Category Archives: Rants and Raves

Each morning with my coffee I peruse the Austin American-Statesman and a world-wide online news brief sent to me by a friend and fellow ex-military officer. On many occasions, I’m tempted to stop doing that, because in terms of the veritable good-news-bad-news dichotomy, I find far too much of the latter in relation to the former. Call me a pessimist if you will, but in my opinion, optimists today aren’t reading the mail. Twenty years’ experience as a fighter pilot and two combat tours in Vietnam have shaped my opinions about how the United States of America chooses when and … Continue reading →

I just read an article on AVweb about the actions and subsequent words of Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.). I don’t know anything about the man, but I am absolutely convinced that as a pilot his most important role is to serve as the quintessential example of how to act like an idiot both in and out of the cockpit. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) holds pilots accountable for any and all actions taken (or not taken, as the case may be) with regard to exercising the privileges of a pilot certificate. The language is … Continue reading →

On December 7, 1987, a Pacific Southwest Airlines BAe146-200 crashed into the Pacific Ocean near San Luis Obispo, CA. All five crew members and 37 passengers were killed. The cause of the accident was determined to be the unlawful death by gunshot of both pilots at the hands of a uniformed but recently fired airline employee who boarded the aircraft with a pistol. One of the passengers was the employee’s former manager. How did the revenge killer get on board the airplane with a weapon? The answer that time was, “No problem.” When I began my ten-year employment as an … Continue reading →

It will be called a “UCV.” Remember when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supposedly precipitated one of the most outrageous failures in the history of the automobile industry? As the story goes, he loved the Humvee and suggested that General Motors should make a civilian version. I mean, why not? The Jeep rose from military-vehicle roots, and how many of those have been sold over the years? Blissfully ignorant of what the future held in store, GM produced gas-guzzling behemoths capable of traveling off-road and crushing almost any obstacle in their path so that soccer moms and dads could take the kids … Continue reading →

One of the major objectives of terror is to elicit a disproportionate response. From that perspective, the attacks of 9/11 succeeded beyond any terrorist’s wildest dreams. A three-pronged assault on the symbols of American dominance in global economics, politics, and military power as an extension of national will have brought us to this. After nine years of continuous warfare and no realistic end in sight, what have we accomplished? By any measure, America is domestically better protected from attack. That’s the good news. Reporting the bad takes a bit longer because there’s so much of it. At the core of … Continue reading →

In an earlier post titled “Where’s the Water?” I addressed the dichotomy between Austin city government allowing unrestrained growth in the metroplex and requiring mandatory rationing during the summer months. According to an article in the September 30th Austin American-Statesman, this disconnect with reality is a common disease affecting San Antonio and other communities to the south of Austin as well. They have even less water there. And the fact that we all live in a near-desert climate seems to have escaped some folks. Heaven forbid that we manage growth in part based on the availability of the most precious … Continue reading →

This is a follow-up to a previous post in this logbook. Ken Herman’s column in this morning’s AAS responds to reactions from myself and others (probably all pilots) to an earlier column about a fatal airplane crash. Upon reading it this morning, once again I had to address what I believe to be a key misconception that continues to plague his position as expressed in the column. I sent him an email, the text of which follows: “I enjoyed reading your column this morning and appreciate the follow-up on a topic that likely means far more to some of your … Continue reading →

Bob Woodward’s newest book, Obama’s Wars, contains a presidential quote that should make all of us feel a lot better. “We can absorb a terrorist attack. We’ll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever . . . we absorbed it and we are stronger.” Really? Nine years after 9/11 America is in better shape? Whose nation is he talking about? At the risk of plagiarizing an analogy, I’ll borrow from Bob Hebert’s  NYT article under the headline, “Two different worlds.” Hebert describes working in his quiet Manhattan apartment last Thursday when … Continue reading →

No matter what your political persuasion and attitude toward the subject of illegal immigration might be, this is funny. From The  Manitoba  Herald: The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the  past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal  immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus  among left-leaning  citizens who fear they’ll soon be required to hunt,  pray, and to agree with Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck. Canadian border  farmers say it’s not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors,  animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing … Continue reading →