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petrjanda
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Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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 Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:11 am Post subject: Call me Captain, please. |
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Hi,
I would just like to share the wonderful news with you that i've completed my studies, passed all exams, and I now hold a commercial helicopter pilot license. I'm broke but I do feel like I have finally accomplished a feat that has elevated my life and my spirit. Now I'm getting pissed. 
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There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta |
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Boris27
Guru
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 562
Location: Almelo, The Netherlands
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:33 am Post subject: |
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Congratulations, Captain.
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we are microsoft, lower your firewalls and surrender your pc's. we will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. your culture will adapt and service us. resistance is futile. |
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Old School
Apprentice
Joined: 20 Nov 2004
Posts: 240
Location: West Bank of the Coast Fork
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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Well done, Captain!
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George Orwell |
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John-Boy
Guru
Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 440
Location: Desperately seeking moksha in all the wrong places
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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Well done old chap. Captain chap I mean.
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Like the Roman, I seem to see "the River Tiber foaming with much blood" |
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Bones McCracker
Veteran
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1606
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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Can I go for a ride?
By the way, I hear Saudi ARAMCO is always hiring, and you might get some good experience dodging sandstorms and bullets, too! 
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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petrjanda
Veteran
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: | Can I go for a ride?
By the way, I hear Saudi ARAMCO is always hiring, and you might get some good experience dodging sandstorms and bullets, too! |
Sure, next time you're in Australia, let me know, we'll go flying!
_________________
There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta |
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marens
Apprentice
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 173
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:03 am Post subject: |
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Der Kapitän!
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If English was good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for you! |
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flysideways
Apprentice
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 151
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:42 am Post subject: |
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| Roger roger. Congrats. |
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Bones McCracker
Veteran
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1606
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:36 am Post subject: |
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| petrjanda wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: | Can I go for a ride?
By the way, I hear Saudi ARAMCO is always hiring, and you might get some good experience dodging sandstorms and bullets, too! |
Sure, next time you're in Australia, let me know, we'll go flying! |
I'll be in Sydney for a week next month (approx. Dec 9 - 15). What part of Australia are you in?
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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petrjanda
Veteran
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:25 am Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: | | petrjanda wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: | Can I go for a ride?
By the way, I hear Saudi ARAMCO is always hiring, and you might get some good experience dodging sandstorms and bullets, too! |
Sure, next time you're in Australia, let me know, we'll go flying! |
I'll be in Sydney for a week next month (approx. Dec 9 - 15). What part of Australia are you in? |
Melbourne, come down for a day and I'll take you up 4 a spin. Get another person with you if possible (works out cheaper). The going rate for 1 hour in Robinson 44 (4 seater) is $900, without a pilot. One Melbourne city orbit works out to about 0.6-0.7 of an hour. I can't make any money until i'm employed, so I won't be making anything.
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There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta |
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codergeek42
Bodhisattva
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 5142
Location: Anaheim, CA (USA)
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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Congratulations, captain petrjanda!
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~~ Peter: Programmer, Mathematician, STEM & Free Software Advocate, Enlightened Agent, Transhumanist, Fedora contributor
Who am I? :: EFF & FSF |
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pjp
Administrator
Joined: 16 Apr 2002
Posts: 17509
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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Congratulations! Awesome achievement. It was a dream I'd had once before realizing it was even possible.
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It is what it is out there. So whatever it is, it is. |
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Bones McCracker
Veteran
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1606
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| petrjanda wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: | | petrjanda wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: | Can I go for a ride?
By the way, I hear Saudi ARAMCO is always hiring, and you might get some good experience dodging sandstorms and bullets, too! |
Sure, next time you're in Australia, let me know, we'll go flying! |
I'll be in Sydney for a week next month (approx. Dec 9 - 15). What part of Australia are you in? |
Melbourne, come down for a day and I'll take you up 4 a spin. Get another person with you if possible (works out cheaper). The going rate for 1 hour in Robinson 44 (4 seater) is $900, without a pilot. One Melbourne city orbit works out to about 0.6-0.7 of an hour. I can't make any money until i'm employed, so I won't be making anything. |
Aw, dude. I thought we were talking about a free helicopter ride. If I'm going to pay for it, I'll pay somebody who has more than zero hours of commercial experience. I wouldn't want to crash into that spire at the Arts Centre or something. 
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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petrjanda
Veteran
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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Like I said, that's the price of renting a R44 helicopter without a pilot. Surely you do realize how silly you sound - as if im going to pay for your ride.
