tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76988837268077885442024-03-08T10:05:05.106-05:00Pilot's DiscretionRamielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-88971130565631679022016-02-19T19:04:00.003-05:002016-02-19T19:04:57.000-05:00Zero out<br />
I have been flying for a month now, and I have already learned so much. And I know there are still infinity to go, and I am no longer intimidated by that. <i>I am excited. I am <b>here </b>to learn.</i><br />
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One of the things I have noticed that is almost pretty common to all the crew I have flown with so far, and it is not written in any manual that we use. <b>Clear out the clutter</b>. Each flight a lot of information passes through us, and it can pile up in many flights a day. It is up to us to figure out whether that piece of information is still useful or just taking up space...clutter.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Cranbrook, BC</td></tr>
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So when that time comes, we set it aside, either to a garbage bag that fills up pretty quickly, or I try to put it in the side pocket for recycling later on. Clearing out the clutter helps keep distractions to a minimum and eventually allows us to find and reference required information more quickly.</div>
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At the end of each flight when we are changing aircraft or are done for the day, we do our best to leave the cockpit the way we found it. Lights all dimmed, altitude select to zero, screens off, and FMS cleared out of the information we used. Some even cross the belts and leave the clipboard where we found it, usually in the copilots side pocket. Some people even go the extra step of helping set up frequencies for the next crew. All of this allows for efficient preflight preparation when it is our turn to pick up an aircraft from another crew. </div>
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Not to mention the safety factor of someone else assuming that their partner have already set up something and both crew missing a critical item. Altitude select zeroed for example. All of these are not written any where. It is courtesy to others, so much so that it has become common cockpit etiquette. </div>
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So why am I talking about this? For one, I find it completely amusing, and if anyone is remotely like me especially not exposed to this practice, may find it amusing also. But more so because this can also be applied to life.</div>
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<i>When there are things or (unfortunately) people in our lives we absolutely have no use for anymore, it is time to clear out the clutter, zero out the meter.</i> As I'm writing this, my google chrome browser is doing funky things and so I went to <b>"reset all settings"</b>. Cleared it right up.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walked right to the water in Kelowna, BC</td></tr>
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When we are done with things <i><b>we have to let them go</b>. </i><br />
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<i>Life will then become much clearer, and finding things, your passion, your purpose, yourself...will be that much easier.</i><br />
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Clear your head and reset all settings every now and then. Spend some time to <b>quiet your mind </b>and just listen deep within. Calm the seas and focus on being in that particular moment. Pay it forward. Leave a space the way you found it or the way you want it to be found. </div>
Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-71847006683765158452016-02-05T03:15:00.000-05:002016-02-05T03:16:52.551-05:00Decrease Speed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>ATC: Jazz 122 say speed</b><br />
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<b>With all my might I resisted the urge to say "speed"</b><br />
<b>instead of what I actually said, "190kts, we're operationally limited to that today"</b><br />
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Day 8 of line indoc complete and I am starting to understand the airplane more and more. It's a Dash 8 so it's not overly fast, but it can be quite a challenge slowing it down when you need to slow down. I am learning that, for myself the greatest challenge I still face is knowing when to slow down, getting to know the rhythm of the airplane when it's time for approach and landing. When and by how much to slow down.<br />
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Today made me even more aware of that as we had an operational limitation on our airplane due to an item on the airplane that wasn't available (it was perfectly capable of flying without it) and therefore we had to operate under very specific limitation. <b>Max 190kts.</b><br />
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Now sitting on the bedroom floor I am reminiscing about simpler days, which was actually not that long ago. <i>In almost an instant</i> everything seemed to come rushing down and before I could figure out what was happening, I was busier than a bee.<br />
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Work is keeping me on my toes, moving to a new city to be based out of, and traveling back on my days off to see the people I love. Not just me, everyone else seems to be moving quite quickly with life. Getting engaged or married or pregnant, I am seeing it in every corner of my friendships.<br />
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<b>When did everything become so fast? Faster than 190kts.</b> Faster than what I could fathom at this time. We can't just turn around in life and reverse or even stop dead in our tracks.<br />
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But we can mindfully slow things down. <i>We can be here now.</i><br />
We're not meant to go fast, we were built with legs, not wheels or wings. We have to be able to enjoy ourselves, the people around us, and the universe.<br />
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Take the time to do absolutely nothing. <i>Dolce far niente</i><br />
