Click that "Next Blog" Buttton

Greetings, oh so few readers.

Wondering what to say? What to write? Well, out of curiosity I clicked on the "Next Blog" button. This opened up a new world for me. I'd like to recommend in particular this blog. "Wild Life in the Woods" Why? Simply because the author, Susan, writes well, speaks her mind, and inspires many. As she says in one of her blogs, "COMMENTS: HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS??? They are absolutely the first thing I check every time I come here. I love to write, but the only way I have I of knowing if something I have said has resonated with you is if you TELL me so!!! So, PLEASE, leave me COMMENTS!!! I hate to beg...but..." How true that is. My two (?) readers sometimes write an email to me when I've blogged, which is all too infrequently.


So, if you're reading this, do leave a comment. One of the useful bits of information you could share is how you found the blog!


So onto a different topic.....


Float Planes and video camera error!


I was most grateful for a phone call the other day. Barry, the owner of a Widgeon who I met at Rochester Airport Wings day. He told me that there was another Wednesday fly-in at the north end of Conesus Lake. Now talk about small worlds, one of my facebook friends once popped a status up saying he was flying onto the lake! Talk about small worlds.


All the pilots seemed to know me, and all expressed gratitude for a flight I flew in June. Their good friend, pilot, Jim had crashed the Curtis Museum's Hudson replica on one of its first test flights. We are all glad to report that Jim is doing fine, going home shortly to continue his recuperation.


So these gentlemen of the air all wanted to say hello and thanks for something quite routine in the EMS world, flying a patient to hospital! Oh well.


I took some videos of them departing, all great stuff, but somehow managed to let iPhoto delete them off the camera before I'd had a chance to load them into iMovie! One of these days computers will be idiot proof!


Suffice to say, the stills below were the best you're going to get!


Thanks for reading, and PLEASE comment, if only to say hello.

Geneseo Air Show Video

Greetings,

I realize I had not uploaded any video of this year's Geneseo Airshow, so here it is....

http://files.me.com/misterspock/tm6pg3.mov

Today's playlist

Photograph courtesy of http://www.sonsofdamien.co.uk/spitfire%201.htm

Spitfire: Prelude by London Symphony Orchestra & Richard Kaufman Spitfire: Fugue by London Symphony Orchestra & Richard Kaufman

Crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 at Amsterdam - the media

I really hate the media fueled frenzy over accidents in the aviation business. I read on one blog that fuel starvation was the reason, which is clearly not true. I read that Turkish Airlines were accused of poor maintenance, why? Because the day before the crash they fixed a faulty master caution light.

I have read that the auto-throttles had gone into retard mode, and that the captain's radar altimeter had suddenly under-read. That could be part of the cause. However, it's all just speculation.

Wouldn't it be nice to expect accident investigation authorities to produce an authoritative report, free of political pressures, free of fears of litigation, and accurate. However the sceptic in me knows that the reports are slow to arrive, are often driven by political agendas of many kinds, and so rarely do anything to prevent similar accidents in the future.

It's so easy to simply say, "pilot error" and be done with it.

It's so easy to blame everyone and anyone.

It's so sad that in the end - all aircraft accidents are preventable. All it would take would be one break in the usual chain of events that lead to the mishap to prevent it. If the above speculation is true, the pressing of one button and flying the aircraft by hand would have prevented this particular tragedy. Too much reliance on technology, autopilots, auto-throttles, GPS or inertial navigation systems.. etc., have caused accidents and will continue to do so. Is it laziness? Is it a lack of attention?

Let's get back to basics, pilots, and for heaven's sake fly the aircraft!

See also Buffalo's accident! They didn't fly the aircraft!

Cheers

Middlesex Valley, NY - On Scene

Greetings.

Another victim of a fall - seven in 24 hours, I believe.

Love the Piper Cubs who all waited patiently at Middlesex Valley airport, (http://www.airnav.com/airport/4n2)

Cheers