Author Archive for Rick
Yesterday I flew a sim with the NVG HUD system. The system is fairly primitive in that it is essentially a bolt-on addition to the already heavy ANVIS-6 night vision goggles. There is plenty of symbology to display on the eyepiece; too much, in my opinion. And the information scheme doesn’t really match the analog cockpit layout so I couldn’t figure out where the “important” numbers were. I prefer to just look under the goggles at my trusty ol’ steam gauges. Plus I save myself the extra 1.5 pounds pulling down on my head.
Well, I’ve officially changed airframes. Seahawk driver is now a Blackhawk driver. Check ride complete, somewhat anticlimactically. My career goals in this aircraft are to complete a flight with four external tanks loaded and strap on a pair of skis. Living in Arizona, I think the skis might take awhile.
The other day I flew right over the tornadic aftermath in Enterprise, Alabama. Later in the week I drove through a neighborhood in the same area. The destruction is unbelievable. It looks as though bulldozers just pushed everything flat. The high school where eight students were killed looks like a bomb exploded on the campus. Blue tarps serving as temporary roofs dot the landscape for miles. Makes me glad to live in a disaster-free state.
Holy crap. I was attempting to study the intricacies of the Blackhawk hydraulic leak detection and isolation system while the BOS-NYY game droned in the background. But then…Manny hammers one into the streets outside Fenway and the next three batters follow suit. Four home runs in a row. Nothing like The Nation taking it to The Evil Empire.
The Blue Angels lost one of their own in a mishap this weekend. I’ve always been awed by their performances, especially the tight formations. Unlike their North American counterparts, the Thunderbirds and the Snowbirds, the Blues’ signature move is close form. Really close form. Form so close that you could stand up in the seat and touch the other aircraft. Form so close that they can, and do, swap paint during flight. And that is why it looks so amazing from the ground. Fair winds and following seas, #6.
The aviator’s verse from the Navy Hymn:
Eternal Father, lend Thy grace
To those with wings who fly thro‘ space,
Thro wind and storm, thro‘ sun and rain,
Oh bring them safely home again.
Oh Father, hear an humble prayer,
For those in peril in the air! Amen.
Now that I am a safety-officer-to-be, I thought I would dig up some of my safety related memorabilia. The below is my first (but not only, hopefully) published aviation writing. Reprinted from the December 2001 issue of the Naval Safety Center’s monthly magazine, Approach. Please pardon the Navy jargon, but enjoy.
(Almost) Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Primary
by Lt. Richard Klauer
Why kids shouldn’t play first person shooters. Seven years ago the APA studied what the world felt this week.
I love to read. Always have. In a sort of nerd Le Mans, I tried to read 20,000 pages of books during a high school summer vacation. That’s fifty 400-pagers in ninety days. I fell well short of that mark. But still I’m rarely without a book on my bedside table. Here are my observations.
Recent completions
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer - Weird LDS hystery (that’s a historical mystery…I just made that up.) Krakauer wrote one of my favorite book of all time, Into the Wild.
The Night Stalkers by Michael J. Durant and Steven Hartov - A string of helicopter adventures. Good, not great.
The know it all by AJ Jacobs - Man reads encyclopedia and writes about it. Creative, if nothing else.
The Google Story by David Vise - Thought it would be as good as The Perfect Store. It wasn’t.
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson - In work currently. Already an outstanding find.
Heart of the Storm by Edward L. Fleming - See The Night Stalkers above.
Cocaine by Dominic Streatfeild - The definitive book on coke. Tedious at times, but overall a nice heady high.
I like to read non-fiction, only because sometimes the truth is truly stranger. And secretly I have wondered how reading as an adult is any more intellectually stimulating than a PBS special. Here’s why.
Amazon has some great recommendations, especially listmania. But once I find my book, it’s off to the Phoenix Public Library. Free books at the click of a button. Lavar Burton would be so proud.
We wanted out of our Verizon Wireless contract, and there has never been a better time to exit. The Consumerist has a script that will lead you to freedom. I can attest that this works like a charm. After eighteen minutes, our accounts were cancelled without penalty, saving us $350 in early termination fees. Can you hear me now?
I think Verizon has great coverage, but our 15 minutes per month of “I’m on my way home now, do you need anything at the store?” calls weren’t worth $80. Virgin Mobile, here we come.