Slow down your breathing, your walking, your eating. Let a slow and steady pace be the norm.<br />
<b><i>Put a limit to yourself every now and then: 190kts.</i></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gg3n9z5zuJg" width="560"></iframe>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-86642103020710846222016-01-27T01:39:00.001-05:002016-01-27T01:39:43.446-05:00Cascading<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying with the sunrise along the cascade volcanoes of Washington</td></tr>
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I've always believed (or liked to believe) that there is a balance in the universe. You win some and lose some. Things are given or taken away. A constant battle of good things and not-so-good things. But every now and then I am reminded that it doesn't work like that all the time. It may in the grandest scheme of things but individually or specifically it's mostly just <i>random</i>.<br />
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For most people random isn't something really frowned upon, many people actually embrace the idea of spontaneity, something happening that is not directly related from a previous something. I guess I've chosen a career where <i>randomness</i> causes certain uncertainties that may be beyond our control and we are infinitely infuriated by it because as a pilot, I like control, I like certainties, expectations.<br />
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I pull on the control wheel and I expect the airplane to come off the ground.<br />
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The past half year have been nothing short of complete randomness. I became roommates with a friend of mine after jokingly stating in a group chat that we should find a place and live together. Sure enough the next ad I saw was for a 2 bedroom and we end up going for it. I have almost completely given up on finding someone special in the transient place I've called home for 2.5 years and yet almost out of nowhere, she came rushing in like a waterfall and we fell in love faster than I could have ever imagine. Unfortunate series of events led to getting a lay off notice and all of the sudden I was unemployed breaking my record of never having been fired or laid off ever since I started to work.<br />
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Then the biggest curveball came almost instantaneously right after. I then found myself all over the country for a month travelling for the recruitment process, losing my grandmother, and then getting hired at a major regional airline with very positive reputation (a complete 180 from my previous company). 7 weeks of ground and simulator training between Vancouver & Toronto. And here I am in the west coast for the first time in my life trying to settle back down again, in a different (completely different, almost like another country actually) place.<br />
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Uncertainties are life's most certain mysteries that one could always expect to come out of the blue. Might as well embrace randomness.<br />
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I just wonder what comes next....or I should say how soon will <i>what comes next</i> happen?Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-24159272387956534602014-10-12T16:35:00.000-04:002014-10-12T16:36:56.013-04:001000<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />I've finally reached the all and mighty 1000 hours of total flying time! I have learned a ton and gained valuable experience over the past 1000 hours.1000 hours of Seneca, cops, prisoners, dead bodies, fire evacuations, fireworks, fish eggs, boxes, hydro workers, construction folk and equipment, fishermen, locals, executives, lumber, fuel drums....and so on.<br /><br />Cheers to those I've shared the sky with in the last 1000 hours and to the next 1000 and beyond. Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-59934084928971201462013-12-28T23:26:00.001-05:002013-12-28T23:26:27.882-05:00Two nervous flyersDespite the infant stages of my flying career, I have noticed that there are (at least) two different types of nervous flyers.<br />
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They both would rather not go flying but has no other choice, due to their type of work, time constraint, or the remoteness of their destination, but to get inside this flying tube of metal and gasoline. However, I found that one is more pleasant to deal with than the other.<br />
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There's the one that knows their stuff. They know that smaller airplanes are usually more dangerous than the airliners. But they accept it. They work with their fear, so you usually find them asking a lot of questions and yourself answering most or all of those questions to the best of your ability. This is totally fine with me; I actually prefer that they tell me of their nervousness so that I could do my very best to make them as comfortable as I can. They ask about the operation of the emergency exits and actually and genuinely pays attention to your passenger briefing. In flight, they tend to be on the edge of their seat for the takeoff and landing but for cruise they sit quietly or close their eyes with their seat belts fastened. When I have this type of passenger I tend to make my control inputs as smooth as possible. Which is completely fine with me as I dislike turbulence either!<br />
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Then there's the other type. The obnoxious, just-get-me-there-safely-already type of nervous flyer. They make uncomfortable comments about the smallness of the aircraft, or how fast/slow it goes. They make a comment on how young you look despite your actual age (I just shrug this one every time because I'm pretty sure I will forever look like I'm 18). Then once you get inside, they are in a hurry are-we-there-yet-esque type of behaviour. When you give them the passenger briefing, they don't pay attention because in their mind you know nothing and will probably kill them. When you try to make them feel comfortable by showing how to use the doors/emergency exits, they make a stupid comment "I don't wanna know that!". And it just makes you want to smack them in the head and say I don't want you to have to use this information either but I have to give it to you, but you don't, because that's not very professional. When your captain tries to use humour as a tool to calm their nerves, there's a silent sound of crickets in the middle of winter.<br />
