It's an odd compliment, but I'll take it.
I get that every time I go to get stabbed. This one was for my yearly MRI that I get to keep my Pilot Medical current. I have a "stent" in my neck which is a little piece of tubing that keeps one of my arteries open. They like to keep an eye on it.
To see what they need to see, they inject me with some dye... so they can see the blood flowing (through the stent).
I like that I always get the "you've got great veins" bit cuz I carries the unspoken implication that it's not going to hurt :)
Which it doesn't
Thursday, November 05, 2009
!
Nope, it wasn't the adjustment... the clutch is buggered.
Fortunately there was a mechanic shop on the way to my appointment this morning, so I just stopped in there. He gave it a quick fix adjustment (it's simple to do) but said it would need replacing.
Not to worry as Haagen had told me of a Subaru wrecker in town. For the unfamiliar, think of a wrecker as a dedicated junkyard with a mechanic. I'll try and remember to get pics when I pick the car up.
So when I got there, it was like driving into a Subaru graveyard... loads of every kind of Subaru in every kind of condition (except new!). Perfect. While the cars at the wreckers, I'll be hanging out in Dunedin (it's done on Monday... it's Friday now).
Fortunately there was a mechanic shop on the way to my appointment this morning, so I just stopped in there. He gave it a quick fix adjustment (it's simple to do) but said it would need replacing.
Not to worry as Haagen had told me of a Subaru wrecker in town. For the unfamiliar, think of a wrecker as a dedicated junkyard with a mechanic. I'll try and remember to get pics when I pick the car up.
So when I got there, it was like driving into a Subaru graveyard... loads of every kind of Subaru in every kind of condition (except new!). Perfect. While the cars at the wreckers, I'll be hanging out in Dunedin (it's done on Monday... it's Friday now).
A mild panic
Holy crap do I love the internet.
I drove down to Dunedin today. Just as I got there, my clutch got all funny on me. *OH NOES!*
The way it was before, it would engage about half way through it's travel. This took me a bit to get used to, but I did. I'm used to clutches grabbing very quickly.
Everything was normal till I stopped a few K's out to check my map. After that there was a big change in where the clutch grabbed. Now it was nearly immediate. First gear got pretty hard to get to as well. Oh crap... did the clutch just die?
Off to the internet to see if I could find out some info.
Most of it didn't sound like a burnt clutch, although some stuff did say that having difficulty getting into gear was one sign.
A bit more digging and I found out that clutches have an auto-adjustment if you pull the clutch pedal towards the seat... which I've done. I may have done this as well when I stopped to check the map.
The guy that wrote it said that he didn't like the auto-adjusters cuz they set the clutch annoyingly close to the floor... sound familiar?
There's a way to check for sure (stall it in 2nd like you're learning to drive stick). That'll have to wait for tomorrow.
Jim
I drove down to Dunedin today. Just as I got there, my clutch got all funny on me. *OH NOES!*
The way it was before, it would engage about half way through it's travel. This took me a bit to get used to, but I did. I'm used to clutches grabbing very quickly.
Everything was normal till I stopped a few K's out to check my map. After that there was a big change in where the clutch grabbed. Now it was nearly immediate. First gear got pretty hard to get to as well. Oh crap... did the clutch just die?
Off to the internet to see if I could find out some info.
Most of it didn't sound like a burnt clutch, although some stuff did say that having difficulty getting into gear was one sign.
A bit more digging and I found out that clutches have an auto-adjustment if you pull the clutch pedal towards the seat... which I've done. I may have done this as well when I stopped to check the map.
The guy that wrote it said that he didn't like the auto-adjusters cuz they set the clutch annoyingly close to the floor... sound familiar?
There's a way to check for sure (stall it in 2nd like you're learning to drive stick). That'll have to wait for tomorrow.
Jim
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A new perspective
I'll have to dig out some pics... I shot a few on the way, I'm just feeling lazy at the moment.
So I took a bus down to Dunedin (town, 4 hours away) to visit some friends. The bus was pretty empty, and well, I don't have to drive, so I took a snooze in the back (long seat). I woke up in a town called Roxboro. We were stopping to gas up.
Here's where it gets neat.
