On 7/15/2024 1:53 PM, Alan wrote:
> On 2024-07-15 10:47, Tom Elam wrote:
>> On 7/10/2024 3:22 PM, -hh wrote:
>>> On 7/10/24 10:51 AM, Tom Elam wrote:
>>>> On 7/6/2024 4:42 PM, -hh wrote:
>>>>> On 7/5/24 2:19 PM, Tom Elam wrote (plus merged posts):
>>>>>> On 6/28/2024 8:04 PM, -hh wrote:
>>>>>>> On 6/28/24 11:10 AM, Tom Elam wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 6/27/2024 3:55 PM, Alan wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 2024-06-25 10:34, Tom Elam wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> Dear Alan,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Last year, 2023, April-June, there 3 weekends, 9 races at
>>>>>>>>>> SBBC. Total unique CW driver entries were 97, OW 37. These are
>>>>>>>>>> typical for an entire season for 2021-2023. In April-June 2024
>>>>>>>>>> unique driver entries are 14 OW and 49 CW, about half prior
>>>>>>>>>> years.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> These stats are from the SBBC season championship records.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Wow, quite the drop. What's going on, Alan?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> And, BTW, you entered 11 out of a 71 2021-2024 races. None
>>>>>>>>>> last year of course, but also none this year and 11 out of 34
>>>>>>>>>> in 2021-22. Have you retired? I thought you were looking
>>>>>>>>>> forward to getting back this year. Not so much?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> So great to see you taking such an interest in my life, Liarboy!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I wonder if I might take a little interest in yours.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Done much flying lately?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Well, yes. Two very different flavors. Full scale last 6 months,
>>>>>>>> 36 hours logged including 2 family visit trips to Georgia, some
>>>>>>>> CAP hours, and just passed a VFR checkride. The Christmas return
>>>>>>>> flight from Georgia was IFR all the way home and an instrument
>>>>>>>> approach into Indy Metro.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Christmas of 2023, of course.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Now good for 2 another years on my BFR, taking me almost to my
>>>>>>>> 80th birthday. At this time I am also IFR current and capable,
>>>>>>>> but those are perishable skills. I'll be taking an IFR skills
>>>>>>>> test checkride before the end of September.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> RC model flying has been active since the weather improved in
>>>>>>>> April. Some of that is documented on my YouTube channel
>>>>>>>> available at:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcvZXi-36GQkeHr0FdB4cTg
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My latest YT video is rendering as I write this. That one is on
>>>>>>>> programming my 3 meter Fox sailplane for solo hand launch. It
>>>>>>>> will be up on the channel by end of today.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Tomorrow I am scheduled to go to the AMA annual Fun Fly in
>>>>>>>> Muncie and do some instructing with beginning RC pilots. I also
>>>>>>>> just passed my Part 107 Remote Pilot/commercial drone license
>>>>>>>> FAA refresher, and good for another 2 on that front years too.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So yes, done a lot of flying. Some airline flying in the near
>>>>>>>> future too!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Because even 36 hours droning along at a Cessna's 125mph cruising
>>>>>>> speed is just 4500 miles: enough to cross the pond once...but not
>>>>>>> back.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> We will be flying to Vancouver next month to catch a train to
>>>>>>>> Calgary then flying home from there. August takes us to France,
>>>>>>>> Luxembourg and a Viking river cruise to Basel. Flying home from
>>>>>>>> Zurich. Ten day trip in all. So still traveling too.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Oh, so now its a ten day trip for what previously was a twelve
>>>>>>> day Paris-Rhine cruise claimed back in February?  /s
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> How about you, doing any racing lately? I know the answer to
>>>>>>>> that, at least for SBBC events. Null, zero, nada since 2022.
>>>>>>>> Going anywhere outside Canada this year?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Life invariably takes different turns.  My last travel comment
>>>>>>> here was in early 2023, that we were looking (in 2023) to be
>>>>>>> making up for our CoVid travel lull, but that doesn't mean that
>>>>>>> it all went as had been hoped for: indeed, it could have changed.
>>>>>>> Cancelled outright, or even perhaps upgraded to be in First Class
>>>>>>> instead of Coach on all of that year's international flights! /s
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Same applies for 2024 as well, for life invariably throws curve
>>>>>>> balls; this is why the advice was to 'do the hard stuff' while
>>>>>>> one's body (& finances) are healthy enough to be still able to do
>>>>>>> what one wishes. Otherwise, one can be pushing 80 and renting a
>>>>>>> car is no longer trivial, so one can get increasingly constrained
>>>>>>> to guided tours on cruise ships.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In any event, a week on the Rocky Mountaineer and the
>>>>>>> aforementioned Rhine cruise sounds to be in the rough ballpark of
>>>>>>> ($7500+air)/pp, so it does seem like Tommy is perhaps finally
>>>>>>> breaking out of his prior fiscal constraint, as I'd long advised.
>>>>>>> Yay, you!.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -hh
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ten was a wrong number for Europe. It IS 12 days plus 2 for
>>>>>> to-from travel that I did not include in a prior post.
