AG: On being overtaken
 

On 6/28/2015 9:07 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:24:13 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

Cropduster? I hope you were holding your breath!

I don't think he was actually dusting crops -- they were the wrong
kind of crops, for one thing -- but he was flying back and forth in a
cropdusterly manner. Perhaps sight-seeing, or practicing turns -- or
trying not to get too far from the airstrip before it was his turn to
land, though I don't know of any airstrips in that area.

We were bike touring through the Dakotas when we did encounter a crop
duster, servicing the fields immediately beside the highway. I actually
did try to hold my breath. But it's a hard thing to do while riding a bike.


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Twist-ties
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46 +0700, John B.
wrote:

. . . or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)

The chips were all eaten by the time I got to the next re-supply
point. Hot day, salt tasted *good*.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

AG: On being overtaken
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 22:50:13 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 6/28/2015 9:07 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:24:13 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

Cropduster? I hope you were holding your breath!

I don't think he was actually dusting crops -- they were the wrong
kind of crops, for one thing -- but he was flying back and forth in a
cropdusterly manner. Perhaps sight-seeing, or practicing turns -- or
trying not to get too far from the airstrip before it was his turn to
land, though I don't know of any airstrips in that area.

We were bike touring through the Dakotas when we did encounter a crop
duster, servicing the fields immediately beside the highway. I actually
did try to hold my breath. But it's a hard thing to do while riding a bike.

Or for very long :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Twist-ties
 

On 28/06/2015 11:22 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46 +0700, John B.
wrote:

. . . or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)

The chips were all eaten by the time I got to the next re-supply
point. Hot day, salt tasted *good*.


Was going to suggest that as an alternate to the original solution. :-)

AG: Twist-ties
 

On 6/28/2015 11:22 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46 +0700, John B.
wrote:

. . . or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)

The chips were all eaten by the time I got to the next re-supply
point. Hot day, salt tasted *good*.

Oh, it does! One friend of mine swears by V8 juice while riding,
largely because of the salt content, she says. (I think it's got a fair
amount of potassium as well as sodium.)

As mentioned, for hot rides, I add a bit of salt substitute to my water
bottles.

But I think it was mostly Pringles and Mountain Dew that got me
coast-to-coast. ;-)


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Twist-ties
 

On 6/29/2015 11:27 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/28/2015 11:22 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46 +0700, John B.
wrote:

. . . or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)

The chips were all eaten by the time I got to the next re-supply
point. Hot day, salt tasted *good*.

Oh, it does! One friend of mine swears by V8 juice while riding,
largely because of the salt content, she says. (I think it's got a fair
amount of potassium as well as sodium.)

As mentioned, for hot rides, I add a bit of salt substitute to my water
bottles.

But I think it was mostly Pringles and Mountain Dew that got me
coast-to-coast. ;-)

It was definitely Snickers and good ole water for me!

Orange juice or a mix orange-mango really helped in recharging as well.

Those energy drinks were worthless. They only upset my stomach.


SMH

AG: On being overtaken
 

On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 20:58:11 +0100, Phil W Lee
wrote:

Joy Beeson considered Sun, 28 Jun 2015
22:07:17 -0300 the perfect time to write:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:24:13 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

Cropduster? I hope you were holding your breath!

I don't think he was actually dusting crops -- they were the wrong
kind of crops, for one thing -- but he was flying back and forth in a
cropdusterly manner. Perhaps sight-seeing, or practicing turns -- or
trying not to get too far from the airstrip before it was his turn to
land, though I don't know of any airstrips in that area.

Most civil aviation regulations around the world specifically prohibit
low level flying except for specific purposes or by special permit.
Actual crop dusting, or maybe training to do it, would qualify,
hanging around to get a landing slot certainly wouldn't, nor would
sight-seeing.
Generally, it's 500ft above ground level that is the specified
minimum, although in metric countries that may be 150M (which is
492ft) - I'd have to look that up before traveling to such a country
if I was going to fly there (unlikely now, as I'm no longer current
and very unlikely to ever regain my medical certificate).
Even on approach, if you can't see a clear runway in front of you by
500ft AGL, you go around - even on most instrument approaches (you
need a high category auto land capability to descend lower without
visibility) that's called the "decision height" (although it's only
the first one - you can reject the landing right up until the point
where you've slowed too much to be able to take off on the remaining
runway).

