Went flying with SNO a few years back, back when I was still on sea duty and could afford that sort of thing. We flew a T-41, which is an old USAF version of the Cessna 172 that I’d rented from the local Navy flying club.
I’d gotten checked out in the T-41 because I still had random and disconnected thoughts of retiring and going the airline route back in those days. That was back when the notion of sleeping in an Atlanta-based flop with four or five other guys on reserve two weeks of the month, or hoping to be a junior pilot at 40+ years of age who might get called up for a flight on Christmas Eve in order to have a shot at earning $35,ooo a year seemed to make some kind of sense.
Recently? Not so much.
I’d have to keep my hand in to earn that kind of money, and while I’d earned a multi-engine Airline Transport Rating at the end of my command tour, multi-engine proficiency time is expensive. Didn’t have a single engine rating, so the flying club T-41 was a good way to get one. I think the Navy had gotten them as cast-off aircraft once the USAF was done with them.
We get a lot of our gear like that.
Wasn’t much to it, really. A 145-horse engine turned a fixed pitch prop fast enough to propel a pair of occupied seats through the breeze at a 110 MPH or so – strange that the airspeed wasn’t in knots, but there you have it. I believe you could have filled two seats in the back, so long as you weren’t entirely committed to actually getting airborne at the end of your take-off roll, but they were stripped out of our machines. I think for insurance purposes.
It’s not a big airplane, and neither your correspondent nor his number one son are anyone’s definition of small, so the young man’s eyes grew round and thoughtful as we walked out for preflight. It’d be alright said the old man with a grin, and the poor kid actually believed me.
The young: They are so trusting.
Up and away and over the sea for to do some very gentle maneuvers. Not like you could do much with it anyway. Decided to demo some stalls to the young man, power on, power off, approach turn stall. That sort of thing. One look in his eyes told me that he’d considered his earlier trust misplaced:
“You’re going to do what?!?”
I guess I should have briefed him more carefully on the ground, but stalls demonstrations and recoveries are a routine bit of familiarization for almost any airplane. People who haven’t flown before are often surprised to hear that, associating the word “stall” very frequently with “crash”, “burn”, and “memorial service”. We just do them at a safe altitude when we’re learning to fly airplanes, while those who are learning how to crash them do not.
Funny what you get used to.
–
Talking about getting out of your comfort zone, I was helping the Hobbit with her high school photography assignment – I know – and “we” had been tasked to use “my” Nikon D70 to take an action photo wherein a moving subject was blurred against a fixed background.
After a fair amount of head scratching trying to remember how to set up the manual settings for shutter speed and aperture width, we managed to get some images that were about right: I used a tripod, set the shutter speed to 1/50 and dialed the aperture all the way down (it was a hazy bright day). Set myself up at the bottom of a local hill popular with bicyclists and went at it like we meant business.
We got the blur effect right, but the colors were supersaturated in blues hues and required some aggressive photoshoppery to make presentable.
What did I leave out?
–
“The Outlaw Josey Wales” is the best western movie ever made.
You, of course, are free to disagree. But you’d better come armed with a scene that can top Clint Eastwood’s “word of life and death” speech to “Ten Bears”, tobacco juice and all.
Husband decided to take out a small plane at a local airport in Corpus Christi. My dad, a former pilot, refused to get in the plane. I was wishing I could, but as he was my husband, how could I not stand with him?
I was so nervous, especially when the plane could only turn to the left on the ground — needed to make a 3/4 circle the wrong way to get pointed in the right direction. I kept wondering what else was wrong with it — panicking was more like it.
He took off and flew past the end of the runway, and I said, “Okay, we’re up. Can we land now?” Nope. He had to fly around and show me stuff. I kept waiting for us to fall to the ground, but luckily (probably should be typically, since after all he was a pilot, for goodness sake) we didn’t. He was so proud. I was so scared. “Don’t you trust me?” he says. Of course. In the abstract I knew (and know) he could fly planes. In the reality … GET ME DOWN NOW!
