Sun N Fun - Highs and Lows

[Jay Honeck]

For those who don't wish to read the narrative, here's an abbreviated
assessment of SNF 2004:

High Points of SNF
*******************************
- The first 1000 pilots received a cool "I flew into Sun N Fun 2004" hat.
It even fits my fat head!

- The food at Sun N Fun is terrific. Margaritaville -- a tent/restaurant
set up to mimic Jimmy Buffet's Caribbean lifestyle -- is the best place to
hang out. They make a wonderful "Rum Slushy" that makes sleeping on the
ground MUCH nicer! :-)

- We got to meet Bob & Linda Morgan, of Memphis Belle fame, in person --
great folks! They donated yet MORE stuff for our Memphis Belle Suite.

- We met Bob Moore, retired Pan Am pilot and newsgroup participant, in
person. Bob was kind enough to give us a disk with some Pan Am posters and
pictures on it -- thanks, Bob!

- The Jimmy Buffet imitators were VERY good. The music was great!

- The fresh strawberry malts at SNF are to die for...

- The new Adamjet is VERY cool...although I'll never get to fly one.

- The new Extra 500 is slick... Ditto above.

- Piper's new Avidyne glass panels, combined with the Garmin center stack,
is too cool. I like it better than the G1000, simply because everything
isn't combined into a single point of failure.

- The FAA was demonstrating their new uploaded live radar pictures. This
service is now available up and down the entire Eastern seaboard of the US,
and simply uploads whatever radar image is being depicted on ATC's radar, in
real-time, to your airplane. On the Apollo MFD they were using, it clearly
showed every airplane flying into SNF, and could overlay weather, etc.
When this thing goes nationwide it will render on-board radar obsolete, and
will really bring GA into the 21st century.

- The corn roast in the camping area is the best deal on the grounds. For
three bucks you get two ears, and it's like tasting August in April.

- The Goodyear blimp's nightly performance was fun. Every time I see that
thing, they've added another thousand lights!

- There is a SNF vendor serving fresh-baked cinnamon rolls every bit as good
as Cinnabon. Breakfast -- usually so bleak at OSH -- is a real treat at
SNF.

- Cell phone weather! I can't believe I had to go all the way to Florida
to find out that I can get pilot's weather on my Verizon cellphone for just
$9.95 per month! It has live, animated weather radar, METARs, TAFs, weather
maps -- everything you need, and all on your cell phone! I signed up for
it immediately, and am already using it all the time.

- We finally met Bob & Linda Morgan! They were at their booth, selling
Memphis Belle paraphernalia, when we stumbled upon them. We have emailed
back and forth dozens of times since opening our "Memphis Belle Suite" --
but we've never had the chance to meet them in person. When they found out
who we were, it was like "old home week", and we took a bunch of pictures
and Bob signed the kids hats. When we were leaving, Linda handed us a bunch
more stuff for the suite, all gratis. Wonderful folks!

- I found the Davtron digital clock I've been looking for at Sarasota
Avionics -- for under list price! Woo-hoo!

- The cool temperatures made walking all day much easier.

- SNF has set up a small Nature Trail board walk, with displays of Florida
fauna and flora. It's a real nice change of pace from the roar and
spectacle of the air show.

- There is a playground at SNF for the kids to play on! This turned out to
be a great break from the action for the kids.

- This was our first long trip on our new seats, and, wow -- what a
difference! Last year we just about died of "sore-butt," while this year
we were absolutely comfortable after spending 13 hours in the plane. New
seats are worth every penny they cost.

- This was our first long trip with the Lightspeed Twenty 3Gs, and they were
marvelous. Comfortable, quiet, with bass and treble boost for the CD
player. A real treat to wear, even after so many hours.

