Finally got some flying in

At 8:00 this morning I checked the aviation weather report and then checked to see if there were any planes available. As luck would have it, not only were the winds predicted to be reasonably calm, there was a plane available.

I only flew for about 45 minutes and remained in the pattern practicing my landings. I got four full stop landings in before I called it a day.

The only reason I stopped early is because today is the day that Northampton Aeronautics holds it's Wright Flight academy flights and the rental schedule was pretty tight.

The Wright Flight program is a program where middle school students who would like to learn how to fly sign up for a series of classes that are taught by folks in the aviation industry. They do things like study aerodynamics, physics, etc... They also take tours of the tower at Barnes Airport out in Westfield and the mechanics hanger at Northampton.

After the kids have successfully completed their training, they get to take a ride in a plane with an instructor and they are allowed to fly the plane.

I wish they had something like that when I was in junior high.

⧫

When I got home I mowed my lawn, scratched up a few more dead spots and spread some seed.

It's supposed to rain over the next few days so I figured mowing the lawn and spreading some more seed was a good idea.

I have good ideas sometimes but I'm not entirely sure spreading grass seed around is one of them.

⧫

So I guess it was time for Delta to step deeply into the cesspool known as "Airline Customer Service" and boot paying customers off a plane.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the aircraft is no different that a ship. The flight crew is in charge and what they say goes. What I don't get is how they justify charging you money for a seat and then saying you have to get off the plane.

You paid them for a seat on the plane.

They took your money and said you had a seat on the plane.

They told you what time to be in your seat on the plane.

You got to the gate at the time they told you to be there, they took the ticket you paid for and you walked through the gate, down the walkway and onto the plane.

You sat down in the seat you paid them for.

Then some overly-dominant, power-hungry little Napoleon (or Napoleoness) suddenly says, "Just kidding! You have to get off the plane!"

How do they justify that?

⧫

The Red Sox managed to win last night and I'm hoping they win again tonight. I will be watching the game so you can expect that I will be offering them my sage advice.

While I do that, you can click on these links:

• Hillary Clinton seems to have gone downhill faster than I thought she would.



• Pfffttttt..... Rednecks.....
  (watch the video)



• It does look like a gun.



• Big deal. Back in the late '70s, we had Disco Balls.



• This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?



• Key phrase in this story: "It was right as rain ... It worked like a treat."