Yes, that's a pick-up truck piled high with something huge and tall. I kept expecting it to tip over! Here's a better perspective--next to a semi-truck and under a freeway sign!
I was in Salt Lake City for my PC (Proficiency Check) in the sim this week. Airline Captains have PC's every six months; First Officers get them every twelve months.A lot of people wonder what sim is like. It's in a box on hydraulic feet, so that it can fling you every which way the moment you screw up. Inside the box is a flight deck--it's exactly what is in the airplane, so when you are inside, you are really inside an airplane. The windows even look like RJ windows, but computer generated pictures show up when you taxi, take off, fly and land--or don't land, as is most often the case. Usually there is a vehicle on the runway, or you get a windshear with an engine fire, or the runway disappears in fog, or some other disaster. It's supposed to test your flying skills and decision making process. Fortunately for me (and maybe not as fortunately for my unsuspecting passengers), that's a normal day for me...
An FAA examiner sat in on my sim check ride, which is called a PC. A day after sim, I got an email from my supervisor. A friend had sent this to him. This is what it said (I took out last names):Hi Rob,
Hope all is well! I just wanted to pass on a conversation I had with Ray , FAA SLC FSDO. He conducted my biannual observation for my check airman authorization. When I met him on the ramp in SLC, he mentioned that he had just finished an observation on Karen's PC check. I told him that I was friends with Karen and wondered how her check went.
He told me, " John, I've been doing this a long time and of the top three checkrides I've seen, Karen's had to be number two. She did an outstanding job and I swear she answered 98% of the questions she was asked and flew the heck out of that sim. If all checkrides went like that, my job would be VERY easy!" Rob, I know your days can be filled with "problem children" so I thought a little good news might be in order. If you see Ray, ask him about her check. He won't run short of compliments for her :) Thought you'd like to know.
Take Care,
John
Rob forwarded it to me with a note saying "GREAT JOB, CAPTAIN!" It made my day! :-)
On the way home from sim, I saw my first real albino person. The photo came out blurry, but he had white hair, pink skin, pinkish eyes (WEIRD!) and white eyebrows and hair on his hands.
So, I picked up my trip in SFO. My favourite FO flew this trip with me. Here's Andrew-
Cute, isn't he?
This was the view going into LAX--the big fires north of the city. You can see smoke plumes from the smaller fires to the left, and the huge one to the right. It really looked like a volcano had erupted.
This was from 39,000' feet, looking down on the smoke. We figured that it was up to at least 30,000'. 
We were on our way to San Antonio when I took that photo. Our route took us over El Paso, and I was able to spot the area in which Erick disappeared. It's so desolate. I sent a silent message to the universe, hoping that Erick is alive out there somewhere. Still no word from him, and no trace--his debit and credit cards haven't been touched. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers until he's found, OK?On our way home from San Antonio, we saw this Level 5 thunderstorm over eastern Colorado, just east of Castle Rock. It even spawned a couple of tornados. Scary, isn't it?
Back to work tomorrow with a Cleveland overnight. Our hotel is next door to a Dunkin' Donuts, so I should have a pretty good day. Hope your week is ending on a good note!
No comments:
Post a Comment