Callahan

Who screwed up this formerly great web site? I knew it, and stated it months ago, that when a Committee takes over that things will go to pot. I like to reply to the top of a question, putting the question below my reply. Now I get a stupid box that outlines my response & gets the response all squirrely. And where is "Reply" when you want to REPLY to someone? It's like everything else. Just when some great, intelligent, hard working individual makes something work perfectly, a committee has to be appointed to screw it up. I think I just figured out how both our countries got so fu-k-- up.

Beer? Beer in Australia has gotten expensive? That's a mega disaster of epic proportions! We get your Foster's here but what's odd (good) is that it comes in huge cans of about 750ml size. Not quite our gallon size but close. One can will kick your ass! Man! Seriously, what the hell has happened to your country? Smart Americans used to migrate there to remove themselves from the bullsh-- here! I think they may be coming back. People ask me how our own country has gone to sh--. STUPID ASS VOTERS! That's how!

Rastas, a bunch of quacks. Haile Salassie believers. Flew in the U.S. Virgin Islands where there is a mob of the friggin' maniacs. Don't like their picture taken. They never met me. So Pastas are relating pirates to Global Warming? Bolero, in this day & age anything is possible. Could be! I'll Google Pastafarians. I may join your church. Just thought of something, if you Aussies moved over here or vice versa, I bet neither of us would notice a difference in rules & regulations...with maybe (maybe) a little less here. I'm thinking about starting a school on how to avoid rules & regulations successfully. Avoiding taxes would be an extra credit.

In our stupid ass USA years back, we had an oddball religious outfit that didn't eat anything. They figured they could get nourishment by breathing air....yes, AIR. They died out from starvation. True story. Dumb ass USA & that's when we had sense!

A vegan? Had a guy tell me one day how he never eats animal parts. Okay, that's great I said but why do you think you're not killing a plant before you eat it? He said, a plant doesn't live like an animal. I said, oh yeah? Cut the stem of a plant you plan to eat but let it lay on the ground for a few hours. It shrivels up and DIES you dumb ass!

You guys sound like you're drunk? Am I the only sober one here? It's usually the other way 'round. I wish I had the ink to tell you some of the rules I've broken & gotten by from Federal and local law enforcement. They call me Slick Willy too. We had a saying in Vietnam: "What are they going to do? Draft me & send me to Vietnam?" Exactly.

Bolero? "Go your good thing?" Had a few toddies have we? A possible translation might be: "Hey Bill, go do your good thing." I do Bolero. Every day.

You guys! You Aussies! What the hell happened to your country? I'll tell you what! The same bureaucratic crap that happened here but you guys seem to be worse off than us in the pathetically & sickly correct USA! If you haven't heard, our time honored Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are no longer! In the stupified atmosphere of patheticness, they are joined. We call them now, Boy Skirts! Where are the parents who should be screaming from the rooftops about the obsurdity of the horse-sh--? Probably giving it their whole hearted approval! Now imagine your 13 to16 year old daughter on a camping trip with a 45 year old Skirtmaster who decides at midnight he must teach your lovely child the facts of life! Our world is Totally Insane! Rules! I read many of your posts. Sad but very similar to ours. Who copies from whom? They have to justify their budgets so...crank out more rules, dish out more fines and fees. Not me! I don't pay "diddly squat," have never registered my ultralights, never will, and go out of my way to break as many of their ignorant rules if at all possible, in one day! God help us from bureaucrats, pathetic correctness and Rules! Wild Bill

You guys have your own opinions & I respect them. But from what I've just read & know from experience, it just seems like a whole lot of trouble via floats using a wing or powered parachute. A high wing Drifter (for example) on wide Full Lotus floats worked for me. You can step out of the aircraft, take a leak, fish, have a drink, no wing to climb around etc. Convenient. That said, for those of you who prefer Trikes & floats...more power to you & no offense! My video "Drifter Flying Part 2" shows my Drifter on Full Lotus. Two photos from yesterday after a beach landing in Florida USA.

PMC, Thank you for that. I didn't take offense from the guy. I do have a weird sense of humor though. What some people would get into a slugging match for, my usual response is to laugh...especially if they're bigger than me. Even Bex's calling me Grandad. It kind of offended me at first but after a while, I came to like the title. What he doesn't realize is that he'll be in my shoes before he knows it, then the old shoe will be on his foot. He'll get the same treatment. He'll wake up one day and say: "Damn! That old fart I insulted years ago was right! I'm an old man! Crap! Anyway, thanks for the tool explanation! Interesting! Wild Bill

Binghi! Don't go to the trouble. I'll try to find it myself. Thanks anyway! Bill Callahan

That should be the link to the video. If you see a line up of pretty girls & a couple of guys, that be it. If you have ear buds or headset, I recommend using them. I spent weeks getting the music beat synched with video & stills.

