I've been living the retired life for 7 years. Like everything else, it has good and bad about it. I think where I am right now is great in every way. Like everything else, it won't stay that way. I may be at the best time of my life right now. But more likely I've already peaked. I am a grumpy old man. No, that's too kind. I'm a grouchy old man, who is losing his memory. But today was paradise. I got up and saw a beautiful day and my room was chilly cold and I think I sleep better that way. I limped downstairs and the coffee was made and my wife had already done her barn stuff and was sitting in her office with her dog. Sort of a normal day. I want that normal day over and over. I already have everything I want. I poured my coffee. I went back to the desk and greeted and talked to my wife. Then I grabbed the coffee and a little snack and went back to bed, sort of.
My computer is slow and needs a tune up. So while it boots up, I'm eating my snack in bed watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Then I open up e mail and e news. I swing my desk chair around 180 degrees so I can put my feet up on my bed. A little nap. I want this day for my Groundhog Day. I have everything I want. I call my wife on cell phone, she is directly below me downstairs. I ask her if we could go to lunch. She says yes. I could write a thousand posts about my wife and how sharp she is. And this day is just fine. I'll take it. We can call it a normal day, or a best day. It's bright and sunny and we have a pretty ride to Suicide Bridge Marina. The trees are leaving their colors down, soon to be bare. For some reason I think this is paradise. Don't change a thing Mr. Destiny. It's hard to get waterfront tables at "Suicide" They weren't crowded. We got the best table in the place. We had a nice hostess and a great waitress and a fine meal. I guess that's almost in a normal day. I'll take it. The rest of the day I watch Hallmark movies. And I write to you. I have everything I want. And I want everything I have. Except for about three full rooms of junk. Oh yea, we saw a beautiful sunset tonight too.
I stole the theme of this post from my friend Geoffrey. I credit him with the idea.
llitty :::::0:::::
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Glow Ball Warming 2
Time is flying. I guess because I'm old. Today is one of the prettiest days I've ever seen. How pretty a day is would be relative of course. It's been below 20 degrees for about 72 hours. That's wacko here on the Delmarva. Our average high is 46 degrees for this time. We have this three inch layer of powder snow on everything. It looks great. It couldn't melt at twenty degrees. I've shoveled a few paths just for exercise and fun. The snow isn't in our way at all, as you can walk or drive a car right over it. I must be missing something about the snow disaster in Atlanta. That was two inches of snow. I don't see how it could cripple a city. But today and yesterday are so clear blue it just aches. It's so bright one is snowblinded by looking in the direction of the sun. I would like to get my little plane out and fly in this pretty weather. But I'm not going to. I don't want to start the engine, even with a pre heat, for fear of damaging it. There will be many days for flying in the near future. And I am way too lazy to do the work of getting that plane out and ready.
I secretly like winter and being snowed in. I catch up on reading. And notching back stress. I think and worry in the early morning before I get up. I stress over things that I can do little about. Only sometimes am I able to force myself to simply not worry. It is possible to do, but it takes practice and will, and a few tricks. Sometimes problems can go away with time if one only lets them. The key is not worrying while one is waiting for the problem to take care of itself. Most problems are better solved head on. I'm a weeny coward about this head on stuff. I want everyone to like me and think I am a nice guy. I tend to be non confrontational. Then I get fed up with something or somebody, and I over react.
I have a couple of friends who comment about climate change or global warming whenever it is bitterly cold. They like to joke about Global Warming. And make fun of Al Gore and scientists. I laugh along with them. It is funny. But they are serious too when they joke. They feel they are "right" about global warming being some sort of "fake" or liberal agenda. Their minds are made up. They are not really curious to find out much more about it, unless it is info. about the "hoax". I like truth, even if it doesn't line up well with our culture and our moneymakers. I'm convinced by the facts of global warming. And I "know" it's a true situation. But I agree with the deniers too about certain things. I don't deny the statistics and the evidence that gets stronger every day. But I think that the man made part of all this, while true, doesn't make it a hill for some political group to die on. Here's a couple things, FACTS, to show we're all on the same side of this:
1. Let's all agree that the climate changes all the time, day to day, year to year, decade to decade, century to century, millennium to millennium, etc. and let's also all agree that we can dig plugs out and continue to learn our earth's history. Let's all agree we can go back a long time and use computers and technology etc. We've just begun to learn.
