Budd-your instincts are not wrong about the current risk to our culture and western civilization way of life….the threat has never been more real to us all. Frightening possibilities.
Bud what amazes me most about you is all of the articles you have written in just Sport Aviation alone, not to mention your interests in other things as well as your past articles. That and being a current flight instructor at such a busy airport. You are the guy who is an inspiration to the rest of us. I thought I was doing pretty good spending several hrs a day for most of January welding on my friends biplane fuselage, along with getting several hrs of flight time here an there due to weather in both my single place and Too place Stardusters. Dave
I too share your worries about criminals and government agents crossing the southern border, but I think all we can do about it personally is to wait and see what happens. We can try to elect politicians who will reinstate the border, but that doesn't help with the folks who have already crossed.
I like the story snippet, and I'm sorry you never got to finish the novel. I'd buy it. I do have one quibble, though - an airliner that's out of fuel isn't likely to burst into flames when it crashes. Bodies and airplane parts flying through the air as it tumbles and breaks apart, but I wouldn't expect a whole lot of fire.
I love your work and you know that, but I gotta admit, that was a hard read. I have enough noises in my head worrying about the health of my family and what the future holds for us without heaping Armageddon on the pile. My motto used to be "keep my head down and keep building (and flying) my airplane", but now, feeling literally and figuratively rudderless, I jump from task to task and plan to plan haphazardly and it leaves me a bit unsettled. So if you don't mind, I think I'll focus on the fact that, back then, you used to misspell "filet mignon". That makes me smile... and we all need as many smiles as we can get.
It was hard to write and was a move on my part to let some of the noises in my own head out. Focusing on our immediate life is the smartest way to drown those noises out.
Well Bud you and I are about the same age, and I two am concerned about getting insurance this coming May, and all I am looking for is Liability only. Like you I got it last year, but who knows.
As for the madness and the world we grew up in, even in the cold war era we had it pretty good and the good old days even back then are starting to look like they really were the good old days.
Most have already posted a lot of my thoughts about what going on these days. Most people still go to work and try to pretend that its some sort of crazy thing that will pass, but most unless they are living under a rock know its otherwise, and have that sick uneasy feeling as to what might happen?
Pick your conspiracy as most any one could happen, and the reason a lot of things like the Chinese illegals that were filmed and interviewed crossing into this country several days ago. The media local or national will not say much at all, about the incredible amount of illegals that have come here non stop over the last three years and from almost every country.
I think the ones from the middle east are probably the real threat and are just waiting for the word kind of like a gigantic 9-11 , but again who knows. My airline buddy and I have been amazed that the wheels haven't fallen off yet and have speculated about such things for the last several yrs. He retired at the end of last yea , but the stories he's told while flying for them doesn't give a person a warm fuzzy feeling about flying the airlines.
I told him the reason I watch the news in the morning and not for long is to find out if the world has ended? And his response was Dave, do you really think they would tell you? So he has a point.
Just like the Sam Bankman -Fried Crypto Ponzi scam dude. Investors were told to keep buying even as the wheels were falling off. and we haven't heard anything at all about him since last year and will he ever go to jail. Kind of like the politicians, how much more of the public's money can they spend or steal...
We each of us has to do the best we can for our friends families and ourselves, as that is really what its all about.
And remember Bud: Some People Are So Poor All They Have Is Money. Dave
I've seen a fair amount of Bankman coverage in the last couple months and it looks as if he's going to spend a fair amount time in the slammer. He deserves it!
Hi Budd: just read the chapter about landing at Kennedy. I was shooting approaches there last month in a 560 XL simulator. Chapter made me think a lot about being more prepared. I am an Eagle Scout and have tried to live my life prepared, but the breakdown of civilization, is a little tougher. I have read your novels and flew with you in your Pitts. Value your perspective on many things. Would like to meet up and fly with you again, our last group of lessons was canceled half way through. All the best Joe Hickey
Ha! Another Eagle Scout. I wonder how many of us are on Thinking Out Loud?
I remember you well, however, if you want to come back out and do some more Pitts thrashing, we'd better plan it soon as there's a 50/50 chance I won't be able to renew my insurance in June. Age! So, come on down!
First off, I think you are a pretty good writer. I read both of your books and thought they were great! As to fear of a Red Dawn coming, I too have the same fear. When covid first hit my family was stocking up extra on what we thought we would need. As fears eased, we used the excess. We are now thinking about restocking again. The world has become a scary place again. After the lessons we learned from Katrina (we pretty much lost everything) we have had a "what if" mentality since. I hope and pray that it never happens. But we are still going to make a few preparations, just in case.
Budd, Our American society is being made fearful by all anger and rumors on the internet. This
rumor is particularly like that. Who was the source and why isn't it widely reported? On the surface it doesn't make sense. Why would the Chinese send men who didn't know how to use firearms? And then to what purpose? Every range that I shoot at requires indentification. A lot of our citizens are Asian and many are also gun enthusiasts like me. I know a number of them.
I based all of my comments about Chinese at the border on film of Chinese immigrants on national TV, including man-on-the-street short interviews with them plus comments from friends who are Border Patrol agents. Ditto for the shooting range stuff but no actual film of them shooting.
Budd-your instincts are not wrong about the current risk to our culture and western civilization way of life….the threat has never been more real to us all. Frightening possibilities.
