Having a Kennedy speechifying in front of a rebuilt car.
I don't know about you, but the association of Kennedys and cars cause a recollection of a rather checkered history of #metoo incidents.
Then again, Democrat policies are rather like car wrecks . . .
One of the interesting things in the UAV seminar was the recounting of a Drone and UH-60 Blackhawk encounter. I decided to read up on it as it was an interesting factoid I had not heard of until then.
On September 21, 2017 at 7:30pm a Blackhawk Helicopter was struck by a DJI Phantom 4 drone, causing damage to the Blackhawk's rotor. The Drone was destroyed. The rotor blade and some other parts of the Blackhawk had to be replaced.
The operator of the drone managed to violate multiple regulations - flying it 2.5 miles away beyond line of sight, after dark, and into a TFR. He was identified by the serial number of the drone from a recovered part lodged in the Blackhawk's engine intake. There is no info as to whether the drone operator was subsequently charged for the repairs.
The drone operator had a clear case of flying drone while stupid. Drone operators certainly need more education on when and how they're allowed to fly their drones.
This was an accident due to ignorance, but it raises the nasty scenario of deliberate attacks with drones on aircraft which could be a rather nasty scenario in and of itself.
At a rather early hour, before the sun had risen, I met up with Pete and we headed to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti for the 2018 Michigan Aviation Safety Forum.
A now annual affair, it's put on by AOPA and the FAA's FAAST Team and for a fee of $5 for a day of informative lectures that help make you a safer pilot, it's a heckuva bargain.
It kicked off with the unpleasant stuff: Pilot Deviations - Who is the FAA Catching put on by the FAA reps.
A major deviation the FAA is concerned about is runway incursions and there were 22 of those at the 7 towered airports in the Southeastern Michigan sector this year. No collisions resulted, but still not a good statistic. Basically, if you're in any doubt at all as to the instructions you were given by the tower - don't assume, ask and make sure you understand. The Tower is there for you, not the other way around.
In Michigan last year there were 7 Presidential TFR violations. Bust a Presidential TFR (which is a very no-fly zone) and the best you can hope for is a short suspension and the penalties get worse from there.
Of the 7 who messed up, 4 had departed with no briefing at all - no calling a briefer, no DUATS, nothing and managed to blunder their way into the TFR. One of the 4 who didn't bother to get a briefing was an airline pilot in real life and was just doing a pleasure ride in a GA aircraft and wandered into the TFR as he figured it was a really nice day and he didn't need a brief.....until he did.
In short get a damn briefing, preferably with it being on tape talking to a live briefer as those calls are recorded so you can prove you did it and were told there was no TFRs.
Interestingly enough, I learned that the ATIS at Pontiac is recorded on a recording system dating back to 1934 which has a 2 minute limit, which explains why they talk rather fast sometimes when there's a bunch of taxiway NOTAMs.
Overall General Aviation safety statisticaly improved this year, bit still more work needs to be done.
Next up was a presentation on Night Flying by Andy Miller of AOPA. Very useful things to consider whicle flying at night and he noted that while only 10% of general aviation flights occur at night, night flying accounts for half of all general aviation accidents. In short we need more practice night flying, and need to be aware of the risks involved. >ots of good tips for safer night flying.
Next was a presentation on Aviation Medical issues focusing on Basic Med. Overall a good and useful program but I'll stick with my 3rd Class Medical as its more flexible and has more utility than Basic Med.
After that was a presentation on ADS-B. With 2020 coming up fast its clear that General Aviation will not be ready for the FAA diktat that planes be ADS-B equipped before flying in Class A, B, and C airspace and at 10K feet in Class E. There's 438 workdays left before Janauray 1, 2020 and 131,473 general aviation aircraft that still don't have ADS/B installed. Do the math and if you have a plane without ADSB and intend to fly anywhere a transponder is required now, you better get in line right quick.
After a lunch break, held at the Student Center's food court featuring a delicious Smashburger and fries we bought it was back to the seminar.
It began with a rather sobering Accident Case Study at Untowered Airports.
