The FAA has no sense of humor

Hundreds of lives were threatened over the weekend as John Prendergast la-dee-da-ed his way around the sky trying to figure out where on earth Republic Airport in Long Island was, reports The New York Post.

"I don't know what he's doing – he's going everywhere," gasped an air controller as he radioed passenger jets to tell them to steer clear of an "unknown aircraft."

A little bit lost, Prendergast made a few 360-degree turns near Kennedy before he finally figured out where he was supposed to be (not where he was, naturally) – and was guided to the Farmingdale airport by an NYPD chopper sent to get him out of the way, according to the Post.

The 69-year-old retired Navy pilot failed to make radio contact with controllers, which he should have done, after taking off Saturday morning from an airport in Martinsburg, W.VA.

All is well that ends well and you have to feel for the old guy.... but...

Then, to the shock of air traffic controllers, the blundering pilot flew farther north and turned around as if he were going to land with the passenger jets on Kennedy Runway 22L. A Boeing 747 on its way to New York from Atlanta actually flew over Prendergast's small plane at one point and had to abandon its landing, the Post reported.

I had a few rides in and out of JFK on Navy props that were being taken to Air Service located adjacent. The controllers would always yell "Speed up! Speed up!" because the other aircraft had landing speeds about 30 knots or so faster. And that screwed up their whole day.

Then in later years I was with a customer in his old restored SNB Beech when he and a buddy as co-pilot managed to wander into controlled airspace at New Orleans Int'l. Now that takes real talent...

Link

Frozen food, pigs, alligators and health care

Bits and pieces..

Have just frozen 100 ears of "Peaches and Cream" sweet corn and will follow with about 40 quarts of cream style corn for the freezer. That should take us through until next year... "Bread and Butter" pickles are next...The cool weather has destroyed my canning tomatoes so I guess it is to the farmer's market I must go. That man made global warming is hell..

Saw a beautiful white tail doe wandering through the back side of the property yesterday. Thankfully the deer haven't been a problem as I would hate to shoot Bambi's Momma.

But pigs have.



Yeah, that's a Vietnamese Pot Bellied pig rooting at the very edge of the woods that forms a green belt around the house. Like pythons in Florida and alligators in New York city sewers, people take them as pets, lose interest and dump them. They become feral and roam as free as can be. I ran three off two times and was willing to concede the rooting shown. But this one had the bad judgement to discover the garden and Sunday AM ate all my Oriental squash and destroyed some Butternut Squash vines and bell pepper plants.

I donated the meat to a guy I know who will dress him out and eat him. Since he had been castrated and it was a clean shot that put him down on the spot he shouldn't be too gamey. I hope the other two don't come back.

Speaking of alligators, and all the legends of those living in New York sewers, I wonder if the telephone company still has racks and racks of T1 equipment in manholes... And you thought being The Wichita Lineman was a tough gig.

But seriously... Once upon a time I walked back to the storage compartment of a Naval aircraft while on the way back to Norfolk and discovered a potted palm that looked suspiciously like one in the lobby of the Florida hotel we had stayed in the night before. Both the Ordnanceman and the Mechanic swore they had purchased same and I saw no reason to doubt them. However, since I am unsure of the statue of limitations as regards to potted palm theft you may note that I didn't name the city.

We also agreed that the foot long baby alligator they were trying to feed a mouse was a figment of my imagination undoubtedly brought on by my incautious consummation of Cuba Libras the night before at a local bar, restaurant and hang out joint.

Thankfully as I aged my bad habits became less, which was more about hating hangovers than disliking booze. Which was a very good thing since Obamie seems determined to shut down health care for us older citizens. He seems stupidly unaware that as he destroys the social contract that use to exist between generations he is also destroying the culture and the country.

Or perhaps he knows and wants to.

Americans are use to sacrificing their youth for the country's benefit because it is expected that those who survive will be rewarded and recognized as an asset worth keeping.

Obamie's model says you will do all that he considers good, and then you will be denied the care to keep you alive.

Somehow that seems to be eerily similar to radical Muslims dying for the good of Islam.

I wonder where Obamie got the idea?

Abbott and Costello go hyperspace

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?


ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'..............

Hat Tip to Larry P!

Frank Schaeffer calls for shutting down the county in Huffington Post article

It's time for a summer of rage, the kind of thing the French are good at. Where are the burning tractor-loads of dung clogging the streets of Washington? It's time to build a few barricades, hurl a few paving stones and generally shut this country down until our health care system is genuinely reformed and that means that the insurance companies lose and we win. If the Democrats we elected can't do better than to effectively cave to the do-nothing, hate-America Republicans and the sell-your-mother insurance industry who will act?

Huffington Post

There you go. A clear call for violence.

Now, where is our intrepid head of Homeland Security? You know, the ex-Gov of Arizona who is so concerned over our military veterans being terrorists.

I mean, do we have two standards? One for left wing journalists and one for our veterans?

The answer is, of course, yes.