red-beard....where do i get the echo?


i dont see that key on my computer.

Mike, life of a pilot. Lived in 5 countries around the world so far and hope that this is it. Been back in CONUS the last 10 years and kinda settled down.

Our owner retired 3 months ago and we all got dumped out on the street with no notice. Took this contract job to pay the bills and have something to keep me current until a "real" job popped up. Well, just last night was emailed an offer and now will start back in Phoenix on 1 Jan with a new company and same type of airplane. The gent upstairs has a plan for all of us, He just has not let us in on the plan!

You are correct about traveling giving you a different point of view. As well I speak several languages (German and Spanish) and understand a bit of a couple more and that helps as well. Americans do not realize how lucky they have it when compared to other lands and people.

That said, we made ourselves get where we are so deserve part of it. It still perturbs me a bit when someone from another country keeps making jabs at the US who does not have good knowledge of the country. Yes, we can do some things better but there are a lot things here that are just heads and shoulders better than many other countries. On the other hand there are some things that are worse.

My main concern in our wonderful country right now is the lack of health insurance for EVERYONE in the country as well as the mucked up way that our elected officials have gotten. We need a two term limit on our elected officials, then they are prohibited from any other elected office of any type (keeps them from bouncing from being a senator, to congress, to governor, to mayor etc) so that they go and get a job for a change.

Oh well, that and two bits will get you a cup of coffee in the mid-west....

JoeA

JoeA - the health insurance thing is a nightmare. We are in the process of open enrollment right now. Now I consider myself about average intel and able to focus like the next guy but I will be darned if I can figuer out which plan to go with. My wife is stumped as well. It seems like they make ot so freak'n complicated.

You know, it really IS a small world. My screename, Singpilot, is from my time in Asia. No, I don't sing. I lived in Singapore for 3 years. Have lived in Guangzhou (Canton) China, Bangkok, Dubai, Zurich, Valetta, Palma Majorca. So the name choices..

Guangpilot. Nope.

Bangpilot. Nope.

Dubpilot. Nope.

Zurpilot. Nope.

Valpilot. Nope.

Palmpilot. Been done already.

So Singpilot it was. Has been since 1989 (when AOL was Beta). I used to dial out from Guangzhou to Austrailia to logon because the Chinese censored all Internet access (still do).

Anyway... Did Los Angeles to Alliance and back last night. Saw the fog close San Diego airport, and watched all the airliners diverting to Ontario and LAX, watched Phoenix come up over the night horizon under a sky filled with hundreds of meteors. The almost full moon lit the cloudless high desert landscape, a big forest fire east of Flagstaff was burning thru open rangeland. White Sands Test Range opened up as we approached, so we didn't have to go over Corona (think of nuclear corona) New Mexico, and instead, flew over Truth or Consequences. From 45000 feet, we could see from Juarez on the southern horizon all the way to Taos and Santa Fe on the northern horizon. Over the top of Lubbock, you could almost see the parties going on at the campus. Dallas now coming up over the curve of the Earth. In fact, becoming the horizon, it is truly amazing how big the metropolis has become.

Touched down at Alliance 2 hours and 8 minutes later amongst the FedEx and AA Maintenance nighttime departure rush. 15 heavies (more than 270K pounds), all engines burning untold gallons at the threshold all waiting for a plane that actually had passengers onboard to land. Not a single one of them actually had a single passenger onboard.

Unloaded 7 pax and their golf bags, and came back to Lalaland empty. Got on one of my many bikes last night in Van Nuys at 4am, stopped, bought fuel, and rode home on the San Diego freeway with the early commuters to the Redondo marina where I fell asleep on a sailboat as the sun was coming up on another day.

What did I do last night? Saw the entire southwestern part of this amazing country from 9 miles up.

Joe and I have both recently started new jobs in this industry. Both of us did not do it by choice, but both ended up in better spots.

Truly an amazing country. I, too, do not want to live anywhere else.