2. Let's never debate this topic of climate change without first deciding whether we are talking about the results of a natural temperature cycle OR the results of man made warming overlaid on the natural cycle. Any man made change can not be separated from the natural change. So it's easy to fog that issue. Let's not fog that issue.
3. Let's all agree to stop saying that the earth will be destroyed because of man. Man could damage the earth to a point that man would become extinct. Yes. 99% of all species that have ever lived are extinct. But if man is wiped out in an ice age, or a warming, or a nuclear war, the earth will go on and on. (In the future it might be possible for man to use a big enough nuke or something worse, to decay the earths orbit, and send it into the sun, so at that level, yes, man could destroy the planet). I'm glad it's almost impossible for us men to kill our planet. The planet will survive. If we destroy ourselves, well, we deserve it. Of course lots of innocent animals and plants will die with us men, and they don't deserve it.
4. Here is one the deniers should like. You can say that we are in a warming cycle (and you'd be right). You can say it is man made to some point. But in the big picture, overall analysis, the earth is cooling and always has been and always will be because the core of the earth is molten. That molten magma is cooling. The deniers of global warming will not use this amazing argument in the debate though. Do you know why? Because then the argument would be defined science on both sides and there would be scientific discussions debating the geography, climatology, astrophysics etc. and we would all be learning. The conservatives don't want that argument because they want to believe, not learn and think. Stick with the status quo, which we already "know".
5. We've all heard the term "Follow the Money" or "who benefits?" Since about 2006 some big investors and the country of Canada/UK have been quietly studying global warming and within especially the last two years investing heavily. The Northwest Passage is almost open above Canada.
The ice has been breaking up in the artic and when that big seaway opens, Canada wants to be sure it has it locked up. (or unlocked by icebreakers) Have you heard about this? I heard it on MPR, from the BBC. They like the deniers because it will keep interest in the Artic seaway low and these investors in Canada will win big. The Russians and the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal don't like it either. Of course.
I'm not saying the planet is warming because man cut down the rain forest or has too many cars. It doesn't matter why the planet is warming. Some big shots (besides the Polar bears) know it's warming. And they are putting their money on it. I wouldn't bet against them.
I secretly like winter and being snowed in. I catch up on reading. And notching back stress. I think and worry in the early morning before I get up. I stress over things that I can do little about. Only sometimes am I able to force myself to simply not worry. It is possible to do, but it takes practice and will, and a few tricks. Sometimes problems can go away with time if one only lets them. The key is not worrying while one is waiting for the problem to take care of itself. Most problems are better solved head on. I'm a weeny coward about this head on stuff. I want everyone to like me and think I am a nice guy. I tend to be non confrontational. Then I get fed up with something or somebody, and I over react.
I have a couple of friends who comment about climate change or global warming whenever it is bitterly cold. They like to joke about Global Warming. And make fun of Al Gore and scientists. I laugh along with them. It is funny. But they are serious too when they joke. They feel they are "right" about global warming being some sort of "fake" or liberal agenda. Their minds are made up. They are not really curious to find out much more about it, unless it is info. about the "hoax". I like truth, even if it doesn't line up well with our culture and our moneymakers. I'm convinced by the facts of global warming. And I "know" it's a true situation. But I agree with the deniers too about certain things. I don't deny the statistics and the evidence that gets stronger every day. But I think that the man made part of all this, while true, doesn't make it a hill for some political group to die on. Here's a couple things, FACTS, to show we're all on the same side of this:
1. Let's all agree that the climate changes all the time, day to day, year to year, decade to decade, century to century, millennium to millennium, etc. and let's also all agree that we can dig plugs out and continue to learn our earth's history. Let's all agree we can go back a long time and use computers and technology etc. We've just begun to learn.
2. Let's never debate this topic of climate change without first deciding whether we are talking about the results of a natural temperature cycle OR the results of man made warming overlaid on the natural cycle. Any man made change can not be separated from the natural change. So it's easy to fog that issue. Let's not fog that issue.
3. Let's all agree to stop saying that the earth will be destroyed because of man. Man could damage the earth to a point that man would become extinct. Yes. 99% of all species that have ever lived are extinct. But if man is wiped out in an ice age, or a warming, or a nuclear war, the earth will go on and on. (In the future it might be possible for man to use a big enough nuke or something worse, to decay the earths orbit, and send it into the sun, so at that level, yes, man could destroy the planet). I'm glad it's almost impossible for us men to kill our planet. The planet will survive. If we destroy ourselves, well, we deserve it. Of course lots of innocent animals and plants will die with us men, and they don't deserve it.
