Taking the controls Today I had the unique experience of piloting the full-motion flight simulator for the 767-400. It was amazing. From the details in the graphics to the feeling of being thrown forward against the restraints on the landing roll to the cockpit instrumentation and layout, it was as realistic as you can get. We started out on runway 13R at Boeing Field in Seattle with clear conditions and a great view of Mt. Rainier straight ahead. After a routine take-off, we flew a standard training route to Moses Lake, allowing the sim run an autoland on runway 32. Then each of us (myself and two global trainees from the Techincal University, Berlin) flew a manual take-off and landing. My approach was great but my touchdown was a little bumpy. When I flared, the guy that was running the sim for us told me I was little nose-high. I was within ten feet of the runway, and don't think it would have been terrible if the stall horn had gone off at that point, but hearing that I was a little nose-high made me think I needed to push the yoke forward. So the nose came down a kind of hard and there was a pretty good bounce; it might have scared some passengers, but sim operator told me it wouldn't have been a hard enough landing to damage the aircraft had we actually been in one. I should get a logbook and start keeping track of my hours; not that it would have any practical use, but it would be kind of cool.
posted by Tom 4:50 PM
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
The year of the underdog I don't know if any of you follow hockey. Wait; let me rephrase that. I don't know if anyone reads this. Yeah, that's probably more accurate, but back to hockey. Last week, the Anahiem Mighty Ducks sent the defending Cup champion Detroit Red Wings home early. All that money that Detroit poured into pulling all that talent into its organization--Hull, Chelios, Robitaille, Dandenault, Cujo, not to mention all of the future hall-of-famers already on their roster prior to last season--and they not only loose to, but are swept by the Mighty Ducks. We're talking about a relatively new team (compared to Detroit, one of the NHL's original six teams) THAT IS NAMED AFTER A FREAKIN' DISNEY MOVIE, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. Good for them, but how do you respect yourself if you're Detroit right now? Or has it been long enough since they found their keys laying there on the ice that that sore feeling is starting to go away.
Tonight three series that had gone to game seven were brought to their conclusion. Two of these series were won by teams that trailed 3-1 after four games. Obviously Vancouver tearing St. Louis apart is a nice come from behind story, unless your my college coach who will be disappointed to see his home-town boys out of the running again, but the big upset story--I'd go so far as to say on the level of Iraq winning a war against the United States; okay, maybe not, but at least the biggest sports upset this year--the Minnesota Wild beat Colorado, IN COLORADO, IN OVERTIME! It's hard to match the thrill of this one. The Avs score first. The Wild answer right away. The Avs score again in the third. Again the Wild answer, with only a few minutes left in regulation. Overtime is all Colorado. They control the puck for 98% of the three and a half minutes that end up ticking off the clock, right up until the first Minnesota player excepting their goalie to gain sustained possession of the puck carries it straight into both Colorado defensemen. He keeps skating but the puck doesn't go with him. One of his teammates, following close behind, grabs the loose puck, pulls a quick curl to get around the traffic, waits for Roy to go down on the left side of the net, pulls the puck back to the right and lets it slide in the goal. You wouldn't believe how fast the Pepsi Center, known as one of the noisiest venues in the NHL, went silent. Words cannot describe the beauty of seeing the upstart take down the juggernaut.
posted by Tom 10:48 PM
It starts with the shoe. Maybe the next day it's a t-shirt or a sock. You don't know if the washing machine ate it, or your roommate borrowed it a month ago and forgot that it was yours. All you know is that by the end of the week, you're walking to class naked because you don't have any clothes left.