- On the way home we were in the middle of no where, talking to Huntsville
approach, when they called out "traffic, 9 o'clock, your altitude,
converging..." Looking around we saw nothing, but ATC went on to say that
"the computer shows your targets merging in 2.5 minutes" (which I thought
was pretty neat!) -- so we kept looking. At last I spotted a small dot on
the horizon, ever so slowly moving our way. Through the binoculars I could
see that it was an older Mooney, and that we were just a smidge faster than
he was. It was cool to be in a fixed-gear Cherokee 235, and be told by ATC
that the Mooney was "no factor -- you're pulling away from him..." (Of
course, he's burning 10 gph to my 15, but still... :-)


Low Points of SNF
*******************************
- The Number One low-point of SNF was the seaplane base -- or rather, our
inability to see it. After searching for some time we finally found the
bus loading area to take us to the seaplane base. The OSH "splash-in" is
always a favorite place for the kids, so we were determined to find it this
year at SNF -- even though they seemingly did their best to make it hard to
find. After waiting 35 minutes for a bus that runs without a schedule, the
driver finally pulled up and off-loaded -- only to haughtily announce that
she had "worked five hours straight and was *required* to take a break" She
then slammed the door in our faces, and drove away. Shaking our heads in
disbelief, we (and dozens of others) walked away -- and never did get to the
seaplane base.

- Arrival rules at LAL are very lax, by comparison to OSH. At OSH, if
you're not on downwind at 8 PM, you are NOT allowed to land -- period. And
no one can leave or arrive until 7 AM the next morning. This rule makes for
a wonderful camping experience. At SNF, on the other hand, airplanes were
arriving until well after dark, and were allowed to leave as early as 5:30
AM. Being camped in a tent off the end of the runway, this is not a good
thing.

- Car campers at LAL are actually given preferential position over fly-in
campers. This is perhaps unavoidable, due to the design of the airport, but
it's very odd indeed to have drive-in campers closer to the flight-line than
pilots are.

- Expensive food! Although the food selection is great, the prices are
absurd.

- Camp store rip off. Last year the camp store was run by some non-profit
organization, was well-stocked and fairly priced. This year it was run by
"Cheech and Chong" (even my kids were joking at how stoned they were!), and
the shelves were virtually bare. Worse, the only beer they sold was
Budweiser -- for FIFTEEN DOLLARS a 6-pack!

- Golf card mayhem. Last year we coined the term "IIGICs" (Idiots In Golf
Carts) to describe the hundreds of golf carts that tried to run us over
every day. This year they have added some "golf cart only" trails that
helped some -- but not enough.

- 28 degrees in Florida? Snow in Nashville? 'Nuff said.

- Gas lines. At OSH, you put a card on your prop, and the gas truck comes
to fill you up. In Lakeland, the gas trucks don't come to you -- you must
come to THEM. This, of course, makes for a terrible traffic jam, and is
totally illogical and inefficient. The driver told me it was because
"campers had open fires out there" which made fueling unsafe -- but last
year they told me it was because the ground was too soft.

- When it comes to vendors, it ain't OSH. I was not able to find any seat
belts for my plane at SNF. I was also not able to find anyone selling or
displaying the Boom Beam. And we found very little artwork for the hotel
while we were there. The selection just isn't what you get at "the Big
One."

All in all, it was a wonderful, grand adventure. Sun N Fun is a terrific
way to end the monotony of winter, and we all had a great time. The trick
with a journey of this length is to be flexible and roll with the punches,
cuz Spam Can travel in early spring just ain't all that reliable.

Ironically, we came home to temperatures in the 80s, with high humidity --
must like Florida!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"



--
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Peter Gottlieb]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:sYOgc.17346$hw5.22224@attbi_s53...
>
> - The FAA was demonstrating their new uploaded live radar pictures. This
> service is now available up and down the entire Eastern seaboard of the
US,
> and simply uploads whatever radar image is being depicted on ATC's radar,
in
> real-time, to your airplane. On the Apollo MFD they were using, it
clearly
> showed every airplane flying into SNF, and could overlay weather, etc.
> When this thing goes nationwide it will render on-board radar obsolete,
and
> will really bring GA into the 21st century.
>

Does anyone have a link to tech details on this? I'd love to build a
prototype.

[Peter R.]