He used the 2013 Johnson Creek crash to look at what went wrong - A Piper Tri Pacer and Piper Arrow both on final, both had made radio calls, with the Arrow above the Tri Pacer and the two planes colliding with 3 survivors and 1 fatality. Lots of useful discussion as to how to better announce and use the radio more descriptively at untowered fields, and the need for situational awareness.
Then we looked at Aerodynamics for the General Aviation pilot, put on by the always awesome Don Weaver.
He began stating that 40% of accidents in GA are due to loss of control, typically due to poor flying: poor energy management, lack of stick-and-rudder skills, chasing airspeed, and not knowing where the edges of the envelope are and especially being surprised when finding them at a critical time.
He talked a lot about the base to final turn stall-spin scenario and how to avoid it as its still biting pilots, mainly due to them going slow and imposing a high load factor on the plane by hauling it through the turn after overshooting the runway, leading to the stall-spin at an unrecoverable altitude. Always a great presentation from Don.
Next was a rather neat presentation: "It's the Fuel, Stupid" By Randy Coller, the head Airport Inspector for MDOT.
He showed quite a few fuel facilities at airports in Michigan that were less than subpar - forget rusty pipes and tans which are bad enough, but one airport had its fuel in a stationary truck that was marked "Unsuitable - Not for Aviation Use" which must really build confidence for anyone crazy enough to fuel up there.
He noted that a plane that started with half a load 100LL in the tanks that is filled to half with jet fuel will have the same blue color upon sumping the tanks - the only way to tell is by smell and touch. A piston plane with tanks half full of jet fuel will takeoff - and then crash shortly after due to detonation caused by the jet fuel that wrecks your engine. In short, his advice was to preferably fuel the plane yourself or if need be only let another person fill it under supervision. He also suggested pilots quit running out of fuel.
Last up was a presentation on Unmanned Aerial Systems by Chris Monti. UAS means Drones. In short the presentaiton noted they're here to stay. Unfortunately the majority of operators of drones have no idea what the rules and regulations for operating them are and this ignorance is causing problems. Basically, education is important and users of drones need to learn and be informed as to what they may and may not do with their drones. Flying into controlled airspace without authorization, or above 400 feet, or beyond line of sight, is a no-no. He also did a good look at Part 107 which is the rules for commercial drone operations.
A very useful seminar with lots of useful and pertinent information.
You would think there would come a time when criminals would decide they were getting a little old in the tooth to ply their trade, especially when it comes to the more violent types of incursions.
Not our stupid criminal of the day however. At 72 years old, he's still out and about doing home invasions.
The Detroit News: Man charged in attempted Royal Oak home invasion
This isn't his first time around the block considering he was a parolee when he committed the crime.
Nope, you might call him a professional well-acquainted with the system and a look at his record online bears this out:
He's got convictions for Home Invasion - 1st Degree in 2005 that got him a 10 year sentence
Breaking and Entering Occupied Building With Intent in 1989 with a 5-15 year sentence
Robbery Armed in 1990 (yep before he was sentenced on the 1989 crime he went out and did another one) that got him a 10-30 year sentence
And another Breaking and Entering Occupied Building With Intent in 1990 a month after his armed robbery offense and again before he was sentenced on his prior crimes that had a sentence of 10-30 years.
That they let this guy out on parole is a rather damning indictment of the justice system. If they had kept him in on the full amount for even one of those he wouldn't have been released until 2020 and he would not have been out for the 2005 or 2018 home invasions.
The online records don't go back farther than that but I'd expect he didn't just get started in 1989. He's also got a list of aliases about a mile long as well.
I don't think the rehabilitation concept took hold in this case.
So some DACA dreamers decided to blockade Disneyland yesterday, accomplishing little more than annoying those trying to get in.
Los Angeles Times: DACA recipients temporarily block Disneyland entrance as an act of civil disobedience.
Rather ironic on two counts:
First, they're stopping someone from entering, sort of demonstrating the value of border security and restictive immigration, if you will.
