Roost Air Lounge => General Discussion => Topic started by: AirScorp on August 04, 2008, 12:31:28 PM
Title: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: AirScorp on August 04, 2008, 12:31:28 PM
Crossposting from another forum:
Quote
One fine hot summer's afternoon saw a Cessna 150 flying in the pattern at a quiet country airfield. The instructor was getting quite bothered with the student's inability to maintain altitude in the thermals and was getting impatient at sometimes having to take over the controls. Just then he saw a twin engine Cessna 5,000 ft above him and thought "Another 1,000 hrs of this and I qualify for that twin charter job! Aaahh.. to be a real pilot.. going somewhere!"
The Cessna 402 was already late and the boss told him this charter was for one of the company's premier clients. He'd already set MCT and the cylinders didn't like it in the heat of this summer's day. He was at 6,000 ft and the winds were now a 20 kt headwind.
Today was the 6th day straight and he was pretty damn tired of fighting these engines. Maybe if he got 10,000 ft out of them the wind might die off... geez those cylinder temps! He looked out momentarily and saw a B737 leaving a contrail at 33,000ft in the serene blue sky. "Oh man" he thought, "My interview is next month. I hope I just don't blow it! Outa G/A, nice jet job, above the weather... no snotty passengers to wait for ... aahhh."
The Boeing 737 bucked and weaved in the heavy CAT at FL330 and ATC advised that lower levels were not available due traffic. The Captain, who was only recently advised that his destination was below RVR minimums had slowed to LRC to try and hold off a possible inflight diversion, and arrange an ETA that would helpfully ensure the fog had lifted to CATII minima. The Company negotiations broke down yesterday and looked as if everyone was going to take a damn pay cut. The F/O's will be particularly hard hit as their pay wasn't anything to speak of anyway. Finally deciding on a speed compromise between LRC and turbulence penetration, the Captain looked up and saw Concorde at Mach 2+. Tapping his F/O's shoulder as the 737 took another bashing, he said "Now THAT'S what we should be on... huge pay ... super fast... not too many routes... not too many legs... above the CAT... yep! What a life...!"
FL590 was not what he wanted anyway and considered FL570. Already the TAT was creeping up again and either they would have to descend or slow down. That damn rear fuel transfer pump was becoming unreliable and the F/E had said moments ago that the radiation meter was not reading numbers that he'd like to see. Concorde descended to FL570 but the radiation was still quite high even though the NOTAM indicated hunky dory below FL610. Fuel flow was up and the transfer pump was intermittent. Evening turned into night as they passed over the Atlantic. Looking up, the F/O could see a tiny white dot moving against the backdrop of a myriad of stars. "Hey Captain" he called as he pointed. "Must be the Shuttle. "The Captain looked for a moment and agreed. Quietly he thought how a Shuttle mission, while complicated, must be the be all and end all in aviation. Above the crap, no radiation problems, no damn fuel transfer problems... aaah. Must be a great way to earn a buck."
Discovery was into its 27th orbit and perigee was 200 ft out from nominated rendezvous altitude with the commsat. The robot arm was virtually U/S and a walk may become necessary. The 200 ft predicted error would necessitate a corrective burn and Discovery needed that fuel if a walk was to be required. Houston continually asked what the Commander wanted to do but the advice they proffered wasn't much help. The Commander had already been 12 hours on station sorting out the problem and just wanted 10 minutes to himself to take a leak. Just then a mission specialist, who had tilted the telescope down to the surface for a minute or two, called the Commander to the scope.
"Have a look at this Sir, isn't this the kinda flying you said you wanted to do after you finish up with NASA?" The Commander peered through the telescope and cried "Ooooohhhhh yeah! Now THAT'S flying! Man, that's what it's all about! Geez I'd give my left nut just to be doing THAT down there!"
What the Discovery Commander was looking at was a Cessna 150 in the pattern at a quiet country airfield on a nice bright sunny afternoon.
Boy, I'll tell you... pilots are never happy unless they are drinking beer and looking for a better job!
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: airtac on August 04, 2008, 02:37:27 PM
That is sooooo true!! |:)\ |:)\
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: TheSoccerMom on August 04, 2008, 05:57:42 PM
VERRRRRRRY true!!!!!!!!! ::rofl::
::rofl::
::rofl::
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: tundra_flier on August 04, 2008, 11:45:22 PM
I fly a Cessna 150 and dream about Ultralights, does that mean I've already completed a very small circle? ::loony:: ::drinking::
Phil
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: leiafee on August 05, 2008, 07:53:43 PM
I love that story.
