Feature Film: The FBO

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Have any of you watched "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones? Just imagine camping out at a little FBO, in Naples, Florida, with no bags, in full CAPT uniform for more than 24 hours.

The rising action: After the exciting graduation and insightful visit from the Chief Pilot at ExpressJet, Captain Joe Seitz, Ryan, Kurt, Manoj and I hoped on a DA40 to burn off some LOFT time. After a careful weather analysis, we left X47 for what would be a clear, flight to Naples, Florida. Along the way around the Orlando area, we got into some IMC that bumped us quite a bit, but it wasn’t anything too bad. We got in around 1830 on Friday, 13th of June after a 2.6 hour flight and checked out the crew car to grab a quick dinner. After driving for a little while, we sat down at a Cheesecake Factory outside in the patio to only find ourselves getting drenched by the pop up Florida Thunderstorms. Lightning was visible throughout the vicinity and with that observation, we headed back to the FBO to wait out for the weather to clear up. Prior to the FBO closing at 2200, we jumped in our aircraft at 2145, powered up, and just listened to the AWOS hoping for the best. The lightning had stopped, but the cloud layer was coming in like a fog of war. The AWOS was calling for a cloud layer that was below the minimum approach MDA. A limitation in the CAPT FOM states that a crew cannot takeoff if the ceiling is reported as being lower than the lowest altitude on an instrument approach. On our way back to the FBO, we actually heard a Falcon Jet go missed because the soup was just so thick! Apparently because of that, a CRJ200 diverted to another airport due to the WX. Being unlucky on Friday the Thirteenth, we shut down and just sat ourselves outside on the benches underneath the awning, waiting. Around 2300 or so, we were approached by some good men of the FBO and were offered to come inside and stay in the Pilot Lounge. We couldn't get enough of it. We moved sofas around and finally got comfortable. Looking forward to departing early in the morning on Saturday, we went to sleep with knowing that the TAFs were calling for good weather. That couch wasn’t comfortable at all, but it was something! Thanks for the mouthwash in the bathroom. I went to sleep thinking that I love adventure.

We awoke to winds howling and people bustling around the FBO. After checking the WX, the TAFs said that the winds wouldn’t calm down until 1800. Hoping that the WX would change, I grabbed whatever caffeine I could to help me for the flight home (Venti Java Chip from Starbucks). I ended up passing out on the recliner for a couple of hours while the other guys just watched television. I caught the last part of Conan: The Destroyer on HBO which was interesting. Throughout the day, we met some interesting pilots and two that come to mind were NetJets pilots. Chuck Fox and Eric Knott both were really cool to talk to. They even gave us a tour of their Citation XLS and that probably made our trip worth while. It’s always nice to talk to really happy pilots that enjoy what they do. You can’t blame the bitter ones for the position that they are in, but I like to remain as positive as I can. I’ll tell you though, it can be really difficult at times. I hope that I won’t ever be that way.

Finally, as the night wore on, we ended up eating at Dairy Queen for a snack, and then headed over to Mickel Bobs for “America’s Finest Ribs.” We saw it on along the road, and kind of laughed at the assumption that they made. After Gordon a pilot from AirNow and Tonya, a dispatcher from CAPT recommend the place we decided to give it a try. The ribs were soft and the coleslaw was great! Good stuff. We did have BBQ from Woody’s at graduation again, so I guess the whole BBQ thing was kind of played out for me.

Sitting around at 1900 once again in the Pilot Lounge, the ATIS was still reporting some gusty winds. Still a no go per CAPT FOM which states that a crew cannot leave with winds gusting greater than 20 knots. It’s a good limitation, but I guess it seemed as if, we would be able to handle the situation and takeoff safely. Oh well, we the TAF was calling now for 2100 calm winds. Did it happen…nope…what can you do with unforecasted weather. Nothing apparently besides just wait and watch some football. Finally nearing close again, we were forced to just hang outside this time around, but I made friend with Joy and Chris from the European-American Flight School next to the Naples Air Center where we were hanging out all day. They were a blast to talk to and were surprised at how well and disciplined we were for abiding to our FOM.

