Talk about your close calls! Fascinating on-board and external video of the crash of Thunderbird #6 during an airshow in Idaho. Read more →
Getting Cosi With Opera
Could it be that nothing has been added to the House of Rapp for eighteen days? Yeah. By way of explanation, I can only proclaim “Life is short. Opera is long.” Especially when it’s a Mozart opera. Nothing personal, Wolfgang… Speaking of which, it’s a pleasure to report that Opera Pacific’s production of Cosi fan Tutte is finally over and… Read more →
Eurotrash
This fascinating photo was sent by a fellow T210 pilot: The pilot of this (now totaled) helicopter was trying to taxi past a maintenance hangar when his rotors cut into the hangar doors. This shredded the doors, rolled the aircraft over, and blew shrapnel through the hangar into several aircraft parked inside, including a jet. It wasn’t a small whirlybird,… Read more →
The Dean Tax
An analysis and rebuttal of the Dean campaign BushTax.com web site. Read more →
On Howard Dean
Well, I’ve tried to warm up to Vermont Governor Howard Dean. I’ve waited, watched, and read just about everything posted on his campaign web site and official blog. I’ve tried mightily to reach the conclusion that he’s an exciting new player with fresh perspective ready to fight for the right things. But I just can’t. The truth of the matter… Read more →
Where Are the Armed Pilots?
Here’s a recent Washington Times editorial by Boeing 737 captain Tracy W. Price detailing yet another TSA fiasco, this time on guns in the cockpit. I can find no reason for the TSA’s behavior except to say that they do not even remotely understand who they’re dealing with–on either side of the cockpit door. As far as I’m concerned, every… Read more →
Elite Speak
I do believe Rich is onto something with his article on “elite speak”. One undesirable side effect of technology’s march has been the proliferation of abysmal spelling and grammar. We all spend a lot of time at a keyboard dealing with email, instant messages, and other forms of the written word. So it’s tempting to nix things like capital letters,… Read more →
The Patriot Act
I just love that name. It brings to mind images of the Founding Fathers. Or perhaps Mel Gibson defending his home against the British during the Revolutionary War. The very title casts doubt upon the patriotism of anyone who would dare question it. Maybe that’s why this thing has been under my skin since the day it was announced. Maybe… Read more →
Michael Rapp, Man of the Year
Time Magazine has chosen the American soldier as the 2003 Person of the Year. I’ll give that the House of Rapp seal of approval. I hope they print extra copies of the issue and send ’em to the boys in Iraq. Sometimes I wonder if those who are deployed know how much support they have from everyone back home. Between… Read more →
Musical Rapps
Check this out: Anthony Rapp is a musician. Melissa Rapp is a musician. Mark Rapp is a musician. Ron Rapp is a musician. And those are just people with their own Rapp domain names. I also found musicians Barry Rapp, Marcello Rapp, Tom Rapp, Michael Rapp, and Sandy Rapp to name just a few. Even those Rapps I found on… Read more →