a row (if it’s not summer flying in the south) but you will need that spare when you decide to not pack it. Because If I don’t ruin it here in the gear well, the gel pen in my pocket will! I’m back to ballpoints again as a result, specifically the metal zebra type. The click seems to always work and if I leave it clicked, it won’t spot the shirt with one horribly large black left nipple. This is probably why they are so popular with military crews. And they don’t look cheap for the money! I never see a pilot with Mont Blanc hundred dollar pens.
So part one of aircraft systems summary: Spare shirt preparedness and selecting the correct writing implement for industrial situations. Stay tuned for part two, which may not be about preflighting.

(This is an idea that I may turn into a larger re-written project, where I focus on everything except how to actually fly it. You’re not gonna learn much here!)

Show her a dripping faucet once.....

@facw I see awesome.
I also see four ways of poop….
It’s there. Just had to mention it

@t0ast in the vid it appeared to have hesitation at each track intersection…where it splits to long course or merged back, etc.

@chariotoflove
done.

@tysmagic i snagged the dashcam. will put in the tacoma to see if the wife car should have it too later.

@t0ast I did the same on the aspen. Normal. Leave it alone. But then on some cars isn't this what the real-life engineers did?

@kitt222 I'm curious about site promotion. How much promotion do we want? Or how? do we want word of mouth or should we put a small tiny website URL under the logo? Just thoughts.

order in.

@siennaman

@jeepoftheseus maybe it goes outside on a porch? I say this because some college friends rented a house with a broad front porch, had a couch that after a seriously drunk party night wound up peed on by a passed out victim of the party. It was put on the porch and was forever known as ‘the pee couch’. It was free. That was a cool hang out porch.

But you aren’t in college and are comparatively very much a grown-up. I’m certain furniture littered porches are not an asthetic goal.

Our cat cost us several things as well. A futon mattress, a bean bag, and almost a top bunk mattress. But it was the litter she didn’t like. The princess she was didn’t like the wood based, and switching to the wheat based worked finally and she stopped peeing on random things like a drunk college boy.

I’d pitch it.

@e90m3 it’s a hard thing to remember sometimes, but week ends are for resetting yourself. In some ways people use church for that. (not me but growing up it was like that) But that is the sanity button. I’m glad you got the good days in.

But yes the job don’t define you. It’s the you that defines you. Don’t live to work, work to live. This weekend you found life again. Keep at it

@mupalup but check Ryobi reviews! The 18v mower gets kinda hot and some have had melted battery terminal leads but the 40v ($40 more?) doesn’t seem to have issues.