Although my experimental airplane project is still moving slow, most of the parts are now ready to be put together this winter. The assembly process requires me to fit an engine mount to the fuselage, therefore I need to select a powerplant for that to happen. I had thought the U.S. dollar would strengthen against the Australian dollar so that I could import a new Jabiru 3300, but that hasn’t happened; instead, this past week, I purchased a 4 cylinder Aerovee 2180cc engine for my Sonex project. It has an early serial number, so I will have an engine expert look things over.
If you are married and enjoy a little ill-placed humor, you’ll enjoy this Toyota RAV 4 commercial below. If you don’t laugh at it … I’m sure you’ll at least smile? Actually I don’t know how long it has been out although I noticed it was posted to YouTube in 2006, but I never noticed it on television. It most likely caught my interest over at Autoblog only because my wife drives a RAV 4 … which she continues to brag ‘optimistically’ about. She has had a positive experience with ti as its a well used 1997 model at about 200,000 miles. About the only thing mechanically wrong is that it uses oil, which is particularly noticeable on startup. Don’t get me started on the cosmetic list since it would be easy to mention was doesn’t need to be repaired or replaced!
My EAA chapter (www.eaa284.org) met at Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio today (AirNav) to see a vintage World War II Boeing B-17 G restoration project, or should I say ‘creation’ project. (many if not most parts are being manufactured onsite or locally) The project is sponsored by the Tech II Inc company and the many volunteers contributing time and money.
Jack Bailey and Dave Burdick (Project Manager) were extremely cordial, as were the volunteers working diligently on parts. The project is daunting considering the shear size of the B-17 Flying Fortress. Our admiration and appreciation go out to those devoting the tens of thousands of hours to reconstruct this part of aviation history.
In nail-biter fashion, #17 ranked Kentucky beat #1 ranked LSU on Saturday in some of the most intense college football I’ve seen in a long time. The game went into triple overtime and ended with each player giving their all and then some. It was quite the intense game.
Since I regularly comment about using my Palm Treo 700p, I couldn’t help but to include an interview photo with someone using their Treo to document the action. I’m not sure the video would be worth sharing, but its great to see the technology being used. I’m looking forward to the next generation that will sport improved resolution, better optics and image stabilization. (it would be nice to have some improvement in the audio too)
The framing crew has been moving along quickly as the back porch project starts to take shape. Like most building projects, framing is an exciting part as one get a feel for the size and feel of the space. I’m looking forward to getting the stone in place and the artist/stone layer working on the fireplace. Hopefully we’ll keep the pace moving so we can yet have a fire and enjoy the back porch before winter settles in.
I wanted to write a bit more this week while I was out of town, but instead will just include a photo that I thought was interesting. I saw a BMW motorcycle on a trailer with a message on the pick up truck window insinuating either buyer’s remorse, suffering a breakdown, or frustration with getting it serviced. Whichever it was, its not the best marketing for the BMW line of motorcycles.
Although I personally would be hard pressed to give up the large battery capacity (2400mAh) of my aging Palm Treo 700p, the new Centro being introduced by Sprint this month is looking pretty attractive. The new smart phone is considerably smaller than my 700p and the current antenna-less full featured 755p version (on the right above). In my ‘changed‘ opinion, the Sprint based Palm Centro offers a considerable amount of phone for $99.00 … plus the contract requirement through Sprint. Many of the Palm ‘smartphone’ competitive features are still part of the Centro such as the easy to use Palm OS, full QWERTY keys and touchscreen screen. The Centro also comes with a hidden stylus, although like their sibling Treos, will probably be rarely used?
As with my Treo 700p, one of the most appreciated features is the expandable memory by use of the SD, or in case of the 755p and Centro, the micro SD slot. With the low cost of extra cards, its a great way to carry extra data with you, be it movies, mp3 music or podcasts, photos or programs. Recently I’ve dedicated my SD slot to the Tom Tom GPS Navigator software along with the Palm bluetooth GPS receiver. It really works well.