4. Here is one the deniers should like. You can say that we are in a warming cycle (and you'd be right). You can say it is man made to some point. But in the big picture, overall analysis, the earth is cooling and always has been and always will be because the core of the earth is molten. That molten magma is cooling. The deniers of global warming will not use this amazing argument in the debate though. Do you know why? Because then the argument would be defined science on both sides and there would be scientific discussions debating the geography, climatology, astrophysics etc. and we would all be learning. The conservatives don't want that argument because they want to believe, not learn and think. Stick with the status quo, which we already "know".
5. We've all heard the term "Follow the Money" or "who benefits?" Since about 2006 some big investors and the country of Canada/UK have been quietly studying global warming and within especially the last two years investing heavily. The Northwest Passage is almost open above Canada.
The ice has been breaking up in the artic and when that big seaway opens, Canada wants to be sure it has it locked up. (or unlocked by icebreakers) Have you heard about this? I heard it on MPR, from the BBC. They like the deniers because it will keep interest in the Artic seaway low and these investors in Canada will win big. The Russians and the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal don't like it either. Of course.
I'm not saying the planet is warming because man cut down the rain forest or has too many cars. It doesn't matter why the planet is warming. Some big shots (besides the Polar bears) know it's warming. And they are putting their money on it. I wouldn't bet against them.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Deep Freeze
Greetings from Delmarva. I won't even try to complain to anyone about the weather these first two weeks of January. How could I when Minneapolis had fifty below! Week before last the big deep freeze was coming. Wife and I had gone to Salisbury to get something "checked" on her Altima at the dealership. All was fine, except they found $600. worth of other stuff to do on the car. While they worked we looked at new Subarus and new mowers at other dealerships. However we can not afford a new Subaru or a new mower. This killed most of the day. When we got home and I rechecked the weather it looked like single digits over night. I had two hours of daylight to try a last ditch tighten up of our leaky old farmhouse. To keep the pipes from freezing. My energy level is usually pretty low for a lot of reasons. But I had gotten myself caffeinated to a high degree and I was buzzing like a cheap TV. What could I do in two hours. The wind was blowing hard and it was already below freezing. I took the pickup out to my shed I call a "hangar". I threw a dozen bales of straw I had into the truck. And some insulation sheets called "fan-fold". And some sheet plastic and a stapler. I squeezed the truck into the side yard next to the north wall of the house. I stapled about 200 sq. feet of the thin fan-fold against the wall. Every time I picked up a sheet the wind blew it out of my hand. I stacked the straw against the house over the insulation. Now it was dark. And colder. I worked some more under the lights of the running pickup. Next I went into the house and started pulling out window unit air conditioners. Those window units, if you leave them in over the winter, leak horribly. When I took them out, I just set them aside on the floor and closed the storm window and the big sash window. Instant tight seal. Sort of. I did four of them. Then wife and I taped up the leaks in a few other windows with packing tape. I set up some portable heaters near the pipes. And when we went to bed we left the water dripping. That night saw 7 degrees with a wind chill from a twenty mile an hour wind at about 5 below. The next night 13 degrees, but little wind. No frozen pipes. As I type this ten days later, the temperature here is matching the average at 46. Partly sunny. Dogs cats and horse are happy and wanting me to come out and play. I would take the airplane out and go for a ride except: Our airstrip is pretty soggy. No standing water but really soggy. The deep chill from the "solar vortex" is over for now. As for the rest of the winter, I don't think it will be any worse. But it is just too early in the season to start thinking about spring. I can't do that until Groundhog Day 18 days away. But the days are getting longer. And I'm back on a rigid low carb diet and exercise program. And I pulled myself through a period of transitioning to "ketosis" which took a bit of will power. The odd thing about all this is: I actually like being stuck in the house and doing nothing and accomplishing nothing. If I do that for more than a week though, cabin fever sets in. As I get older, I need to move around all day, every day, or I will continually slow down and die. If I have to go under our house into the crawl space for some reason, I would rather die.
Happy New Year my friends. And enjoy the promise of Spring and I am pullin' for you.
Happy New Year my friends. And enjoy the promise of Spring and I am pullin' for you.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
A Post For Summer
I'm not sure I remember how to write. This has been such a wonderful Spring weather wise. We have had a lot of rain and I've seen enough of that. But our crops should do well. There have been some beautiful cool days. And daylight till 9PM.