Jay Honeck ) wrote:

> - The FAA was demonstrating their new uploaded live radar pictures. This
> service is now available up and down the entire Eastern seaboard of the US,
> and simply uploads whatever radar image is being depicted on ATC's radar, in
> real-time, to your airplane.
<snip>

I assume that this requires a mode-S transponder, correct? How did the
radar image look?

--
Peter

[Jay Honeck]

> I assume that this requires a mode-S transponder, correct? How did the
> radar image look?

Nope -- this is entirely separate from the Mode-S system. It is a data
uplink that simply reproduces center's radar in real time, on your MFD. It
is awesome, and looks just like the radar you see in a tower tour.

Garmin is making the box that does the magic, and the FAA is building the
ground stations. I picked up some literature on it, but can't find it in
the "unpacking mess" that always follows a trip of this nature.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Maule Driver]

Which service is this one Jay?

"Jay Honeck" > >
> - Cell phone weather! I can't believe I had to go all the way to Florida
> to find out that I can get pilot's weather on my Verizon cellphone for
just
> $9.95 per month! It has live, animated weather radar, METARs, TAFs,
weather
> maps -- everything you need, and all on your cell phone! I signed up
for
> it immediately, and am already using it all the time.
>

[Jay Honeck]

> Which service is this one Jay?

It's called "Pilot My-Cast" -- and it's very, very cool.

Streaming weather radar, TAFs, METARs, winds, local conditions -- all for
viewing on my cell phone. Who would ever believe it?

And for ten bucks a month!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Masino]

Jay Honeck > wrote:
> It's called "Pilot My-Cast" -- and it's very, very cool.
> Streaming weather radar, TAFs, METARs, winds, local conditions -- all for
> viewing on my cell phone. Who would ever believe it?
> And for ten bucks a month!

Jay,

Do us a favor and look at this one that Avweb is advertising, and let us
know if it's better/worse/similar to the one you have...
http://wx.rampage.net/avweb.php

It's only $5.00 a month if you pay for the entire year at once.

--- Jay


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

[Ben Jackson]

In article <BJYgc.19640$hw5.27250@attbi_s53>,
Jay Honeck > wrote:
>It's called "Pilot My-Cast" -- and it's very, very cool.

Looks like it requires a GSM phone... I've been resisting since my old
TDMA/AMPS phone has much better coverage.

Can anyone recommend a phone with network/data capabilities that has
good obscure airport coverage?

--
Ben Jackson
>
http://www.ben.com/

[Jay Honeck]

> Do us a favor and look at this one that Avweb is advertising, and let us
> know if it's better/worse/similar to the one you have...
> http://wx.rampage.net/avweb.php
>
> It's only $5.00 a month if you pay for the entire year at once.

It's very similar in many ways. The maps look a bit sharper -- but, of
course, I'm not looking at them on my dinky little cell phone screen.

I'd say go for it -- it's half as much as Pilot My-Cast, and seems to
present the same data.

I just may switch, if you try it and report that it works well. So far
Pilot My-Cast has been flawless, but I can cancel at any time.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Michelle P]

Jay,
If you did not like the way they did things then let them know. If you
liked they way they did some let them know as well.
You can find contact addresses on the web site...
This is a mostly volunteer run event. I was paid nothing for my 12 hours
of work over three days.

Michelle

Jay Honeck wrote:

>F
>Low Points of SNF
>*******************************
>- The Number One low-point of SNF was the seaplane base -- or rather, our
>inability to see it. After searching for some time we finally found the
>bus loading area to take us to the seaplane base. The OSH "splash-in" is
>always a favorite place for the kids, so we were determined to find it this
>year at SNF -- even though they seemingly did their best to make it hard to
>find. After waiting 35 minutes for a bus that runs without a schedule, the
>driver finally pulled up and off-loaded -- only to haughtily announce that
>she had "worked five hours straight and was *required* to take a break" She
>then slammed the door in our faces, and drove away. Shaking our heads in
>disbelief, we (and dozens of others) walked away -- and never did get to the
>seaplane base.
>
>
>
>- Camp store rip off. Last year the camp store was run by some non-profit
>organization, was well-stocked and fairly priced. This year it was run by
>"Cheech and Chong" (even my kids were joking at how stoned they were!), and
>the shelves were virtually bare. Worse, the only beer they sold was
>Budweiser -- for FIFTEEN DOLLARS a 6-pack!
>
>
>- Gas lines. At OSH, you put a card on your prop, and the gas truck comes
>to fill you up. In Lakeland, the gas trucks don't come to you -- you must
>come to THEM. This, of course, makes for a terrible traffic jam, and is
>totally illogical and inefficient. The driver told me it was because
>"campers had open fires out there" which made fueling unsafe -- but last
>year they told me it was because the ground was too soft.
>
>!
>
>