Still, the reason I appreciate the Treo (and recommend the Palm based Centro) is for its ability to have ‘data’ at your fingertips. The Palm OS doesn’t come with the greatest ‘Contact’ manager, but it works well for me; its the most used software component on my phone. Second would be the ‘Calendar’ and function to trigger date and time based appointments and alarm triggers. SMS works well and is great for passing messages to and from the office or family. Personally I don’t use my phone for email very much, its just not easy to read, reply and archive important messages on my phone. The list could go on to include the other gadgets that I’ve mention in prior posts … whether its the camera phone, video phone or watching TV using Slingplayer software.
If you have been wanting to tip toe away from ‘just a cellphone,’ you might want to try a Palm Centro. I’m thinking about upgrading my wife’s Treo 600 (old) with this new phone … and have almost talked my daughter into it. (after adding pTunes software and a micro SD card for MP3s, it would be a great for listening to music)
I’ve mentioned the HGTV program Living With Ed a couple of times before (2006 & 2007 links) and enjoy the humorous way the host Ed Begley and his wife Rachelle discuss ‘greening’ our homes. From the simple process in replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs to adding off the grid solar power, the program has interesting ideas for all of us.
This week, Ed visited with Sharon Lawrence at her 1950s mountain home that is being updated with a soybean based ‘bio’ foam insulation. The spray on foam looks to be an appropriate replacement for petroleum based foams, but I’m still not sure I’m comfortable with trapping moisture against wood surfaces? (clip no longer available)
Cessna, the best selling and most flown airplane in the world will be offering a Thielert turbo diesel engine option in it Skyhawk 172S airplane in mid- 2008. The Thielert Centurion 2.0 liter turbocharged 185 horsepower in-line 4 cylinder diesel will be certified to operate on Jet-A fuel and offer the efficiency and long term reliability of a diesel engine. The idea of lower fuel burn, economy and reliability has been a dream of many diesel admiring pilots for years and with the clout of a Cessna Aircraft will give diesel a great opportunity to eventually be standard fare for all of us who like to fly. (the diesel in the 172S offers 27% improvement in fuel economy over the ‘old-school’ Lycoming AVGAS engine engine | est. 6-7 gph cruise)
Since my son and I had the privilege of visiting and learning about cars from a fellow who owns several Porsche 911s this past weekend, I thought I would include a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Car YouTube video clip in today’s post … its wickedly fast! For us, besides just admiring the collection, we had the opportunity to take one of the 911 Carrera Cabriolets out for a drive, something we didn’t get to do at Mid-Ohio earlier this year. The 964 model was in near original condition just like all of his cars as he tempted me by indicating it was for sale. Gulp. It was impressive, but not as powerful as I expected. (FYI, I didn’t drive the Turbo S) Whether or not I eventually ow a Porsche 911 (a car I’ve always wanted), it was fun to see them.
Although my experimental airplane project is still moving slow, most of the parts are now ready to be put together this winter. The assembly process requires me to fit an engine mount to the fuselage, therefore I need to select a powerplant for that to happen. I had thought the U.S. dollar would strengthen against the Australian dollar so that I could import a new Jabiru 3300, but that hasn’t happened; instead, this past week, I purchased a 4 cylinder Aerovee 2180cc engine for my Sonex project. It has an early serial number, so I will have an engine expert look things over. 
My EAA chapter (
Since I regularly comment about using my Palm Treo 700p, I couldn’t help but to include an interview photo with someone using their Treo to document the action. I’m not sure the video would be worth sharing, but its great to see the technology being used. I’m looking forward to the next generation that will sport improved resolution, better optics and image stabilization. (it would be nice to have some improvement in the audio too)
I wanted to write a bit more this week while I was out of town, but instead will just include a photo that I thought was interesting. I saw a BMW motorcycle on a trailer with a message on the pick up truck window insinuating either buyer’s remorse, suffering a breakdown, or frustration with getting it serviced. Whichever it was, its not the best marketing for the 
I’ve mentioned the
Since my son and I had the privilege of visiting and learning about cars from a fellow who owns several