Second, why the heck did they stop outside the entrance? As people with experience going through borders without permission, I would have expected them to hop on in and become undocumented guests to the theme park and enjoy the delights of Disneyland gratis on a deferred admission plan . . .
Under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canadian political correctness has run rather amok.
Tolerance, if not outright celebration, of the least tolerant has apparently become a sacred mission.
While most Western countries are rather concerned with the return of Islamists who left their nations to fight the infidel for ISIS, Trudeau seems to have taken a page from Chip Diller in Animal House:
Yep, Trudeau figures it'll be all rainbows and unicorns, and will let them return.
CBC: Justin Trudeau tells Hamilton town hall Canadians can feel safe despite returning ISIS fighters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a Hamilton town hall Wednesday that despite concerns over returning ISIS fighters, Canadians were safe in their country and could rely on the security and intelligence services to keep them that way.As the war against ISIS winds down, the government has said it's aware of about 180 individuals "with a nexus to Canada" who had travelled overseas to join ISIS and other groups — and another 60 who had returned to Canada.
Unlike Canada's allies in Iraq and Syria, who are directly targeting their own ISIS fighters before they can return to their countries in the West, Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said "Canada does not engage in death squads."
Goodale said Canada and is instead focused on monitoring returning fighters and helping them to reintegrate, when possible, into Canadian society.
Sixty have already returned and another 180 to go. I somehow think on their return they'll be focused on more the disintegration of Canadian society rather than integration.
Since Canada fought against ISIS, those Canadians who fought for ISIS would in a less politically correct and progressive-controlled time not be welcomed back with promises of integration (think welfare payments and other goodies like housing) but tried for treason, and rightly so.
The Schumer shut down ends with a whimper as the Democrats fold.
Holding the government hostage over DACA really wasn't a winning strategy.
The Dems have traded in the ephemeral and illusionary advantage of shutting down the government in return for a promise that the Senate will take up Legislation on the 700,000 potential
Senate breaks Dem filibuster, clearing way to end government shutdown
I suspect the polls showed their Shutdown was not having the effect they wanted, and Trump’s rather artful emphasis of making the shutdown as painless as possible, as opposed to Obama having made it as painful as possible really detracted from their attempt to hold the government hostage to the DACA demand.
If the Republicans in the Senate had any gumption, when they bring DACA and introduce the bill, then they should say "Ok we've now considered your request to bring it up and we decline to acquiesce to your request to pass it" and then vote it down without further comment.
There was a Women's March in Lansing Michigan and the articles on it are fertile ground for mockery.
The Detroit News: Women’s march pushes Trump opposition at Capitol
“It’s a war on women. We need to arm ourselves,” said attendee Lynn Park, 53, who traveled from Westland.Not so fast, after all the march attendees were pushing for gun control and victim disarmament: The Detroit Free Press: Women's March 2018: Resistance continues in Lansing, Michigan and around the world
Emily Durbin, state chapter leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, spoke, too, saying gun violence is a women's issue."Women must be empowered to take back the conversation in this country about public safety and freedom, authentic freedom. We will not be silenced by the NRA's leadership, who fan the flames of misogyny and racism to incite fear and to turn around and sell weapons to fight that very fear they themselves created. ... Women of all backgrounds must stand together and disarm hate."
Yep, after you get through that ideological word salad, you're left to arm yourselves only with protest signs and the dialectic, as that's all you'll get from the intersectional leadership.
The insanity of the Theory of Intersectionality was on prominent display, basically creating a grievance-fest of every possible sort, many of which, if the attendees stopped to think about it were actually opposed to each other in terms of goals and focus, except for all of them hating on President Trump, of course.
Think of the march as Mardi Gras for the perpetually grieved. As the pictures in the articles show they came dressed up for it.
Think illegal immigration activists bemoaning deportation of illegals; BLMers; abortion activists; Americans from African countries annoyed that the nations they fled to come here are labelled shitholes; queers; trans; and every xe in between were all there in pussy hats and waving nonsensical SJW signs pushing their own particular cause celebre and raging that Donald Trump has taken their freedoms away and locked them all in camps.