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So for me, I'd prefer one over the other but I have to accept their anxieties because it's human nature. And despite their obnoxious comments, I still have the responsibility for their care while we are operating the aircraft they are in. It's my contract and promise to them whenever they step foot in the airplane to make flight safe and comfortable to the best of my abilities. It's still a part of the job description I take pride in and enjoy.Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-70663359925107163222013-12-28T22:17:00.001-05:002013-12-28T22:17:35.780-05:00Some more videosI recently borrowed a friend's GoPro Camera and took some shots and compiled them into a few YouTube videos.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/meHAfis2zqU" width="560"></iframe>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-36174320055949928912013-09-24T15:47:00.002-04:002013-09-24T15:47:36.167-04:00Flying Video<div style="text-align: center;">
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Here is a quick and simple video I mashed up together last night. Footage were taken using my good ol' flipcam camcorder and a gorillapod on the dashboard. It was my cheap version of what I want to eventually upgrade to, a gopro set up. </div>
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So it was a bit shaky but youtube added a bit of video stabilization which now means that the aircraft seems like it was vibrating like crazy when it really wasn't.</div>
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Enjoy.</div>
Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-41743522741095292532013-07-22T13:38:00.002-04:002013-07-22T13:42:55.401-04:00Appreciate the forgettable flightI was reading this article called <a href="http://culturewars.com/2011/Pilots.htm" target="_blank">The Demise of the Airline Pilot</a> and it got me thinking about a couple of things. I understand that the industry is not as glamorous as it used to be, no, not even close. It's a race to the bottom and it's unfortunate to say that we haven't even reached it yet.<br />
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But a couple of lines caught my attention.<br />
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Applause for landings is appreciated in this beleaguered profession but it sometimes underscores the frustrating fact that few appreciate all that goes into making the rest of one’s flight so forgettable.</blockquote>
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It's so true. So much of the flying public applause after a greaser or reaching smooth air after a bumpy ride. No one seems to appreciate the forgettable flights. It takes every bit of the pilot's competency to make the flight seem like a walk in the park. <b>A forgettable flight just like any other. Forgettable flights are the safest, and has the best pilots flying it.</b><br />
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Another, <br />
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While Schiff Senior concludes that he cannot recommend the pilot profession any longer, he conceded that <b><i>“Coping with the challenges of weather, communing with nature in a way only pilots can appreciate, and maneuvering a sophisticated aircraft from one place on Earth to another remains a stimulating and gratifying endeavor. It is the price one must pay to get there that is so discouraging.</i></b></blockquote>
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It's incomparable to anything you've ever experienced. Freedom and responsibility mixture is the greatest, most gratifying feeling. Only pilots with a passion for flying can ever appreciate this nature of this beast. The problem is that getting there, yet still not impossible, has gotten harder and harder to accomplish <i>financially. </i><br />
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<b>I only wish for one thing, every once in a while, for the flying public to truly understand and appreciate what goes into making this profession and passion, our life.</b><br />
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Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-78570036907388887362013-07-22T02:06:00.001-04:002013-07-22T13:44:54.676-04:00Gear...2 greens?Getting called that I needed to prepare the aircraft for immediate -ish departure was somewhat exhilarating. Certainly more so than what I was currently doing at the time. Grooming. Ick I despise that aspect of the job that's for damn sure.<br />
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So I quickly look at the essentials first: hours, deferred and past defects, oil on both engines, tires and do a quick inspection of everything else. </div>
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Everyone else comes through the door and by that time I have changed into my pilot shirt and tie, a real tie not those pretentious clip-on ties. </div>
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*shivers*</div>
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There's four aircraft in total flying North. Fire evacuations have been started and half of our fleet is dispatched. Hurray for some night flying. </div>
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We get there at midnight and after the UNorganized chaos of rushing passengers and designating airplanes for them. We fuel and load up, start up and taxi out. Takeoff and back home we go. </div>
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The most eventful part of the return leg was the fact that I tried to kill all the mosquitoes that checked into our airplane before I get 100 bites in the 2 hours and change of a flight. </div>
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Drop them off and return to base. It's 3:30am by that time and we're all ready to go home.</div>
