What's Up? - May 2010
As I Was Saying…
OK, Casablanca it is… A Screenplay by Larry Shapiro
(Second Draft) Playback… Roll ‘em!
The place: (the time: 10:15 p.m. PDT)
It was still a dark and very foggy night. Boggy and I put out our smokes and headed inside:
Note: As I was completing this column I experienced and suffered a terrible personal loss. My loyal and loving companion “Katana” died in my arms. With that said I am just unable to complete this column now, but I will next month.
One person is standing near the runway.
It’s quiet and not well lit:
Senior:
He is speaking to you:
Now it’s next month and I’m back and so is “Katana”. She now resides in a beautiful mahogany box with her picture on it and we are very happy to have her home.
So much more has happened in Casablanca. (He takes a bite out of his carrot)
We have learned from the media that “If It Bleeds It Leads.”
(Grinding his teeth he says), I hate those words, they are not mine, but they are true.
The media goes into a feeding frenzy when there is an aviation incident. Months later they are still milking the crash for a story. Many people have been victimized from this, most of them innocent souls not having anything to do with the crash.
Senior turns and walks west towards the tower, he speaks:
Hey folks, did anyone ever tell you that there is a standard tower instruction, “we cannot clear you for take off since we can’t see the runway, take off at your own risk”. Yep, that’s a true instruction, and almost all of the Choppers get that same instruction almost every day since they operate off a grass field and not the runway. To be honest, I didn’t know this.
The media had a field day with this no pun intended they loved the word, “Risk!”
Senior turns again and heads south towards his office.While walking he thinks to himself:
There are many things we learned from this miracle. The miracle that no one on the ground was injured or killed, Amen! However, That doesn’t mean lives weren’t impacted. One family lost all their vehicles both of which were part of the family business.
Senior gets a big smile on his face. He says to himself:
Ya know self, I am very proud that we were able to replace the lost vehicles with a really impressive new truck and the new owners were thrilled. A truly great Pilots Association, and some very generous FBO owners and airport tenants provided the truck and some needed financial assistance. Bravo and thanks to all of you. After all of that, our friends and neighbors fixed a damaged Mobile home, a day care center and much, much more. If it sounds like I’m boasting, I am! I’m very happy to be part of this small caring community.
Senior smiles even more:
Oh yes, one more thing, the mayor I mentioned last month offered a very humble apology for the blow up during his council meeting and we have just found out that that dynamite police phief is in the running for the same job in Seattle, way to go Chief Davis, you’ve got my vote! (Aaaaah, can I have one of your old uniforms, with the badge and maybe an old sidearm).
Final words on this subject for now: The great city of Palo Alto learned a very hard lesson. They found that when one high power transmission line tower goes down, so did their city. I believe this is called a single point failure. This would be a good time to stand on a chair and yell out to PG&E, (Pacific Gas & Electric for you tourists), what you accomplished in just a few hours is mind boggling to someone like me that barely understands how hitting a switch on a wall makes a light goes on. You had the city up and running before I had my third meal of the day. Damm fine work if I may say so?
I was amazed how many of my own activities were affected when all the power went off. A friend I was suppose to pick up at the Stanford Hospital was prepped for surgery and then the power went off and she was cancelled.
That snowballed into changes for two days of plans we had made included her leaving for an extended stay in Italy. She was delayed two days and, well, you can figure out what happened when explaining to the airline that the power went off. They were really impressed … not! This was just one of at least three more degrees of the six I keep separating.
Senior does a 360 and looks around the airfield;
Damm, I’m sure glad I’m an aviator and part of this truly great community.
Speaking of being an aviator, or pilot when we’re showing off, I’m going to end this column with some late breaking news, sort of:
As many of you know I have been square dancing with the FAA over approved Meds for the past 2.2 years. I know I pi–ed them off, I can live with that. I also know how many of you trusted me enough to spill you guts over the conflict of the “truth and nothing but the truth.” We all know the truth, but I put mine in this column and on the FAA form we all fill out during our FAA medical. Right after I did my Abe Lincoln impersonation, they did theirs of my mother and sent me to my room with out my ticket. Not only did they do that, they weren’t nice about it and issued one of them there “Emergency” revocations etc, etc. So I have been hanging around the aerodrome a little naked not having one of those fancy new plastic-flying cards.
Well low and behold the news media blasted us with an FAA revelation: They have decided that some of those “No No” drugs are going to finally be Ok’d. They are actually almost saying that maybe 60-year-old data might not be state of the art.
Here’s the rub … we’ve all read and heard via the media that this is all happening. However, and I use that word with optimistic hope, the FAA M.E.’s haven’t gotten the official word as of ten minutes ago. In other words, sit tight, there’s nothing we can do, except call your ME and ask for an update, and ask him/her to call you when they get the official word.
For all you healthy young Dudes and Dudettes that are drug free, 120 over 80, 200 pounds or less, six feet tall, and run multiple marathons a year, don’t bother me!
For now, I am sending ton of hugs to all the Moms that read In Flight and their neighbors. I ask you join me in wishing my baby girl a Happy 21st Birthday, and a Happy Wedding Anniversary to my best friend, my wife Kimberly. To my favorite son Erik, Happy Birthday to you too, I just I wish I could remember which one it is since I never see you.
“Over!”
