N9201A

California is a big state, it’s hard to generalize. But many people l know from Trump country feel at home in our Orange County and Central Valley. “Cheating” means you know you’re doing something wrong. That’s a start, and is better than believing there is nothing wrong with selfish and behavior that endangers others. I’ve crossed paths with many who didn’t know their mask was drooping, who got too close out of habit (just being human) or just forgot a mask. I carry spares in the car and plane just in case, and almost everyone responds positively to a gentle reminder (and each of us needs one as well, we aren’t used to this). LA County is one of the biggest hotspots going now in size (makes sense since only bigger metro area is NY and they’ve peaked). But most people seem to be generally observing simple and helpful social distancing, mask and hand washing rules that cost nothing and help others.

So how is this looking today? Arizona has certainly “advanced”...into the lead of COVID hotspots. A physician friend tells me they’re repurposing non-COVID resources to support the spike in COVID patients. I’m hopeful that you, your party, your waiter and all of the fellow diners (and your waiter) not only didn’t catch COVID despite not wearing a “stupid” mask, but that none of you need any other medical care that will now not be available locally because of all the COVID victims who didn’t want to wear their “stupid” masks, either.

So how is this looking today? Arizona has certainly “advanced”...into the lead of COVID hotspots. A physician friend tells me they’re repurposing non-COVID resources to support the spike in COVID patients. I’m hopeful that you, your party, your waiter and all of the fellow diners (and your waiter) not only didn’t catch COVID despite not wearing a “stupid” mask, but that none of you need any other medical care that will now not be available locally because of all the COVID victims who didn’t want to wear their “stupid” masks, either.

Houston (America’s fourth largest city) reports ICUs are now full, Texas has reversed course due to never flattening the first wave, and Arizona is having a hard time. Wow, this hasn’t aged well...

Anyone curious have been should watch Man In The High Castle. I binge watched it early in the lockdown and wow. If you’ve any interest in history it’s worth watching just for the Easter eggs (is that the Yamato under the Golden Gate? SS HQ where the UN is today)? It’s a reminder how lucky we were even WITH our natural resources, hard work and other edges. Leadership matters and individuals can make a difference. Wish we didn’t have to keep re-learning this.

I think what fits best is “all y’all”? But I’m a Yankee, so what do I know...

We didn’t need the battlewagons, fleet carriers (and the “jeep” escort and light carriers) were what would win the war on the seas. But there is something majestic about those old battleships, I’ve visited as many as possible, from the Texas to the Missouri. Mike, they were named after states. So it would’ve been awkward when they got the 49th one done in year two... I believe Liberty ships were being cranked out pretty quickly too.

If by “opposing party,” you mean anyone not voting for a Draft-Dodging, P-Grabbing Grifter (those are all admitted and proven), well, I resemble that remark. No, neither me nor anyone I know wants the state of chaos nourished by the current leadership maintained, but that’s why we vote. As far as sick people, looks like you need only be patient. Arizona is climbing the charts, sadly... I’ve met enough people who’ve had this and lived to tell about it to know I don’t want it, and that doesn’t count the ones who have not survived. While I hope no one sees this personally, science (and Darwin) will prevail, as usual.

Parachutes were absolutely used by aviators in WWI, but mostly by balloon observers, not pilots. Balloon-hunting was extremely dangerous for fighter pilots. Besides dodging cables and other low-flying hazards, attacking pilots also had to cope with anti-aircraft guns zeroed in on the balloon’s altitude. Besides enemy AA and fighters, inflight breakups weren’t uncommon (Nieuports were notorious for this, as were early Fokker triplanes). The worst was probably being trapped in a burning aircraft as it plummeted to earth. American ace Raoul Lufbery was only one of many who chose to jump - sans any chute - as an alternative. One wonders whether, as he watched the balloon observer dive out and pop his chute, the attacking pilot thought “man, I’ve gotta get me one of THOSE!” German pilots at the end of the war started using them, but the Allies didn’t through the Armistice.

