Flying - The Local Airport Triple

Today is too nice a day to not get in the air.

Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and winds calm to 3 knots.  

So, I jumped into the trusty Archer and took to the skies.

I decided to leave the local airport environs and get some un-towered airport practice.

It turns out a lot of other pilots had the same idea.

First, I took off from Pontiac and they had me cross 27R and instead use the big runway - Runway 27L, which is always fun.

Then I flew northeast to Lapeer, where I entered the pattern for Runway 18 as planes were already using 18, using appropriate radio calls all the while.

Another couple planes were there and not an issue, we had each other in sight and it's all good.  

I did a good landing and then taxied back and held short and waited to takeoff as an bright yellow amphib piper cub was coming in to land, sans radio  (but smartly with another pilot who had a radio flying with him letting everyone know), and with the other aircraft coming in to land behind him. Fun to watch.

I then took off and remained in the pattern. Radio calls all the while, a few more planes entering the pattern, all is well and everyone is showing solid awareness.

That is until I get on short final.  Very short final, got the numbers in the windscreen, landing looks and feels just perfect, this is going to be great  ----

And a dickhead in a blue painted Cessna decides it's a perfect time to roll onto the runway and takeoff without any radio call or looking at final to see an aircraft about to land on the numbers.

"Archer 28S is going around, sidestepping right due to traffic taking off!" 

Not stated but understood by everyone else in the pattern - "You flipping f'ing moron taking off while I'm about to land!"

Thanks a lot there super chief.  Full power, slowly retract the flaps, and fly the airplane and keep separation from the moron that's taking off.

So I headed off to my next airport - D98 Romeo.

Flying to Romeo and I overfly and then setup for Runway 18.  Do my radio calls and enter the downwind and get a report from the ground that they are working on the lighting to the left of runway 18 but should not be a factor.  I can see them and let them know I appreciate the heads up.

Another airplane also comes in and we've got good communication and spacing, I land, he then lands, and we both taxi again to takeoff. Another nice landing.

I bid him a good flight and takeoff and head back to Pontiac.

12 Miles out from Pontiac I give the tower a call. I then get instructions to do a straight in and report a 3-mile final to Runway 27R from the tower. Yay.

 

I'm #2, following another Archer who is in the pattern, and he clears the runway and I land and just grease the plane in perfectly.

Then I park, refuel the plane, and put the plane to bed.

1.3 and 3 very good landings and a very mandatory go-around.

Not Only An Abhorent Announcement Of Discrimination, But Also Unconstitutional

The Detroit News:  Lawsuit by white Michigan State Police sergeant claims racial, LGBT discrimination.

A female gay white sergeant was allegedly passed over for promotion as a post commander in a favor of an African-American female who was allegedly less qualified, and allegedly had lied in the course of her employment.

The interesting part of the article however is the report of a pronouncement apparently made publicly by the commander of the Michigan State Police:  

Each of the suits points to comments state police director Col. Joseph Gasper reportedly made at a public meeting on Oct. 8, 2019, in which he said the agency was "way too white and way too male," and added that he planned to set aside 25% of future job openings for minorities, and 20% for females.

That certainly constitutes racial set-asides now doesn't it?

A little problem is that such affirmative action and set asides violate the Michigan Constitution Section 26(2):

The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.

That's going to be a problem and his pronouncement just opened the door to lots of discrimination lawsuits by potential new hires turned down because they may be too white or too male, and from current members of the force that may be passed over for promotion based on their being too white or too male.

The Michigan State Police currently has a well-deserved reputation and is renowned for being composed of capable and highly-skilled law enforcement officers - regardless of their color, sex, or sexual orientation.  

Colonel Gaspar risks this reputation with his misguided and illegal affirmative action plan.

Democrat Politicans Always Engage In Projecting Behavior

The Detroit News: Whitmer, Cuomo call for inquiry by Congress into Trump's COVID response

Simply amazing the gall of these politicians.  

Both Whitmer and Cuomo (and the govs of PA, MA and NJ)  issued orders requiring nursing homes to take in Covid-19 infected patients. As a result, and surprising no one, Covid-19 ripped through Michigan and New York nursing homes - causing 40%+ of all the deaths in these states.  States that didn't have such an insane order fared much better.

Quite a sheer lot of chutzpah to call for an inquiry over Trump's response when your own horribly inept responses led to the deaths of thousands and made the situation much worse than it would have been had they acted sensibly. 

This demand on Whitmer's part is even more astonishing, but not truly unexpected,  given her continued refusal to cooperate with GOP inquiry on virus in nursing homes. and her actions during Covid that led to the deaths of thousands of Michigan nursing home residents.

My bet is she's trying to both cover her actions by pointing elsewhere and to tee up some more spurious grounds for another impeachment campaign against President Trump, while hiding her and Cuomo's own misdeeds and mishandling of the Convid-19 pandemic.

While California Is Undergoing An Electric Power Shortage With No Expected Relief In Sight

Governor Newsom announces that by 2035 only electric cars may be sold as new vehicles in California.

The Detroit News: California moves to end sales of new gas-powered cars

California will halt sales of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, a move he says will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% in the nation’s most populous state.

 As there's no simultaneous push to increase reliable electric power generation in the state of California to meet the demand of all these new electric cars, and they can't even keep up with electrical demand as it stands now.