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Gear down landing checks. I go through the sequence...read the checklist. Gear...NOT 3 green. Great just what we needed; Neither of us said that aloud but I'm sure we were both thinking it. He gave me control and troubleshooted the problem. I orbited on top of the airport at circuit altitude, good thing towers closed now. </div>
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Tried switching bulbs, no joy. </div>
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Tried recycling gear, no luck amigo. </div>
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Tried emergency pump, nothing. </div>
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Gear handle snapback suggests Hydraulic pressure is good. </div>
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Tried pulling g's to lock left main gear to place, still 2 greens. </div>
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Luckily, 3 of the other pilots were still on the ground so we tried our best to do a low pass and check it out. All three agreed that it looks good. </div>
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He takes control back for landing and i get ready on the mixtures and other stuff in case it collapses. Land taxi shutdown normally. Thank geebus. </div>
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Nothing like a gear problem to wake you up at 4am. </div>
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Another day, livin' the dream....</div>
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Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-6858543438889779102013-06-27T18:30:00.001-04:002013-06-27T18:34:58.913-04:00Not too shabbyCurrently hanging out at the hydro shack for the day. Shack makes it sound shitty but in reality it's better than most of our holds.<br />
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There's a couch, telephone, and a TV! Even I don't watch TV at home because I don't have cable/satellite. It's pretty awesome to be honest. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think it was some weird commercial haha!</td></tr>
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Can't say much about the airport/town though. It's livable for sure but not my idea of a great town. The airport and runway is right next to a bunch of houses and there's always stray dogs and seagulls everywhere. </div>
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Short final, <i><b>"3 green, runway is NOT clear"</b></i>. There were dogs crossing the runway. A flock of seagulls on arrival end of runway about to takeoff in all directions.<i> Ah shit!</i> Hope for the best and try not to hit them. Safety first after all. Two of the dogs cross very slowly on flare, the other dog remains on the other side. Touchdown, nothing was hit, thank Jeebuz!</div>
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Now we can relax and have a nap on the couch before we worry about real problems like thunderstorms that could build up along our route for our way home. </div>
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Another day, living the dream...</div>
Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-39044248276362443952013-06-24T10:34:00.001-04:002013-06-24T10:36:56.139-04:00Furthest north, so far<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Last week, I got called for a last minute charter late Friday afternoon. It's cool, I didn't have any plans that night anyway because I was on call all weekend long. </div>
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We were to pick up company personnel working up in Gillam, Manitoba. If you don't know where that is, a quick doodle on google will show you to one of the northern towns in Manitoba. If I remember correctly it's about 56°20' North. That's the furthest north I've been to, so I made sure to post something on Facebook so I can add it to my <i>places</i> map. </div>
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We made sure to park it beside the fuel tanks because it was an average of 2.5hrs each way. </div>
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Then the <b>hurry up and wait</b> game started. The company was working too late that they missed the scheduled service there with another airline, which would've been approximately $3000 cheaper. Yep, these charters aren't cheap. </div>
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I noticed a few trucks just outside the terminal. Apparently that is where the road ends. And to go further North, you'd have to go by train, or airplanes, or ice roads in the winter. Pretty neat. </div>
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A quick shuffle of bags and fill up and we were off back to Winnipeg. There was forecast bad weather back by the time we get there but it wasn't too bad. Got some night flying done too!</div>
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After working the ramp for about 11 months, marshalling, loading and unloading aircraft, including all cargo Hawker Siddeley 748s with a forklift, they finally let me try out crewing on the hawker. That is where you're in charge of loading the airplane up in the northern airports.<br /><br />
Technically that was supposed to be part of the training program in your first 6 months of employment, but I never got the chance to do it. It was January, right smack in the middle of the coldest winter I have ever experienced. <b>The forecast all week called for -30C and lower weather.</b> <i>Just fantastic</i>. I was supposed to overnight up north so I brought extra clothing, on top of the layers upon layers I was already wearing to keep warm.<br />
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Early 8am departure to a town 20 minutes north where were supposed to load up with food for the Northern Stores for the Attawapiskat. Uneventful start-up, being on the jumpseat, I got to witness the masters go back and forth with flows and checklists like a prayer they recited a million times.<br />
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Takeoff and the pressurization and environmental controls finally starts to warm up the cockpit. Soon enough <i>we were unable to see our own breaths...time to thaw off. </i><br />
5 miles out and Gear Down Landing Checks were called. <b>2 green no red,</b>...wait a minute.<br />
