skydiver30960

And I'm actually not being sarcastic. I had a little hiccup with my most recent third class medical certification renewal. No biggie, just something that my PCP and I needed to work out. I ended up placing a handful of calls to the Medical Certification department. I might have been dealing with an outside contractor since the guy always introduced himself as "Eric with CNI" or some acronym like that. In nearly all cases the call was answered quickly, they spoke to me in English rather than FAA-ese and gave me honest answers to my questions. The situation has been resolved, I'm (once again) certified, and will be back on tandems as soon as I can get recurrent. I have no misconceptions about the FAA or any other government agency, trust me. But I just wanted to take a moment to give credit to a department (or at least one guy) who actually didn't fit the reputation of the inflexible, unworkable FAA. If you ever get in a jam with your Medical Certificate, call and ask for Eric. He's da man. For example, not that I'm speaking from experience or anything, but you might want to call him BEFORE you report any new medications to the FAA, just to find out what they might think about them. Again, not speaking from experience or anything... Elvisio "ramp checks still suck, though" Rodriguez

Actually I was rather disappointed when I googled myself. OBVIOUSLY, I haven't been hyping myself NEARLY enough. Elvisio "I need a publicist" Rodriguez

When am I going to be able to breathe in freefall? Silly. Everybody knows that in freefall you breathe through your skin! Elvisio "sunburned lungs" Rodriguez

Nothing is so reassuring, or disappointing, as the passage of time. No matter how bad or painful a moment may be, it will pass. No matter how wonderful or perfect a moment may be, it will pass. I'd love to think I came up with this on my own. I'm sure I didn't. Although I can't place the quote, it's been a long time since anyone had an original idea and if anyone were ever to have one it sure as hell wouldn't be me. But whatever, I just know that the thoughts above have helped me survive some bad times, and have helped me relish and live in some good ones. Elvisio "enjoy all times" Rodriguez

Good point from Shawndiver: make sure it's going to fit your bike. If you have a pretty normal-shaped bike you should be good to go. If on the other hand you're on a bike with a frame built from large tubing (i.e. Shawn's Cannondale) or one that has some funky geometry going on in the rear triangle (i.e. suspension) then you want to be a bit more careful about making sure it fits before you sink the $$$. My suggestion would be to buy at a local shop, or make sure whoever you order from online has a bombproof return policy. Even then, return shipping on an item this heavy is going to cost you, so still better to go with a local buy. Elvisio "did my time in the shop, had fun, spent everything I made in there too" Rodriguez

I would TOTALLY need somebody to broker it for me on EBay. I've only ever bought one thing online, and never sold anything... Elvisio "not feeling bad about it though" Rodriguez

I am currently driving the wife's honda civic hybrid, and love it (more importantly I love the 40+ mpg). She's driving a company car now, and my 1996 Chevy Tahoe is pretty much sitting around and rusting in the parking lot. Here's the critical info: 1996 Chevy Tahoe, LT, overall fair to good condition for it's age, 170,000 miles, new brakes. Maintenance issues: the air conditioning compressor is shot, it'll need new tires in the next year, and it has a small leak in the water system that has been a bitch to track down, so you have to top off the reservoir every week or so when you're driving it every day. It's probably the head gasket, a pricey fix, it's way cheaper to buy a gallon of coolant every six months or so. So I'd like to sell it, but the fact of the matter is it's a 13 year old SUV that only gets 17mpg and has a couple maintenance issues that are relatively minor to me but are costly to fix and would be a major problem for a soccer mom. Blue Book online says it's "worth" around $4,000. My guess is it'll be a cold day in hell before anyone pays that much for this vehicle. Do I stand any chance at all of selling this thing for any amount? I'm tempted to just put a $2000 price tag on it, let someone talk me down to $1500 or mebbe even less, and buy a new canopy with the dough. Or, am I better off donating it? My concern there is that the wife and I aren't homeowners yet and take the standard deduction, so I don't think I'd get anything back on the tax return if I did donate it. The only other way I can see this vehicle being worth anything to me is as a trade-in on a future vehicle purchase. Thing is, if I get my way it'll be a few years before we consider buying another car, so it'll be even older and in worse condition by then. I dunno, waddaya think? Elvisio "17 mpg ails me" Rodriguez PS sorry bout the funky formatting, I cut and pasted this from an email I sent someone. PSS we TOTALLY need an automotive forum.

