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In the middle of Arizona desert, there lived a man, Mr.X. Not a unabomber or a pedophile, just a regular kind of working man. Mr.X had an illegal airplane, a very small one, which he bought for $6,000. He wasn't a drug traffiker. But the U.S. Government decreed that his airplane should not exist. Not for any reason related to public well-being, but simply because it could.

American airplane pilots and owners reading this have probably already guessed what was up. Mr.X did not register the little tube-and fabric airplane by the 2010 deadline, when it became impossible. Well, okay, you can still register it in the "Experimental Exhibition" category, I think, maybe. Then, all you need to visit a Casa Grande fly-in is a fax from your local Flight Standards District Office. It's a category in which people flying jet fighters register. Still... Isn't it kind of... excessive? Maybe something they do in a police state where citizens must register motorized bicycles.

P.S. I probably should mention that I did not buy Mr.X's little airplane. The truck, from the cab of which the picture was taken, is carrying a different, fully legal airplane that was based on the same airfield.

Personally, I do not see anything wrong with an illegal airplane, as long as it's not used to commit crimes against persons or property. But I do not live in the middle of Arizona where I could get away with it.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 06:38 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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So.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 04:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Well, that was different. Just look at all that water:

Okay, just kidding. The water had no import on the flight, however the Bravo was on the bucket list for a while. And surprisingly, they even cleared me into it, albeit on the way back.

You can tell it wasn't like Denver, where a controller once told me: "I don't have the time to deal with you", after the usual "Squack VFR, remain clear of Class Bravo". I went into Glendale (KGLU), and thought better than zig-zag around without knowing the landmarks. Instead I squeezed on top of the Scottsdale Delta at 4800 and then dived down under a shelf at 2800, from where it was smooth sailing to a 45 degree entry for right traffic at 16. Score!

On the way back it was another story, as I had to gun 2700 r.p.m. all the way from Metro Center and contemplated a careful switchback to climb on top of Deltas. Speaking of Metro Center, I never saw it on either way there or back. So much for a supposedly prominent landmark.

Another funny thing happened on departure, too. Since I went left crosswind for a north-east departure out of GLU, I checked in with Phoenix at 120.7, who immediately told me to contact Luke at 118.15. That was despite me hearing how they called me as a traffic to someone else. When I got through to Luke, they bounced me back to Phoenix, while also advising another aircraft about me. Fortunately by that time was almost at Metro and Phoenix agreed to deal with me.

It felt like both controllers were confused by my attempt to get on top of Scottsdale. Apparently locals take north and go around Deer Valley in such circumstances. Oh well, it was Sunday. I never saw another airplane except in the pattern at Glendale.

Oh, and one other thing. While the scaremongering about thraffic and ATC turned out to be overblown, the airspace is complex indeed. I had to resort to flying by the terminal approach chart, because Phoenix sectional was just too dense with symbols. In Denver, TAC only made me confused due to scale being twice off, but here I had to suck it up and focus on hitting pre-planned altitudes carefuly (which would be impossible even to write on the sectional).

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 01:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The subject is a reference to Wonderduck's series of "mystery ship" postings, but only a reference. I am not asking anyone to guess what it is, and there's no prize. But it certainly offers a mystery. Like, if it actually flies.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 06:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Now that Vladimir Putin stymied President's Obama attempts at war in Syria, there is a talk of giving him a Nobel Peace Prize. I think this would be incorrect, and Nobel Prize Committee ought to give him at least 2 prises.

President Obama already has one Peace Prize. Therefore, should Mr. Putin be awarded the same prize, he would be of equal rank. However, it is clear that in the fight for peace he's victorious. Therefore, the situation would be incorrect.

One possibility to correct it would be to institute a "Super Nobel Peace Prize", awarded for forcing regular Prize holders to maintain or establish peace. But I think awarding two Prizes would be more expeditious.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 08:39 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Sorry to disappoint anyone, but I did not actually do it. It's merely on my bucket list.

A local airline flies a little airplane between Albuquerque and Los Alamos in a rare case of a short line making sense. Most of the time, a feeder line (such as Oakland to Modesto, or any hop to Stockton like what America West used to offer) does not pay for itself, because it adds between $200 to $500 to the cost of airline ticket, and passengers are willing to drive for hours in order to avoid it. In this case, mere $50 is quite competitive with the cost of a van ride.

Of course, this is helped by the lack of a decent road between Santa Fe and Los Alamos. It did not take me long to notice that weak roads correspond to healthier GA, which is why New England is still a hub of practical personal aviation in America (Texas is just full of RV jocks).

Interestingly enough, a sizeable ratio of passengers are not airline travellers, but residents of Los Alamos who visit Albuquerque.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 08:24 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Look at this storied antique:

It still looks sharp and attractive despite decades of neglect.

Tags: cars

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 08:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In an article about two Democrats recalled for helping to pass awful Colorado gun laws, Sean Sullivan writes in paragraph three:

On one end, the National Rifle Association dished out six figures. On the other, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg did too.

You could easily imagine that Bloomberg responded to NRA in kind, if you aren't attentive enough. But deeply inside... woa:

And the anti-recall side easily outraised the pro-recall interests.

