What's on your mind today?

[Dark Lightning]

While I know the statistics favor air travel, I'd still rather travel on the ground. Safe travels, Icarus!

[billy rubin]

as you enter the front the serial number plate is inside the door jam on tbe upper right. it has the date of construction on it.

so you can read exactly when your 727 was built.

[Asmodean]

Eh... As long as the airframe has had a acceptable number of cycles on it and the aircraft was maintained-ish as it should be, it ought to be fine.

[Icarus]

I am back from the mini trip safe and sound.  The old junk plane, that I expected, turned out to be a 737-800 that did not crash or do anything scary. In fact the plane was clean, well attended by the passenger section crew. The plane flew according to plans. It took off and landed within two minutes of the scheduled times. Amazing.

I have an app on my I-phone that can continuously track compass bearing, and speed. I amused my self throughout the return flight with that fun little application.  We were cruising steadily at 332 MPH. The landing speed wheels down was 155 MPH. The main course bearing was steady at 187 True, until the last 15 minutes when the plane did a half circle that deviated from the steady bearing. I suppose that the half circle deal was to avoid another airport or perhaps some sort of restricted area.  None of that would be noticeable to the passengers who did not have the nifty toy that thaat I have.

The place where my daughter lives is LaGrange Georgia, some 40 miles or so from Atlanta. Atlanta International airport is huge. It is, officially, the worlds busiest airport. The place is a marvel of efficiency. Even the TSA section moved with astounding speed and apparent thoroughness.

La-Grange was a sleepy little town in Georgia whose main industry was textile manufacturing. Competition from China and Southeast Asia forced the Textile mills to reduce their output, or close entirely. The whole area was saved from economic ruin when Kia Built a huge manufacturing plant and were followed by a Hundai manufacturing facility. That caused all sorts of auxilliary industries and suppliers to move to the area. Now, that sleepy little town is an industrial player of considerable size. The arrival of the manufacturing giants has been  both a blessing and a curse to the area.     

[Asmodean]

The old junk plane, that I expected, turned out to be a 737-800 that did not crash or do anything scary.

And here was The Asmo, waiting for your interview with the Mentour Pilot YT channel

It's nice though, when such-like happens. There you are at the car rental, expecting some sort of subcompact piece of chinese pig iron, only to be greeted by a 4x4 SUV with climate control, seat massage and a heads-up display at no extra cost because that was all they had, or when you expect a crashy Bombardier Crash-8 from the depths of the last millennium, only to be greeted by a shiny Airbus A321 Neo. Or when you get into that provincial hotel and not find raw sewage seeping from the ceiling and being thrown every huwhich way by the ceiling fan. Them's be the nice surpirses in life.

[Icarus]

It is December 25.....Though I do not believe that that date has any historical or religious authenticity, It is a date that even we heathens recognize.

With that I wish my HAF friends a very Merry Christmas.

[Tank]

Had a nice day with family.

[Tank]

The BBC had a feature on the 2004 Boxing day tsunami in Indonesia. 228,000 dead, 1.7 million made homeless.

[billy rubin]

my daughter got married last night. we were eating dinner and she announced it was to happen  right then.

nobody had officially told me so i made them tell me personally, then i offered to officiate, since i am ordained. my youngest son and oldest daughter are ordained too, but only the daughter had paid the twenty bucks to the state to be authorized by the government.

so she did it, in front of the plastic christmas tree thing my wife drags out every december.

then they signed the marriage license and i had to go to bed.

now i have to get much better in spanish to be able to talk to my new son in law

[Anne D.]

Congratulations!

[Dark Lightning]

Surprise, congrats!

[Recusant]

It is December 25.....Though I do not believe that that date has any historical or religious authenticity, It is a date that even we heathens recognize.

With that I wish my HAF friends a very Merry Christmas.

Thanks Icarus! The same to you, though not in as timely a manner. It's that time of year anyway--the days have just begun to get longer again (at least for us north hemispherians).  Cheers! 

[Recusant]

my daughter got married last night. we were eating dinner and she announced it was to happen  right then.

nobody had officially told me so i made them tell me personally, then i offered to officiate, since i am ordained. my youngest son and oldest daughter are ordained too, but only the daughter had paid the twenty bucks to the state to be authorized by the government.

so she did it, in front of the plastic christmas tree thing my wife drags out every december.

then they signed the marriage license and i had to go to bed.

now i have to get much better in spanish to be able to talk to my new son in law

Congratulations, mazel tov. 

[billy rubin]

thank you

[Icarus]

Recusant I forgot that it is also the beginning of the Jewish holiday as well as the beginning of Kwanza.