Several of us managed to maintain recommended social distancing while keeping the rust at bay in Paso Robles last weekend. Morro Bay is wonderfully scenic, and perhaps the tourists enjoyed our breaks, rejoins and tail chase.

This is dead on. Unfortunately, too many people just ignore inconvenient facts that would change the conclusion, apply equal weight to expert v. lay analysis, or project their own worldview onto objective reality. I’m seeing people say “we’ve flattened the curve” in states that never did anything but criticize NY, but when NY’s numbers drove the total US curve down, they’re declaring “victory.” I’ve been sent articles from “Dr. So-and-So” declaring “there is zero scientific evidence that wearing a mask protects us”....from a psychotherapist (who clearly slept through or missed classes in research, reasoning and critical thought, but is selling a lot of books to mask haters). And of course, there is the bazillion-dollar fear-mongering industry built upon shouting how “they are coming to get us, and take away our way of life, blah blah blah...”. These trends are accelerated and worsened by social media and the internet, which are virtually unregulated and call for careful and critical scrutiny. “Consider the source” has never been more applicable, but many of us just want to quote a source, ANY source, that says what we want to say, or what we want the answer to be, instead of what the actual facts are. I am not criticizing anyone here, since it is true there are those out there who lack integrity and just, well, lie...even when they’re sworn to defend and protect, and obligated to tell the truth. That is unfortunate. That said, simply dismissing disagreeable facts because “anything can be manipulated” doesn’t add anything to the discussion. We can challenge the meaning of the words one uses, the perspective one has tinted by the inevitable inherent biases each of us has ingrained, or the reality bubble in which each of us lives, but none of that advances a discussion. Common understanding, indeed, our entire civilization, depends upon finding common ground. If we simply dismiss objective facts because of tribalism, we aren’t just being lazy, we are corroding the common premise upon which our democracy is based. The world is a big, scary, and complicated place. It is tempting to find easy solutions...if only there was a simple, answer to everything. The truth is, people are complicated. There are gay, pro-abortion gun owners who attend church every Sunday. There are doctors who smoke cigarettes. Sure there are very simple people who fit a certain box, see everyone fitting “the other box,” and are happy with that world view, but that’s not applicable to most of the rest of us. For most of us, there is no “THEY” that is our polar opposite seeking to end our world: The Blofeld to our Bond, the Luther to our Superman, the Moriarty to our Holmes. And were there, THEY have no more insight, organization, or superpowers than WE do. Build WE, and challenge anyone offering easy, jingoistic solutions. Question assumptions. Examine conclusions. Read history...and remember that we are ALL in this together.

Interesting post Seth. It can’t be easy to be the brainiacs managing fleet acquisitions given the ever-changing vagaries of the marketplace. The A380 has been on the way out for a while, it never had the hoped-for market success. It can’t compete with later, two-engined competitors in pax service and is too heavy for cargo. 747s are still flying, just not for US 121 passenger carriers. Interestingly, the Sands casinos have two, I see at least one parked in Vegas a lot. United still flies 100+ 757/767 aircraft. A buddy just completed his type training (common type) at UAL in March (nice timing, right?). The underwing Embraers are nice (many paying for the flight like them better than 737s). Who knows what effect the collapse of their deal with Boeing will have on the company though. The A220 seems a nice aircraft too, don’t have any firsthand experience on one yet. The Mitsubishi regional jet seems to have been shelved. With the push towards “skinny” routes (narrowbodies flying longer nonstop routes) so there seems to be a market for that size aircraft. While writing off the 50-seaters (CRJ200/ERJs) is trendy, I suspect the reductions in their numbers now have more to do with union scope clauses than anything else. There isn’t anything new with which to replace them. And most pax don’t want to take that step back to turboprops. There are some exciting possibilities in propulsion (electric?) and construction (imagine a wing that could change shape, or a flying wing) but they always seem to be tantalizingly just out of reach. I think two things are for sure: (1) No one can know with any real certainty what things will look like very far out, and (2) the B52 will still be flying when every one of the above is out of passenger service.