Roxboro sounded very familiar, but I was sure I'd never been their before. Then it dawns on me... it was a waypoint on one of my cross country flights for my pilot license. Ok, big woop right? Well yeah, but then I noticed a huge contrast.
See, before, driving down to Dunedin (I've gone a bunch of times) was like heading out into the great unknown. Sorta like driving in the desert in a way, though much more beautiful. You sorta have this detached, out in the middle of nowhere feeling cuz you're in unfamiliar land. You know the road is going to end... eventually... somewhere.
Well that was gone.
In a big way.
I'd flown over where I was and where I was going. I had a really good picture in my head of the whole shooting match. I was no longer adrift on an ocean of strange, I was plodding around in my back yard.
Kinda neat.
So I took a bus down to Dunedin (town, 4 hours away) to visit some friends. The bus was pretty empty, and well, I don't have to drive, so I took a snooze in the back (long seat). I woke up in a town called Roxboro. We were stopping to gas up.
Here's where it gets neat.
Roxboro sounded very familiar, but I was sure I'd never been their before. Then it dawns on me... it was a waypoint on one of my cross country flights for my pilot license. Ok, big woop right? Well yeah, but then I noticed a huge contrast.
See, before, driving down to Dunedin (I've gone a bunch of times) was like heading out into the great unknown. Sorta like driving in the desert in a way, though much more beautiful. You sorta have this detached, out in the middle of nowhere feeling cuz you're in unfamiliar land. You know the road is going to end... eventually... somewhere.
Well that was gone.
In a big way.
I'd flown over where I was and where I was going. I had a really good picture in my head of the whole shooting match. I was no longer adrift on an ocean of strange, I was plodding around in my back yard.
Kinda neat.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Back in Black :)
Ah, back in Queenstown :)
I'm going to post up some of the stuff I've been using facebook for lately.
It dawns on me that I can't find it quickly later if it's there and there's just some stuff I want up that doesn't fit in facebook well.
Like my new home :)
Google Street View
Woo Hoo
This year was super easy.
A friend of mine, Jose, contacted me on facebook cuz he heard I'd be looking for a place and he needed flatmates for the summer. He's located in the perfect part of town in a very nice place. Bingo.
So this year, I just landed at the airport... Jose picked me up and we drove into town (how cool is that!... usually, I'm struggling to get to town), I drop my stuff off and catch up with Ian who's heading up the hill for a fly... OK. We have amazing flights, it's an uncommonly good day to fly, and then head over to the climbing wall to drop in on Nial and Shane on our way to the hot tubs at Aqualand.
What a nice way to come home :)
Jim
I'm going to post up some of the stuff I've been using facebook for lately.
It dawns on me that I can't find it quickly later if it's there and there's just some stuff I want up that doesn't fit in facebook well.
Like my new home :)
Google Street View
Woo Hoo
This year was super easy.
A friend of mine, Jose, contacted me on facebook cuz he heard I'd be looking for a place and he needed flatmates for the summer. He's located in the perfect part of town in a very nice place. Bingo.
So this year, I just landed at the airport... Jose picked me up and we drove into town (how cool is that!... usually, I'm struggling to get to town), I drop my stuff off and catch up with Ian who's heading up the hill for a fly... OK. We have amazing flights, it's an uncommonly good day to fly, and then head over to the climbing wall to drop in on Nial and Shane on our way to the hot tubs at Aqualand.
What a nice way to come home :)
Jim
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Oh yeah, I have a blog
Oh right, I have a blog.
As you can tell, I don't update it much in the summer. Not much really "newsworthy" happens around here. Life at the airport is pretty mellow. That's one of it's draws.
But now were getting into Fall, which means that it's getting close to time to go. It's odd, I used to hate the Fall. Fall meant Winter. And Winter in Buffalo isn't a happy thing... I'm not a fan of the cold. But now that Fall means Spring... well that's just a whole other ballgame :)
Still, it's that sad happy again.
I'm leaving my friends again... the party of Summer is over.
But I'm also returning to my friends as well.
It's an odd life I lead.
Jim
As you can tell, I don't update it much in the summer. Not much really "newsworthy" happens around here. Life at the airport is pretty mellow. That's one of it's draws.