"Frightening possibilities" is, sadly, probably an understatement.
bd
Bud what amazes me most about you is all of the articles you have written in just Sport Aviation alone, not to mention your interests in other things as well as your past articles. That and being a current flight instructor at such a busy airport. You are the guy who is an inspiration to the rest of us. I thought I was doing pretty good spending several hrs a day for most of January welding on my friends biplane fuselage, along with getting several hrs of flight time here an there due to weather in both my single place and Too place Stardusters. Dave
Thank you. However, you see me that way because I'm older and have had more time to screw around. :-)
bd
I too share your worries about criminals and government agents crossing the southern border, but I think all we can do about it personally is to wait and see what happens. We can try to elect politicians who will reinstate the border, but that doesn't help with the folks who have already crossed.
I like the story snippet, and I'm sorry you never got to finish the novel. I'd buy it. I do have one quibble, though - an airliner that's out of fuel isn't likely to burst into flames when it crashes. Bodies and airplane parts flying through the air as it tumbles and breaks apart, but I wouldn't expect a whole lot of fire.
Good point on the fuel/crash.
bd
I love your work and you know that, but I gotta admit, that was a hard read. I have enough noises in my head worrying about the health of my family and what the future holds for us without heaping Armageddon on the pile. My motto used to be "keep my head down and keep building (and flying) my airplane", but now, feeling literally and figuratively rudderless, I jump from task to task and plan to plan haphazardly and it leaves me a bit unsettled. So if you don't mind, I think I'll focus on the fact that, back then, you used to misspell "filet mignon". That makes me smile... and we all need as many smiles as we can get.
It was hard to write and was a move on my part to let some of the noises in my own head out. Focusing on our immediate life is the smartest way to drown those noises out.
bd
Well Bud you and I are about the same age, and I two am concerned about getting insurance this coming May, and all I am looking for is Liability only. Like you I got it last year, but who knows.
As for the madness and the world we grew up in, even in the cold war era we had it pretty good and the good old days even back then are starting to look like they really were the good old days.
Most have already posted a lot of my thoughts about what going on these days. Most people still go to work and try to pretend that its some sort of crazy thing that will pass, but most unless they are living under a rock know its otherwise, and have that sick uneasy feeling as to what might happen?
Pick your conspiracy as most any one could happen, and the reason a lot of things like the Chinese illegals that were filmed and interviewed crossing into this country several days ago. The media local or national will not say much at all, about the incredible amount of illegals that have come here non stop over the last three years and from almost every country.
I think the ones from the middle east are probably the real threat and are just waiting for the word kind of like a gigantic 9-11 , but again who knows. My airline buddy and I have been amazed that the wheels haven't fallen off yet and have speculated about such things for the last several yrs. He retired at the end of last yea , but the stories he's told while flying for them doesn't give a person a warm fuzzy feeling about flying the airlines.
I told him the reason I watch the news in the morning and not for long is to find out if the world has ended? And his response was Dave, do you really think they would tell you? So he has a point.
Just like the Sam Bankman -Fried Crypto Ponzi scam dude. Investors were told to keep buying even as the wheels were falling off. and we haven't heard anything at all about him since last year and will he ever go to jail. Kind of like the politicians, how much more of the public's money can they spend or steal...
We each of us has to do the best we can for our friends families and ourselves, as that is really what its all about.
And remember Bud: Some People Are So Poor All They Have Is Money. Dave
Unfortunately, you're dead on in all areas.
I've seen a fair amount of Bankman coverage in the last couple months and it looks as if he's going to spend a fair amount time in the slammer. He deserves it!
bd
I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED WHY "THEY" SIMPLY HAVEN'T POISONED OUR RESERVOIRS AND WATER SYSTEMS.
M.LEE WACHS
Don't rush them. They'll get around to it, when they're ready.
bd
Hi Budd: just read the chapter about landing at Kennedy. I was shooting approaches there last month in a 560 XL simulator. Chapter made me think a lot about being more prepared. I am an Eagle Scout and have tried to live my life prepared, but the breakdown of civilization, is a little tougher. I have read your novels and flew with you in your Pitts. Value your perspective on many things. Would like to meet up and fly with you again, our last group of lessons was canceled half way through. All the best Joe Hickey
Ha! Another Eagle Scout. I wonder how many of us are on Thinking Out Loud?
I remember you well, however, if you want to come back out and do some more Pitts thrashing, we'd better plan it soon as there's a 50/50 chance I won't be able to renew my insurance in June. Age! So, come on down!
bd
First off, I think you are a pretty good writer. I read both of your books and thought they were great! As to fear of a Red Dawn coming, I too have the same fear. When covid first hit my family was stocking up extra on what we thought we would need. As fears eased, we used the excess. We are now thinking about restocking again. The world has become a scary place again. After the lessons we learned from Katrina (we pretty much lost everything) we have had a "what if" mentality since. I hope and pray that it never happens. But we are still going to make a few preparations, just in case.
We did the same thing and have to restock. I really wish we could install a natural gas generator but $$ won't allow it.
bd
Budd, Our American society is being made fearful by all anger and rumors on the internet. This
rumor is particularly like that. Who was the source and why isn't it widely reported? On the surface it doesn't make sense. Why would the Chinese send men who didn't know how to use firearms? And then to what purpose? Every range that I shoot at requires indentification. A lot of our citizens are Asian and many are also gun enthusiasts like me. I know a number of them.
I based all of my comments about Chinese at the border on film of Chinese immigrants on national TV, including man-on-the-street short interviews with them plus comments from friends who are Border Patrol agents. Ditto for the shooting range stuff but no actual film of them shooting.
bd
https://www.cbc.ca/news/billionaire-bunkers-doomsday-1.7130152