Oh well. I hid most of that and was grateful to land and go home. And never do it again.
Josey Wales is good – but the best, well that’d be The Good, the Bad and The Ugly – for the final showdown among other things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXldafIl5DQ
Of course High Plains Drifter ought to get an honorable mention or something.
And since it’s on topic – the recent remake of 3:10 to Yuma is excellent.
My dad got his private pilots license in the 70s and took his 92 year old grandmother up for her first flight ever. Her comment? “Well, I suppose you’ve got to die sometime….” (She made it to about 104 as I remember).
… “Bill Carson!…. Bill Carson!…”
Sorry, I was drawn more to the photo assignment. Occupational hazard, I guess.
You can also make a neat image by setting the in-camera flash, or external speedlight if so equipped, to “rear-curtain sync” and pop the flash as the subject roars by. The “rear curtain” setting waits to fire the flash near the end of the exposure, highlighting the features of the subject as well as creating a blur effect behind it.
The more you slow down the shutter speed the longer you can increase the blur trail. Looks cool.
I’d also go for “the Good…” As far as High Plains Drifter goes, I’ll offer a military connection. The actress who played the ex-con’s girlfriend is Mariana Hill. Before she got married, her last name was Schwarzkpf, and she’s H. Norman’s first cousin.
Gotta go with Mr. Peck on this one.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is it.
Not to mention Metallica has a kick a$$ version of The Ecstasy of Gold…
I’ve learned a ton about photography and lighting here http://strobist.blogspot.com/
Lots of good tips and ways to light things cheaply for great looking photos. She’ll learn more from reading it daily than she will in class.
Here’s one that is more post-photo oriented http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/aperture/ SNO can probably get you Aperture for $99 at the edu store if you don’t already have it. And you really should be shooting in RAW as much as possible.
And finally this one. http://www.thedigitalstory.com/blog/ His podcasts can be interesting, but sometimes they’re hit or miss depending on how interested you are in the subject.
While I like High Plains Drifter and The Good The Bad And The Ugly, I’m going to have to say that Hombre is my favorite…
“Hey. I got a question…how ya gonna get back down that hill?”
Other than that, Pale Rider is high in my book as well.
Thank you JR, I was going to say the same thing.
Caught High Plains Drifter today, was enjoyable as always. I find it impossible to pick a favorite, so instead I’ll add one to the mix: Unforgiven. Probably not the best ever, but I’d say it at least deserves consideration.
Departure stalls were the scaryest to me when I was a student pilot.I got over that and eventually I took aerobatic lessons and just loved it…had the opposite effect on my wife.I haven’t been current for 10ish years.When you fill the two seats in the back you do have to think about the CG envelope.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Best.
The American western is the American Morality Play. Heck, I like ‘em all; we catch old re-runs of the Rifleman on late-night TV up here.
Movies? There are far too many, but I especially like the old ones, many seem to come with the “Duke”, ie, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (the final shoot-out when Jimmy Stewart nails Lee Marvin, but it was really John Wayne who did the killin’), the new version of “Major Dundee” with Charlton Heston trooping all over Mexico chasing Indians with a bunch of Confederate soldier-prisoners. The even wind up swiming in a beautiful waterfall/pond.
Then there’s: Shane, Ulzana’s Raid, GBU, Bend of the River, The Man from Laramie, True Grit… like I said, I love them all. Who? I really like John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, Richard Boone (do you remember ‘Paladin’?) … and many more!
Oh, yea… “Paint Your Wagon” with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. (Was that really a western? I think so.) Marvin and Eastwood are married to the same Mormon second wife they buy from another Mormon, Marvin drives a stage to intercept Paris “hotties” for their mining camp and then they all dig a tunnel under the floorboards of all the bars in town to catch the falling gold dust the miners spill. And… then a bull runs through the tunnel, knocking over all the pilings, collapsing the entire town into the tunnels. A real hoot and great music! Clint Eastwood SINGS!!!