--

Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity

[Jay Masino]

Jay Honeck > wrote:
> It's very similar in many ways. The maps look a bit sharper -- but, of
> course, I'm not looking at them on my dinky little cell phone screen.
> I'd say go for it -- it's half as much as Pilot My-Cast, and seems to
> present the same data.
> I just may switch, if you try it and report that it works well. So far
> Pilot My-Cast has been flawless, but I can cancel at any time.

I need a new phone... mine's an "old" monochrome LG VX10. I think I have
another 6-8 months on my Verizon contract before I can get a new one
without a penalty.


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

[Jay Honeck]

> If you did not like the way they did things then let them know. If you
> liked they way they did some let them know as well.
> You can find contact addresses on the web site...
> This is a mostly volunteer run event. I was paid nothing for my 12 hours
> of work over three days.

Our problem was not with the volunteer tram drivers, who were all wonderful.
This problem was with a City of Lakeland bus driver (they apparently just
added a route to the seaplane base for the event), who most assuredly was
being paid -- and she stuck to her union's "5 hours and mandatory break"
schedule to the detriment of the dozens of people who had been waiting in
line.

Too bad. Oh, well -- there's always next year!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"


> >Low Points of SNF
> >*******************************
> >- The Number One low-point of SNF was the seaplane base -- or rather, our
> >inability to see it. After searching for some time we finally found the
> >bus loading area to take us to the seaplane base. The OSH "splash-in" is
> >always a favorite place for the kids, so we were determined to find it
this
> >year at SNF -- even though they seemingly did their best to make it hard
to
> >find. After waiting 35 minutes for a bus that runs without a schedule,
the
> >driver finally pulled up and off-loaded -- only to haughtily announce
that
> >she had "worked five hours straight and was *required* to take a break"
She
> >then slammed the door in our faces, and drove away. Shaking our heads in
> >disbelief, we (and dozens of others) walked away -- and never did get to
the
> >seaplane base.
> >
> >
> >
> >- Camp store rip off. Last year the camp store was run by some
non-profit
> >organization, was well-stocked and fairly priced. This year it was run
by
> >"Cheech and Chong" (even my kids were joking at how stoned they were!),
and
> >the shelves were virtually bare. Worse, the only beer they sold was
> >Budweiser -- for FIFTEEN DOLLARS a 6-pack!
> >
> >
> >- Gas lines. At OSH, you put a card on your prop, and the gas truck
comes
> >to fill you up. In Lakeland, the gas trucks don't come to you -- you
must
> >come to THEM. This, of course, makes for a terrible traffic jam, and is
> >totally illogical and inefficient. The driver told me it was because
> >"campers had open fires out there" which made fueling unsafe -- but last
> >year they told me it was because the ground was too soft.
> >
> >!
> >
> >
>
> --
>
> Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P
>
> "Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)
>
> Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic
>
> Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity
>

[Teacherjh]

>>
[...] and she stuck to her union's "5 hours and mandatory break"
schedule to the detriment of the dozens of people who had been waiting in
line.
<<<

You mean, she obeyed the law?

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

[Toks Desalu]

No pictures?