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<b><i>Perfect, </i></b>I remember thinking; my first flight as a crewman and we're gonna land with one gear not in down and locked position. Captain must have tried recycling the gear 50 times. Up and down, up and down, hoping that the next time would be different, but no cigar, still 2 greens.<br />
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First officer jumps out of his seat, I jump out of his way so he can look through the window in the back for the secondary indication that the gears are down and locked. He says that they are. He tells me what to look for just so that he's sure he's not just seeing things.<br />
I see the same thing, circle filled with white means they are down and locked. It's a good thing we were still empty, otherwise going back and forth would've been tough. I go back and forth between recycles to confirm, still the same. The sounds of the gear locking into their places confirm that it's locked too.<br />
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20 minutes of troubleshooting we decide to go back home and ask the MTC and FSS to see if they see our landing gear down and locked. A low and over and a good briefing on what to do in case it wasn't locked later, we were finally lined up for runway 03. Approach was good, speed was good. Touchdown, no collapse! As soon as we touched down the gear indicator showed 3 green.<b><i> Phew.</i></b><br />
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Captain has been flying that beast a long time, and he even said that was the first time in his career landing with 2 green lights. Good grief. Was I the unlucky charm, or perhaps the lucky charm since the story ended happily? I'll never know.<br />
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<i>But that wasn't the only thing that went wrong with the airplane by the end of that long and cold week...sh*t happens though. You just deal with it.</i>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-23739087168977060472013-06-05T11:15:00.003-04:002013-06-05T11:16:06.693-04:00No Presets, No Problem!With the sudden onset of me getting a flying job, finally. I think this blog is going to finally include actual aviation related posts. Although, I'm currently flying part-time and there's usually not much to talk about but that's okay.<br />
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I try to write when I'm "holding" somewhere waiting for customers to finish their meeting or work so I can bring them back to civilization, literally. I don't usually save posts for future publishing because 1. I don't currently have that much to talk about, and 2. It's more fun when it just happened and I'm talking about it. Although there is <i>some </i>time delay though because most of the places we go to have neither cell reception or internet connection.<br />
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Kinda forces me to be more creative in the things I do there though, instead of being completely glued to my iPhone or computer. I usually bring a book or two, read the newspaper and struggle at those crosswords, they're actually super hard for me. And during the really long holds, I take a nap or two, or at least attempt at one for the sake of having some rest instead of being up all day.Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-85907602494966781102013-06-01T14:27:00.003-04:002013-06-01T14:28:08.457-04:00Gunisao Lake Lodge<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome To The Lake,</span></b> <b><i>Gunisao Lake</i></b> to be exact. Being today the IFR shitty weather in southern manitoba as it is, it's two crew time for Fishing Lodge trips.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Destination: Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge.</td></tr>
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Here is the link to their <a href="http://www.buddsgunisaolakelodge.com/">website.</a><br />
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Started out with waking up dark and early at 0245 for a 0415 check in for duty. This is the hardest part, I could say that once I got off that bed and into the shower that it's all downhill, "smooth" sailing from there. (It was actually super windy so mechanical turbulence from surface to 3000ft). A quick but thorough walk around, a splash of oil into the right engine and we're off for a short hop over to Winnipeg International where we're picking up passengers. 5 minutes of cloud base dancing and a decent crosswind landing later, we were ready to load up.<br />
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I'd say 99% of the guests for the lodge come from The States for some famous walleye fishing. We had 4 aircraft for the trip and we had 3 pax and loads of food and supplies for the lodge on our flight. IFR, taxi, and takeoff clearances were given and acknowledged. Checklists were completed. Procedures followed. 30 minutes of solid IMC and then gorgeous VFR the rest of the way. Yadda yadda yadda...It's my first time being here and well being new to the airplane as well, so the captain made the landing. Crosswind from the left and it's definitely not for the faint of heart.<br />
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Take a look at the "runway" for yourself...<br />
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It would have been a quick turn and burn for us but the two pax we were to take down south hopped on the other airplanes instead and so we get to sit here at the lodge for a few hours before our second trip of the day. I can't say I'm complaining. It'd be perfect if it was a little warmer and less windier.<br />
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The other navajo took off in front of us and this is literally the view from where we parked.</div>
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Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-18403273316531758962013-05-30T10:57:00.001-04:002013-05-30T10:57:02.471-04:00Flying like a...seagull?<br /><i>"Being a pilot is much like being a seagull; fly around…eat some garbage…take a nap…fly around…eat some more garbage.”</i><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pilots Room we were in</td></tr>
