On 7/10/2024 4:05 PM, Alan wrote:
> On 2024-07-10 12:22, -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
>>
>>
>
> Our Tommie has what I would term a very "convenient" memory.

13 years ago was quite a while back