Well said Binhgi! Would you mind posting that bush pilot's forum you were referring to? I'll try typing it in too. If anyone is interested, I have a new video out on YouTube titled "Bush Pilot Sudan." Warning - Language. Twin Otter. Some funny parts. 37 minutes.

Johmn or Johnm, Covered both bases....too lazy to go back up & check. Thank you for the Olive Branch! Very nice gesture! My fault, one of many, is that I'm opinionated. I apologize for it. Some say I'm crazy. Some say I'm stupid. Some say I'm an ass. At times, I'm all three at once. But one thing I am is honest. One Lister recently called me a tool which, I assume, is Aussie shorthand for fool. I can be that too with some of the crazy s--- I say & do. So, on my soon-to-be grave, I'm going to have emblazoned in granite: "He was all of the above but he was honest." Apologies to all, even the ones who berate me in type. At times, I deserve it. Now go FLY! We're all brothers & sisters up there!

Ron, Thank you for that insightful & supportive response to my humble observation. Gravity, he was just making a point. But I agree with you about skill. Maybe practice would be a better word. Thanks to you both!

You might be correct about that observation BLA but check your spelling. Starts with an F.

As a fanatical observer of Russkie car wrecks, especially car vs. train wrecks, I'd say that this accident is only natural in Russkie Land. Seems to me, after watching thousands of their totally avoidable wrecks, that they say "Honey, let's go out & have a head-on collision today!" It also makes me wonder how in hell Hitler.....lost!

I've owned a Wizard Trike on floats. Fine in the air. On water, a pain in the butt getting over or under the control bar...ingress & egress. In wind, while on water, the bar flops all over, you have to sometimes hang on to it with both hands limiting a need to do other things. That & other things. Just thought it was more trouble than worth. Sold it. Whatever you get, make it high wing & 3 axis control with a 582 minimum power. This info from 48 years in ultralights. No offense to those of you who prefer trikes on floats. Just my opinion.

I may be in the wrong forum for this. If so, I beg forgiveness. Above is a link to Sudan Bush Flying. Twin Otter. Entertaining. Funny. 37 minutes. YouTube. If link doesn't work, go to YouTube, type in "Bush Pilot Sudan." Just submitted it today. Thanks.

Thanks Jerry! Nice to do some back & forth talk with a sensible guy & not be accused of being a braggert or a Grandpa.... though I do like Bex's new name for me....Granddad! Russkies had some great aircraft during the latter stages of WW II. The Sturmovich was another one, nicknamed the Flying Tank. Heavily armored for ground attack. If any of you guys like Eastern Front fighting like me look up Hans Ulrich Rudell, Stuka pilot on Amazon. Knocked out 515 Russkie tanks! Thanks I accidentally gave your antagonist a Like. Wish I could delete it.

Regarding the photo, that was one of the luckiest I ever took. He flashed over at about 45 to 50 mph & was "there" for a millisecond! Luck....pure & simple. No, I'm not bragging. Just facts.

Thanks guys! If I had posted that in the U.S. I would've been accused of all sorts of Politically Correct crimes! As far as cherry picking, she was 22 & probably (since I personally don't know but wish I did) lost hers eons ago.

Bryon, Grandad is tagging this to your post but it's not meant to reply to you. This is a shot I did back in the days of "one click you better get it." No rapid fire shutter. Both pilot above & model below did a fantastic job! Better look before the site police take it down. Not bad for old Grandaddy! Maxair was my old one. Drifter Flying Part 2 on YouTube. Photo Below.

Jerry, Apologies for dragging things out again but explain to me please, how is a camera's viewfinder in the cockpit going to help anything during a landing like the Yaks? Bex thinks I'm bragging when I speak of my experience but if he doesn't understand my background, he'll think I'm full of s---. Or maybe he'll think that either way. But here's my two cents on the camera idea. On final, a Yak, or Mustang or AT-802 will all have their noses in a slightly downward position allowing easy viewing of the entire length of intended landing area before the flare begins. A camera, to me, would be nothing but a distraction to vision & aircraft operation during a critical time and an additional danger as the eyes have to focus near to far all the way during landing & rollout. Totally unnecessary in my opinion. Sure, an obstacle, such a a vehicle driven by a crazed lunatic could suddenly appear but such is life. But with respect to the camera idea, maybe I'm missing something?....besides a younger age. Don't misinterpret my intentions here as did young Bex. I mean no offense. And no, I don't know it all. I'm just a survivor as are many of the older pilots here. Over & Back by Wild Bill Callahan...on Amazon. You can read about 35 pages for free. No, I'm not trying to sell a book but it'll tell you from whence I came. This has to go into extra innings Aussies. Wait! Grandmaw calling! Nap time.