  I think we can have a pretty good idea as to how this is going to end up.

Overdoing It Just A Tad There Sport

So this morning, I went to the gas pumps at Costco to fill up and moved into a spot behind a Volvo that had its driver's side door wide open with the engine off at the pump ahead.

I waited a moment before stopping at the second pump, as often people finish and drive off and there's no point leaving an empty pump in front of you and making someone wait behind you if they're about to leave, when you could have waited a second and moved forward.

Well, after a polite minute of waiting, there's still no movement out of the vehicle and it looks like he's coiffing his hair, as one does at a gas station I suppose.

Ok, then.

So, I level up to the second pump, turn the car off and get out.

Still no movement out of the vehicle ahead.

I feed the pump my card, press the appropriate buttons, open my gas tank, and am about to remove the handle when the guy finally gets out of his cart.  Older fella, rather spry, with very nicely coiffed hair for pumping gas, I must say.

Ok, so I've now started pumping gas and he slowly makes his way to the pump.

He doesn't start pumping gas.

Instead he takes what looks like a Clorox wipe and starts wiping down the entire gas pump handle, the swivel beneath it, the entire hose, he's really seriously wiping down everything, including parts no one ever touches.  Neglects to wipe the lever inside of the handle though, which is funny as that's where your hand is going to actually be touching, but every other surface gets wiped.

He then wipes down the card reader, screen and all the buttons.  Again, he hits areas you're unlikely to be touching as he's busily wiping everything down.

He's about to place his card in the machine and that's when I'm done filling my tank.

He has yet to remove the handle from the pump when I'm leaving the gas station.

I'm sure that gas pump has never been cleaner, aside from the lever mind you.

Ok, Who had Alligators In Michigan For 2020?

Covid, Murder Hornets,  EEE infected mosquitos, Cicada invasion, and now an Alligator has allegedly been spotted in Macomb County.

The Detroit News: Macomb Co. Animal Control investigates gator sightings in Clinton River

Macomb County Animal Control is investigating reports a critter that may be an alligator or a crocodile has been spotted in the Clinton River in Harrison Township, officials said Tuesday.

Most likely this is the result of some idiot who had an exotic pet that got too big, who then had the brilliant idea of releasing it into the wild. 

But, with 2020 being what it is, a full-on Alligator invasion of our fair peninsula cannot be ruled out.

No Charges Forthcoming In The Case Of The Toilet Ballot Box

The Ingham County prosecuting attorney, while a Democrat, at least knows the law and a parody when she sees one, and announced that no, she is not going to seek criminal charges in the case of the clear toilet ballot drop-box parody.

The DeToilet Detroit News: Complaint flushed: No charge in Mason toilet election display

 While Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum sought charges against the maker of the parody, as she claimed voting is no laughing matter, and then later stated that "she didn't see the toilet Tuesday".

If that's the case, Ingham County really should reconsider Barb Bayrum as being a clerk in charge of overseeing the election.  If her eyesight is so poor that she can't spot a toilet, she's going to have major problems counting ballots, not to mention detecting fraud.

Then again, that inability to spot fraud as a Democrat clerk in charge of a very Democrat county's elections may very well be a feature rather than a bug.

If You're Dumb Enough To Mistake A Toilet For A Vote Drop-box . . .

Then, well, lets just say The Ingham County Clerk (D) is quite concerned that fellow Democrat voters could mistake a toilet for a voting drop box.

The soft bigotry of low expectations and all that, I suppose.

The Detoilet Detroit News: Official: Toilet display in Mason mocking mail-in voting is a crime

Yep, seriously, she's seeking criminal charges for a clear First Amendment Parody regarding mail-in voting.

A Michigan resident’s apparent joke showing disdain for voting by mail is no laughing matter for one election official.

The resident put a toilet on their lawn with a sign that says, “Place mail in ballots here.”

Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County, filed a complaint with police over the display, saying it could mislead people who aren’t familiar with the voting system.

Hopefully the police throw the idea of charging the man for his valid and rather humorous protest display right down the toilet.

I guess that if you can't tell the difference between a drop-box for a vote, a Post Office Box to mail a vote in, and a toilet, then you might just be a Democrat.

Rosh Hashanah 2020

Rosh Hashanah was rather atypical this year as has everything else this year. No going to synagogue, but instead logging in on a livestream of services and praying from our couch.

Certainly different, but the live-stream was very well done with with our rabbi and cantor at the synagogue and various readers reading from their homes. Tradition well blended with technology as needed.


After the service, we went for our Rosh Hashanah tradition of going for apples, and having doughnuts and cider.

We went to the Parshallville Cider Mill, located in an historic grist mill that was built in 1869.

Lots of people were there and its a nice place. The cider was excellent and the doughnuts superb as only fresh, hot, cider mill doughnuts can be.

Of course, we then got attacked by wasps. So, how did we know they were wasps? 'Cause they weren't wearing kippahs.

That's some Rosh Hashanah 2020 humor for you right there.

Anyways, a good time was had by all.

Then home for some introspection and quiet contemplation and then a nice dinner.

Shana Tova!

May all my readers have a good sweet year,  may it be a much better one than this year, and may you be inscribed in the Book of Life.