Except, of course, he hasn't.
But they push for change and that's good right?, and as soon as they figure out what the ideologically correct change is, they'll let us all know.
They exhorted the crowd to vote like-minded politicians out of office, or even run themselves, during the midterm elections in 2018.“We are the leaders we have been looking for,” said speaker Phoebe Hopps, who organized the Lansing rally.
Statements really don't get much more vapid and vacuous than that. After all if you were the leader all along that you were lookign for, then while you were busy looking for a leader that makes you a follower, or just lacking vision and self-reflection?
But not to worry, there's a Democrat candidate for governor there to use the movement and try and springboard her otherwise undistinguished and unaccomplished self into the governor's seat, using the logic that if there's a crowd , it's best to get in front of it:
In a separate gathering, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Gretchen Whitmer told a group of supporters the midterm elections were critical because the winners could redraw congressional districts.“We have nine months. Women can do miraculous things in nine months,” she said to cheers
However, Gretchen Whitmer advocates and would likely abort the miraculous thing before it becomes viable in nine months, and her candidacy is certainly fighting for viability right now, just sayin'.
Tanker Pilot: Lessons From The Cockpit by Mark Hasara is one heckuva good read.
The theme of the book in one line: "You Can't Kick A__ Without Tanker Gas".
You'll read that line a lot in the book, and his autobiography proves it to be true. Taking you through Colonel Hasara's experiences as both pilot and refueling planner in peacetime and war you get a view from the cockpit of the end of the Cold War, both Iraq wars and numerous other conflicts where tankers served in a vital role and Hasara was in the thick of it. Colonel Hasara was responsible for planning various fueling packages that made Shock and Awe possible, among many other operations. In addition to planning fueling arrangements, he may very well be the only Air Force Colonel to have conned an aircraft carrier during an underway replenishment.
You'll get lots of inside info from reading the book about the planning and execution of the air war over Iraq and many other conflicts that you likely won't get anywhere else. Very interesting reading and lots of neat personal stories that illuminate aspects of operations that you otherwise had no idea about at all.
The book ends each chapter with "Lessons from the cockpit" - lessons that can be applied in life and in the business world just as much as they can be applied in the military.
If you like aviation, are interested in logistics, or just want a chance to read an inside look that is well written as to how modern wars have been fought by someone who was there, this is a book for you.
The headline from The Detroit News: Police: CPL holder shoots man who stole iPhone
You read that half expecting a CPL holder imrpolerly shot someone over property dispute, perhaps imagining the CPL'r shooting the thief who had grabbed an iPhone and was running away.
In reality, not so much, go ahead an read the whole short article but here's the highlight:
In the course of the transaction, the suspect pulled out a handgun, police said.But the 23-year-old — who has a license to carry a concealed handgun — pulled out his own gun and shot the suspect in his right thigh.
The suspect was spotted leaving the area in a silver Toyota with three other men, who transported him to Henry Ford Hospital, where he remains in police custody. No update on his condition is immediately available.
The headline should more properly read, suing the same number of words: CPL Holder Defends Self From Armed Robbery
But that wouldn't fit in with the editorial bias, now would it?
After toting Murph's S&W Shield 45 around New Orleans and shooting it at the range, I was rather taken with both how well it carried and how well it shot. Yes, I had to go out and get one for myself.
Taking down the 45 Shield is the same as all other firearms in the M&P line - very easy.
The barrel standing alone looks rather stubby and rotund, being chambered in the .45 ACP cartridge in a short 3.3" barrel.
The 6 round magazine makes the gun fit in a front jeans pocket in a Desantis Nemesis holster reasonably well, appearaing just a little larger and a bit more of an outline than the Kahr PM9 and with the same capacity but 45 rather than 9. The Shield 45 with the 7 rounder as seen makes it a bit harder to do so and it doesn't fit nor conceal nearly as well, so it is better to keep that one as a reload in a pocket or mag pouch and carry it with the 6 rounder.