But now were getting into Fall, which means that it's getting close to time to go. It's odd, I used to hate the Fall. Fall meant Winter. And Winter in Buffalo isn't a happy thing... I'm not a fan of the cold. But now that Fall means Spring... well that's just a whole other ballgame :)
Still, it's that sad happy again.
I'm leaving my friends again... the party of Summer is over.
But I'm also returning to my friends as well.
It's an odd life I lead.
Jim
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
sushi
We don't get out much.
We all live at the airport and typically stay here most of the time.
However, every now and then... we go out for sushi.
It's one thing we all like and just can't get here.
Normally we go to Dover. It's 40 minutes away. Zach's been bugging us to go to this new place he found up in Northern Delaware. So we did.
It's just about as far to get to the new place... maybe 10 minutes longer. But the sushi's way better. The old place was good.. but the new place is unreal.
Now the odd thing about the place to the North is how you get there. Mind you, I rarely leave the airport and it's almost unheard of that I go North. This is important in that I used to come down from the North. The road up to sushi is the exact same route I would take every weekend... for three and one half hours... well, the last hour of that trip anyway.
This is the road where I spent a lot of time contemplating a very radical change in my life. It was also the path between the 9-5 "normal" world and the world of hang gliding. Alice's rabbit hole if you will.
People like to listen to the music of their youth because it "takes them back". There's a lot of emotional baggage wrapped up in that. Well I was having a lot of similar flashbacks. You not only get to remember things you've forgotten, you remember how things felt... how the world looked at the time. It's a bit freaky.
So, getting to relive those days in a way, the question naturally surfaces... if I knew then what I know now... would I make the same decision?
You don't often get to answer that one... not really. Maybe intellectually you can make a bit of a guess. Now I had a bit more insight.
As I often phrased the question... "Red pill or Blue?"
Yeah... still most definitely Red.
Driving home felt great... content. The further I got to my life and away from my past, the better I felt. Not that I didn't enjoy the past, but I had this very weird understanding that I'm walking the right path.
I love my life, my friends, the places I've been, the things I've seen.
I am a very happy person.
We all live at the airport and typically stay here most of the time.
However, every now and then... we go out for sushi.
It's one thing we all like and just can't get here.
Normally we go to Dover. It's 40 minutes away. Zach's been bugging us to go to this new place he found up in Northern Delaware. So we did.
It's just about as far to get to the new place... maybe 10 minutes longer. But the sushi's way better. The old place was good.. but the new place is unreal.
Now the odd thing about the place to the North is how you get there. Mind you, I rarely leave the airport and it's almost unheard of that I go North. This is important in that I used to come down from the North. The road up to sushi is the exact same route I would take every weekend... for three and one half hours... well, the last hour of that trip anyway.
This is the road where I spent a lot of time contemplating a very radical change in my life. It was also the path between the 9-5 "normal" world and the world of hang gliding. Alice's rabbit hole if you will.
People like to listen to the music of their youth because it "takes them back". There's a lot of emotional baggage wrapped up in that. Well I was having a lot of similar flashbacks. You not only get to remember things you've forgotten, you remember how things felt... how the world looked at the time. It's a bit freaky.
So, getting to relive those days in a way, the question naturally surfaces... if I knew then what I know now... would I make the same decision?
You don't often get to answer that one... not really. Maybe intellectually you can make a bit of a guess. Now I had a bit more insight.
As I often phrased the question... "Red pill or Blue?"
Yeah... still most definitely Red.
Driving home felt great... content. The further I got to my life and away from my past, the better I felt. Not that I didn't enjoy the past, but I had this very weird understanding that I'm walking the right path.
I love my life, my friends, the places I've been, the things I've seen.
I am a very happy person.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Cowboy-Land!
Hahaha... I think that's my new name for the States!
Part of it I'm sure is flying into Phoenix, but I was thinking that even in LA. After living in proper English-Britto-Land for six months... damn if everyone doesn't sound like they're from Texas! I'm sure it'll wear off after a few days.
And man it's nice returning to a country that ISN'T run by BUSH!!!! I distinctly remember arriving before and getting instantly inundated with big American flags, cops wearing all black and assault rifles (I'm not kidding) and huge portraits of Bush... felt like China. Now, there's modest pics of Obama over in official places. Security still has an air of "What are you doing Mr. Criminal?" to it, but whatever. Far less totalitarian than it's been in years past.