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<br /><br />This pilots lounge is getting too comfortable with me being in it for the past 3 hours. That's okay, since we got in when the weather was right at minimums with lower forecasted, we get to sit for a few more hours until it's back home again for us.<br /><br /><br />The funny part is this airport is a bit bigger than our usual destination. A lot more livelier as it is filled with passengers and employees of a scheduled airline that comes here quite a bit. Still though, no internet access even though I'm connected through their modem and no cell reception, my options are similarly limited. I'm gonna have to start getting creative with all these day-long holds we often get. Maybe next time I'll bring a set of playing cards or a board game, however a game of twister might be pushing it. If I had a female captain, let alone a hot one then I might reconsider.<br /><br /><br />In the meantime though, I think it's nap time. The busyness of this place now seems to play against the possibility of catching some Z's now. What if I legitimately pass out, some next pilots will come in here and would have to be obliged to be quiet for my sake, and I don't wanna impose that on anyone.<br /><br /><br /><b><i>What a conundrum, on a cloudy day, at least we get to fly...right?</i></b>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-28739276202665803622012-07-02T19:15:00.000-04:002012-07-02T19:29:23.151-04:00One more timeOur worlds collided but it never stayed. We thought we could be something amazing but we just ended as something that once were. Our paths crossed only for a brief moment. <b>But it's me stuck with the memory of the memories exchanged</b>. Now I wonder where our place sit amongst each other. Where are we headed, where do we belong? It's all uncertain as the weather. We've been born in different Earths. And the distance feels beyond the ability for travel. The bridge that once connected us, now lay burning, waiting for either the collapse or the unforeseeable drowning of embers.<br />
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And the truth of it all is that we never got the chance to really give it a chance. We never had the time to let it all play out. The clock ticked quickly and time changed us faster than the second. However, because of you, I no longer fear the invisibility of what's ahead. I merely just go and do and hope for the slightest minuscule chance that we can go at it once again.<br />
Our mutual love perished but it doesn't mean it can't be revived.<br />
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Let's give it another go.Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-74791924603292878042012-06-19T00:56:00.004-04:002012-06-19T00:56:29.943-04:00Over and Above<br />
One of my first and most influential instructors/professors said once (or maybe ten times), "We're lazy pilots. A good pilot is a lazy pilot" ...or something along those lines.<br />
Sure sounds like bad advice but he was referring to situational awareness and preparedness. As in, don't make it hard on yourself while you're already in the air trying to keep an altitude, anticipate so you won't have to rush and fumble things around and forget stuff...be lazy!<br />
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<em>But this week I saw something completely opposite to just that.</em><br />
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I'd say at least over half of pilots out there stick to their flying duties. Preflight, flight, post-flight.<br />
Now the actual duties for those three segments may change a bit here and there depending on the company and type of operations...but they stay relatively the same...within close proximity of actual flying related duties.<br />
Now there are some companies, though, who are completely opposite and asks the pilot to do everything from cleaning the hangar floors to driving the client to their final destination after flight...I don't know if those are exactly what I would do in terms of going over and above but last Sunday I saw a great example of one.<br />
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The story:<br />
A group of kids from Northern Ontario arranged for a Q400 to be chartered to go down to Toronto for the <a href="http://mmva.muchmusic.com/live/">MMVAs</a> where there would be a lot of celebrities and publicity. This group of kids are trying to send a message to save the polar bears...from being hunted. They made 600 shufflebot cardboard box heads to wear and bring down there with them. There were about 70 kids. The cardboard boxes are double meaning...they represent the polar bear heads as well as looking like th<a href="https://www.facebook.com/LMFAOshufflebot">e shufflebot heads from the LMFAO's music videos</a>.<br />
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Now the pilots came in an hour before they are scheduled to depart again. The captain didn't really have any idea as to what they would be carrying on board with them but it was a charter. We mentioned about the boxes and initially he said that he wouldn't take a delay for a bunch of boxes.<br />
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But that quickly changed. We ended up loading most of the 600 boxes in the cargo compartment, trying to fit all of it as much as possible and the captain, first officer and flight attendants even helped taking some of the smaller ones to fit in the closet and overhead compartments.<br />
Then after a while, the kids were ready to board but they wanted pictures to be taken in front of the plane with them wearing their props. They had a few adult chaperones with them.<br />
It was pretty cool I took a picture.<br />
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<a href="http://innercortex.com/over-and-above/porter-charter/" rel="attachment wp-att-752"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-752" height="612" src="http://innercortex.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/porter-charter.jpg" title="porter charter" width="612" /></a><br />
Then this happened:<br />
They asked the pilots if they could join them and...THEY DID.<br />
And I will just let this video and picture say the rest.<br />
