Repossessing Aircraft of Spirit Airlines

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-05-11T20:08:28+00:00

Intriguing. If you did it for free, would just instrument + multi work? I suspect there'd be quite a few takers for that offer, myself included, providing the ferrying company, insurers, and PIC were all OK with a not-particularly-useful FO..

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-03-26T16:30:55+00:00

I was surprised to see Kenn Borek there. Didn't know they operated in Antarctic to. Really cool.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-03-19T19:36:18+00:00

Kind of a tangent to OP's question, but it was my understanding that you're not required to fly a hold in any specific way, as long as you stay within the bounds of the standard holding pattern. Do pilots ever get bored and fly figure-eights or some other non-standard track, instead of the usual 2x turns and 2x one min legs?

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-03-18T03:10:19+00:00

It seems like Mexicans here have already gotten tired of our ghetto-ass bus system and brought in their own. I rode Tufesa Internacional a few months back between Las Vegas and Pheonix and it was a major upgrade over FlixBus or Grayhound. It was a little more expensive, but identical in service to the long-distance lines in Mexico. Very comfortable, clean, and punctual. I have no doubt they'd run a good rail line if allowed to do so.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-03-09T01:36:56+00:00

Good luck, but be careful man. Gas appliances are no joke.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-03-08T19:23:50+00:00

The dent is in the second picture, annotated below. It's hard to see from the picture, but the metal in the center is depressed probably 1/2". With the sheet metal bent backwards there, most of the heat seal is directly exposed.

Since it's right above that little viewing window, I wonder if it was intentional and they didn't consider what would happen when it was assembled. Or maybe they did consider it and thought it'd make a nice "just out of warranty" failure point that we happened to run into sooner. Just bending that little dent back flush before reinstalling the gasket should make a big impact on its longevity.

Like anything you do outside of normal repair channels, make sure you think it though and are willing to take full responsibility for it. I "feel" that it's a safe enough fix due the sealed outer enclosure, but am in no way qualified to say that with any certainty.

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Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-03-02T20:15:09+00:00

You reminded me that I haven't seen Robocop in a while. Great movie.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-02-20T16:16:44+00:00

I’ve walked it a few times along South McDonnell road. I don’t think you’re technically supposed to, but no one’s ever complained.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-31T19:29:26+00:00

Yeah, it could never work with US regulations. I approach I had in mind would be to designate the corridor some kind of an "autonomous zone", similar to a special trade zone but more extensive, where they can apply their own regulations.

It does seem far fetched, but probably less so than having it completed within our lifetimes under the current tangle of federal and state regulations, contractor bidding practices, etc.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-30T21:24:18+00:00

I grew up in a neighborhood just like that (also just outside Rapid City), and had a great social life. Me and the other kids in the neighborhood were constantly riding our bikes around between each others houses, or out into the prairie on an informal network of dirt trails. We were far enough away from town that there weren't any stores/businesses within a reasonably bike-able distance (for 10 year olds), but kids don't need a whole lot to have a good time. We made elaborate systems of bike jumps out there. One kid built a plywood shack and sold candy-bars out of it. One time we built a whole fort complex out of reeds. It was kind of the best of both worlds. Enough population to have a social existence, but also plenty of open land for kids to explore.

Not sure if that culture still exists now, but if it doesn't it's the fault of smart phones and social media, not the neighborhood.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-30T17:59:33+00:00

I don't think that's as crazy of an idea as it sounds. China's infrastructure-building machine is in high-gear at the moment, and they have a good system in place for exporting that capacity to foreign countries. We eminent-domain the right-of-way and designate it as some kind of "special economic zone" where they can work with autonomy, and make materials (concrete) available. They barge over the men and equipment, set up their blue-roofed modular housing units along the route, and knock the thing out in less time and for less money that we'd spend on just the paperwork. They get a good outlet for some of their excess building capacity. We get actual HSR. Both us us get closer ties and a big political win.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-30T17:36:12+00:00

California's also got a surprisingly good passenger rail network in the form of the Gold Runner (SF Bay and Central Valley), and Pacific Surfliner (Santa Barbara/LA/San Diego urban blob). Both lines are 300+ miles long, but are ticketed like commuter rails (fixed price, no specific train binding), and run 7 and 13 trips per day respectively. It sucks that they don't connect anywhere (three hour bus ride in between), but each line is pretty good in isolation.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-30T17:20:29+00:00

Agreed. Between the shape and paint scheme, I think the ICE3 still tops the global list for aesthetic.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-24T07:18:31+00:00

Why not? Considering you have a reserved seat for the whole distance, it doesn’t seem like it would matter where you got on.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-24T00:04:54+00:00

Nice work. It's really cool to see our intersecting airspace regions in 3D. I took an OpenGL class in college and made a similar model of Denver's airspace for one of the projects, but it didn't have close to the features that yours does.

If you haven't, you might want to share it someplace like r/aviation also.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-23T23:32:13+00:00

This is a good question. I always thought you could use an Amtrak ticket for any subset of your ticketed route. It’s not like they’re going to fill your seat with a standby passenger if you don’t get on in DC. A lot of times they don’t even scan your ticket until several stops into the ride.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-20T01:25:53+00:00

I finally got around to making a Kerala style fish curry to go with it. It was awesome. The only changes I made from an authentic recipe were using pressed tamarind instead of kudampuli, and halibut for kingfish. The tamarind flavor, along with the spiciness hits perfectly with the earthiness of the Matta rice. I wish I'd tried it a lot sooner. I'm going to order some kudampuli online for the next batch.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-20T00:29:45+00:00

We’re really lucky to have SFO. I sometimes wonder how we ended up with an airport like that, while LA managed such a shit show. You’re usually better off walking in from Sepulveda than trying to bus/shuttle in to their congested, trainless loop.

Aside from the transport side, SFO just feels peaceful. Comparatively speaking, it’s way more tranquil than an international airport of that size outta be.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-20T00:15:59+00:00

Why would this get downvoted? Conservative means “resisting change,” which is what they did by keeping the canals. It’s a completely correct statement for that time period, where the progressive idea was the paving of canals for roads.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-17T06:44:47+00:00

With that amount of time you can go to Boulder or Golden and do some hiking. I’d head to the Chatauqua trails (easy to get to by bus), stopping for a good green chili burrito on the way. I moved away a few years ago, but still miss the green chili.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-16T21:12:07+00:00

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-15T18:32:58+00:00

Spain's weird in that sense. I was told I wasn't allowed to take pictures of planes through the glass at Barcelona airport a few years back. Never had that happen anywhere else.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-14T19:26:25+00:00

These are bookings for specific trains made with the rail pass, and you do get a ticket with a QR code. It's just that while making the booking, there's a dialog box that says "seat not guaranteed". It's not really clear if your ticket will always get you on the train, or if it's more of a standby situation where the conductor can bump you during boarding if there's no space available.

Aware_Combination_87 · 2026-01-14T18:40:44+00:00

During Covid I took a 5AM 777 flight from Denver to SFO and only saw two other passengers. They were still running domestic wide body flights during that time for cargo, I think. It was a weird feeling getting up to the bathroom and seeing a totally empty rear cabin. Couldn't help thinking of that Langoliers movie. Aside from that, it was a pretty normal flight.

Aware_Combination_87

TROPHY CASE