New Deliveries!!!

I bought two poster prints from Airliners.net. A380 CN001 and CN004.

I was very surprised that both pictures were printed on very nice Fujifilm photo paper. The site has a huge database of high quality plane pics...a lot of the spotter groups are featured on the site. Both of the pics are from the Toulouse-based spotter group French Frogs Airslides.

A Dedication

Note: The pose in this picture is not recommended. In fact no one is allowed to nap inside the jet engine unless he or she has a death wish or was drunk (I actually know someone who once passed out drunk in the afterburner of a Phantom). I am not responsible for any man-strike that might occur upon posting this picture.

Happy Birthday Glenn!

I drew this portrait of Glenn Gould with blueberry juice (it came in a can with the blueberry muffin mix my mother gave me when I was a sophomore in college) about four years ago. Never released it online before. My mom has the original painting, since it was a birthday present for her.

Ah Glenn, if you were born 50 years later, and still alive, I would ask you out on a date. But I was told to avoid insane artists, and being a former music major, I am inclined to agree. But happy birthday anyway, from a long time fan.

Planespotting - 12 September 2006

I would love to see the Florida Highway Patrol to chase down a DC-9...

Airbus vs Boeing: A Rant

I give up. I really do. This is a hopeless debate.

I've been to a lot of aviation forums, and each and every time someone has to troll or flamebait (usually from the United States, and not an engineer in any way shape or form) this rather silly topic. It reminds me of the whole Apple vs Microsoft debate from people who are exclusively not engineers and do not work for either company.

The most reasonable answer given to me as to why one would choose one aircraft manufacturer over the other was by a fellow planespotter who answered simply that Boeing planes are more fun to fly on simulation. No mention of politics, inferiority, or even ugliness...just the fact that there are slightly more interesting things to do when flying a Boeing plane. And that, my friend, is the most logical answer I've ever received on this stupid debate.

Inferior Metal Birds

In the business of commercial aircraft, you simply CANNOT have a reputation for producing anything "inferior". Any business person will tell you that if you want a lucrative venture, do NOT go into commercial aircraft. Why? Because commercial aircraft manufacturers are almost perpetually in debt. Airlines, for example, is one of the most difficult business to manage. Air travel is dependent on customer's confidence and trust, and such is vital to the well being of the industry, even more so than any other venture.

Part of that trust is the understanding that the aircraft carrying passengers traveling 35,000+ feet in the air and with speeds at up to 0.86 Mach cruising, will arrive safely and quickly to their respective destination. Such a goal requires high quality aircrafts. Once an aircraft manufacturer developed a slight negative reputation, the company is almost certainly done for, whether the rumors are true or not.

Government Subsidies

Developing a commercial aircraft is an expensive process. One can expect to spend up to ten years developing a prototype. A PROTOTYPE. Not even a production model. Who is going to front the money to support all the workers that help develop the prototype all the way up until the delivery? And if the prototype fails? For a ten year project, you can expect loss of millions, even billions of US dollars. And this is prototype failure, not even production loss. At this level we can expect the company to go under, to be bought out, to "merge" with other companies, to be saved by the government with little to no interest debt. Both Airbus and Boeing have been rescued many times by their respective governments. Because that is what government will do for defense companies. Yes, they are both defense contractors. Don't let anyone fool you, the U.S. government made many concessions to save defense companies. I currently work for one such company, recently merged and even more recently saved after the loss of two large contracts. It is a regular process. The question of government subsidies to either company should not even have been a point of contention.

Good Competition

In all honesty, the U.S. military is happy to see that Boeing has an equal competitor. Currently in consideration for US Air Force's purchase of tankers, are Airbus A330s versus the Boeing 767s. Competition breeds better aircrafts, and also forces competitors to lower prices. Several engineers over where I work mentioned that there is no question to the high quality of Airbus planes, material wise and aerodynamic efficiency. The only possible gripe is the difference in philosophy for avionics that the respective aircraft companies have. Boeing believes that pilot should override the computer. Airbus believes otherwise. Which is better is all dependent on your personal preference.

Planespotting...at last

I haven't planespotted in a while because Orlando has been too hot, and I have a feeling my car needs some maintenance before another long trip. On this particular venture, I actually had a mild heat stroke and a painful sunburn on my left arm and shoulder. That's what I get for driving in a car without air conditioning, and no tint on the windows in the middle of the day. But it's all done out of love, I swear! :D

On my way to a small not-so-secret hideout I found on Google Earth, I encountered a place where public school buses are stored/leased.

Sunny Sky?

Florida weather is awesome. I meant that with a hint of sarcasm. When the forecast says scattered showers, they literally mean half of you will be wet and the other half will be dry. Let me demonstrate this in two pictures, both taken from the same spot:
First, look to your left...
...then to your right...

The SAME AirTran DC-9

Probably not, but I think I hit the AirTran route spot, because pretty much all the planes that came by were AirTran. Again, apology for the crappy resolution. No new camera yet. I saw a really pretty Southwest Airline livery on a 737, but unfortunately didn't get a picture of it.

*sigh* Maybe Next Time...

I will:

• Have a better camera
• Find the sites quicker (I spent over 6 USD on the toll booths because I kept making U-turns by missing exits)
• Arrive early in the morning, when it is cooler and there are more cargo jets flying around (cargo jets can have some really interesting liveries)
• Get a VHF scanner of some sort so I can listen to the MCO control towers
• HAVE A BETTER CAMERA

Here's to the next trip, and hopefully I get to meet other spotters on McCoy Road.

Atlantis Launch

Upon discovering that Atlantis launch schedule was delayed to Saturday, I asked a few people if they wanted to go see the launch with me near the beach. I've never seen a space shuttle launch, and was a bit crestfallen when I found out that one must buy a ticket in advance to watch the launch at Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately as a NG employee, it would be difficult to go and watch the launch, especially when faced with potential unexpected delays.

Chris decided that he would go and watch the launch with me, and initially we were going to head to Cocoa Beach. But I ended up waking up at 9 AM (I spent an hour talking to my mother on the phone in the previous evening, and didn't sleep until almost 2 AM), and the closest we could drive to was the Patrick Air Force Base.

There was a crowd of people standing on the beach, with their views toward the launch pad, just a faintly white and grey monolith in the middle of the ocean.

When the shuttle launched (and it had launched 5 min earlier than its target time), it tore through the sky, disappearing into clouds and reappearing in the sky. A bright flare can be seen even in so many miles away.

Initial ascent, piercing the clouds

Initial ascent...clear sky all the way

After two minutes into the launch, the solid rocket boosters separated from the shuttle and the external tank. In my mind I was exceedingly nervous...please, please let the separation be successful. NASA is already at the end of its tethers. One more mistake, and the whole space program could be scrapped for at least another decade.

Initial separation of SRBs

Ejection!!!

SRBs fall back into the ocean, awaiting retrieval

What a beautiful sight, the researchers slowly (relatively speaking) made their way into orbit over 200 miles above us. They will be installing some solar panels on the International Space Station to increase its power capacity. I wish the astronauts safe trip to the ISS, and safe return to earth.

Sky Log

*sigh*
It's gonna be a while before I can get the Lumix DMC LX-2. I'm hoping I can get it sometime the end of September, when I feel more comfortable about my budget. Meanwhile, I will continue to produce low-res photos, the stuff of photographer's nightmare.

iAnnoyance Challenge

A competition by Insanely Mac to make some of the Mac UIs "less" annoying. Ends in 8 September 2006 (this Friday), with a 500 USD prize. Click here for more details.