San Antonio Off Topic Thread Part 3 (Lampasas, Cooper: counties, school, live)

[rd2007]

pay for porn? Who would do that?

speaking of porn, anyone see that episode of Family Guy where Quagmire discovers Internet porn?

[sapphire]

lol The huge arm muscle.

[rd2007]

It got rid of the image?

Just saw my final grade for my final class and it was an A

barely, but that doesn't really matter and the final GPA was 3.98 thanks to one earlier B+. Now they need to load it into the transcript so I can get it over to TAMUSA and get enrolled for June.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by rd2007

It got rid of the image?

Just saw my final grade for my final class and it was an A

barely, but that doesn't really matter and the final GPA was 3.98 thanks to one earlier B+. Now they need to load it into the transcript so I can get it over to TAMUSA and get enrolled for June.

Congrats RD! I'm in school too and it's kicking my butt....which in fact needs to be kicked. Online classes are not a cinch as most people assume (me being one of them!) I learned very quickly after the first class that staying ahead of the assignments was the only way to be successful in the class. Awesome GPA! Double congrats!

[sapphire]

To whomever repped me and asked "isn't it HAVE GONE CRAZY"--LOL yes, I'm well aware of that faux pas. It's intentional. Time to change it, though.

[elnina]

Who said we have drinking problem??

Where Bars Trump Grocery Stores | FlowingData

[ShaneSA]

I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. No problem!!!!!!

[Camper1]

Originally Posted by ShaneSA

I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. No problem!!!!!!

Everyone's good at something!

[rd2007]

Originally Posted by wCat

Congrats RD! I'm in school too and it's kicking my butt....which in fact needs to be kicked. Online classes are not a cinch as most people assume (me being one of them!) I learned very quickly after the first class that staying ahead of the assignments was the only way to be successful in the class. Awesome GPA! Double congrats!

Exactly! I remember when I first started out and figured it would be very easy and I could basically kick back and let the time go by with minimal input. You absolutely have to stay ahead and really cannot relax one bit. That school had 5 1/2 week sessions to add even more fire to your you know what.. I am definitely glad it is over and am looking forward to giving the hybrid (in-class/online) program at TAMUSA a try.

and for anyone considering a new car purchase and that works for Chase or has a family member working for them, this can save you quite a bit: https://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?...page/efs_mazda My daughter is considering trading in her gas guzzling SUV for something a little sexier that gets much better mileage (Mazda 6).
I figured this would be applicable here in SA since there is quite a large Chase presence here.

[doss1]

Boy was it windy out there!

I rose before sunrise yesterday morning and started my early morning drive nearly colliding head-on with a huge buck on a rural road to the hangar. The biggest one this non-hunter had ever seen. I already had to reschedule my pilot review 7 times due to weather, so I was really fretting over any little thing that could prevent me from finishing it this time around, and nearly colliding with deer was not a good start for the day. Perfect weather for them, and this road is deep in the hills out near Luckenbach. I've driven the route enough to know that to get the deer quickly across the road, you simply turn off your headlights and they will scurry across (just make sure you dont' drive off the cliff in the dark).

It was a cold morning and I had trouble getting the engine started for the first time in a long while. Nice white exhaust to start the disc turning. Did a good soft-field takeoff and the 65 horses climbed like a home sick angel. Keyed my compass heading for the 2hr flight to my destination, a small town in the middle of nowhere between Dallas and San Antonio.



I only have about 30 some hours total in this old WWII trainer, but this was probably the most enjoyable flight I ever had the privilege to take (and flying IS a privilege these days). The air was silky smooth and the fog was just lifting out of the trees with a cozy sunrise on my shoulder.




I'm dead reckoning here because I dont' want to buy an expensive aviation GPS right now (In the 1k range)..the money is used for avgas and my review fee. Slight headwind. Pushing 85mph, not bad in these old planes. Nothing out here but the hills and rivers. Not as pretty as some of the pics you all have posted, but still scenic to me. I'm constantly amazed at how accurate dead reckoning is. I've only been off my mark once in the past, but that was a lazy mistake. I'm not compulsive with the navigation idea. I just check once in a while to make sure I'm on my intended route. It's fun to me because it brings back some of the old school way of flying..and keeps me alert.

Shortly after I come into one of my fuel stops. YOu can see the Llano airport to the North (in pic below). A very popular spot for one thing and one thing only...probably home to the best BBQ pit in the State (Cooper's BBQ). It's no wonder their courtesy car is a 16 seat van. They load pilots in there and ship them off to Cooper's.



The airport was empty when I got there. Filled up on coffee and donuts someone left on a table and made sure to buy gas for the hungry airplane. I do a quick "CIGAR" check and notice I left the fuel cap back at the fuel station! I didn't taxi very far. Luckily no one saw me...or so I thought (later on my return back home, one of the workers told me not to forget my fuel cap *Embarrassed*).

Back up in the air for 30 mins and now the land starts changing. Not much out there in the way of landmarks, lets hope I don't get lost




I pass one of my land marks, the San Saba airport a semi-private airport that is mostly used by Air Tractors (if you want gas, you got to arrange it with someone there).


At about this time it started getting a little bumpy in the air. I did a weather briefing before the flight, but forecasts were showing the turbulence to come in in the mid afternoon. It's still early morning here.

Now the air is getting REALLY turbulent. I raise one eyebrow and become a little concerned :-\ I have my personal limits but not sure where I am within this range at the moment. Now's a good time to start double checking my diversion airports. I estimate gusts are probably in the low 20s range..that's a tad bit over my limit. Wings won't stay level anymore..and I don't like it when ailerons are ineffective in keeping wings level and you feel like the airplane is going to flip around in the air. That happened once when I first started training with an instructor that, I believe, put me in danger so he could get a few more hours on the Hobb meter before I went home. When the ailerons are not effective, you know gusts are 30+. I was just within this range now, but just to be safe, I went to well below maneuvering speed so I could stall out instead of being tossed around. Just as things appeared to get worse, I was able to make it to my destination and quickly tie the airplane down. I really wanted to turn it into the wind, but the damn tie downs were aligned only one way...side exposed to the vast open Texas cattle fields where the wind was shooting from.



The photo you see above is just before things got out of hand. After that picture was taken, a HUGE gust of air blew and twisted the plane to the side. At that point I knew it was probably better to get the airplane in a hangar. I did not see anyone on the tarmac. The tail rope came loose and I put all my weight on the tail to keep it down...it was a losing battle and I needed help quick. Finally a someone rushes out and I yell at him to help me get the plane in the hangar..but he stands there and tells me it's the city's hangar and I have to call for permission first (permission was the last of my worries) I was debating whether to reinforce the rope on the tail or risk losing control of the aircraft if I cut it loose from the ropes. The wind died down for a little bit and we were able to quickly tow the airplane into a huge old WWII hangar. They had to move the FED EX Caravan out of the way for me (boohoo for them). They ended up letting me keep it in there for $20.



More to come if there's interest...just thought I'd share one of my typical days