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Mike on August 06, 2008, 07:41:08 PM
what a (true) story!! ;D
where did you find it?
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: AirScorp on August 06, 2008, 08:25:41 PM
Tried to trace it to the original source but it seems it's a crosspost of a crosspost of a crosspost! So I gave up.. And did more constructive things ::drinking::
BTW, Monday comes, I'll be in boot camp! The time has finally come. Already cut the hair, stashed the ponytail in the drawer and I'm getting ready.
Now, when the first plane overflies the camp, I'll resemble this little story in full! ::wave:: ::wave::
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: tundra_flier on August 06, 2008, 09:00:17 PM
Except the first plane will likely be a C-130 or C-17 ::rofl::
Phil
Soooooooooooo? I'l still wanna fly it! ::cowboy::
Nothing wrong with a big ole C-130, or even the retired DCs for that matter (remembered reading about Alaskan DC-4s now ::bow::).
***Mental note: Take the plane on my first transfer, meet the pilots, sit in cockpit, shoot the approach myself.***
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: AirScorp on August 07, 2008, 01:29:43 PM
Oh, and a friend said to me this exact phrase yesterday:
"Turn out good that they didn't enlist you in the airforce after all. They're bringing in new F-16s at the local airbase now they've retired the A-7s. Too much work"
And I was like ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead::
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Oddball on August 07, 2008, 04:18:59 PM
I must be doing this story in miniture, building and flying R/C models and wanting to work on the 1:1 scale stuff ::thinking::
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Rooster Cruiser on August 08, 2008, 12:28:00 AM
Tried to trace it to the original source but it seems it's a crosspost of a crosspost of a crosspost! So I gave up.. And did more constructive things ::drinking::
BTW, Monday comes, I'll be in boot camp! The time has finally come. Already cut the hair, stashed the ponytail in the drawer and I'm getting ready.
Now, when the first plane overflies the camp, I'll resemble this little story in full! ::wave:: ::wave::
Oh boy... boot camp!!! How well I remember it even 25 years later! ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead:: ::banghead::
However I have no one to blame but myself since I volunteered for it! What a dummy!
Good luck to you Nick. We'll be pulling for you. Make sure you post something for us once you get through it so we know you are OK. |:)\
RC
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Oddball on August 08, 2008, 07:19:59 AM
aye good luck Nick like Rooster I volunteered for Queen and Country you'll be fine.
::whistle:: "You're in the army now, you're in the army now, you wont get rich by ditch you're in the army now" ::whistle::
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: leiafee on August 08, 2008, 07:06:13 PM
Drop us a line when you getthe chance won't you.
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: AirScorp on August 09, 2008, 04:50:15 AM
Of course I will!
Bad thing they don't allow cameras or even camera phones at that! So, guess I won't have any pics to put up any time soon! But will see!
Think I'm gonna start a thread and try and record this.. Would be a nice thing to look back to if I manage to post a couple of times! Stef, I know it's not about planes but I'll put it up anyway. Hope it's okay!
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: chuckar101 on August 09, 2008, 05:39:39 AM
Bad thing they don't allow cameras or even camera phones at that! So, guess I won't have any pics to put up any time soon! But will see!
Think I'm gonna start a thread and try and record this.. Would be a nice thing to look back to if I manage to post a couple of times! Stef, I know it's not about planes but I'll put it up anyway. Hope it's okay!
We're all aviation nuts yes. But A few non aviation items might actually do us some good. Good Luck.
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Mike on August 09, 2008, 06:03:05 AM
I'd like to second that!
Many of us have also been through basic training ourselves at one point in time. It's gonna be fun to see your view !!! |:)\
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Rooster Cruiser on August 09, 2008, 08:14:15 AM
aye good luck Nick like Rooster I volunteered for Queen and Country you'll be fine.
::whistle:: "You're in the army now, you're in the army now, you wont get rich by ditch you're in the army now" ::whistle::
Its a little different here, Ian. I swore not to Queen and Country, but to the Constitution. It may seem a little weird, but it actually makes sense if you want to avoid a situation like Caesar/Napoleon/etc. All American veterans swear to the document that founded the country, rather than to the country or whomever might be leading it.
Title: Re: Satisfied where you are?
Post by: Oddball on August 09, 2008, 04:02:19 PM
Thanks for that R/C it was intresting guess im jsut a military and aviation nut. Still have my oath and other documents that I recived in my fles will never throw them out.