Immigration was as it's always been... nice an pleasant. Hahaha, had a chuckle with some Canadians about that over Summer... seems that the US/Canada border nuts over at Niagara Falls are indeed kinda jerks... it's not just me. Growing up there seems to spoil your view of immigration.
Not sure if traveling's just getting easier or if it's the lack of layovers this time (I think both), but I can't believe how easy it was getting to Phoenix. One little hop to BWI and I'm home. Crazy.
Hahahaha... and yes, already missing New Zealand.
Jim
Part of it I'm sure is flying into Phoenix, but I was thinking that even in LA. After living in proper English-Britto-Land for six months... damn if everyone doesn't sound like they're from Texas! I'm sure it'll wear off after a few days.
And man it's nice returning to a country that ISN'T run by BUSH!!!! I distinctly remember arriving before and getting instantly inundated with big American flags, cops wearing all black and assault rifles (I'm not kidding) and huge portraits of Bush... felt like China. Now, there's modest pics of Obama over in official places. Security still has an air of "What are you doing Mr. Criminal?" to it, but whatever. Far less totalitarian than it's been in years past.
Immigration was as it's always been... nice an pleasant. Hahaha, had a chuckle with some Canadians about that over Summer... seems that the US/Canada border nuts over at Niagara Falls are indeed kinda jerks... it's not just me. Growing up there seems to spoil your view of immigration.
Not sure if traveling's just getting easier or if it's the lack of layovers this time (I think both), but I can't believe how easy it was getting to Phoenix. One little hop to BWI and I'm home. Crazy.
Hahahaha... and yes, already missing New Zealand.
Jim
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The hard bit
Awe crap. It's leaving time again. :(
I always hate this bit.
I have to say goodbye to so many wonderful people. I'm always torn with thoughts of things I didn't get to. I would have loved so much to teach Julianne hang gliding... to take Royden for a tandem... to finish Zdenick's PG training... to... well, you get the idea. "C'mon MA... just one more D-bag?!"
It's been such a bloody fun Summer. Living in the middle of Queenstown, playing Rock Band with my flatmates... flying with Sean and Nail all the time... working on occasion... practically living at the airport. Life just doesn't get better.
But Winter comes, and thus I go.
I've even been living on borrowed time as well... I delayed my departure and I'm so very happy I did. I needed a little extra time to finish my Private Pilot License (PPL) and it's actually worked out extremely well. Instead of returning with a Restricted PPL, I've got a full PPL, Cessna type rating, Technam type rating, and (my favorite) a Citabria type rating :)
Of course it's always a mixed bag of emotions.
As much as I truly hate leaving, I get to go home now and see all my friends back there.
I'll just miss this place.
Jim
I always hate this bit.
I have to say goodbye to so many wonderful people. I'm always torn with thoughts of things I didn't get to. I would have loved so much to teach Julianne hang gliding... to take Royden for a tandem... to finish Zdenick's PG training... to... well, you get the idea. "C'mon MA... just one more D-bag?!"
It's been such a bloody fun Summer. Living in the middle of Queenstown, playing Rock Band with my flatmates... flying with Sean and Nail all the time... working on occasion... practically living at the airport. Life just doesn't get better.
But Winter comes, and thus I go.
I've even been living on borrowed time as well... I delayed my departure and I'm so very happy I did. I needed a little extra time to finish my Private Pilot License (PPL) and it's actually worked out extremely well. Instead of returning with a Restricted PPL, I've got a full PPL, Cessna type rating, Technam type rating, and (my favorite) a Citabria type rating :)
Of course it's always a mixed bag of emotions.
As much as I truly hate leaving, I get to go home now and see all my friends back there.
I'll just miss this place.
Jim
Monday, April 20, 2009
One last hura
Well, it looks like the weather's lined up for one last nice stretch (while I'm here anyway). Should be nice and sunny for the next few days... and oh darn, I've nothing to do but fly :)
It'll likely fall to pieces right around the time I'm due to leave, which will help with the leaving bit ;)
It'll likely fall to pieces right around the time I'm due to leave, which will help with the leaving bit ;)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Done
It's been a long haul... but now it's over.