I did very little all winter and didn't do too well on diet and exercise. It' been hard to crawl back and move around and lose weight. When May came I kind of came out of my shell. I went to 2 bon fires and played guitar sets. Then my son came to town for a week. I tried to keep up with him. We went to his cousin's wedding in Philly. Then my friend the professor from Norway came and visited for 3 weeks. I tried to keep up with him. We went to some cruise ins in my VW. We started my TR6 and drove it around the block. We drank gin and tonics and grilled out on the deck almost every night. We opened our pool. The prof went back to Norway.
I went to Loch Haven with friends in the Cherokee. The next day to another friend's airstrip Art's, and got to do a guitar set. Two days later to Cincinnati to see my buddy Geoff at his retirement party. Congrats my friend. The very next day to Baltimore to renew my instructor's rating. And on to Clearview to buy airplane stuff and dinner with buddy Dempsey.
Now I'm ready for the pace that I had during the winter. Part of chilling down I hope will be posting here. I'm behind on the mowing. The last few days I've done a lot, but there are still some wet places I can't get on. I'm busier than I thought I would be. With a long list of projects that I may be able to do. Maybe not.
As I grow older, do I get wiser? Yes, in many ways. But in many other ways, not so much. I am grumpier. Less animated. I saw a T shirt the other day that said:
"I used to care. I take a pill for that now".
I'm thankful that I am calm. Fed. Not in Pain. Have a beautiful, wonderful wife. A fantastic son, no fatal disease diagnosed as yet. I have troubles, we all do. We all will get sick and die. If I look around even just a little bit, I see folks with real bad troubles. If I ever get depressed because I can't have my way. Or some of my toys are broken. Or the day doesn't "click". Then I deserve to be told: "Lloyd, you are a stupid ass, shut up and get your perspective back!"
This is going to be a great summer with fly ins and cruise ins and I may have a little party here too.
Every day is a gift. Every day is a day you can re boot and start over. And for me, the full circle pilot:
Every day is Friday night!
Happy Solstice my friends. LLITTY :::::+:::::
I did very little all winter and didn't do too well on diet and exercise. It' been hard to crawl back and move around and lose weight. When May came I kind of came out of my shell. I went to 2 bon fires and played guitar sets. Then my son came to town for a week. I tried to keep up with him. We went to his cousin's wedding in Philly. Then my friend the professor from Norway came and visited for 3 weeks. I tried to keep up with him. We went to some cruise ins in my VW. We started my TR6 and drove it around the block. We drank gin and tonics and grilled out on the deck almost every night. We opened our pool. The prof went back to Norway.
I went to Loch Haven with friends in the Cherokee. The next day to another friend's airstrip Art's, and got to do a guitar set. Two days later to Cincinnati to see my buddy Geoff at his retirement party. Congrats my friend. The very next day to Baltimore to renew my instructor's rating. And on to Clearview to buy airplane stuff and dinner with buddy Dempsey.
Now I'm ready for the pace that I had during the winter. Part of chilling down I hope will be posting here. I'm behind on the mowing. The last few days I've done a lot, but there are still some wet places I can't get on. I'm busier than I thought I would be. With a long list of projects that I may be able to do. Maybe not.
As I grow older, do I get wiser? Yes, in many ways. But in many other ways, not so much. I am grumpier. Less animated. I saw a T shirt the other day that said:
"I used to care. I take a pill for that now".
I'm thankful that I am calm. Fed. Not in Pain. Have a beautiful, wonderful wife. A fantastic son, no fatal disease diagnosed as yet. I have troubles, we all do. We all will get sick and die. If I look around even just a little bit, I see folks with real bad troubles. If I ever get depressed because I can't have my way. Or some of my toys are broken. Or the day doesn't "click". Then I deserve to be told: "Lloyd, you are a stupid ass, shut up and get your perspective back!"
This is going to be a great summer with fly ins and cruise ins and I may have a little party here too.
Every day is a gift. Every day is a day you can re boot and start over. And for me, the full circle pilot:
Every day is Friday night!
Happy Solstice my friends. LLITTY :::::+:::::
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Citadel
The Citadel. No, I'm not talking about the military college of South Carolina. That fine old school in Charleston known as the West Point of the South. A fine school indeed. No, there is another Citadel I really want to talk about. But where, where do I begin? The topic is so target rich for a liberal atheist like me. This is going to be lots of fun. I hope.