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There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta |
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sikpuppy
n00b
Joined: 12 Jun 2012
Posts: 34
Location: Central Coast, NSW
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Flying is cirrus business. Get your head out of the cloud. |
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pjp
Administrator
Joined: 16 Apr 2002
Posts: 17509
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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| petrjanda wrote: | | Like I said, that's the price of renting a R44 helicopter without a pilot. Surely you do realize how silly you sound - as if im going to pay for your ride. |
If I had $900 and a trip to Australia, I'd also make it worth your time. Someday I plan to visit, but no idea when that will be.
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It is what it is out there. So whatever it is, it is. |
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Bones McCracker
Veteran
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1606
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| petrjanda wrote: | | Like I said, that's the price of renting a R44 helicopter without a pilot. Surely you do realize how silly you sound - as if im going to pay for your ride. |
What? No Schweizer 300s?
Yes, I understand. I was just busting your balls, Captain.
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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petrjanda
Veteran
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:13 am Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: |
What? No Schweizer 300s?
Yes, I understand. I was just busting your balls, Captain. |
I've got a 300 endorsement too, just don't like flying it. The 44 has got air conditioning
_________________
There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta |
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Bones McCracker
Veteran
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 1606
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| petrjanda wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: |
What? No Schweizer 300s?
Yes, I understand. I was just busting your balls, Captain. |
I've got a 300 endorsement too, just don't like flying it. The 44 has got air conditioning |
I've heard the 300 is like flying a lawn-mower with wings.
I've never been in a small helicopter. Not that it "counts" from a pilot's perspective, but I've ridden hundreds of hours in a UH-1, dozens in a UH-60, and a handful in a CH-47. Most of it was open-door, tactical military operations. Plenty at night, with the pilots using night vision goggles (which is scary if you know how poorly they can actually see -- you can fly right into a power line and never see it, and it's often impossible to pick out the horizon). The only commercial helicopter flight I can remember was a brief trip in a Bell 400-series.
I envy you. I've always thought flying a helicopter would be buckets of fun (as long as you can rely on your maintenance people). Soon you'll be getting paid to do it. 
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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John R. Graham
Administrator
Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 10156
Location: Somewhere over Atlanta, Georgia
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:40 am Post subject: |
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Gawd, that's significantly more expensive than it is in the US, which is still too expensive for me. I'll stick to the ones where the wings don't go round & round. My operating cost for my 170B was under $80/hr, including maintenance reserves and the cost of capital. Congrats, captain!
- John
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juniper
l33t
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 763
Location: EU
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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| congratulations. I hope you have a rewarding career. |
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McGruff
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 28 Dec 2004
Posts: 148
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Chopper pilot... that's some kind of euphemism, right? |
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sikpuppy
n00b
Joined: 12 Jun 2012
Posts: 34
Location: Central Coast, NSW
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| Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 2:13 am Post subject: |
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| mcgruff wrote: | | Chopper pilot... that's some kind of euphemism, right? |
Only if you think cock jockey is a safe bet. |
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petrjanda
Veteran
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: |
I've heard the 300 is like flying a lawn-mower with wings.
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The 300 is loud. It's louder than the 44 and some bigger helicopters. Although it doesn't have hydraulic actuated controls, it's quite controllable.
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I envy you. I've always thought flying a helicopter would be buckets of fun (as long as you can rely on your maintenance people). Soon you'll be getting paid to do it. |
It sure is lots of fun!
The testing officer wanted me to fly briefly at 120KT(cruise speed is at 100KT though), 50 Feet above trees over a contouring terrain. I don't think I ever flew that quick so close to trees. It left me wondering if he wanted me to fly so fast so close to trees so that we get "in and out" of the danger zone as quick as possible or that if we crash for whatever reason, it will be a quick and painless death. Still wondering about that!
_________________
There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta
Last edited by petrjanda on Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:26 am; edited 2 times in total |
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petrjanda
Veteran
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| John R. Graham wrote: | Gawd, that's significantly more expensive than it is in the US, which is still too expensive for me. I'll stick to the ones where the wings don't go round & round. My operating cost for my 170B was under $80/hr, including maintenance reserves and the cost of capital. Congrats, captain!
- John |
Thanks, I suppose more moving parts in helicopter means more maintenance, higher cost.
_________________
There is, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. If that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. - Gautama Siddharta |
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