Yes, I could go on… like High Noon with Gary Cooper, Paul Newman in ‘Hud’ … and on … and on … they’re truly the original morality play!
Best Western Ever, huh? And we have to beat the words of life and death speech? Hmmmm…..
Paint Your Wagon. Speech? “Howdy preacher, welcome to hell!”
Well, alright, it’s not that great and not that serious, but it does have Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood singing, which means it was the only movie that had enough nerve.
Guts has to count for something in a western.
– Max
Peter, seems you and I were thinking the same thing at the same time. What *are* the odds?
I’ll toss in one more, just because it’s a hoot. “They Call Me Trinity.” Terrence somebody-or-other, it is to westerns what “Hot Shots” is to mil-movies.
– Max
You’re right, Max. It must have taken real guts for somebody to even suggest that Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood … sing!
The soundtrack alone is “worth the price of admission.”
Lex mentioned “Westerns”… most everyone is writing about Clint Eastwood’s movies. While “Josey Wales” is among my favorite Eastwood movies… IMHO “Lonesome Dove” is a near perfect portrait of the Old West. I especially like the scene where, very early in the morning, Gus is making biscuits while reading the bible… after spending the night carousing with the prostitute.
Then… there is “Monty Walsh.”
A Cessna 172 of the NAS Agana flight club propelled myself, Leon, the Jumpmaster and the pilot to 2500 feet on 2/7/1971 for my first jump. Leon wanted to go first (he worked with my dad, but was a young guy…maybe late 20s), I but a mere almost a man of 16, go to go second. Surplus C-9 canopy of olive drab, orange and white design, backed up by a “belly wart” 24′ twill reserve. White motorcycle helmet, baggy orange flight coveralls and combat boots rounded out the uniform of the moment (a picture exists somewhere). Reserve not required that day, but the PLF was not so gracious, seeing as how I couldn’t decide whether I was or was not “about 100 ft AGL.” Legs went up and down as the decision matrix was worked furiously in the grey matter. Result: point one, then point four were contact points, skipping points 2 and 3, netting a large bruise, which…was not so painful when full of adrenaline.
The lesson: keep the “landing gear” in the down and almost locked position if you even think you’re below 100 ft. Worked 1273 times since then.
Here’s to Skyhawks and hanging off struts at about 70 mph!
That tobacco juice was good in “Outlaw Josey Wales”. I even know a guy who uses it to keep unruly bird dogs in line. He was using that tactic before the movie I think. maybe he was the inspiration?
However, the greatest western ever filmed was “Lonesome Dove” bar none. The best scene? When Gus “corrects” a surly bartender. Second best? “Shane”.
I like simple justice. We need more in action here at home.
b2
finally, badbob actually gets to the whole point of the post. thx.
Lex: i can send you a starter pouch of Redman Golden Blend and instructions; coach you thru the niceties of spitting and not getting any on your icecream man suit. once you get fully proficient, you can graduate to the “don’t even need to spit” level (i’m a certified trainer and can award that rating). maybe then i could let you try on some tanker boots.
MajMike, I may have quite more bad habits than most people will ever have.
The thing that was so perfect about that scene – and others like it – was that every time a rational man’s mind would have been blank with existential fear and his mouth dry as the Sahara, out goes a stream of ‘backy juice. Peoples’ eyes always followed it, Redlegs and Comanche alike.
There are so many really GREAT westerns. But my vote is for
“Silverado”: Payton… “what ever happened to the dog?..” I have wanted to buy a Henry rifle ever since I saw that movie. And I will (assuming Commander Home-Front-Lant approves the 1149 purchase request)
“Lonesome Dove”… how do you top Tommy Lee Jones beating He11 out of the Army Calvery? (BEAT ARMY!) “I just can’t abide a rude man…” Classic!
All you people just cost me money: now I have to go to the store and buy DVDs so I can watch all those movies over again.
Great string Lex.