"The Citadel" is a planned gated community in Idaho. It is to be a walled city of 3 to 7 thousand people.
It will be centered around a gun factory called III Arms Company. The walled city will be about one square mile, but there will be housing outside the walls as well. The residents will be known as "Patriots". Before they can set up their residency, they will have to go through an application process. And sign the "Patriot Agreement".
I won't take time to tell you about the Patriot Agreement. But I just have to tell you one thing about it which is quite a tell. Each "Patriot" over the age of 13 must own at least three firearms: A handgun of his own choice, a rifle of his own choice, and an AR15 variant with at least 1000 rounds at the ready. And qualify annually with these firearms.
There is more. So much, much more. But we can all just go to their website and read all about it.
I'm interested in this from the sociological viewpoint. Fascinated! I wrote a post in this blog about rich folks dropping out of the "socialist big government America". It was back in August of 2011 and it was called "Tycoons and Typhoons". The folks I wrote about then were just babes in the woods compared to these Patriots. The island owning drop outs were just rich guys who didn't want to obey U.S. laws and never wanted to deal with poor folks unless they were servants. In that post I pointed out that it was just too easy to poke lots of huge holes in the idea.
Okay, enough background. I just can't wait to opine about this concept.
The first irony is: The Patriots (and I just love them) are seeking, according to their manifesto, Freedom. Ah, Freedom. So they are going to take their guns and get inside a walled compound with rules. Kind of like a prison? (Yea, this is too easy).
The second irony: They say that anyone is welcome to apply to join their ranks. They warn that Liberals, and Socialists, and Marxists will not be welcome. And they do not expect to have law enforcement, so they expect their members to be God fearing so all can be trusted. This reveals a naivete, do ya think? They all believe in god and guns. What could go wrong?
Third irony: Remember the story of Masada? The Jews up on the mountain top that had their own community inside the Roman Empire. They didn't have to do anything wrong or illegal, to make the Romans want to kill them. They just had to be there and not recognize Rome. Rome could not stand it. I'm sure you know what happened. Or can guess.
Fourth irony: From what I could read in their agreement, it seemed guns and freedom were the important thing. I didn't see the vision about crops and self sustaining energy and medical care and care for babies and the aged. They claim to want freedom and insulation from a collapse of the U.S.; and loss of the power grid, and a total breakdown of the U.S. infrastructure. So they have a bomb shelter mentality. They would never be able to hold off a bunch of starving, end of the world, Mad Max's, even if they had 1000 rounds each. The guys on the islands would have a better chance. But they've sucked me into their insane world with this kind of speculation. You can think of lots more things.
I could go on and on. I'd like to go on and on. But I'm not going to.
I really, really, hope that this community gets built. It's a grand experiment. I don't think it is noble. At all. And I think it will help us all learn things about ourselves as a culture. As a society. As a nation. My guess is that this experiment will somehow yield the opposite of what it's creators want.
I told my wife that I was going to write this post and I was pretty jazzed about it. She told me that Glen Beck is starting one of these communities. It will be called "Independence". I shall find out about that!
I wonder what kind of guns they will have.
LLITTY ::::::+::::::
"The Citadel" is a planned gated community in Idaho. It is to be a walled city of 3 to 7 thousand people.
It will be centered around a gun factory called III Arms Company. The walled city will be about one square mile, but there will be housing outside the walls as well. The residents will be known as "Patriots". Before they can set up their residency, they will have to go through an application process. And sign the "Patriot Agreement".
I won't take time to tell you about the Patriot Agreement. But I just have to tell you one thing about it which is quite a tell. Each "Patriot" over the age of 13 must own at least three firearms: A handgun of his own choice, a rifle of his own choice, and an AR15 variant with at least 1000 rounds at the ready. And qualify annually with these firearms.
There is more. So much, much more. But we can all just go to their website and read all about it.
I'm interested in this from the sociological viewpoint. Fascinated! I wrote a post in this blog about rich folks dropping out of the "socialist big government America". It was back in August of 2011 and it was called "Tycoons and Typhoons". The folks I wrote about then were just babes in the woods compared to these Patriots. The island owning drop outs were just rich guys who didn't want to obey U.S. laws and never wanted to deal with poor folks unless they were servants. In that post I pointed out that it was just too easy to poke lots of huge holes in the idea.
