Monday, May 12, 2008

centigrade Rage

I hate Centigrade. It's great in the chem lab. I loathe Centigrade. It's fine if you grew up in a country where it is the standard system. I despise Centigrade. The 0 to100 scale is nice and neat. I abhor Centigrade. We're eventually going to the Metric System anyway. I detest Centigrade. Canada uses it. I can't stand Centigrade. It's easy to convert it to Fahrenheit. I dislike Centigrade. One of my hobbies is hating Centigrade temperature. Another hobby is using my little PA-28-140 to shuttle my son back and forth to school for visits home on holidays and breaks. I love doing this. My wife and son think I'm making a sacrifice by doing this transportation chore and I let them think that. But I love these little trips. It's 234 N. miles from my backyard strip in Delmarva to his school in North Carolina. In low winds it's about 2.5 hrs. each way. Going home on about a 60 degree heading there's usually a tail wind and the flight will last about two hours. Now after two years, I can recognize every field and tool shed on the route. I go VF&R if at all possible. My son Matt is amazing. He has little interest in flying, but he likes these quick flights home to where mom can do his laundry. I have a little portable Garmin 196 which I have been slowly learning to use. He usually catches up on his sleep on these legs, but when we're near the dreaded ADIZ I ask him for help. He can use the 196 way better than me but he's never been shown how. Then when I need him to fly, he operates the airplane with autopilot smoothness and accuracy. He knows every dial and switch on that aircraft, every symbol on a sectional. He understands the IFR system and knows he has to co-pilot when we're in IMC. But he doesn't think any of this is unusual. He has been flying with me since he was 1 yr. old steering the plane in his diapers on my lap. He thinks everybody grows up with an airplane in their back yard.

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