The article looked like Mr. Sullivan tried to pass for an objective journalist, and it's almost there, but no cigar. Maybe it's his editor's paw prints.

P.S. Just so you know, although it's not mentioned in the article, Obama won Morse's district by 21% and Giron's district by 19% a year ago.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 11:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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A mysterious sporty kei car by Honda (may be Beat according to Thomas' article about Cappucino):

The aforementioned Cappuccino near Toyota Comfort:

The Unmatched GT-R:

A common pickup truck:

A less common pickup: Toyota Tundra, which may even be re-imported from Sun Antonio, TX, U.S.A.:

And as the final oddity, a one-lane freeway:

Tags: cars

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 10:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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While not frolicking in Akihabara on my trip to Japan, I took a detour to Takikawa Skypark to fly with a local soaring association. Unfortunately, conditions weren't good, so the flight was reduced to a short joyride rather than a soaring flight. We took a tow to 1500 ft up, found no lift, and landed after 15 minutes up (I logged 0.2 of dual just to be honest).

Here's a big blue gap at our 10 o'clock while under tow:

But with the rest of the sky being like this:

And here's my instructor's head while on final to 19:

One interesting part is that someone felt like it was necessary to maintain a controlling authority at a field where all of a glider, a motor glider, and a towplane may be flying around. In America, it would be ridiculous. In Japan (and Russia) it is the way to operate, apparently. I am somewhat more familiar with Russia, where every airfield has a control tower, often a monumental concrete building presiding over a grass field. Takikawa offers a more reasonable facility: a trailer that looks like a greenhouse:

The overall lesson is that it's paramount to find the good weather, and it may not necessarily occur in the afternoon. The low ridges that surround Takikawa may provide wind lift in the mornings when the sea breeze blows over them in a certain direction. Their website actually has a document that discusses pecularities of the local weather, but not being a real glider pilot, I was unable to make a good use of it.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 08:56 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I am back home, so there's no need for odd ways to post, but here's the clincher: I hit the wrong stalk in my own car while returning from the airport. Took less than a week to get this far. Fortunately, wipers are enabled by a rotation of a knob, so all I got was one sweep ("mist" mode), instead of wipers "flapping madly" in the words of Thomas Kruizer.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 09:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Some fucker was boiling pasta in our room's coffee pot. They'll let anyone into that Hilton.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 12:04 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Finally found the elusive NBOX: in a Hondarent's lot. There as not one of them in the streets. "King of The Kei Cars" indeed. Bertel, I am disappoint.

Tags: cars

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 04:32 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Atsuko "Acchan" Maeda is still poppular.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 04:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Lots of women walk in lame ways: limping, pigeon-toed, etc.. Worse, sometimes a mother comes with 2 daughters in tow and all three do.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 04:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Hit the wrong stalk 7 times in 1 day.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 04:51 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I can hardly believe that Cure Maid Cafe would not allow to take a picture with the maid (for any money). Isn't it supposed to be what maid cafe is all about? General Tengel had such a service offered.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 03:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Psyching myself up to use the correct (right) stalk. This is the hardest.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 06:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Instapundit tests an Audi, and:

First, the Navigation system uses an annoying rotate-and-click knob to enter information; this is the same interface that was on an Audi A4 that we rented in LA last year, and it’s vastly inferior to, say, Lexus’s point-and-click interface.

Oooooh yes, the sweet smell of affirmation.

Tags: cars

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 11:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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At PoA, they have a section where people can post anonymously, to discuss safety issues frankly. Someone posted this today:

A couple years ago I busted a TFR when the president was visiting the big city in my local area. I was so clueless I took off right into it just to go fly around for fun on a Sunday morning. That's what you get for not checking, or reading the newspaper, or turning on the radio on the drive to the airport. I was doing touch and goes at a little airport about 20 miles away when the attendant Tom (not his real name) there called me on unicom to tell me that the Secret Service was on the phone and that they wanted to talk to me, NOW. It was very embarrassing and all the authorities were very kind and apologetic about everything including suspending me for 45 days.

Fast forward to a couple days ago when I landed at the same airport again and introduced myself to Tom the attendant as that idiot who'd busted the TFR. After a laugh he said he had an even better story about busting a TFR.

The president was in town. Not the big town nearby but at the same town his airport was in. The local National Guard was on alert at the field. A portable surveillance radar truck was brought in and set up at the airport. The Secret Service set up a command post at the airport. Nothing was moving. Quiet hours passed.

Then, as Tom tells it, a small single engine plane landed and taxied up. It was a local pilot based at this airport. He was on his day off from his job as a 747 pilot. He didn't know about the TFR and "turned white as a sheet" when informed. They both looked around and realized that apparently no one had yet noticed the little plane. So, they quickly and nonchalantly pushed it into a hanger and went about their business.

Tom ended his story with this, "The best part is that when that plane landed the Secret Service guys were in the pilots lounge playing Monopoly! They never noticed a thing!"

Emphasis mine. You can see why the guy turned white: his career would be ruined completely if he were busted.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 07:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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