Okay, enough background. I just can't wait to opine about this concept.
The first irony is: The Patriots (and I just love them) are seeking, according to their manifesto, Freedom. Ah, Freedom. So they are going to take their guns and get inside a walled compound with rules. Kind of like a prison? (Yea, this is too easy).
The second irony: They say that anyone is welcome to apply to join their ranks. They warn that Liberals, and Socialists, and Marxists will not be welcome. And they do not expect to have law enforcement, so they expect their members to be God fearing so all can be trusted. This reveals a naivete, do ya think? They all believe in god and guns. What could go wrong?
Third irony: Remember the story of Masada? The Jews up on the mountain top that had their own community inside the Roman Empire. They didn't have to do anything wrong or illegal, to make the Romans want to kill them. They just had to be there and not recognize Rome. Rome could not stand it. I'm sure you know what happened. Or can guess.
Fourth irony: From what I could read in their agreement, it seemed guns and freedom were the important thing. I didn't see the vision about crops and self sustaining energy and medical care and care for babies and the aged. They claim to want freedom and insulation from a collapse of the U.S.; and loss of the power grid, and a total breakdown of the U.S. infrastructure. So they have a bomb shelter mentality. They would never be able to hold off a bunch of starving, end of the world, Mad Max's, even if they had 1000 rounds each. The guys on the islands would have a better chance. But they've sucked me into their insane world with this kind of speculation. You can think of lots more things.
I could go on and on. I'd like to go on and on. But I'm not going to.
I really, really, hope that this community gets built. It's a grand experiment. I don't think it is noble. At all. And I think it will help us all learn things about ourselves as a culture. As a society. As a nation. My guess is that this experiment will somehow yield the opposite of what it's creators want.
I told my wife that I was going to write this post and I was pretty jazzed about it. She told me that Glen Beck is starting one of these communities. It will be called "Independence". I shall find out about that!
I wonder what kind of guns they will have.
LLITTY ::::::+::::::
Monday, January 14, 2013
Them Sailplane Terrorists
Yikes. I havn't posted in so long. I should have a lot to say. I should be older and wiser. But it seems the older I get, and the more I learn, the less I really want to say. I'll probably never completely shut up though. I talk because I want people to pay attention to me. I desperately want people to like me. Yet I have been cocooning here at my place with my wife and a few animals. It's a big social day if I go out to the store. I'm also not attending to my toys which need to be run and warmed up and charged up and prepared for a long cold winter. Nor am I winterizing the house. Or writing a song or a book or a blog post. Is it alright for me to do nothing? My wife seems cool with it. Which makes me very lucky. Like me, she never seems to get bored. I'm not thrilled and extremely happy about doing "nothing". I just haven't had a yen to go somewhere, do something, or be somebody. As far as my health, I need to start moving around more.
But for this post I have motivation! A big dose of the muse! What is it? It's an aviation article I've read about a sailplane pilot who gets thrown in jail! I've had about a dozen forwards and links on this article sent to my E-mail. It's a surrealistic tale.
The guy takes off in a sailplane (glider). He is towed up and released a few thousand feet above his home base airport in South Carolina. He's going to fly a 500km triangle and return back. This is no little feat. The airplane has no engine. There are no mountain ridges to give him lift from the prevailing wind. There are no bigger mountains to form a "wave" to take his glider up ten or fifteen thousand feet. He's riding on "thermals". Shafts of rising air. He uses his vast experience to find these thermals. His flight on this particular day was almost four hours. That's a long time in an airplane with no engine. The lift (thermals) on this day were not as strong as expected. He had to cut his planned route short and head back home. He made a try for some lift by a lake in a known area. He crossed over a power plant he was familiar with. Then he circled in small thermals as the wind drifted him back toward home. He was monitoring the radio frequency of a nearby airport. He heard chatter on the radio about a glider and a power plant. So he called in to this nearby airport. And he was told that the authorities wanted him to land there. So he did. That is when he was arrested and handcuffed. He was put in jail for 24 hrs. He wasn't allowed to make a phone call for several hours. Enough time elapsed that his home field knew he was down somewhere, and possibly needing help. He was reported overdue. Finally, the folks at the home field found out he was okay, but still in jail. When he was released after 24 hours in a crowded cell, he was debriefed by the TSA, Homeland Security, and Sheriff. He was told that they would not let him go unless he agreed not to file suit.