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:sYOgc.17346$hw5.22224@attbi_s53...
> For those who don't wish to read the narrative, here's an abbreviated
> assessment of SNF 2004:
>
> High Points of SNF
> *******************************
> - The first 1000 pilots received a cool "I flew into Sun N Fun 2004" hat.
> It even fits my fat head!
>
> - The food at Sun N Fun is terrific. Margaritaville -- a tent/restaurant
> set up to mimic Jimmy Buffet's Caribbean lifestyle -- is the best place to
> hang out. They make a wonderful "Rum Slushy" that makes sleeping on the
> ground MUCH nicer! :-)
>
> - We got to meet Bob & Linda Morgan, of Memphis Belle fame, in person --
> great folks! They donated yet MORE stuff for our Memphis Belle Suite.
>
> - We met Bob Moore, retired Pan Am pilot and newsgroup participant, in
> person. Bob was kind enough to give us a disk with some Pan Am posters
and
> pictures on it -- thanks, Bob!
>
> - The Jimmy Buffet imitators were VERY good. The music was great!
>
> - The fresh strawberry malts at SNF are to die for...
>
> - The new Adamjet is VERY cool...although I'll never get to fly one.
>
> - The new Extra 500 is slick... Ditto above.
>
> - Piper's new Avidyne glass panels, combined with the Garmin center stack,
> is too cool. I like it better than the G1000, simply because everything
> isn't combined into a single point of failure.
>
> - The FAA was demonstrating their new uploaded live radar pictures. This
> service is now available up and down the entire Eastern seaboard of the
US,
> and simply uploads whatever radar image is being depicted on ATC's radar,
in
> real-time, to your airplane. On the Apollo MFD they were using, it
clearly
> showed every airplane flying into SNF, and could overlay weather, etc.
> When this thing goes nationwide it will render on-board radar obsolete,
and
> will really bring GA into the 21st century.
>
> - The corn roast in the camping area is the best deal on the grounds. For
> three bucks you get two ears, and it's like tasting August in April.
>
> - The Goodyear blimp's nightly performance was fun. Every time I see
that
> thing, they've added another thousand lights!
>
> - There is a SNF vendor serving fresh-baked cinnamon rolls every bit as
good
> as Cinnabon. Breakfast -- usually so bleak at OSH -- is a real treat at
> SNF.
>
> - Cell phone weather! I can't believe I had to go all the way to Florida
> to find out that I can get pilot's weather on my Verizon cellphone for
just
> $9.95 per month! It has live, animated weather radar, METARs, TAFs,
weather
> maps -- everything you need, and all on your cell phone! I signed up
for
> it immediately, and am already using it all the time.
>
> - We finally met Bob & Linda Morgan! They were at their booth, selling
> Memphis Belle paraphernalia, when we stumbled upon them. We have emailed
> back and forth dozens of times since opening our "Memphis Belle Suite" --
> but we've never had the chance to meet them in person. When they found
out
> who we were, it was like "old home week", and we took a bunch of pictures
> and Bob signed the kids hats. When we were leaving, Linda handed us a
bunch
> more stuff for the suite, all gratis. Wonderful folks!
>
> - I found the Davtron digital clock I've been looking for at Sarasota
> Avionics -- for under list price! Woo-hoo!
>
> - The cool temperatures made walking all day much easier.
>
> - SNF has set up a small Nature Trail board walk, with displays of Florida
> fauna and flora. It's a real nice change of pace from the roar and
> spectacle of the air show.
>
> - There is a playground at SNF for the kids to play on! This turned out
to
> be a great break from the action for the kids.
>
> - This was our first long trip on our new seats, and, wow -- what a
> difference! Last year we just about died of "sore-butt," while this year
> we were absolutely comfortable after spending 13 hours in the plane. New
> seats are worth every penny they cost.
>
> - This was our first long trip with the Lightspeed Twenty 3Gs, and they
were
> marvelous. Comfortable, quiet, with bass and treble boost for the CD
> player. A real treat to wear, even after so many hours.
>
> - On the way home we were in the middle of no where, talking to Huntsville