Did my last cross country flight today (in regular planes). So now I get a full unrestricted Private Pilot License.
Ahhhhhhhh.
No more flying bloody Cessnas!
Well, that's a bit optimistic. I'm sure I'll have to drive one around for a flight test or something sometime.
Now I can get back to flying dragonflys :)
Did my last cross country flight today (in regular planes). So now I get a full unrestricted Private Pilot License.
Ahhhhhhhh.
No more flying bloody Cessnas!
Well, that's a bit optimistic. I'm sure I'll have to drive one around for a flight test or something sometime.
Now I can get back to flying dragonflys :)
Mellow days
It's nice to be back to semi-mellow days again :)
Almost done with flying regular planes over at the airport... that schedule's toned way down already.
So, went up and D-bagged my glider... then we packed up Naill's speedglider for D-bag as well. We've not d-bagged one of those wee things, and hell, I don't think anyone in New Zealand's done it for that matter. So why not? We figured they'd be well suited to it. And it was. Went off without a hitch. Good fun.
One more cross country flight in regular planes tomorrow. Then that's all done.
Almost done with flying regular planes over at the airport... that schedule's toned way down already.
So, went up and D-bagged my glider... then we packed up Naill's speedglider for D-bag as well. We've not d-bagged one of those wee things, and hell, I don't think anyone in New Zealand's done it for that matter. So why not? We figured they'd be well suited to it. And it was. Went off without a hitch. Good fun.
One more cross country flight in regular planes tomorrow. Then that's all done.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Ferg at the beach
Life's finally slowed down enough for me to post again.
April's been an other month of cramin-slamin-it with my private pilot license stuff.
I passed my flight test (yeay) and moved onto "Cross Country Flying". Basically, you get a license, but can't go more than 25nm till you finish the cross country stuff... then you can do as you please. Well, that all sounds simple enough (and it is), it just takes a LOT of time. I've been living at the airport for the last week or so. I spend nearly as much time there as the staff.
But, todays a break :)
No instructors are available today, so I can't fly (my next flight is dual). Nice weather today, so I'm going HG/PG.
Last night, I took a stroll down into town, swung by Ferg-Burger, picked up a "CockAdoodleOink" (chicken/bacon/burger) and had a Ferg at the beach :)
Happy Times
Jim
April's been an other month of cramin-slamin-it with my private pilot license stuff.
I passed my flight test (yeay) and moved onto "Cross Country Flying". Basically, you get a license, but can't go more than 25nm till you finish the cross country stuff... then you can do as you please. Well, that all sounds simple enough (and it is), it just takes a LOT of time. I've been living at the airport for the last week or so. I spend nearly as much time there as the staff.
But, todays a break :)
No instructors are available today, so I can't fly (my next flight is dual). Nice weather today, so I'm going HG/PG.
Last night, I took a stroll down into town, swung by Ferg-Burger, picked up a "CockAdoodleOink" (chicken/bacon/burger) and had a Ferg at the beach :)
Happy Times
Jim
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Slow down there sonny
The world's finally slowed down a bit :)
It came in the odd form of my plane breaking. It just blew a "mag"... ignition system stuff of which it has two, so everything kept humming along. It just meant that I couldn't take my flight test this week. I was cramming hard to get it done. This just means that I have an extra week or so to get ready. Less stress.
Oh the pic is from our recent helli-mission up the Remarkable mountains. We (36 of us) flew up one in a helicopter (couple trips) for a flight. The takeoff is over twice as high as the highest "normal" takeoff spot in Queenstown.
Good fun.
Jim
Saturday, March 14, 2009
"Fly down"
Massive flydown over Queenstown for Gera last evening. I think nearly every pilot in Queenstown (and we've got a LOT of pilots) flew. Hopefully someone will post some pics (there were plenty)... Takeoff was absolutely packed with gliders. And as someone launched, more filled in the gaps.
We even got special permission from the powers that be to fly hang gliders. So we did.
We even got special permission from the powers that be to fly hang gliders. So we did.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Gera
It's hard, but it comes and it goes. There are loads of good friends here to lean on. I also knew Gera well enough to know that he'd be very upset if we stopped. He didn't sulk and he wouldn't want us to. He'd want us to go fly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)