Up, Up and away

[m3a1]

[Horst]

It is good to be back at my second home. Again took a year to come back. I love being here on the Central Coast despite the fact that people are trying to become even more PC than we Germans. Anyway, no politics, I’m enjoying it, specifically that old, formerly OD painted equipment.

B93EBBC1-D213-43BE-954D-2F519D78F5DC.jpeg

182A7A9A-12DA-45DA-89E4-FB4201E66440.jpeg

[rickf]

Did you get to visit you GTO yet? Trying to get all my 151 stuff organized so I can start selling stuff but it was 95 degrees here today!! Did not get a lot done.

[Horst]

GTO runs good. It was me having issues. Taken out of service for one good week with Covid. Not exactly the vacation I was looking for.

[rickf]

Welcome to the USA, Came and visit and get Covid! Hope all is well now.

[Hambone]

Well I thought we were going to a jet, company decided to stay with the turbine prop, they bought a Socata(Daher) TBM 940, it's an upgrade from the 850. My son said it had some cool features like auto throttle, but the coolest feature of this aircraft is the Home Safe button, if something happens to the pilot, just push the button and it will take you to the closest approved airport and land you. I think Piper makes a plane with that feature now. He said he broke his speed record the other day coming back from Ohio with a 130 mph tailwind, 460 mph and 525 on descent.

tbm940-1.jpg

tbm940-2.jpg

tbm940.jpg

[rickf]

Did they even have the last new one for a full year? Must be nice to be able to buy a 4 plus million dollar airplane every year!!!! Must be even better to be the guy that gets to fly them!

[Horst]

Impressive, while I am not a fixed wing guy, this is for sure one on the top of the food chain

[Horst]

my 2023 flying did slow down a bit.

I quit flying as a corporate pilot for a family, was a side job anyway but we went to nice destinations, this for example was Sardinia. Owner family however sucked and I am too old for that

73ef4ed9-df08-4512-b55f-ec4a1145010a.jpg

I did some flying with cameras, both on the A-Star and the EC135:

IMG_3763.jpg

Highlight this year was however getting my instrument rating on the EC135

IMG_3516.jpg

and quite a few simulator sessions on the EC

29AB39CB-05FE-4004-B03C-C830BC1EC611.jpg

[Hambone]

Did they even have the last new one for a full year? Must be nice to be able to buy a 4 plus million dollar airplane every year!!!! Must be even better to be the guy that gets to fly them!

They have deep pockets, my son is loving it, this ol poor country boy can't even imagine, though it is nice to tag along, he's flying to Colorado next month, he will be there 4 days, I'm going to tag along, may even build a snowman.

Horst
That's some cool birds you fly, my son still has dreams of getting his chopper license, technology is crazy these days, those cockpits just blow me away, I never was good at video games.

[rickf]

I just saw a video from Munich and I don't think Horst is flying anywhere for a few days at least. Looks like they got dumped on with a big snowstorm.

[Horst]

Back in Paso Robles…

IMG_4318.jpeg

I bought 2 new batteries for the M49 last year. Unfortunately someone turned the switch to on and now both batteries are dead. Even tried the old trick with an old analogue charger but to no avail.

[rickf]

You picked a crappy time to come to California, from what I hear they are getting all the rain they have not gotten for the last ten years.

[Horst]

Yes, last year I had COVID for most of my time, this year it is all rain.

[rickf]

Next job is to install a hidden cutoff switch in all of your stored vehicles. Why would someone have the switch on unless they wanted to steal or play with it? Of coarse, if they know you are not in the country they have all the time in the world to trace the wires to the switch.