Well… rental planes and “guest” passengers. In my experience, the passenger comfort level with the airplane is directly proportional to the quality of the paint job. My wife wouldn’t get near a few year old plane with faded paint, but get some nice lipstick on a 35 year old hog and she’d think it was the safest aerial device since the three-step stool.
The pre-flight briefing is critically important, too. I’ve had pax that had traveled in airliners get panicky because I had to bank the plane to turn. You’d think they’d know the one couldn’t happen without the other, but in the airliner they couldn’t see it. Makes all the difference.
I’ve flown people whose feet had only ever left the ground on roller coasters and found flight in a small plane to be disappointingly bland. (That was pre-RV, of course. I can beat their roller coaster now, if they’re up for it.)
I’ve also learned that they have no concept of the stall, and no need to. I don’t even mention it. If I get them hooked, their CFI will take care of that. Nearly all intuitively realize that the airplane must continue moving forward, and the fact that we need a running start on the runway re-affirms that for them. I idea that I would ever deliberately of accidentally attempt to stop the plane in mid-flight never occurs to them. Why would I bring it up?
“Paint your Wagon” is one of my favorites, as is “Blazing Saddles”
Josey Wales is good, but, dude, the western is UNFORGIVEN.
“Deserves got nuthin’ to do with it.’
‘I’ll see you in hell William Munny.’
‘Yeah’.
I also think The Good The Bad and The Ugly is a better western than Josey Wales. Maybe Clint’s best, but probably not THE best. “Unforgiven” is also a pretty good Clint Eastwood western. Didn’t care much for “Pale Rider”–too obvious a remake of “Shane.” Speaking of, I think the shootout with Jack Palance at the end of that movie is the best ever filmed.
“Lonesome Dove” was a damned good miniseries. Well cast and faithful to the book. I disagree at my peril with B2, but for my money you can’t top the scene where Captain Call goes berserk and almost beats the cavalry scout to death, has to be roped and draggged off of him, regains his senses, realizes that the entire town is staring at him in horror, and says, “I can’t stand rude behavior in a man. Won’t tolerate it.”
As far as the best, I’d pick “The Searchers” or “Red River.” Or maybe “Shane.” “Winchester 73″ ain’t bad either, long time since I’ve seen it though. John Ford’s cavalry trilogy is excellent too.
Despite the presence of Jane Fonda, “Cat Ballou” has to make my list of favorites. Lee Marvin won an oscar for it, and deserved it too. And yeah Unkawill, if it came down to it, Id rather watch “Paint Your Wagon” or Blazing Saddles” than “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Less Sondra Locke. Important safety tip.
Rumson: She’s picked up a bad case of the respectabilities. And in just a few days from now, that poor woman’s going to be burnin’ up in a fever of virtue. And then LOOK OUT.
Pardner: Why?
Rumson: Pardner, it’s been my experience that there ain’t nothin’ more ruthless and treacherous than a genuine good woman.
Little Bill Daggett: I don’t deserve this… to die like this. I was building a house.
Will Munny: Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it.
Ahh, I think Silverado is one of the best movies of all time, western or otherwise.
“… I really miss my hat / gun / horse…” are the best lines.
Though it’s not a true western movie, I really like Quigley Down Under for western attitudes and sharpshooting. Not to mention getting even.
And Daveg, you’re right on that paint job, too. Makes you think the rest of the plane is taken care of as well. *grin*
Don’t know about best western movie, but I think well of Open Range. Yes, it has the six-shot that never needs reloading, and shooting under a horse without hitting either horse or target?! I figure that’s just the occupational hazard with dramatic license. The dialogue (not to mention Robert Duvall) makes up for it:
Boss Spearman: Sounds like you got it all worked out.
Charley Waite: Yeah, except the part where we don’t get killed.
—
Mack: I didn’t raise my boys just to see ‘em killed.
Charley Waite: Well you may not know this, but there’s things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.
—
Charley Waite: There’s not a day goes by I don’t think ’bout who I am, what I’d done . . .
