I can tell airport security stories, but I think it inappropriate to post. It's the stuff of personal experience.
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Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys
- Thread starter Downeaster
- Start date
I'm with you, Pete. I feel absolutely naked without a penknife in my pocket. And, if I'm leaving Someday Farm (aka Poverty Knob) something considerably more substantial strapped to my hip.
I haven't (voluntarily) left home unarmed since Slick Willy was in the White House.
I haven't (voluntarily) left home unarmed since Slick Willy was in the White House.
Speaking of flying...I may have told this one before.
My very last planned trip was when I was working for the fish squishery. I was headed to Garden City Kansas for Ammonia Refrigeration school. Dead of Winter, nearest airport is Wichita. On a good day, that's 3-4 hours from Garden City, so rental car.
Got to the airport in Bangor and checked in. Got to the gate and there's this itty-bitty turbo prop parked at the gate, covered in snow and not a soul around. Checked with the airline - delayed, waiting on maintenance to replace an instrument. Long, LONG story short, I waited about 3 hours, still no maintenance, still no deicing/snow removal, not a chance in hell of catching my connecting flight and best I can hope for is to arrive in Wichita around midnite and then drive 3-4 hours to start class at 8am. Uh....nope.
Convinced the gate agent to take my luggage off the plane, collected it, got in my truck and drove home.
Showed up for work the next day and they're all "What the hell are you doing here?" Told them the story, told them I'm sorry if they had to eat the ticket and the tuition but I was NOT putting myself through that for $14/hr and if that meant I was fired, I could get my shit and be out of there in 20 minutes.
I was there several more months before the writing on the wall became impossible to ignore and I jumped ship to a $22/hr job with Lockheed Martin 3 minutes from my house.
My very last planned trip was when I was working for the fish squishery. I was headed to Garden City Kansas for Ammonia Refrigeration school. Dead of Winter, nearest airport is Wichita. On a good day, that's 3-4 hours from Garden City, so rental car.
Got to the airport in Bangor and checked in. Got to the gate and there's this itty-bitty turbo prop parked at the gate, covered in snow and not a soul around. Checked with the airline - delayed, waiting on maintenance to replace an instrument. Long, LONG story short, I waited about 3 hours, still no maintenance, still no deicing/snow removal, not a chance in hell of catching my connecting flight and best I can hope for is to arrive in Wichita around midnite and then drive 3-4 hours to start class at 8am. Uh....nope.
Convinced the gate agent to take my luggage off the plane, collected it, got in my truck and drove home.
Showed up for work the next day and they're all "What the hell are you doing here?" Told them the story, told them I'm sorry if they had to eat the ticket and the tuition but I was NOT putting myself through that for $14/hr and if that meant I was fired, I could get my shit and be out of there in 20 minutes.
I was there several more months before the writing on the wall became impossible to ignore and I jumped ship to a $22/hr job with Lockheed Martin 3 minutes from my house.
If you'd like to know what happens to the better pocket and pen knives, just look on ebay.
I got three Leathermen folding toolkit knives for about a tenner each, and funnily enough the address of the seller was in the vicinity of Heathrow.
....ahhhhh....how very odd!
buzzword
XS650 Addict
Can confirm - not 100% sure how the mechanism works, but pretty sure TSA auctions off all the non-illegal weapons they seize, and a bunch of them end up on Ebay in lots designated by weight. Here's an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Of-TSA...Variety-Mix-Knives-Assorted-TSA-/144385101056
Last flight out of Tulsa OK a couple yrs back, I forgot about my beloved 2 blade Barlow knife in my pocket. It hurt placing it in the collection bin.
Well, she’s not an airplane - but she IS cool!
How about that SS Badger - the last steam powered car ferry operations in the Great Lakes. My Honda ST1300 and I took the Badger from Manitowok Wisconsin to Luddington Michigan on my ride from Windsor to Winnipeg and back via Gary’s home in Baraboo WI. I’ll never forget his kind hospitality and our ride across southern Wisconsin to the ferry dock - such a nice run. The 62 mile trip across Lake Michigan was really pleasant on the Badger and then I rode all the way across the state to the Canadian border and home.
Anyhow, this past autumn the 70-year old Badger was towed up to a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay for its 5-year Coast Guard inspection, dry-docking and maintenance and recently she was towed back down to her winter berth in Luddington MI. Here is a video on that event - nice to watch - but it must have been brutally chilly out on the lake!
How about that SS Badger - the last steam powered car ferry operations in the Great Lakes. My Honda ST1300 and I took the Badger from Manitowok Wisconsin to Luddington Michigan on my ride from Windsor to Winnipeg and back via Gary’s home in Baraboo WI. I’ll never forget his kind hospitality and our ride across southern Wisconsin to the ferry dock - such a nice run. The 62 mile trip across Lake Michigan was really pleasant on the Badger and then I rode all the way across the state to the Canadian border and home.
Anyhow, this past autumn the 70-year old Badger was towed up to a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay for its 5-year Coast Guard inspection, dry-docking and maintenance and recently she was towed back down to her winter berth in Luddington MI. Here is a video on that event - nice to watch - but it must have been brutally chilly out on the lake!
Just out of curiosity - ferry guys?
Nope.
gggGary stayed on shore and I sailed away….but I am NOT a ferry guy…..
…..not that there’s anything wrong with….well, you know.
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I admit that is it tough to sleep on an aircraft carrier at times. Especially when your rack is just below the flight deck. Other times though, when the aircraft are all shutdown, I can rest peacefully with the gentle rocking of the ship. Some may say an aircraft Carrier is too big to rock...
I have stood many an alert when the weather was this bad or worse. I do pity the maintainers who have to inspect the helo after its saltwater bath...
I have stood many an alert when the weather was this bad or worse. I do pity the maintainers who have to inspect the helo after its saltwater bath...
Ohhhhhhh Pete.
You just sailed out of my life, left me standing on the shore.
You just sailed out of my life, left me standing on the shore.
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Cool ship and video. 800 gallons of paint… yikes!
Don't you just love a good headline?
When I was single ( what is single? Oh yeah not hanging with the same gal for over 30 years)
We took the trip from Duluth MN around Lake Superior into Canada and ended up in Luddington Michigan where we took the Badger over to Wisconsin
It was quite the trip
We came across the ferry by accident so off we went
Hmmmmm....now THAT is useful information!
I would never have imagined that a large, powerful, modern airplane that is packed full of advanced technology like the Boeing 777 - would struggle to maintain altitude if its fuel tanks were empty.
Who-a-thunk-it?
It is so great to have the press keep us informed about these important developments.
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Well done 1/2Mile; back on the planes.Today on VFT.If you don`t already follow this site it`s a good one.
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Looks like just the thing for a chap who has neighbours who are @ssholes…..
