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That would have to be a Freight Relocation ENGINEER Tex, I mean EVERYONE is an engineer these days.
Woo...a Bone Doc and Wine Maker in one? I think you'd make a great friend to some of us old codgers, Dan!
Actually as a corporate pilot, there was no firm flight schedule. I was "on call" 24/7/365...Most flights I knew about in advance but the CEO's mother falls down the stairs at the old folks home 1,000mi. away? scramble the flight dept. Oh it's Thanksgiving? Gee, we're so sorry about that, maybe your wife can re-heat your dinner when we get back. Just not being "on call" has lowered my blood pressure significantly.
I occasionally think about some sort of Ultralight to get my fix. Something like a Airbike has always been on my list.
Great observation Wayne and not surprised to hear about the other demographics - when I tell non-aviators that you can land a plane at a rural airport and take the courtesy car for free (with the keys dangling from the visor) they are absolutely gob-smacked - it's part of the community I guess-I hear you on the cost of flying. I have my Glastar project and I really should sell it on as I really do not see a future where I'll be able to afford finish it and fly it. The fuel costs alone would probably ruin the fun of flying for me.
I have always found the love of aviation an interesting character trait. It "attracts" certain people and tends to be in their blood their entire life. Sometimes it is just an enjoyment of aviation topics, for some they are able to make it into a career path, and many others just enjoy being around them. I guess in a way I am a bit of all of those. The interesting thing is that the VAST majority of people stricken with the aviation bug are extremely nice people that are very honest, and generally do not have ego issues. Sure, there is a small percentage of jerks, but it is far less than in other hobbies. Community tends to run very strong in aviation circles. I have for sure discovered this lesson with the business.
When we started selling drone and FPV gear we started to attract a different customer base. And we ran into issues with credit card fraud and similar issues that we never had before. This was HUGE in the cameras we sold. Talking with other hobby shops around the globe, they have had similar experiences. Not many issues with fixed wing aircraft customers, but when they branched out to RC cars, cameras and other products that sold to a wider range of customers they all had to adjust to the higher (normal?) levels of attempted fraud.
I love aviation gatherings. Be it RC models or full scale, the audience is very much the same. They are relaxed and easy going bunch of folks that generally just get along. I have gone to Oshkosh a couple of times now and I love it. I always tell people they should attend at some point as it is a magical place where you are surrounded by so many like minded people. Flight Fest, Sunset State Beach, etc are very similar, just smaller.
At Oshkosh you get around the place in old school buses, it is HOT and HUMID and the busses have no A/C. You waint in line for them, then crowd onto a pretty full bus. If this was just a normal event everyone in that buss would be horrible, but since it is Oshkosh everyone is pretty darn happy, and you end up having a great conversation with whoever is sitting near you. It might be a might be a WWII pilot, or some guy that flew in a Cessna, or just some guy that loves availation. You never know, but they all have stupid smiles plastered on their faces despite the heat, lines and probably poor sleeping conditions. It is all GREAT. This is how I feel at just about any aviation gathering I have ever attended.
Sorry, not sure where I am going with this.. Just saying we are lucky this is the thing that grabs our attention.
Wayne,I hear you on the cost of flying. I have my Glastar project and I really should sell it on as I really do not see a future where I'll be able to afford finish it and fly it. The fuel costs alone would probably ruin the fun of flying for me.
I have always found the love of aviation an interesting character trait. It "attracts" certain people and tends to be in their blood their entire life. Sometimes it is just an enjoyment of aviation topics, for some they are able to make it into a career path, and many others just enjoy being around them. I guess in a way I am a bit of all of those. The interesting thing is that the VAST majority of people stricken with the aviation bug are extremely nice people that are very honest, and generally do not have ego issues. Sure, there is a small percentage of jerks, but it is far less than in other hobbies. Community tends to run very strong in aviation circles. I have for sure discovered this lesson with the business.
When we started selling drone and FPV gear we started to attract a different customer base. And we ran into issues with credit card fraud and similar issues that we never had before. This was HUGE in the cameras we sold. Talking with other hobby shops around the globe, they have had similar experiences. Not many issues with fixed wing aircraft customers, but when they branched out to RC cars, cameras and other products that sold to a wider range of customers they all had to adjust to the higher (normal?) levels of attempted fraud.
I love aviation gatherings. Be it RC models or full scale, the audience is very much the same. They are relaxed and easy going bunch of folks that generally just get along. I have gone to Oshkosh a couple of times now and I love it. I always tell people they should attend at some point as it is a magical place where you are surrounded by so many like minded people. Flight Fest, Sunset State Beach, etc are very similar, just smaller.
At Oshkosh you get around the place in old school buses, it is HOT and HUMID and the busses have no A/C. You waint in line for them, then crowd onto a pretty full bus. If this was just a normal event everyone in that buss would be horrible, but since it is Oshkosh everyone is pretty darn happy, and you end up having a great conversation with whoever is sitting near you. It might be a might be a WWII pilot, or some guy that flew in a Cessna, or just some guy that loves availation. You never know, but they all have stupid smiles plastered on their faces despite the heat, lines and probably poor sleeping conditions. It is all GREAT. This is how I feel at just about any aviation gathering I have ever attended.
Sorry, not sure where I am going with this.. Just saying we are lucky this is the thing that grabs our attention.
The Cheyenne 400 LS was a real pilots plane with the 1,000 HP Garrett turbines and huge dowty props. Chuck Yeager set various time to climb records in a 400LS back in the 80's. That thing would peg the VSI with little effort on the initial climb. Service ceiling was FL 410! Comparable performance to the Cessna Citation Jet but burned way less kerosene. I think Piper only made about 200 of them. 500 of the smaller less powerful Cheyenne 2 were made but they were really fun turboprops too. Less than 100 of the Cheyenne 3's were ever made
Raymond you have hit the nail on the head. For most of my life I have wanted to get into full scale aviation, but my life always took me in different directions. For a long time RC was just a stepping stone, or that is what I thought. I have always gotten a lot out of RC, but always had bigger ambitions.
