China Eastern airliner orders

News media outlets have widely reported China Eastern canceled an order for twenty-four 787s, in favor of purchasing forty-five 737s. Not as widely reported is the airline also ordered fifteen A330s from Airbus. I interpret these actions as dissatisfaction with the delivery delays of Boeing’s Dreamliner and a tactical adjustment on route structure. Hopefully it is not indicative of dissatisfaction with the Dreamliner itself.

Housing Values

The house across the street was foreclosed some time ago. The bank eventually put it on the market and sold it for grossly under what, at least I believe, was market value. The transaction drove down the market value of our house. Thankfully, our mortgage is not underwater, but the hit to our property value was substantial. On the other hand I was pleased to see how diligently our new neighbors immediately began work on upgrading their property. I was curious, though, why they did not move in despite all the renovation they put in the house. Now, I understand. After having held the property for only a few months, they are trying to flip it. I just hope they make a huge profit and raise the value of my house to where it was before the bank undersold the house.

Reno Air Races

I got the desire to see the National Air Races from my dad. He saw Jimmy Doolittle race in Cleveland. I defer to my sister, the family historian, about which year. I, too, went to the National Championship Air Races and Air Show. For me, it was last year at Reno. The slogan associated with the Races is Fly Low, Go Fast, Turn Left. That is exactly what the racers do. They did in Cleveland (and Chicago before that) and they do in Reno. Last year The Reno Air Racing Association canceled the final race, the Gold Cup championship for the Unlimiteds, because of high winds. The event is dangerous, but I believe the organizers do all they can to assure the safety of the racers and spectators. With new housing erected, the Air Races no longer ran in Cleveland. Years later they moved to the desert, in part because of the risk to those who were not associated with the race.

The Gold Cup championship race for the Unlimiteds is the last race of the last day and is the climax of the Races. Propeller driven, piston engine powered, airplanes - most of which were designed originally as fighters for World War II - compete in a spectacle of noise, power, and speed. One of the most disappointed of the pilots last year undoubtedly was Jimmy Leeward, a highly accomplished pilot who flew Galloping Ghost through lower level qualifying races to have a chance to compete against the preeminent Strega, Voodoo, and Rare Bear. Safety, though, took priority and the race was canceled.

This year, in the first Gold Cup heat of the weekend the four met September 16. Strega and Voodoo were leading, and Galloping Ghost had passed Rare Bear when tragedy struck. Martt Clupper wrote an excellent article on what likely caused the accident. Telemetry data shows Galloping Ghost was flying at 495 miles an hour as it rounded Plyon 7 for the straightaway in front of the grandstand. Questions have been raised as to why the pilot did not do more to avoid hitting the spectators' area. The telemetry data reveal the answer; Mr. Leeward experienced 21Gs immediately after the trim tab broke off the airplane. No human could withstand such force. The FAAs planning did not, and could not reasonably have been expected to, assume such an event. Eleven people have died and scores of others were injured. I thank God the human loss was not more.

Some people are calling for the end of the Air Races. Others want to impose more restrictions in hope of reducing the possibility of another accident and loss of life. Did I expect to die when I went last year? Of course not, but I knew that by being there my probability of death was greater than for many other activities. I made the decision, fully expecting to live, but with the knowledge (remotely in the back of my brain) that I might not. I hope the Air Races continue and I look forward to attending the Fiftieth edition in 2013.

References:

Clupper, Martt. "The Galloping Ghost Tragedy... Life, Risk, And The Future." AirPigz. 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2011.

Howe, Jim. "P-51 Galloping Ghost Reno Crash Telemetry Data." Aerobatic Display Teams, Flight Demonstration Squadrons. 29 Sept. 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2011.

Standard and Poor poignant comments on debt downgrade

S&P said the downgrade "reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium- term debt dynamics." It also blamed the weakened "effectiveness, stability, and predictability" of U.S. policy making and political institutions at a time when challenges are mounting.

Paletta, Damian, and Matt Phillips. "S&P Downgrades U.S. Debt for First Time." Business News & Financial News. The Wall Street Journal, 06 Aug. 2011. Web. 06 Aug. 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576491421339802788.html.

Penny-wise and pound-foolish - Congress and the FAA reauthorization bill

I am pleased Congress reached agreement on the debt limit. I understand it took priority over all other legislative matters for the past few weeks. I also understand there are philosophical reasons to debate the budget for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). I do not understand why Congress would take a recess before addressing the FAA reauthorization. A temporary extension until Congress reconvenes seemed a reasonable compromise. Instead, the government cannot collect federal airport taxes, the FAA furloughed 4000 employees, and many airport construction projects are on hold. Has anyone noticed the economy is weak and tax revenues are down? President Obama correctly characterized the situation as "another Washington-inflicted wound on America."

West Side Story

The touring company of West Side Story is performing at Chicago's Cadillac Theatre. We saw the evening performance Saturday, July 23. Live musical theater is special and Saturday was not an exception. The Palace is a superb venue. Leonard Bernstein's music is an American classic. The touring company has been on the road through Texas, Florida, and various states in the Northeast. (The next stop is Schenectady, NY, so the Chicago performances are hardly exclusives.) Unfortunately, some of the performers, particularly when dancing, looked as though they were simply going through the motions. Others performers were superb. I thought Michelle Aravena as Anita gave the best overall performance, in song, dance, and acting. All in all, the production was good, not great, but well worth both the time and money.

Dinner with a starlet

I had dinner Thursday evening with a Hollywood starlet. I hope Lois, the starlet on her way to be a star and my daughter's best friend, is not saying she had dinner with a lecherous old man! I think the picture shows I need not be too worried about Lois' boyfriend putting a contract out on my life. My smile though, seems genuine. I was a little nervous about meeting with Lois as my daughter had always been with us whenever we had met before. Odd as it may sound, it somehow seemed as though Chelsea was with us Thursday as the conversation always seemed to involve her at some point.


I am proud of Lois' persistence and how she is maturing. She has been studying and working in the Los Angeles area since graduating from high school. Fame did not come immediately, but through Lois' hard work Fame is now willing to be courted. Lois has saved up her money from working multiple odd jobs and is now concentrating on auditions. She stars opposite Guillermo Díaz in the soon to be released short She Who Laughs Last. Last month she performed in Haywire at the Write Act Repertory Theatre in Hollywood. Each of the reviews have been complementary (see http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-industry-in-los-angeles/hollywood-goes-haywire-review for the first of three). My expectation is the next time we have dinner we will not have to use my cell phone to take a picture; instead we will get a shot from the paparazzi.

Check out Lois' growing résumé at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3295243/