Dude, I'm so hairy I make Teen Wolf look like he just got waxed! Elvisio "been there, done that" Rodriguez

...and to get the thread back on topic: the airline industry is going down the shitter, and taking Joe Passenger with them. The industry, as well as the experience of taking a flight, is going to be radically different in a few years when compared to what it was in the 80s and 90s. To mangle a quote from a great movie: it's a big shit sandwich, and everyone is gonna have to take a bite. Elvisio "drive it if I can, the hybrid is my friend" Rodriguez

I work at such a DZ, and actually don't like the system. I, as a rule, no longer take overweight passengers because I think it's a huge liability risk. As soon as a leg gets broken (or worse) and the lawyers can prove that you KNEW you were pushing (or over) the weight limit on the gear, you're screwed. I think the "overweight bonus" encourages the TI to take students they would not normally take, which puts more money in the DZO's pocket, but opens everyone up to much greater liability. Elvisio "no mo fatties" Rodriguez

That's the second one in as many weeks. Last week one in Michigan went down on the roof of a hospital. As a flight nurse wanna-be... Elvisio "still wanna do it though" Rodriguez

...and all the DZ staff make minimum wage with no benefits. Plus: haven't you seen the nutjobs that wander around WalMart at all hours of the day and night? You want those folks walking around your DZ? Elvisio "blue light special" Rodriguez

Weather.com says not a cloud in the sky, highs in the UPPER 90'S and nighttime lows only getting down to the mid-seventies. Y'all goan be some sweaty bastards!

What are all the skyfest peeps going to do if this goes to game seven? Elvisio "big screen at the DZ?" Rodriguez

My solution for the original post: RAMMING SPEED! Elvisio "old ladies flying like bowling pins" Rodriguez

I know I'm not a rocket scientist. But I TOTALLY could have been one. You know, like, if I'd wanted to be one. But I didn't so, you know, whatever. Working at Wendy's is way better for me. Elvisio "some days I wish I worked at Wendy's" Rodriguez

Lemme tell ya: Father: Air Force Pilot Father in Law: Navy Pilot Good Friend: Marine Pilot Cousin: Navy Pilot Sister in Law: Navy Pilot-to-be Oh yeah, this clip is going to get some mileage from me! Elvisio "surrounded by this shit EVERY DAMN DAY" Rodriguez

When was the last time you saw ANYONE use the cigarette lighter in their car? I know I know, I'm sure I'll hear a barrage of DZ.commers who still use theirs. My point: why are we still using this as the standard for DC jacks for all our portable plug-in stuff? Yeah, it made sense in 1976, but nowadays it's a wee bit dated. Anymore, the things we're plugging in are smaller than the damn jack. Can't we come up with a more appropriately sized jack? Yeah, I know it's cool that the fuse is built-in. I don't care. Just a thought... Elvisio "wow, that thing is SUPER hot (name the movie)" Rodriguez

Big old bumparoo. Game three of the finals tonight was just SICK. I tend to be a Wings fan at heart, but the Penguins BROUGHT IT tonight. The third period was just awesome! Elvisio "cup crazy" Rodriguez

But are the "average joe" pilots who need the training the ones touring the airshow circuit? My guess would be no, but that's just me. Elvisio "at least I hope not" Rodriguez

It DOES say that it's non-alcoholic. People buy doggie outfits, doggie shoes, doggie-everything-else-in-the-world, why not a harmless doggie beer? Elvisio "I wouldn't buy it, but whatever" Rodriguez

I like how in the video it shows the "owners" of the robomow working out in the gym while their robomow takes care of the lawn. Couldn't they get the workout by just mowing the lawn themselves?

Wow. That was actually a bit easier than I was expecting it to be. I'd found the info on the website already, but for some reason I guess it didn't even dawn on me that there'd be phone numbers to call. A quick search on "medical phone" on the faa site led me to a REAL HUMAN BEING who answered my questions IN ENGLISH instead of FAR-CFR-ese and gave me some good (but not great) news. I never would have expected that from the kingpins of bureaucracy. Thanks very much for the help! Elvisio "got some answers" Rodriguez

Thanks everybody, I got the help I needed! Elvisio "grounded, but flapping wings furiously" Rodriguez

I need to ask some questions about the red-tape side of the FAA 3rd class medical. If anyone is "in the know" in these regards or very comfortable with the regulations, could you please PM me? Note: very specifically, NOT trying to break the law or put one over on The Man. Just trying to make sure I handle the situation correctly. My medical examiner has been impossible to get a hold of so far. He's a nice guy, I just can't get past his PITA receptionist. MODS: I'm going to cross-post this in the Bonfire. PLEASE don't be mad, it's just two different types of folks who watch those forums. Thanks; Elvisio "red tape bites" Rodriguez