Finally, after the executive decision was made to stay, we got a room for $55.00 at some local in. I was able to ask them for a student-pilot discount and she was kind of nice. Prior to leaving the FBO, the front clerk called for us and she said that they were charging $119 for a room. I guess we were lucky!

We left the next morning as early as we could and caught a $10 cabbie ride to the Naples Air Center. There was a good headwind forecasted the entire way up. I logged 2.8 hrs on the Hobbs and was happy that I was once again able to take a shower and sleep on my own bed. I took a 6 hour nap and studied the rest of the night to only find out that we were able to postpone the test for Tuesday. So, with that being said, I should get back to studying my 121 Regulations (CAPT 501 Final). On another note, I love the CAPT 504 course too. The FMS system is awesome. I just wish that we were able to actually press some buttons to get familiar with …

Laundry Anyone?

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Well, after only having to go one day without a laundry washing machine, it was time to get a new one. Learning from two different resources and the fact that Maytag Legacy Series was a piece of junk, I decided that it would be beneficial to buy a brand new one. Needing a new transmission, knowing that it would break again because of the faulty design, and having a ridiculous cost of labor to replace, I found a good one at Best Buy.

Most of you know me and although I always want the best, money has really been an issue lately. Spending has been curbed and the ideas of the awesome front loading LG machines will have to wait unitl I start earning some cash. So, I went with this one. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1077628669210&type=product. I was able to find an Open Box Buy (supposedly damaged cosmetically, but nothing that I didn't see) and they discou nted it to $330.99. I'm a maniac! I also had Matty P and JZ to help me regain my senses into practicality. Thanks guys. I was in the dilemma that it would be smarter to buy a better one that would last longer for renters in the future, but of course, its not always wise because you never know what may happen or whether or not they would take care of it the same way when you are present in the house.

Here's a picture of it. Moral of the story?! --> buy only Whirlpool, LG or Roeper (not familiar with the last one)

1st Weekend back...

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One of our recent graduates, William Wang, is moving back home to New York for a little bit and planned to drive home today (Saturday). So a bunch of us got together at Chi-Ling's for some good sushi dinner. We had about somewhere around 17 people there at one time. Just imagine how separate checks looked like. Food was good as always and the shots of sake kept us going. It took somewhere around 30 minutes to get the orders. It was ridiculous. But we had a good time at the restaurant. I think that we were the last ones there again. Here's a shot of the gang at Chi-Ling's. Nearing the end of the dinner, Matty P came up with a bet that if Matty E (Elliott) would put a teaspoon size chunk of wasabi in his mouth, he would give him $5. Peterson also chipped in $5 and some others threw in dollar bills to raise the stakes. After a little convincing...He did it! This is shot of right after the fact. You can see that he was just beginning to realize what he did.

What do you do when you come home to Daytona? You hit up Mai Tai's Bar and Grill. For everyone in San Diego, its a cheap shot at PB Bar and Grill without the huge outside and dance area bar. With that being said, it's really a tiny place with an outdoor patio. And babe, don't worry, there aren't that many girls there as you already know. Mai Tai's upgraded all their furniture and is trying really hard to step it up a bit. They have a live band that plays inside which creates a huge racket throughout the entire place. Sometimes I just want to bring ear plugs so I don't become deaf. But its okay. The music they play apparently is repeated over and over again each week. They're just a cover band really.

Last night was the first time that I actually found my limits in drinking. It is the first time that I have ever rid my body of the alcohol by throwing up. Of course, it was just sushi rice with liquid spewing from my mouth. Exciting stuff. I just couldn't stop either. It was just a constant stream of junk. Not fun really. I also came to the realization that I still don't like beer. That's maybe the honest reason why I just down my beers every time I get them. It's just so hard for me to drink. I prefer water or diet coke and lately, sweet tea seems to be working out really well. :-)

Another good shot of the gang.

It's coming!!!