Have you ruled out that the K number is “prop stopped” and the J is “windmilling”?

Believe it or not, there is also KMHV (Mohave), which also has many as well, though not as many. And some were there before COVID. Nevertheless, there is a lot of lift just sitting.

And watch Alabama...in denouncing reasonable and prudent countermeasures, their governor declared how “Alabama ain’t California”...now Montgomery’s Mayor says if you need an ICU, go elsewhere. Gov. was right, AL ain’t CA: In California we didn’t have to ship critically ill people needing ICU care out of state so people could get their hair and nails done.

O’Malley and Reilly were painting a building across the street from a house of ill repute. They noticed a local pastor carefully looking over his shoulder before quickly ducking in. “Tsk tsk, can ya believe that Reilly?” O’Malley clucked. “And a man of God, no less,” Reilly responded. Twenty minutes later, a local rabbi, his overcoat collar turned up to shield his face, walked by twice. Satisfied no one was watching, he too ducked into the house across the street on his third pass. “And a man of the cloth, do you believe it, O’Malley?” O’Malley shook his head slowly. “Shame, for shame, Reilly.” A half hour later, they recognized Father Murphy of their local Catholic church. “Look there, Reilly!” O’Malley exclaimed. Reilly nodded and clutched his chest in surprise, “One of those fellas must have had a heart attack, and now Father Murphy is there to administer last rites!”

Well, then, if it’s not about the $, get a Duke! Club seating, pressurization, speed, and smartest looking non-jet on the ramp. Good owners group, too. Beware, if you let your family sit in one, they won’t settle for anything else.

Curses! My ploy to deceive everyone by sharing my obviously fake still photos of 350 airframes has been foiled. For most people, this would be a wake-up to decency, a call to reform heretofore evil ways, and devote oneself evermore to good and decent pursuits. But, like any self-respecting supervillain, I shall simply up my game, as it were...I shall release is an even better (photoshopped) video of said 350+ airframes, all part of my sinister plan, which I shall reveal in hideous detail to the hero even as I condemn him/her to a gruesome, yet painstakingly slow, demise. I shall release the video ... for the payment of ONE MILLION DOLLARS...or a pm with your email and I will share it with you. In the video, please note the detail, the sunlight and shadowing, even the accurate (per FAA registry) N numbers depicted on the hundreds of idle aircraft ... or are they? Bwahahahahaha!!!

310 is a very sweet bird, lots of ramp appeal and utility. I got my multi in one many years ago. If l could rationalize spending 3X to go 15% faster, it’s what l would have in the hangar. Barons are great too.

Parked airframes at Victorville (KVCV). Controller approved a low pass (apparently it’s a common request recently) and told us 350+ aircraft parked there.

Whether Hitler or Jim Jones, cults never end well. Yet they persist anyway. We should not forget how powerful is fear. The world can be a complex and scary place. How comforting many have found it to have this complexity reduced to “us v. them,” to have the root of all one’s unhappiness attributable to one simple bad actor or group. Perhaps that’s why they persist.

Sides? There are sides? Does each side get cool jerseys, too? I want one! Wait, have I been picked last again—or not at all? Darn...just like middle school. I’ve not been near any toadstools but sure have seen more than my share of toads lately. I don’t know about any sides, but I’m continuing to hang with the critical thinking, data-driven, intelligent folks with whom I enjoy flying. They seem t be patient and kind people, too. Oh, I’ve learned Darwin always seems to have the last laugh. I doubt this new crisis will be different.

Not really. When people have access to a vaccine they believe is effective, they’ll be less concerned about other people’s droplets. Until that happens, sensible people who don’t want to risk a non-trivial risk of dying will take sensible precautions. There will always be those among us who insist on proving Darwin right, and our system facilitates that. For those of you in that category, l suggest don’t MS is not a receptive audience. MSers have always seemed a smart and objective group that trucked in science and data.

Winning!

AOPA just published an extremely helpful guide for those returning to the cockpit after a break. Worth a read! 2020_Return-to-Flight-v4.pdf