So how did it shoot?
50 rounds of PMC and 100 of my 230 FMJ reloads later it had not a hiccup and the centers of a couple silhouette targets were shot out completely.
Recoil felt like a gentle push rather than a smack, and it was very controllable with good accuracy. The grip surface fits the hand well and sticks perfectly without shifting while firing making it very easy and comfortable to shoot.
The stock trigger is acceptable but nothing to rave about - especially when comparing it to my friend's HK VP9SK trigger. Then again, the Shield 45 costs half of a VP9SK out the door. Probably an APEX trigger upgrade is in order.
I'm going to shoot a goodly sum of hollowpoints, probably Federal HSTs, through it, and if it functions without a problem as expected it will become the carry piece of choice for warmer weather.
If you like both to carry a 45 and have a compact shootable package to carry it in, the Shield 45 is well worth a try.
The last attempt at a regional transit levy ran out of gas as it was basically a subsidy for Detroit and for the SWPL types in Ann Arbor with Oakland and Macomb counties footing a large portion of the bill for services they would never receive.
Regionalism yet again - Oakland and Macomb counties picking up the tab for Wayne County's desires, now with a new serving of Washtenaw county to boot.
So not dissuaded by failing the first time, they're at it again:
The Detroit News: Regional transit tax pushed for November ballot
Since at first they did not succeed, they'll keep pushing a vote until they get the result they want.
Metro Detroit leaders are working to put a regional transportation millage on November’s ballot just two years after voters narrowly rejected a tax hike to expand mass transit in southeastern Michigan.Regional leaders say they have been meeting to come up with a new plan and hope to make an announcement as early as this month. The group includes the “Big 4” — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. Washtenaw County also has had a representative at the meetings, according to Jim Martinez, a spokesman for Evans.
Assuming it will seek the same amount of tax as before -- if not more -- its going to be a hard sell:
The millage would have cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $120 annually, RTA officials estimated.
That's before you pay the fare for the ride, assuming the ride is even close to the home from which you're paying the tax.
What do these cities have in common, aside from being the worst for bedbugs?
The Detroit Free Press: Here are the worst cities for bedbugs, according to Orkin:
1. Baltimore
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Chicago
4. Los Angeles
5. Columbus, Ohio
6. Cincinnati
7. Detroit
8. New York
9. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
10. Dallas-Fort Worth
Take a guess as to which party is running all of them.
"Global Warming my A##!"
Poor fellow was covered in just a few minutes during our walk this morning.
A mix of sleet and freezing rain this morning is being followed by 5-8 inches of snow expected to last throughout the day. It's wet and heavy snow too.
The Detroit Free Press Editorial from the rather vacuous Nancy Kaffer is quite the read:
The Detroit Free Press: We should be more outraged about rape in Detroit
From the title on down, the editorial is pretty strange. After all, I don't hardly think anyone is not outraged nor ok with rapists plying their crimes in Detroit or elsewhere.
The howler in the article though is this line, basically, after noting over 11,000 rape kits sat untested in Detroit, it's a women and minorities hardest hit quote:
It's impossible to separate this casual dismissal of this crime from its most likely victims: In Detroit, African-American women."If you're a person of color, if you're a different economic class, then your case across the board — across the board, not just sexual assault — they're treated differently," Worthy told me last month. "And that's just the truth. People may not want to admit it, but I've seen it throughout my career and I know it's true."
So sayeth the Black, pretty much elected for life, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy who has been in her present position since 2004 -- as the head of the prosecuting organization responsible for prosecuting rapes in Detroit mind you -- in a city that has had a Black mayor during the time the test kits were ignored, and a Black police chief to boot.
In a city that has been run solely by Democrat mayors since 1962, and with Blacks running the institutions responsible for fighting crime during the time the rape kits were ignored, it's a little facile to make a claim of structural racism or classicism against women and minorities is somehow at fault for this failure to prosecute rapes fully and competently. Especially when its the women and minorities running the show - unless they're going to argue with a straight face that thewomen and minorities running the show have been brainwashed or conditioned into treating "a person of color, if you're a different economic class" differently, which would be quite the trick.