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Well, being that tomorrow is Friday already, I can expect this month to go by fast with the ATP test actually happening within the next two weeks. Am I ready? Not yet...but I am definitely getting there. It actually isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's good stuff. I mean, there are some really tedious questions. Just long computations and such. Not fun, but hey, you gotta do what every pilot must do in at point in his/her life. Class has been really fun with Dan Barnes and Randy Hetz. Rick and Jim are two new Jet IPs that are hanging out with our class. I definitely feel like this is what I have been waiting for. At the end of the month, we begin out King Air Simulation and LOFTs. That will be the next step in getting use to faster approach speeds and everything else. I can't wait!!! Oh the excitement!!!

Make sure you check out trelijah. I updated it with a picture with me in 06, with a new hair style, and three stripes. I also have 241 hours to date. Only 89.1 of those are Multiengine though. Anyone with a King Air and MEI time that wants to help me out?

Drew Brees also had a successful surgery today but the recovery should be a little longer than suspected. He is ready though for his aggressive rehab he says. Also in other Charger news, Shawne Merriman was nomiated NFL Rookie of the Year. I can't wait to see what other draft picks will bring the defense next year. There are quite a few good picks out there to chose from.

So, speaking of football, did anyone not figure out that after the 2nd TD from Vince Young, that he probably was going to go for it on fourth? Come on guys!!! I mean, definitely it was an exciting game, but you can't win unless your defense contains a man like that, but then again, who can? Next questions is, who will be the first pick in the '06 Draft?

From bushy, kid 'n play to monk

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Well, I'm not sure if it was the sleep deprivation or just me being a little annoyed with my haircut being really uneven and just not that great, I decided to call on my roommate for a little New Year's Fun. Yeah I paid for a bad job ($16) and no, I did not keep the mohawk. To be more exact, my hair is just a size 1 (1 mm) all around. Feels weird, but nice. I'm not sure if it was a good idea being that this weekend's weather is calling for 31 - 32 degrees F at night. Maybe I'll find a beanie or something. Adelle pointed one out at Banana Republic, but I didn't get it because: 1) You don't need one in San Diego really, and in Florida and 2) my hair is big. Of course, there are always exceptions and both of them are now null & void. Oh well. I'll take another pic in the next month or so, and you'll get to see how fast my hair actually grows. It's a chia pet I tell you. But, I get to sleep an extra 10 minutes due to the less time spent in the shower and gel-ing my hair.

Jet classes are great! I wish that I had more time to study and do a lot more other things. Back to my last post of being 4 in 40, the official count is now, 4 in 49. Stupid Texas vs. USC Game. It was a great one though. Vince Young better just make his NFL draft run now. Stats, stats, stats...just incredible. I'm going to bed! And I still have laundry to finish folding...

Anti Florida RANT: So I finally found another dry cleaner today that hooks it up for $1 a shirt and $3.25 for a pair of pants. Of all places, this is in Ormond Beach. It's the nicer area of Daytona you could say. I finally went there today because of the haircut place, so it wasn't for nothing I guess. For some odd reason, Palm Coast thinks that they can charge $2.25 for a shirt and $5.00 for a pair of pants. Seriously people...how much greed can one have? Not even the NYC, LA or San Diego or SF charges that much!!!

less 2000 lbs., WX then 9 to 27

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Alright...I started the 2nd day of the year with a plane scheduled to leave at 11:20 AM from SAN. It was a 767-300 operated by Delta and seemed like everything was going swell. Adelle and I didn't wake up early for breakfast, but we still grabbed some Breakfast combos from Jack in the Box (Chibatta bfast and sausage jack), dropped off my comforter (dog pissed on it) to the dry cleaners, and then headed to the airport. There didn't look like there was a huge security line, but it was the check in line that was long. Deceiving I tell ya. I didn't want Adelle to spend any money on parking, so she just dropped me off at curbside. It was a long goodbye, but definitely a good one.