>>>>>
>>>>> But also plus +3 days pre-tour in Paris, as you've mentioned before
>>>>> and mentioned again below.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> The Canada trip is a package tour via a local company. It includes
>>>>>> several side trips, most meals, air, and several nights in the
>>>>>> Fairmont Banff Springs and others of similar quality prior to
>>>>>> Banff Springs. Check the rates on that hotel. $11,990 for 2.
>>>>>> Sadly, one of the people, a good friend at that, was scheduled to
>>>>>> go but died very suddenly. The wife has to cancel. It may still be
>>>>>> an open reservation for two. Interested? Starts July 20.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> We've been meaning to get back to the Canadian Rockies, but that
>>>>> start date hits a schedule conflict.  Plus we learned last month
>>>>> that we're out of shape for any decent hiking in the Rockies (not
>>>>> that this rail journey would really have much), so not enough
>>>>> pre-trip prep time either.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> The Europe trip including air is a bit over $10,000 plus 3 nights
>>>>>> on our own in a Paris hotel at $300/night, plus meals, local
>>>>>> transportation and sundries. Likely to also come to about $12,000.
>>>>>
>>>>> Figured about that, as a cabin on Viking is ~$3800/pp on its own.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Your $7,500 pp is spot-on but includes airfare.
>>>>>
>>>>> As you know, there's several rail journey options to choose from,
>>>>> of varying lengths; I'd conservatively parameterized to a higher
>>>>> end tour than what you actually chose.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> We also just this week scheduled a trip to Luddington MI to spend
>>>>>> a week with some good friends at their cabin. I'll be flying us up
>>>>>> there, only about $600 R/T for air plus taking them out to a VERY
>>>>>> nice restaurant or two.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We also have the annual ski trip of course. 2024 is a bit of a
>>>>>> splurge but not that different from many prior years.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've not chatted skiing lately with a colleague who spends 2-3
>>>>> weeks in Vail each season to know current rates, but I'd expect
>>>>> that the Epic is still just ~$1K/pp and that condo/AirBNB rates are
>>>>> quite variable.  Even so, $10K probably covers ~3 weeks when
>>>>> driving.  So without the ski trip, ballpark $25K for 2024,
>>>>> including the Florida bit (next below):
>>>>>
>>>>> {merge}
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > Second reply. I just updated the 2024 travel diary and forgot to
>>>>>  > include 2 January Florida weeks. We stayed with friends week 1, so
>>>>>  > that kept the cost down. I think the whole trip was only maybe
>>>>> $3-4k
>>>>>  > all-in.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> {merge}
>>>>>  >
>>>>>  > Back again. FYI the club 182 cruises at 160+ mph, not 125.
>>>>>
>>>>> So its an 5,760 miles upper limit.  That's still not enough to
>>>>> cross the pond & back...and one still can't nap (safely) when at
>>>>> the controls.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>  > It's a little over 2.5 hours including taxi time, with no headwind.
>>>>>  > Delta makes it in 1:30 of droning on in a B737 but them you have
>>>>> a 1+  > hour drive to my sister's place in Woodstock, TSA hassles, ...
>>>>>
>>>>> TSA Pre makes airport security pretty trivial.  And since someone
>>>>> else is driving, its easy to take a nap, watch a movie, read a book...
>>>>>
>>>>>  > ... and what do we do with all the Christmas presents in Cessna
>>>>>  > luggage compartment? 🙂
>>>>>
>>>>> Have Amazon send them direct to final destination.  Or ship them
>>>>> out in advance via FedEx, USPS, or UPS.  Or small gifts which fit
>>>>> easily in one's pocket, and/or a small carry-on bag.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -hh
>>>>
>>>> I NEVER feel the need to nap when I'm in the aircraft left front seat.
>>>
>>> Irrelevant, because you have no other choice.  Ditto for going up to
>>> go to the bathroom.
>>>
>>>
>>>> You have no clue, do you? Flying yourself is an exciting and
>>>> engaging way to get there that adds a whole new dimension to a
>>>> vacation. You will never experience that.
>>>
>>> You should have said "never again", because you've not recalled my
>>> comment from a 2011 post which is germane:
>>>
>>> "Personally, I've not had sufficient stick time to have much of a
>>> strong opinion, but enough to know a few things and ask a few
>>> questions."
>>>
>>> Plus I've also mentioned that I had had a coworker who was trying to
>>> encourage me to get my ticket and buy his C172...remember?
>>>
>>> There might even be a few random comments from my even older analog
>>> RC aircraft days.
>>>
>>> -hh
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Not irrelevant at all. I do it BECAUSE I love and value every minute
>> as pilot in command. We plan our air trips just like you plan car
>> trips, including potty stops. No big deal. Most are within the
>> bathroom break window, but with an airplane like N182SV that has up to
>> 6-7 hours endurance it can be an issue to be planned for.
>>
>> I have no issue that your preferences are different. My issue is you
>> projecting your preferences to others, including yours truly.
>>
>> On Saturday we leave for Vancouver on Air Canada. Looking forward to
>> that too. Flying is flying. :)
>
> That you are "looking forward" to "flying" as a passenger in what is
> about the same comfort as a bus says everything I need to know about
> your taste.

LOL! A bus does not fly and travels at about 10% of the speed of a
commercial jet. Not comparable. What would you take on a long trip that
is more comfortable than an aircraft? Car? Bus? Train? Motorcycle? I
suppose a ship could be, but very slow.