Thank you folks, for your kind words. I'm still here, mostly lurking, but I am reading all the posts...
Not much aviation goes on in the Texas summer heat (well for me anyway) but I did get to the Galveston air race last weekend. Got to fly in the race in this Mooney which was a lot of fun :-)
Rodolfo Paiz wrote:
Gorgeous shots, Steve. And great to "see" you again, I've missed our conversations.
As the last few years of mayhem finally start winding themselves down, I'm seeing all signs point in good directions. The family's doing great, we're finally in our new home, the company is growing and I love what we're doing, I'm finally shooting again (even if just a little so far), and I'm starting to think I may be able to resume flying next year. Gotta go fight for my medical first, and then I'm thinking/dreaming about things like a Diamond DA62 or a Piper Malibu/Mirage.
Still pretty nuts around here, but I think we've turned the corner and are on our way to a much less stressful time. Webesee...
Yes, you have, young man What a grand return though.
Dead air ain't good for the thread
stevez wrote:
I've been MIA from here for too long; too busy flying my new (to me) A36 and shooting only occasionally. I come back to find that Jim, Jo and Anwar are also missing, and that Laura and Rodolfo are posting up a storm.
But I'm at Wings Over Dallas this weekend and yesterday we did a little A2A. Remember that time when you had a pair of Mustangs and a B-17 in the viewfinder? No, I don't either.
I got to stretch the new D850's legs a bit: I think it's going to be amazing once I sit down with the manuals...and buy a bigger XQD card, or six. When it filled the 64GB XQD and started writing to the SD, it slowed down so much I thought it was broken!
Love 'em Are you going to Cosford on the 25th? If so, see you there. I entered this image in a club competition this week as a print and was told 1. that there was something odd going on at the tail!! and (worse) We see an awful lot of these images in competitions nowadays!!!
nrferguson wrote:
Love 'em Are you going to Cosford on the 25th? If so, see you there.
Unlikely at this stage, was at Duxford on 23rd, Bruntingthorpe last week, working at a conference all weekend this week, have a shoot in Kent next weekend, and a dawn shoot at Stow Maries on 21st. Plus the day job is taking me away from home during the week most weeks.
Think I've pushed my luck a tad, although I think the dogs are missing me more than my wife is
Glenn Watson wrote:
Good to see you back around Rodolfo......an I like the way you think! I can help you into a real nice Meridian with the time comes!
Nice shot! The Meridian is not for me, however, nor is anything that runs on a turbine. I have some use for that kind of platform, but not enough to own one. I want an airplane I can fly 200-300 hours a year, and that means a machine whose economics make sense for me to use when traveling alone, too. The magic happy numbers are 200 knots, 950nm plus IFR reserves, and roughly $200-250/hr in operating costs. Those are not absolute requirements... but the more I deviate from those numbers, the less I use the airplane.
Obviously there are very few pistons that can make all three numbers. But there are zero turboprops who can make those cost numbers, and I'm far more interested in flying at a lower cost (which means flying more hours to more places and having more fun) than I am in flying faster or farther. And not insignificantly, I enjoy flying piston-powered airplanes more: I'm a pilot who likes to go places, not a traveler who wants transport... the more fluid dynamics of stick-and-rudder flying in pistons are more fun than the more procedure-driven A-to-B turbine travel.
USM IS wrote:
Well, I will put a few of the small guy's (RC) since all the close airshows are gone and the airport chased me away. And one will have nose art, so if it offends the management and I get kicked off, it was nice knowing you all. I guess I have to find out what is acceptable for the new rules. Since I will be the least missed here, I will give it a try. For if I can't post what I take, there isn't much use of being........Mike
outstanding Mike, some of the best RC photos i have ever seen, well done, you made them look like the real thing
Rodolfo Paiz wrote:
Nice shot! The Meridian is not for me, however, nor is anything that runs on a turbine. I have some use for that kind of platform, but not enough to own one. I want an airplane I can fly 200-300 hours a year, and that means a machine whose economics make sense for me to use when traveling alone, too. The magic happy numbers are 200 knots, 950nm plus IFR reserves, and roughly $200-250/hr in operating costs. Those are not absolute requirements... but the more I deviate from those numbers, the less I use the airplane.
Obviously there are very few pistons that can make all three numbers. But there are zero turboprops who can make those cost numbers, and I'm far more interested in flying at a lower cost (which means flying more hours to more places and having more fun) than I am in flying faster or farther. And not insignificantly, I enjoy flying piston-powered airplanes more: I'm a pilot who likes to go places, not a traveler who wants transport... the more fluid dynamics of stick-and-rudder flying in pistons are more fun than the more procedure-driven A-to-B turbine travel....Show more →
Thats a tall order for a certified Piston! A Lancair Legacy would be an excellent solo traveller! I just love spending other peoples money.
Yes, overall a tall order, especially on the cost side. The problem is that I live in Miami and I travel primarily to major cities throughout the Americas, which means two things: pretty much everything that interests me is a good distance away (and much of it over water); and I have excellent airline service to nearly everywhere. Not the ideal situation for a GA pilot.
I've always loved Lancair, a Legacy would be a ton of fun, and for solo travel, it would certainly make or beat all the numbers... but two things: there's no way I'm taking on the maintenance/ownership responsibilities of a kit airplane, and there's no way I'm buying two airplanes (been there, done that, not going there again...) so I need to focus on something with at least four seats, ideally six.
Rodolfo Paiz wrote:
Yes, overall a tall order, especially on the cost side. The problem is that I live in Miami and I travel primarily to major cities throughout the Americas, which means two things: pretty much everything that interests me is a good distance away (and much of it over water); and I have excellent airline service to nearly everywhere. Not the ideal situation for a GA pilot.
I've always loved Lancair, a Legacy would be a ton of fun, and for solo travel, it would certainly make or beat all the numbers... but two things: there's no way I'm taking on the maintenance/ownership responsibilities of a kit airplane, and there's no way I'm buying two airplanes (been there, done that, not going there again...) so I need to focus on something with at least four seats, ideally six....Show more →
Ha! In that case TN 550 Bonanza would satisfy all that and look good doing it! and you could rip the doors off for photo shoots to boot!
z wrote:
