PILOTS (GREAT VIDEO!)

"But we are pilots!"

I have been blessed during my life time and probably have much more than I deserve. That being said I occasionally see something that I totally do not need...but wouldn’t mind having...until I see the price!

Some time ago I ran across a great flying video advertising a watch, a “Pilot” watch!

The video, is with John Malkovich, a couple of Supermarine Spitfires and a Junkers JU52 and “the watch”. The message...basically said they don’t make pilots like they used to and “this watch was made for real pilots.”

In this fanciful story two airline pilots are checking out of a hotel and the captain sees a watch that he must have. The Concierge (John Malkoivich) asks “but do you deserve it?”

Well the video goes on with great aerial flying scenes but never answers whether the captain deserves the watch.

That got me to thinking (careful now...this can be dangerous). “That’s’ the one I want” (just like the captain said) I thought...only to hear John Malkovich saying “but do you deserve it?”

Deserving isn’t the issue here...I checked and found that the PILOT watches start at $2,300 dollars.

Besides...”real pilots lived in the old days”...but that’s a story for another day.

Enjoy.

About this time of year the endless stream of cold fronts pushing across the Gulf Coast, bringing leaded gray clouds and rain, and this year freezing temperatures, ice and snow, causes dreams of warmer weather and clear water to seep into my mind.

I ran across the video while reading one of the blogs I follow, people who are on the “Great Loop”, which is defined as a journey around the waterway of the US. The start point can be anywhere and ends when the boater has transited the loop back to their starting point...up the east coast, Hudson River, Eire Canal, Great Lakes, Chicago River to the Mississippi, Ohio River, Kentucky Lakes, Tombigbee to the Gulf Coast and around Florida and often onward to the Bahamas...and here I found “Knee Deep in the Bahamas”.

Now with every hint of spring, warmer weather and the occasional robin and cardinals flirting around the bird bath, comes yet another round and reminder that winter (I know a Texas winter isn’t anything like northern winters) is still not passed us by.

So enjoy this moment of dreaming of warm weather and clear waters.

I am still learning about “blogs” , “Facebook” and the “social media...and my granddaughter said I was too old!

The attached video, one of my favorite, (with great music from another favorite 633 Squadron) about the circuitous approach into the old Hong Kong airport called Kai Tak.

The approach required a twisting approach, a hard turn toward the airport, a decent almost at roof top altitudes and finally lining up with the runway which was many time a challenge due to crosswinds (as the video shows).

In my “airWing” blog I note this is a classic example of the cockpit full of risk assessment and mitigation required to safely conduct the approach and make a safe landing.

Dashed Expectations:

William Shakespeare said in his play, Much Ado About Nothing "He hath indeed better expectation than you must expect of me to tell you how."

And so, evidently, were the weather prognosticators of last evening!

I awoke several times during the night and like a child, waiting on Christmas, peaked out the window, waiting to see “the snow.” In the early morning hours, with the house chilled to our lower thermostat setting for sleeping, I gave up and waited snuggly in our bed, for the first gray light of morning.

I am usually awakened by the traffic noise of those who still have to go to work (it’s great being retired)...but not today. As the gray of morning began seeping through the curtains I realize there was no traffic...”great, it snowed!”

Leaping out of bed and rushing to the curtains I was disappointed to see NO SNOW!
In the place of the “forecasted” snow was an ice coated world...cars, trees, patio furniture and streets. Turning on the TV we were able to watch the hearty or foolish slipping and sliding on Houston’s roads. Like “bumper cars” they ricocheted off each other and the guard rails (so that’s what they are for?”).

It’s afternoon now...the temperatures have crept up to where the ice is just beginning to melt...the problem is that the forecast is for it to dip below freezing in the next few hours and start the cycle again.

Not a problem...I have my blog, a good book and a glass of wine, so I will survive this momentary inconvenience...this is Texas after all and hot weather will be her soon enough!

WINTER STORM WARING:

Houston is the fourth largest city in the country and is in Harris County, the third most populated county in the US. In spite of those impressive numbers and other factors like the world famous Medical Center, home to some of the best hospitals in the world, Houston is often overlooked for it’s more famous cousin to the north, Dallas (we need a JR and the Ewing’s)

As I sit here tonight watching all the networks and cable channels interviewing Houston and Harris County officials about the impending snow storm...yes I said snow storm, I marvel at what it takes to put Houston on the front page...snow!

This will be the third year in a row that we will have a measurable snowfall, they are calling for 1 to 3 inches. I know that isn’t anything compared to what has been sweeping across the mid-section of the US and pounding the northeast, and we haven’t had ANYTHING, yet the POSSBILITY has excited the media to chronicle this rarest of events...for southeast Texas anyway.

The highways are clearing, the schools have announced their closing for tomorrow and the media are restlessly cruising the city looking for that first snow flake.

Boy...it better snow or there will be a lot of disappointed folks.

Standby for the results.