> approach, when they called out "traffic, 9 o'clock, your altitude,
> converging..." Looking around we saw nothing, but ATC went on to say that
> "the computer shows your targets merging in 2.5 minutes" (which I thought
> was pretty neat!) -- so we kept looking. At last I spotted a small dot
on
> the horizon, ever so slowly moving our way. Through the binoculars I
could
> see that it was an older Mooney, and that we were just a smidge faster
than
> he was. It was cool to be in a fixed-gear Cherokee 235, and be told by
ATC
> that the Mooney was "no factor -- you're pulling away from him..." (Of
> course, he's burning 10 gph to my 15, but still... :-)
>
>
> Low Points of SNF
> *******************************
> - The Number One low-point of SNF was the seaplane base -- or rather, our
> inability to see it. After searching for some time we finally found the
> bus loading area to take us to the seaplane base. The OSH "splash-in" is
> always a favorite place for the kids, so we were determined to find it
this
> year at SNF -- even though they seemingly did their best to make it hard
to
> find. After waiting 35 minutes for a bus that runs without a schedule,
the
> driver finally pulled up and off-loaded -- only to haughtily announce that
> she had "worked five hours straight and was *required* to take a break"
She
> then slammed the door in our faces, and drove away. Shaking our heads in
> disbelief, we (and dozens of others) walked away -- and never did get to
the
> seaplane base.
>
> - Arrival rules at LAL are very lax, by comparison to OSH. At OSH, if
> you're not on downwind at 8 PM, you are NOT allowed to land -- period.
And
> no one can leave or arrive until 7 AM the next morning. This rule makes
for
> a wonderful camping experience. At SNF, on the other hand, airplanes were
> arriving until well after dark, and were allowed to leave as early as 5:30
> AM. Being camped in a tent off the end of the runway, this is not a good
> thing.
>
> - Car campers at LAL are actually given preferential position over fly-in
> campers. This is perhaps unavoidable, due to the design of the airport,
but
> it's very odd indeed to have drive-in campers closer to the flight-line
than
> pilots are.
>
> - Expensive food! Although the food selection is great, the prices are
> absurd.
>
> - Camp store rip off. Last year the camp store was run by some
non-profit
> organization, was well-stocked and fairly priced. This year it was run by
> "Cheech and Chong" (even my kids were joking at how stoned they were!),
and
> the shelves were virtually bare. Worse, the only beer they sold was
> Budweiser -- for FIFTEEN DOLLARS a 6-pack!
>
> - Golf card mayhem. Last year we coined the term "IIGICs" (Idiots In Golf
> Carts) to describe the hundreds of golf carts that tried to run us over
> every day. This year they have added some "golf cart only" trails that
> helped some -- but not enough.
>
> - 28 degrees in Florida? Snow in Nashville? 'Nuff said.
>
> - Gas lines. At OSH, you put a card on your prop, and the gas truck comes
> to fill you up. In Lakeland, the gas trucks don't come to you -- you must
> come to THEM. This, of course, makes for a terrible traffic jam, and is
> totally illogical and inefficient. The driver told me it was because
> "campers had open fires out there" which made fueling unsafe -- but last
> year they told me it was because the ground was too soft.
>
> - When it comes to vendors, it ain't OSH. I was not able to find any
seat
> belts for my plane at SNF. I was also not able to find anyone selling or
> displaying the Boom Beam. And we found very little artwork for the hotel
> while we were there. The selection just isn't what you get at "the Big
> One."
>
> All in all, it was a wonderful, grand adventure. Sun N Fun is a terrific
> way to end the monotony of winter, and we all had a great time. The trick
> with a journey of this length is to be flexible and roll with the punches,
> cuz Spam Can travel in early spring just ain't all that reliable.
>
> Ironically, we came home to temperatures in the 80s, with high humidity --
> must like Florida!
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>
>
> --
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>
>

