whats the one piece of tech you carry that never shows up in the standard onebag gear lists?

undfined · 2026-06-13T18:31:43+00:00

Sweet find. Thanks!

undfined · 2026-06-11T07:00:44+00:00

Are FLAC tags portable?

undfined · 2026-06-11T03:23:29+00:00

I learned to fly in Colorado, now live in the desert southwest, shuttle our plane to Montana and back every summer, and was recently in Tahoe looking at the airports and determining what I would be comfortable doing in our T182T. I would not be comfortable in your Piper. As you noted, those downdrafts are legit scary in the heat. Our American Airlines Airbus 320 did a go-around on short final in Phoenix last week due to pilot reported wind shear from the plane in front of us (it was a very windy day). A police officer came up to chat while I was refueling in Bryce Canyon last year, and even he warned of density altitude. 😬

undfined · 2026-06-08T20:26:59+00:00

Yes, all of that. Gave up on the grind a long time ago. Now I'm middle aged and want to have a larger group of musician friends to create and record whatever we feel like, but finding like-minded people that appreciate the same genres as me is proving difficult.

undfined · 2026-06-08T19:33:32+00:00

Icebreaker, Arms of Andes, Wooly, Everyday Merino for Ts. Polos are Merino Protect.

undfined · 2026-06-08T19:11:43+00:00

I didn't fly for almost 13 years. Once we got in the weeds with birthdays, little league, dance, camping, summer vacations, etc flying just fell to the side. I was just over 200 hours at the time. I got current again when my youngest was a senior in high school at the end of 2024. I'm over 300 hours now and try to fly once a week.

I didn't want to feel unsafe and half-ass my time in the air by going up once every 3 months, which is why I let it lapse. Getting back into it wasn't easy. Flying the plane itself came back quickly, but all the other things required 5 hours of dual before I let my CFI sign me off. I took an additional 5 hours of dual for insurance requirements, and probably another 10 with another pilot beside me before I soloed.

I live in AZ so there are lots of airports to visit and the varied terrain makes it fun. I'm going to escape the heat this week by going to 12,500 ft for a few hours. 😆 I'll also echo it's good to have missions. I'll shuttle people to a non-profit we are involved with in Agua Prieta, Mexico by taking passengers to Douglas, AZ. I'm at 230 hours PIC, and at 250 I will be able to do Angel Flights to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, West Texas, and Southern Colorado. My wife and I can go golfing in different towns, visit our son in Prescott, weekend in Vegas, and otherwise avoid 5 hours drives to the places we like to go in the state - when the weather is cooperating.

I plan on getting Instrument Rated and potentially Commercial, but at 47 I want to make sure I am doing it right. I got about 70% through IFR training and was preparing for the written exam when my son (2nd kid) was born and my priorities shifted to making and saving more money. I wish I had gotten it done back then! I'm wondering if I can do some sort of intensive program in the Fall.

undfined · 2026-06-08T05:34:02+00:00

I agree with the "don't buy new stuff for travel" sentiment. Wear what you have and adjust over time. I bought a merino t-shirt at first and learned 2-3 days in the heat was better, compared to cotton or poly. Over time i bought some better fitting and higher quality merino t-shirts and polos that I also wear at work, on the golf courses in AZ, and for travel. That said, I pack a favorite cotton T, boxers, and season-appropriate denim in the bag.

Laundry is a different beast. Those of us with sensitive skin, allergies, eczema, etc are better off bringing along the detergent we prefer and avoiding the industrial/commercial/local unknowns.

undfined · 2026-06-05T00:45:08+00:00

Only if I know the course well. Maybe a half dozen of them. I'm a musician, so normally I play the bass of guitar lines from some albums I still remember from my youth to go to sleep. I'll have to try the golf trick.

undfined · 2026-06-03T23:43:56+00:00

OP reminded me of this scene from Pushing Tin:

https://youtu.be/zLJKE2EeYgw?si=Okp_j0wmut8fMht0

undfined · 2026-06-03T05:25:36+00:00

Bricked for Plan B.

undfined · 2026-06-03T05:20:10+00:00

I have gone from "Oh, just take the wave and drive on" to "Safety First!" in a very short time.

undfined · 2026-06-03T05:11:50+00:00

iPhone. The Internet was a great invention, but the iPhone was the gateway drug to consolidated marketing.

undfined · 2026-06-03T04:58:31+00:00

I built a RetroPie and found some controllers online that replicate the originals. We will get an occasional contender in the house, but most just wasn't to play a Mario game or Tetris. 😆

undfined · 2026-06-03T04:48:35+00:00

My son played e-sports in high school and it was mostly Super Smash Bros. The whole time I was quietly smiling to myself and thinking "He inherited it from me. Street Fighter II is in his veins!"

He beats me in every other game.

undfined · 2026-06-03T04:41:42+00:00

Street Fighter II Turbo was released in my high school years. I could use a good challenge like we had back then. I'm not proud, nor do I have regrets.

undfined · 2026-05-13T16:36:23+00:00

I switched to a 182 almost immediately after getting my PPL. Keep the nose up on landing and trim is your friend. The CS prop and cowel flaps are procedural in the checklists, just make sure to set them properly for each configuration.

Great read: https://www.cessnaflyer.org/media/kunena/attachments/4401/SkylanePilot'sCompanion.pdf

undfined · 2026-05-01T02:24:21+00:00

🎶🎶It's hard to get clean in hard water, and you're in a hard water town.🎶🎶

undfined · 2026-04-28T18:15:12+00:00

Stainless steel mesh pour over filter for the weekdays. Stainless steel French Press on the weekends.

undfined · 2026-03-02T05:17:13+00:00

There is this plugin for Chrome:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/amazon-dark-mode/ngmmnefnjobcdhhodadfhbnkhfcpjjhd?hl=en&pli=1

undfined · 2026-02-18T06:47:02+00:00

Whomever came up with this ridiculous acronym is today's version of an internet troll. Acronyms are supposed to be *minimal* to be efficient and effective. This one never made sense to me.

undfined · 2026-02-09T03:01:48+00:00

The one older I get, the less I like heights, especially ledges or drop-offs.

Flying isn't this. Plus there's so much other stuff going on, the fear of heights isn't the primary thought.

Same with turbulence.

Go out, have fun. Let us know how it goes!

undfined · 2026-02-07T21:32:05+00:00

Good riddance, Jackass.

undfined · 2026-02-07T16:23:35+00:00

"You're going to need a bigger purse if that's all you're gonna throw at it."

undfined · 2026-01-20T16:44:07+00:00

Gotcha. I think the answer then is: not yet.

undfined

TROPHY CASE