It’s that time of year again. The annual dive trip to Mexico! Most of the guys are driving down to San Carlos this time. Personally, I think it’s crazy to spend 16 hours driving across the featureless desert when America West offers daily (though spotty) service to nearby Guaymas. And right out of John Wayne, too! No getting up at… Read more →
Stealth
Anyone who knows me is aware that I love just about anything aviation-related. If there’s a film, book, documentary, magazine, or web site that promotes or involves flying, I’m all for it. It takes a lot for me to turn my nose up at anything with an airplane in it. Nevertheless, the trailers for the new Sony film Stealth look… Read more →
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
I’m not even sure what to say about this, except it seems clear now why the Rams moved out of Los Angeles. It wasn’t the crumbling Colesium, the antics of owner Georgia Frontiere, or a lack of support from the community. It was the Ghost of Needlepoints Past: I kid because I love. God bless Grier for being mature enough… Read more →
Can America Compete?
The July 25th edition of Fortune magazine features a pretty good analysis of the emerging challenges America faces from the likes of India and China. And, frankly, from our own affluence. The article is particularly noteworthy because globalization is making it harder to seperate the wheat from the chaff when attempting to define causes and solutions. It’s not an “us… Read more →
AIM Phraseology
The topic of radio etiquette has come up quite frequently of late, and it got me poking through the Airman Information Manual. Officially, when a controller calls out another aircraft to you, he/she is expecting one of two and only two replies. Either “traffic in sight” or “negative contact”. It may not be standard AIM phraseology, but I use the… Read more →
West Coast Cub Fly-In
So I’ve returned from that Big Adventure in the J3 Cub I’m constantly blabbering about these days. The trip was fantastic. My original intent was to provide a fairly in depth look at why those who love these little yellow airplanes call this sort of trip “real flying”. Unfortuantely, I’m too busy doing the “fake” flying (read: work) to tell… Read more →
Air Ambulances
Apparently it’s a slow news day at CNN, which is quoting a USA Today article about the “surge in crashes” which is “scarring” the air ambulance industry. As usual, it’s clear the pieces were written by people with little if any aviation experience. They’re unbalanced and sensationalized. It’s an undeniable fact that air ambulance service is responsible for saving thousands… Read more →
No Inflation?
Talking heads in the financial sector seem quite fond of crowing about how well the economy is doing. One metric they never fail to point to is the Consumer Price Index, a primary indicator of inflation. It invariably shows that we’ve got the perfect amount: approximately 3% per year. Does that make sense to you? Now keep in mind I’m… Read more →
Fighting Comment Spam
In the never ending battle against comment spam, I’ve implemented a change in the way comments are verified. First, the comment form now requires users to answer a simple question when posting a comment: “This site is called the House of _____”. A human user will hopefully be smart enough to enter the name Rapp. A spambot, on the other… Read more →
Slow Flight
I’m flying Sunrise’s J3 up to a Cub fly-in at Lompoc this morning. The official purpose is to try and drum up some business for the aircraft. The unofficial purpose: fun! I’ve been flying the plane quite a bit over the past couple of months and have to say it’s one of the most enjoyable planes I’ve flown. The windows… Read more →