[Friedrich Ostertag]

Hi Jay,

> Our problem was not with the volunteer tram drivers, who were all
> wonderful. This problem was with a City of Lakeland bus driver (they
> apparently just added a route to the seaplane base for the event),
> who most assuredly was being paid -- and she stuck to her union's "5
> hours and mandatory break" schedule to the detriment of the dozens of
> people who had been waiting in line.

I understand your disappointment, but taking breaks for drivers is not
only a "union-question" but also a safety issue. In Europe,
truckdrivers and busdrivers are required by law to take a break after
4,5 hours, and they must not drive more than 10 hours altogether in a
day. For good reason, a lot of disastrous accidents are the result of
overly tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel. I believe there are
also limitations to how long pilots are allowed to fly. Of course, the
bus company should have sent a replacement. Your grudge should be with
them, not the driver, although maybe she could have told you in a
different manner, judging by your post.

Great fun reading your story!

regards,
Friedrich

--
for personal email please remove "entfernen" from my adress

[ET]

(Teacherjh) wrote in
:

>>>
> [...] and she stuck to her union's "5 hours and mandatory break"
> schedule to the detriment of the dozens of people who had been waiting in
> line.
> <<<
>
> You mean, she obeyed the law?
>
> Jose
>

a "union mandate" is not the law.....

But I'm not sure I would want to be in any vehicle with a frazeled driver
that had been driving stop and go traffic for 5 hrs straight....

--
ET >:)


"A common mistake people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete
fools."---- Douglas Adams

[Newps]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:BJYgc.19640$hw5.27250@attbi_s53...
> > Which service is this one Jay?
>
> It's called "Pilot My-Cast" -- and it's very, very cool.
>
> Streaming weather radar, TAFs, METARs, winds, local conditions -- all for
> viewing on my cell phone. Who would ever believe it?
>
> And for ten bucks a month!

I have had that for a year now. It is kind of cool but there are drawbacks.
You only get one METAR/TAF per request. The radar picture isn't that great,
although it does loop for a half hour period. It is really great for VFR
use, especially when you can look at about 40% of the country at a time and
see who is VFR, MVFR, etc.

[EDR]

In article >, Jay Masino
> wrote:

> I need a new phone... mine's an "old" monochrome LG VX10. I think I have
> another 6-8 months on my Verizon contract before I can get a new one
> without a penalty.

Tell them you lost your current phone and want to buy a new one.
Ask about the special. Figure out if they will do what you want.

[Teacherjh]

>> a "union mandate" is not the law.....

A union rule is part of a contract, and has the force of law.

In any case, I find it interesting that Jay so strongly supports unions in
previous posts (IIRC) but has a problem when it inconveniences him in the name
of safety.

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

[Sam]

Michelle P > wrote in message >...
> Jay,
> If you did not like the way they did things then let them know. If you
> liked they way they did some let them know as well.
> You can find contact addresses on the web site...
> This is a mostly volunteer run event. I was paid nothing for my 12 hours
> of work over three days.
>
> Michelle
>

I had a great time Michelle! Thanks for all the great work you and
the other volunteers did.

[Peter Gottlieb]

"ET" > wrote in message
...
> (Teacherjh) wrote in
> :
>
>
> But I'm not sure I would want to be in any vehicle with a frazeled driver
> that had been driving stop and go traffic for 5 hrs straight....
>


Heck, on a bad day getting home from the city by car here can take 5
hours...

[Peter Gottlieb]

"Teacherjh" > wrote in message
...
> >> a "union mandate" is not the law.....
>
> A union rule is part of a contract, and has the force of law.
>
> In any case, I find it interesting that Jay so strongly supports unions in
> previous posts (IIRC) but has a problem when it inconveniences him in the
name
> of safety.

I read it as he objected to the treatment and mis-coordination. If there is
a rule (which may or may not be safety related) that limits work time
without a break, then it is bad planning if there is no relief driver or no
notification to waiting passengers that there will be a very long wait.
Perhaps a fixed schedule would have been better, as he mentioned there is
not one.

[Tom Sixkiller]

"Peter Gottlieb" > wrote in message
. net...
>
> "ET" > wrote in message
> ...
> > (Teacherjh) wrote in
> > :
> >
> >
> > But I'm not sure I would want to be in any vehicle with a frazeled
driver
> > that had been driving stop and go traffic for 5 hrs straight....
> >
>
>
> Heck, on a bad day getting home from the city by car here can take 5
> hours...

Funny how easily time and half payrates can alleviate such fatigue and
safety concerns.