Better to blame structural racism and classicism than have the people in charge step up and take responsibility for this colossal malfeasance.
Yesterday, I went to a nearby indoor range with a very good client of mine.
I brought along a few firearms as did he, the subject of which will get their own posts once I process a few pictures.
We both shot a total of 200 rounds through the P30Sk, bringing the round count up to 1,000.
That's 1,000 rounds through with only one failure (round 22) which was not due to the firearm.
He also brought along his HK VP9SK, the striker-fired version of the P30SK. The trigger on that firearm has to be felt to be believed.
Certainly the best striker-fired trigger I've shot, and it is unmodified right out of the box and was both lighter and smoother than the PS0SK's LEM trigger, making it easier to make accurate and speedy shots. Very impressive indeed and I could get badly spoiled with a trigger like that. No failures observed on the VP9SK either.
Afterwards, we got together with the families for dinner and had a great time.
A very nice way to spend a Sunday.
When it is a United States 1793 Penny and just sold for $300,000.
Fox News: Rare US penny sells for $300G at auction in Florida
One of the first circulating coins released from the US Mint into circulation, only 500 have survived in various conditions.
Note that these pennies were rather large with a diameter of 26.5 mm, and quite substantial as a dollar worth of these pennies weighed 3 pounds.
Murphy's Law reports on the successful completion of the transfer of his Gemtech HALO, which I did get to shoot when visiting him in the Big Easy.
We each bid on used Gemtech HALO's from the same dealer on the last day of the NRAAM - Paducah Tactical in Kentucky run by Stephen Douglass and both won our bids on used Gemtech HALO suppressors.
In April 2017, right after winning the bid I duly sent in my money via money order for the suppressor and $18 for shipping and my SOT FFL's paperwork for the transfer and patently waited for the NFA Branch to do their paperwork processing and waited some more.
Well, the day came when the initial transfer paperwork from Paducah Tactical to my dealer was approved and he then shipped it via Postal Service Priority Mail in June 2017 to my dealer, with tracking information. Should be simple, right?
Not so much.
Apparently the Post Office tried to deliver to my dealer on a day he was not open and they did not leave a notice that they had a package for him. They tried to deliver it once.
Then the package . . . . disappears.
The Post Office has no trace of it, it was not returned to Kentucky, it is not at my dealer's local Post Office where the last scan said it is, in fact it has vanished without neither a trace nor an explanation.
My dealer checks into it and is told by the Post Office that they don't have it here. Paducah Tactical says they check their post office and no record there either. Both request the Post Office trace it and nothing happens.
This gets to be more fun.
So it is clearly lost without a trace and my dealer both reports it as lost to the Post Office as a lost item and to ATF, as apparently does Paducah Tactical. I go personally to the Post Office and have them search for it again and also file a lost report. Unfortunately, I cannot make an insurance claim on the package as I'm not the sender, only Paducah Tactical and Stephen Douglass can do that.
Unfortunately Paducah Tactical and Stephen Douglass have failed to refund my money on this and he/they are the only ones who could do an insurance claim on the package as they are the senders. Requests for refunds have been met with silence.
As such, if you do any businessmen with Stephen Douglass and Paducah Tactical, I'd say its a 50/50 chance you'll either end up happy like Murph or screwed out of your money like me. You have been warned.
Oregon passed a law that in rural areas only, people could now be legally permitted to pump their own gas.
Oregonians duly freaked out.
The Detroit Free Press: America is laughing at Oregon for having to pump its own gas
That a licensed driver, someone deemed by the state to be able to control and maneuver a multi-thousand tn machine in public is unable to fill it with gas is simply crazy. That they are reacting with sheer panic to the thought of having to add gas to their own cars is even more insane.
Now only New Jersey and urbanized areas of Oregon remain where people are deemed by law to be too stupid to add gasoline to their vehicles and it is illegal for them to do so.