----The solo glider pilot did not do one single thing against regulations on the flight.
----There was no restricted airspace in the area
----in fact he was within 2 miles of an active general aviation airport where airplanes fly every day.
----The 70 year old pilot is an instructor at his home airport, where among other things, he teaches
airspace rules and regulations.
----The FAA stated that this pilot had done nothing wrong.
Well I'm sorry folks. Maybe I just have an authority complex But it just chaps my roids to hear a story like this. So there are a dozen Sheriff's cars waiting for this "terrorist" to land. They rush him and cuff him. Okay. But he's in a little, light, glider. Easy to search the glider. No bomb or BB gun. A 70 year old mild mannered man. You check his credentials. The sailplane's credentials. Maybe see if he is drunk. Call back to his home base, he needs to talk to them anyway, for a ride and to decide what to do with the glider overnight,etc. Maybe call back to the power plant (which is not illegal to overfly) and check that all is well. You can do all this in ten minutes max right at the airplane. It all checks out. All is well.
So how did we get from meeting the airplane when it landed and challanging the "suspect", to taking the guy to jail and holding him behind bars for 24 hours? I must be missing something on this one.
When the TSA is hassling people, and it is obvious that the people are not terrorists, they (the TSA) are doing something they don't need to do. So how often do they not do things that they do need to do?
This happened last summer. Why didn't we hear about it sooner?
LLITTY ::::::+::::::
But for this post I have motivation! A big dose of the muse! What is it? It's an aviation article I've read about a sailplane pilot who gets thrown in jail! I've had about a dozen forwards and links on this article sent to my E-mail. It's a surrealistic tale.
The guy takes off in a sailplane (glider). He is towed up and released a few thousand feet above his home base airport in South Carolina. He's going to fly a 500km triangle and return back. This is no little feat. The airplane has no engine. There are no mountain ridges to give him lift from the prevailing wind. There are no bigger mountains to form a "wave" to take his glider up ten or fifteen thousand feet. He's riding on "thermals". Shafts of rising air. He uses his vast experience to find these thermals. His flight on this particular day was almost four hours. That's a long time in an airplane with no engine. The lift (thermals) on this day were not as strong as expected. He had to cut his planned route short and head back home. He made a try for some lift by a lake in a known area. He crossed over a power plant he was familiar with. Then he circled in small thermals as the wind drifted him back toward home. He was monitoring the radio frequency of a nearby airport. He heard chatter on the radio about a glider and a power plant. So he called in to this nearby airport. And he was told that the authorities wanted him to land there. So he did. That is when he was arrested and handcuffed. He was put in jail for 24 hrs. He wasn't allowed to make a phone call for several hours. Enough time elapsed that his home field knew he was down somewhere, and possibly needing help. He was reported overdue. Finally, the folks at the home field found out he was okay, but still in jail. When he was released after 24 hours in a crowded cell, he was debriefed by the TSA, Homeland Security, and Sheriff. He was told that they would not let him go unless he agreed not to file suit.
----The solo glider pilot did not do one single thing against regulations on the flight.
----There was no restricted airspace in the area
----in fact he was within 2 miles of an active general aviation airport where airplanes fly every day.
----The 70 year old pilot is an instructor at his home airport, where among other things, he teaches
airspace rules and regulations.
----The FAA stated that this pilot had done nothing wrong.
Well I'm sorry folks. Maybe I just have an authority complex But it just chaps my roids to hear a story like this. So there are a dozen Sheriff's cars waiting for this "terrorist" to land. They rush him and cuff him. Okay. But he's in a little, light, glider. Easy to search the glider. No bomb or BB gun. A 70 year old mild mannered man. You check his credentials. The sailplane's credentials. Maybe see if he is drunk. Call back to his home base, he needs to talk to them anyway, for a ride and to decide what to do with the glider overnight,etc. Maybe call back to the power plant (which is not illegal to overfly) and check that all is well. You can do all this in ten minutes max right at the airplane. It all checks out. All is well.
So how did we get from meeting the airplane when it landed and challanging the "suspect", to taking the guy to jail and holding him behind bars for 24 hours? I must be missing something on this one.
When the TSA is hassling people, and it is obvious that the people are not terrorists, they (the TSA) are doing something they don't need to do. So how often do they not do things that they do need to do?
This happened last summer. Why didn't we hear about it sooner?
LLITTY ::::::+::::::
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