When waiting to land, you just join the pattern/circuit, inserting
yourself (in whichever way is "normal" for the country you are in)
where there is a gap big enough, and if there isn't a gap, you go into
a holding pattern nearby (within gliding range), which is a racetrack
pattern where you just fly back and forth between two points, making
standard rate 180 degree turns around each one. Busy
airfields/strips/ports have fixed locations for these which will be
published in the airfield information, which is required briefing for
any pilot using that field - even unexpectedly. A pilot is expected
to carry information for all airfields that (s)he may even divert to,
including those of sufficient size along the route. Those big bags
that you see the pilot lugging onto every flight are not just for his
packed lunch!

So I very much doubt if he was just hanging around drilling holes in
the sky waiting to land somewhere!
You do that as high as you can, so that if things go pear-shaped, you
can glide in to the field - if you call a mayday, any other traffic
WILL get out of the way (if the pilots value their licenses!).

During training, I had to demonstrate the ability to make an
"unplanned" diversion, including choosing the airfield (from the
chart), looking it up in the airfield directory and reading the
information for the airfield (runway heading, airfild elevation,
approach guidance, radio frequencies, radio navigation beacon
availability and frequency, specified holds, and layout diagram), and
make a safe approach and landing there, with no prior use of that
field - and all of this while flying the aircraft and maintaining
situational awareness.
This ability was required before I was allowed to fly solo away from
the training field, although it wasn't included in either of the
actual flight tests (although an engine failure was, including a low
approach to an empty [agricultural, not air] field which I had to
select and visually check for obstructions, then make an approach to
100ft before climbing away - flight tests are another "allowed
activity" for low descents).

In all flying, the priorities are the same - aviate, navigate,
communicate, in that order.
So the absolute priority is to fly the aircraft, maintaining proper
control and observation at all times.
Then know where you are, where you are going, and what is around you.
Finally, tell whoever needs to know where you are, what you are, and
what your intentions are.

In general, pilots stay as far from the ground as possible - not many
people have ever got into trouble colliding with the sky.

There used to be a joke that circulated where fixed wing aircraft
were. The anxious mother telling her son to, "fly low and slow". :-)

--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Twist-ties
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46 +0700, John B.
wrote:

I've been using rubber bands,

And yesterday, while writing my time of departure from the
supermarket, I noticed that a loop of the rubber band around the top
of my pencil had come undone.

I don't think I would have used it. I also noticed that it was time
to throw it out and put on a fresh one (though when I did that just
now, the old one held together and stretched normally).

Not to mention that my memo-pad case won't work properly without the
rubber band. It is a very cheap case that was intended as a party
favor, so the special pen that keeps it closed broke early on, but I
found that a short pencil with a rubber band around the top to keep it
from falling on through works fine.

The pencil is short enough that the point is inside the hinge-like
clasp, so it doesn't matter that it doesn't retract.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Twist-ties
 

On Thu, 02 Jul 2015 10:13:56 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46 +0700, John B.
wrote:

I've been using rubber bands,

And yesterday, while writing my time of departure from the
supermarket, I noticed that a loop of the rubber band around the top
of my pencil had come undone.

I don't think I would have used it. I also noticed that it was time
to throw it out and put on a fresh one (though when I did that just
now, the old one held together and stretched normally).

Not to mention that my memo-pad case won't work properly without the
rubber band. It is a very cheap case that was intended as a party
favor, so the special pen that keeps it closed broke early on, but I
found that a short pencil with a rubber band around the top to keep it
from falling on through works fine.

The pencil is short enough that the point is inside the hinge-like
clasp, so it doesn't matter that it doesn't retract.

I used to carry a notebook and pencil to record things such as changes
to a route or times and was continually either loosing a pencil or the
point was broken, etc.

Finally reason triumphed and I now just use my "smart phone" with a
"notes" app.
--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Twist-ties
 

On 7/2/2015 9:09 PM, John B. wrote:

I used to carry a notebook and pencil to record things such as changes
to a route or times and was continually either loosing a pencil or the
point was broken, etc.

Finally reason triumphed and I now just use my "smart phone" with a
"notes" app.

I, too, find a smart phone to be much more efficient. For example, it
allows me to lose* all my notes all at once, rather than slowly losing
them bit by bit. Ah, electronics!

(BTW, note the spelling. "Lose" is one of the most frequently
misspelled words in English - so much so that I briefly wondered if
other English-speaking countries spelled it differently.)

--
- Frank Krygowski