UTAir 767-300 Near Miss - Why We Fly Is Beyond Me (The Case For High Speed Rail)

I used to fly a dozen times a month, and I suppose the events of 9/11 have a lot to do with eventual change of employment. I seriously felt like I was risking my life for clients who could have cared less. Long hours, doing race track waiting for the weather to break, in flight thunderstorms and more near terminal landings than I care to think about.
 

 

I don't hate to fly, in fact I picked up my private pilot ticket in my early 20's, IFR rating shortly there after. The glut of post Vietnam pilots made aviation a poor career choice, at the time and so I settled into my first class seat 1A for the better part of 20 years.

 

I love to fly as long as I'm in the front seat, being in the back of the bus is a rather uneasy feeling. The truth is knowing how to fly is more a burden than not knowing. The trouble is, pilots know what sounds normal and what doesn't during a flight.

And the sound of a go-around over the threshold is pretty damn un-nerving on a clear day.
 

From the AP: A passenger plane preparing to leave Barcelona’s El Prat airport on Saturday taxied across a runway just as another plane was about to land, forcing the arriving plane to abort its landing and climb sharply to avoid a possible disaster.

 

 

Miguel Angel Ramirez captured the dramatic moment Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus 340 crossed the runway as an aircraft from Russian airline UTair was descending in a video taken on Saturday.

(CP's take: Ramirez is an aviation buff, who uses a zoom lens to capture planes landing and departing from outside the fence. The zoom lens gives the impression that the planes are only feet from each other.  Now AENA will assure everyone that at no time where the aircraft in danger of colliding, and that the pilot of the 767 did as he was supposed to, and executed a go-around. But what if this had been during a CAT III operation zero visibility heavy rain and fog?)  

Spanish airport authority Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA) said Monday the UTair plane, which officials described only as a Boeing, circled back and landed safely. None of the passengers on either plane was hurt.

AENA said it has opened an investigation into what happened. It had no details on how close the planes were at the time of the incident.

The interesting thing about Ramirez's video is that is shows just how vulnerable aircraft are to human error. Watch the UTAir plane land after the go-around, sloppy landing why, because the pilot had a load of shit in his boxers.

High Speed Rail - Because uncontrolled decent never turns out good.



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Hope Solo Again

I have no idea why I find the crazy ones attractive but damn! There's just something wildly sexy about a hot tempered, bar brawling, angry drunk out of her mind, ready to kick anyone's butt, woman! Lord knows I've loved more than my share!

Hope Solo is without a doubt the best keeper women's soccer has ever known, yet it is her off the field life that gets all the attention.

According to Jennifer Sullivan of The Seattle Times, Solo was arrested at the home she shares with husband and former Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens on two counts of domestic violence after allegedly striking both her sister and nephew.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper is being held without bail after a family gathering escalated into an altercation, per Kirkland police Lt. Mike Murray.

"There was a big party going on at her house. It was an out-of-control situation," Murray said.

Murray also noted that, "There were visible injuries on them," in reference to Solo's sister and nephew.

The list is long and troubling, and they were always brunettes with amazing eyes.

I will never forget the night one went off on a guy because his Mustang was a fake Cobra, a six cylinder with the iconic Cobra markings. Over a car! She was going to give this poor guy a beat down right in the parking lot because his car was masquerading as a high performance model. Never mind he outweighed her by 200 pounds!

Yes Heather I'm talking about you! 

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Pistolis, Lisa Victoria SCDOC Inmate 00360136

 

Lisa Pistolis began serving her 6 year prison term on May 30th after being transported from Charleston to the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia.

 

 

Graham was constructed in the 70's and shows it's age. It's no country club despite its campus setting.

At 5'2" 118 pounds and age 26 Pistolis was no doubt greeted with a chorus of "Fresh Fish" upon her arrival. SCDOC lists her projected release date as September 9, 2019, though that date will change during her stay at the medium security prison.

The reality they say doesn't sink in until about the 3rd week. 