<a href="http://innercortex.com/over-and-above/porter-pilots/" rel="attachment wp-att-751"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-751" height="612" src="http://innercortex.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/porter-pilots.jpg" title="porter pilots party rocking" width="612" /></a><object height="400" width="226"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
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I thought, this is by far the greatest flight crew I've seen here. Almost all of the pilots (<a href="https://www.flyporter.com/Flight/Tickets?culture=en-CA">from this airline</a>) helps with quick grooming the airplanes on turn arounds but they went over and above in this one. The company's slogan is <em>Flying Refined </em> and they certainly showed that here.<br />
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This goes to show that despite of all the lazy pilots around, there are some that would go over and above (within tolerances) to satisfy their passengers beyond the mere safe operation of the aircraft. They are out there and I will make it my life long goal to be one of those.<br />Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-15360018087322018762011-02-12T11:54:00.001-05:002011-02-12T11:54:51.578-05:00Common Frequency Areas SurveyI am conducting a research project on Common Frequency Areas such as but not limited to 122.9, 123.02, 122.92. I am mostly doing the study for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study is about the hazards that could be associated with Common Frequency Areas. Such hazards in uncontrolled airspace can be extended to operation within uncontrolled aerodromes.<br />
<br />
I have put out a short 10 question survey which would take less than 5 minutes. I would appreciate it if you were to take a short period of your time to help with this research project. My goal for this research is to identify and confirm the hazards and to help increase safety by making an awareness of such hazards.<br />
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The survey can be found here <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PY6673Q">http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PY6673Q</a><br />
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Any information given is de-identified and will be used solely for the purpose of the research and nothing else.<br />
<i>Any questions and/or comments can be directed to <a href="mailto:ramzel14@gmail.com">ramzel14@gmail.com</a>.</i><br />
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Thank you for your time.Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-4104142753904343842011-02-09T00:32:00.000-05:002011-02-09T00:32:36.044-05:00INNER CORTEX<a href="http://innercortex.com/"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dCP0IPeTXz0/TVImSGJiJXI/AAAAAAAADFQ/CDapQtCkmos/s400/Screen+shot+2011-02-09+at+12.28.44+AM.png" width="400" /></div></a>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-36410440048167008062011-01-31T22:13:00.003-05:002011-01-31T22:13:33.628-05:00transition-ING<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1893144161">http://innercortex.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1893144161">http://innercortex.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1893144161">http://innercortex.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1893144161">http://innercortex.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://innercortex.com/">http://innercortex.com/</a><br />
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you get the point :)Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-49519798147158103732011-01-27T13:33:00.000-05:002011-01-27T13:33:42.535-05:00dont.let.it.pass.youPeople continue to disappoint me. I don't know what it is I do or I've done that makes the people I surround myself with temporary. They all manage to find a way out when their part of the story is not even close to finish yet. Some people lose interest and some are just too afraid to take a chance. I see people everyday, walking the earth clueless to what they want and oblivious to what they have. They want to do something for themselves but they never find anything worthy of their full attention. Jack of all trades, master of none. I see people everyday living in yesterday, regretting and dwelling the past, the unchangeable past.<br />
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Regret, I don't understand it, why do something if you even have the slightest doubt of regretting it later on. Or even simply, why regret the things you've already done, time only moves forward so shouldn't we train our minds to do the same. I guess that's the same reason why people continue to leave. They lack the ability to look deep enough into the perhaps, the maybe, the possibly that they walk away before they even get in.<br />
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Isn't life about the interactions, the people that enter it whether we chose to or not. Isn't it about the things we do or don't do and how we deal with it. What are people so scared of? There's really not much to it. Before you know it, you're old, wrinkled and unable. Disability is not so bad when you look at inability. When you're truly unable to do anything whether you want to or not. So why not do the things you want and need while you can. While the chance is still there.<br />
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The only fear we should have is having to look back when we're on our deathbed, not knowing what could have been, if only we had tried or tried harder.Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-55965833892747580112011-01-24T16:18:00.001-05:002011-01-25T20:33:45.879-05:00still unstructured.<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> It seems that way that his pieces lie scattered on the floor, among the dirt and dust. It's not that he keeps falling apart like a house of cards. But perhaps he's still unstructured, unconstructed, untouched. The rebuild has yet to start and it's useless to try and move forward as several pieces. It's like trying to fix a shelf with a broken nail. Its fix is temporary, the effort misused.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And so the pieces need tendering, and even if it forms into something new and different, it would be sufficient enough for living. As for now, he's at a pause, moving but stationary. It's neither a sad story nor does it necessarily mean to have a happy ending. A story, in its simplest and purest form, is quite simply enough. It's his story and history.</div>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-44283860711015302862011-01-18T20:22:00.000-05:002011-01-18T20:22:53.716-05:00The sound of quiet contemplation<b>When</b> you see things before they happen.<br />