—
I also enjoyed the 3:10 to Yuma remake, but never saw the original. Opinions?
I love all the Clint Eastwood Westerns. Hard for me to pick a favorite.
One other one that I can watch time and again is “Once upon a time in the West” with Charles Bronson. The music gives me the chills.
At last I have something to contribute here!
To answer your question about the “blueness” of your photos, you most likely forgot to adjust the white balance. Clouds & haze block out a lot of the warmer colors (yellow, red, orange) from sunlight, leaving you with an overall cooler (ie, more bluish) photo.
I’m not familiar with the D70, but I have no doubt there’s a white balance setting in a menu somewhere, and I’m equally sure that there’s a “cloudy” setting on that menu.
You can also fix that problem in Photoshop in several ways. The easiest is to apply a warming filter. I forget exactly how you get to it, but it’s probably under the “Adjustments” menu.
Last but not least, if you’re so inclined you could go to shooting in RAW mode instead of JPG. One of the nice features of RAW files is that it’s trivially easy to fix the white balance in Photoshop — there’s literally a menu in which you select “sunny”, “cloudy”, etc. There are other costs and benefits to it. A quick Googling will find you any number of analyses on the subject which can be just as in depth and boring as you want.
Best of luck!
Thanks, Brian – that’s exactly what I missed.
“Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin,’ boy” – favorite line from Outlaw Josey Wales.
Like a lot of the suggestions. One missing from consideration: The Magnificent Seven. Truly outstanding cast.
What was tho one with Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart, Where he/they inherited a whore house?
“The Cheyenne Social Club” A gem dandy.
“Support Your Local Sheriff” ain’t bad either.
I have to say picking a favorite Western is like picking your favorite child. They are all good for different reasons. Clint did it very well but my all time favorite does not have him in it. It has to be Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in Tombstone.
“I’ll be your Hucklebearer…”
(lots confused this with I’ll be your huckleberry but it was actually an old southern term..hucklebearer was a pallbearer at funerals.)
On a tangent, any thoughts on BSG: Razor?
Strange – I happened to have watched both ‘The Cheyenne Social Club’ and ‘Tombstone’ over the weekend.
Also, Lex, did I read that right? Did you have a multi endorsement, and no single engine endorsement? I wish I had that problem…
Actually Chris I started out with a multi-engine/c-line thrust endorsement – see where that will take you – just by taking a military equivalency test. When I took my ATP I earned a multi-rating (land) in a Piper Seminole. Never felt less ready for a check ride than I did after 3 rides.
I ended up getting a single-engine ATP because, having already demonstrated the multi-engine chops, it was easier than getting a commercial rating – and cheaper!
Not that you much need a single engine airline rating. And I wouldn’t mind some seaplane time.
Something to dream on.
And Bruce, I can’t wait for the new season, and Razor too – but is this the last year?
That’s my understanding. It’s somewhat ironic; I’m a converted browncoat (I discovered Firefly on Sci-Fi), but my dad never found any value to Mal Reynolds.
I’m afraid I have some similar issues with BSG. I don’t expect the last vestiges of humanity to be led by Leonidas or Marcus Aurelius, but it seemed the creators deliberately selected main characters whose flaws were quite apparent. It stretches my credibility that these folks could survive such straits. Still, I do catch the show from time to time, and I do like the effects.
I’m curious about the centerline thrust; I thought that was reserved for aircraft with engines that shared a thrust axis. The OV-10 Bronco comes to mind, if I’m remembering the designation correctly. It’s the aircraft Danny Glover flew in Bat-21.
It’s a technical issue having to do with the yaw moment generated with one engine out and the other at full power (I believe). The FA-18′s engines are close enough together (as the F-14′s were not) that it was considered centerline thrust.
Bruce,
You might be thinking of the Cessna 337 Mixmaster…sorry Skymaster, or its military equivalent the O-2.
And this is where that might take you…
Now THAT’S dissimilar ACM.
Darn, it cut out my pic.
Link
C337 vs F/A-18