When I finally arrived at the counter to checkin, I noticed that the flight was delayed to 12:00PM. So, with about 1.5 hrs to spare, I got some Starbucks inside the terminal and just relaxed for a bit. I met an interesting PhD that brought his parachute rig with him on the plane and he was questioned by the TSA. They actually made him unpack the main chute and repack it. It wasn't a big deal for him really, but it was a good story. He also started telling me some good news in the oncology side of things. WHat he does, etc.

When I got to the gate, it didn't mention anything about a delay, so I was enthusiastic, up until a piece of dot matrix printer paper was posted over the time saying 12:00PM, then it moved to 12:20PM then 12:35PM. All these delays were because of weather at Atlanta. After boarding, the first officier told us that we were 2000 lbs. over weight in fuel and had to get rid of some. That took about 1.5 hours or so. After that, the weather started coming in thick and heavy, but we still managed to position for #1 departure for runway 9...then we pulled off again to the side. Another announcement, "Looks like the winds are favoring runway 27 and we're going to have to taxi back for departure for that runway folks." I felt bad for the flight crew because all the passengers were already fed up. He made up some good time though enroute. It only took us 3 hours and 20 minutes to get to ATL. That's almost 1 whole hour faster than normal! It was awesome.

I had 5 minutes to get to another terminal only to find out that it was delayed for another 30 minutes. I bought some pizza, call up my ride and just relaxed a bit. Thanks Matty P for the ride back to Club Zorlou!

My friend posted some pictures of the both of us enroute to Santa Monica from Carlsbad, CA. Check it out at http://www.livejournal.com/users/thejoj/89071.html. Here just one of the two pics on his site.

Prayers go out to Drew Brees. Good luck on the surgery. You definitely deserve a contract!

Goodbye Saan Geego

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Because most of my favorite sushi places were closed, we had to end the night with some Thai food from "Taste of Thai" in Hillcrest, San Diego. Still the best, no competition comes close. I did ask for an extra spicy Hot Basil with Duck, but it still wasn't good enough for me. I guess that I'm just asking for it. =)

Here's a pic with Jojo, Marella, Adelle and me closing out the night! See you guys in three months!

Jojo and Marella also introducted me to a new Nintendo DS game that just makes me want to get one. It's call Trauma Center: Under the Knife and is a pretty addicting game. You play a doctor with the stylus in the emergency room and try to operate on a "patient." You guys have to try it out. My PSP just isn't as fun. Umm...

Happy New Years!

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Just hanging out with my best friends for New Year's (well, right before anyways) topped off the night. I drove home right before 12:00 PST to hang out with my mom and Adelle and just got lazy after that. I've been getting some stupid running nose type thingy. Not fun at all...congestion, and all the fun stuff.

I ended up going to 5 different places last night. I mean, it all started at 1300 with a birthday party, then my uncle's place at 1800, then Vince's till 2200, then Adelle, and then back home at exactly 2355. Good stuff I tell ya! Vincenzo's house party was awesome last night! That's him in the picture being a door man. They decorated the entire house really well with a champagne fountain, red carpet, VIP lounge and everything! I was definitely impressed. We left there early to hang out with Marella and Jojo and his cousin Pat. Good stuff at Fashion Hills with a lot of doughuts. Need to eat the rounds for some good luck or something.

Mom's Company Party

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read the post below if you haven't already by clicking here or scrolling down...it's awesome!

Today was a relaxing day of just waking up late, eating some good food at Islands (Maui Burger + Loaded Fries and some sweet water) and heading down to Fashion Valley to return some goodies. We met up with Marella at their house in Fashion Hills and headed to the mall right after just for a little bit. I never knew that the Apple Store was that busy. It's ridiculous! At least I know that they have plans to make the Genius Bar much larger in the anticipation of more customers after their initial batch intel co branded computers.

I bought a new pair of Khakis from Banana and figured that's all I would need for my Mom's party and indeed it was! There was a lot of food and dancing (Adelle and I chose not to partake in the latter ^_^) Pictured above is: me, Adelle, Taylor, Jorene and Mom. Good times. Now, the dilemma is where or what to do tonight for New Years!!! It's crazy that its already here. NUTS!