<b>When</b> you're hurt before getting hit.<br />
<b>When</b> you're looking for a sign, anything to hold on to, and to hope for.<br />
<b>When </b>you're face flat on the floor before you even get to stand on your feet.<br />
<b>When </b>you lose something before even gaining it.<br />
<b>When</b> the sky turns gray before the sunrise.<br />
<b>When</b> it pours before it rains.<br />
<b>When</b> you feel completely helpless.<br />
<b>When </b>it's as hard to close your eyes as you open them.<br />
<b>When</b> you wakeup into dream and sleep in reality.<br />
<b>When</b> the world turns upside down before it's even fully formed.<br />
<b>When</b> breathing seems like a workout.<br />
<b>When</b> nothing's going your way.<br />
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And no one can notice nor understand you.<br />
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<i>When you're dead before getting the chance to live.</i><br />
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<u>The feeling is as unique as your very self, but the process,...well it's universal.</u>Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-2998617654879890132011-01-17T21:54:00.001-05:002011-01-17T21:57:33.732-05:00A momentary lifetime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/05/93/059370_fcca49e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/05/93/059370_fcca49e7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Do you ever imagine yourself standing on a cliff. The ocean right before your very eyes as waves crash upon rocks so old as the water right beneath your feet.<br />
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You look into the distance wishing the wind could take you with it. To soar above the calm and stormy seas below you, sailing across wherever the wind will take you. It would bring you over tiny uninhabited islands surrounded by white sandy beach populated by nothing but trees as green as the Earth once was and exotic wildlife living to survive another day. Birds, tankers, airplanes full of people would pass you and you notice them as little as they notice you. The clouds are now above and below you, blanketing your view of the earth and the rest of the universe. You are stuck in between.<br />
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It's uncertain when you will arrive at your destination, and even that is unknown all by itself. But it doesn't matter. For at that very moment, you finally feel a part of something, being away but completely one with nature. And you no longer feel pain nor fear nor anger nor sorrow. There's absolutely nothing you can worry about even if you tried. You feel neither young nor old, nor aging. You are just what you are in that instance: unchained, able and free-spirited. You feel the world changing and adapting to your nature and not the other way around.<br />
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There are moments in our lives when all our worries seem to briefly disappear. So short and limited yet they can last a lifetime.<br />
I live for those moments.Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698883726807788544.post-33245731466991857222011-01-16T19:29:00.001-05:002011-01-16T19:29:50.810-05:00Umpteen hours in a day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kimandjason.com/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/w/h/whatever_clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://www.kimandjason.com/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/w/h/whatever_clock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There are theoretically 24 different timezones in the World, running every second and every minute of the day continuously. (Without taking into account places that do or don't use daylight savings time). So to the bare minimum, ideally, there are at least 24 different people living in all different times of the day.<br />
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In some cases, if the timing is perfect, it's possible to have a day last up to around 47 hours. (It took me a while looking at my globe lamp to figure this out) If a person moves from the west side to the east side of the international date line at the appropriate time. Now that's not even that complicated, how about living right at the North (and South) Pole? What timezone do they operate and well how do they tell when the day starts and ends? Maybe there's no right timezone.<br />
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A day is defined as a full rotation of the Earth about its axis and lasts for approximately 24 hours. But whether you get more or less than 24 hours in your day, it doesn't really matter. What matters is what you do with what you have. Like a lot of things in life, a day is valued with how you spend it and in most cases, who you spend it with.<br />
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You may find yourself having 47 hours for one day, but if you don't spend it the way you want or need to spend it, <i>what is it really worth?</i><u> They say our days here on Earth is numbered, but does it really matter when you don't use every single unit of your time remaining to its fullest potential?</u><br />
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Find what it is you deserve, what it is you want, and/or what it is you need and go for it. As cliché as it may be, <b>life is for living and you have full control of it...right now!</b><br />
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<i>"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable"</i><br />
-John Green (An Abundance of Katherines)Ramielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08404302961307982594noreply@blogger.com0