[Jay Honeck]

> Tell them you lost your current phone and want to buy a new one.
> Ask about the special. Figure out if they will do what you want.

Mary has gone through three phones in the last six months (don't ask).
Verizon ALWAYS has "a special" that you can take advantage of...
;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> I read it as he objected to the treatment and mis-coordination. If there
is
> a rule (which may or may not be safety related) that limits work time
> without a break, then it is bad planning if there is no relief driver or
no
> notification to waiting passengers that there will be a very long wait.
> Perhaps a fixed schedule would have been better, as he mentioned there is
> not one.

Precisely -- thanks, Pete.

Sun N Fun, so well organized and coordinated in so many ways, really stepped
in it on the Seaplane Base arrangements.

1. The bus pick-up area was so poorly marked, my family literally wandered
around till we found it by accident.
2. There was no posted schedule to or from the Seaplane Base. The old gate
guard nearby just said "the bus comes by every so often..."
3. If the bus driver needed to take a break, fine. But don't pull up to a
tent full of waiting passengers -- most of whom had been waiting over 30
minutes -- unload, and announce "I've got to take my break" and simply drive
away.

Bottom line: I'll bet they get this right next year. SNF is a class
operation, and everything else there was top-notch.

By the way, Jose, I am most assuredly *not* a "union man." I grew up in
cities that were almost literally run by unions (Racine and Kenosha, WI) and
watched in dismay as they drove all the good-paying factory jobs overseas
with their ludicrous work demands.

Of course, that all happened way back in the late 70s, early 80s -- right
when I was first hitting the labor force. I know it's a different world
now, but I will never forgive those guys for reducing (more like
"eliminating") my early job opportunities through their greed and almost
unfathomable laziness.

And I'll bet you ten bucks those guys are probably STILL sitting at the
bars, bitching about how they were "screwed" by the Japanese...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> I have had that for a year now.

You've used "Pilot My-Cast" for a year, and didn't post anything here?

What kinda guy ARE you, anyway?

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Masino]

Jay Honeck > wrote:
>> Tell them you lost your current phone and want to buy a new one.
>> Ask about the special. Figure out if they will do what you want.
>
> Mary has gone through three phones in the last six months (don't ask).
> Verizon ALWAYS has "a special" that you can take advantage of...

Does she get the insurance? I know that we don't, so I'm not sure that
we can just go in and go for a new special.


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

[EDR]

In article >, Jay Masino
> wrote:

> Jay Honeck > wrote:
> >> Tell them you lost your current phone and want to buy a new one.
> >> Ask about the special. Figure out if they will do what you want.
> >
> > Mary has gone through three phones in the last six months (don't ask).
> > Verizon ALWAYS has "a special" that you can take advantage of...
>
> Does she get the insurance? I know that we don't, so I'm not sure that
> we can just go in and go for a new special.

It doesn't matter. It is a better deal than the insurance (I am
dropping my coverage). It does reset your contract, however (starts a
new one, same plan unless you add features).

[Jay Honeck]

> Does she get the insurance? I know that we don't, so I'm not sure that
> we can just go in and go for a new special.

Nope. :-(

However, Verizon's prices are fluid. You can talk to a sales rep at one
Verizon store, and get an entirely different price for the identical phone
than a different rep just gave you across town.

It's a volatile market, and all the cell phone companies are scrambling for
every nickel. You've just got to be shrewd about negotiating with them,
and you can save yourself a few bucks.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Roger Halstead]

On 21 Apr 2004 11:03:08 GMT, (Jay Masino)
wrote:

>Jay Honeck > wrote:
>>> Tell them you lost your current phone and want to buy a new one.
>>> Ask about the special. Figure out if they will do what you want.
>>
>> Mary has gone through three phones in the last six months (don't ask).
>> Verizon ALWAYS has "a special" that you can take advantage of...
>
>Does she get the insurance? I know that we don't, so I'm not sure that
>we can just go in and go for a new special.

We quit using the insurrance. The only time we could have used it, we
didn't have it. Now there are so many "yah buts" the insurrance
doesn't cover much.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com