Doesn't get much worse after that. 

 

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Remembering Payne Stewart Not The Man You Thought You Knew

Today the US Open officially gets rolling over at Pinehurst.

Of course a lot of words will be given about Payne Stewart and his stroke for stroke down to the wire final round finish with Phil Mickelson on Pinehurst's No 2 in 1999.

Stewart would die before he could defend his title on a cold South Dakota prairie in October of that year, the result of an aviation accident.

Stewart was a phenomenal golfer, but also a total jackass of a competitor. A hubris prick who treated caddies, grounds crews and volunteers like the mud covered range balls his view from on top gave him. He didn't have much respect for the USGA officials either.

Stewart was a constant critic of greens, accommodations, course setup, pin placement and pairings. Everyone seems to have forgotten  his endless profanity laced rant at Olymipic over pin placement. I know it's wrong to speck unkindly of the dead. 

I'll admit he had lightened up a little bit up by the time 1999 rolled but my first golf cart ride with Payne in 1991 provided an impression that I have never been able to shake.

The image of him tossing a sweat soaked towel at a club house steward, then glaring at me while shouting "you want me to drive I know where I'm going" as I drove him to the driving range has not faded. Many remember the 1991 Ryder Cup for Langer's choke, I remember it for how Payne Stewart treated the fans, the Ocean Course staff and the volunteers.

You'll say, but it was the Ryder Cup and emotions run high at that event. But you didn't watch Stewart day in and day out snub, staff and fans his ego was beyond repulsive. 

I'll guess it didn't help that the night before that I had sat at the same table with a drunk Payne Stewart before his band "Jake Trout and the Flounders" took to the stage in a massive tent set up on Kiawah Island.

Stewart was a funny guy, but usually at the expense of others. Where Tiger tunes out the crowd, and volunteers like myself, Stewart used us high handicap golfers, the "hired help" and volunteers as the pivot point for his jokes.

His death denied him the chance to live down his outside the ropes reputation. Something that PGA stars like Lee Trevino and John Daley have enjoyed and maybe even Tiger Woods will one day seek. 

I know not everyone can be a Bubba Watson or Phil Mickelson, I just wish Payne had lived to play Pinehurst this week so I could perhaps gain a different perspective.

I yearn to hear these words spoken among the long leaf Carolina pines that are Pinehurst's namesake.

"Ladies and Gentlemen now driving the two time US Open Champion from Springfield, Missouri Payne Stewart!"

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Lisa Pistolis Sentenced To Six Years Will Do Less

On Tuesday Lisa Pistolis, pleaded guilty to one count of felony DUI with death resulting and one count of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury. She will receive credit for time served and could be released in as little as four years.

 

According to reports, Pistolis was given credit for the 81 days she served in jail before her family was able to post bail and the judge suspended all but four years and eight months.

A report in the Charleston Post and Courier this morning said:

"This sentence was the result of many long and hard discussions with the victim's family and was the result that they wanted," said 9th Circuit Assistant Solicitor Culver Kidd, who prosecuted the case. "I think it signifies an unparalleled level of compassion and understanding by the family of the victim."

Pistolis' car struck a Jeep carrying Serjei Cahuantz and Hart Crouch both of Charleston on January. 27 of last year.

The P&C also added that "Pistolis' arrest drew attention when Facebook photos surfaced (On the CP Blog) featuring her". 

You can read the full P&C story here.

The hat tip goes to friends and patrons of Joe Pasta who pointed out the FaceBook photos of Pistolis drinking and in some cases passed out, binge drinking or obviously drunk, to Cedar Post shortly after the mid-day accident on 526.

According to the Post and Courier report "Before the fatal wreck, she had been drinking with a friend at Gene's Haufbrau, the friend later told the police. They shared the mimosas, a mixture of sparkling wine and orange juice, authorities said."

But police reports paint a different picture, one of a young woman so hammered that she could not comprehend at the accident scene that she had just killed one person and left another fighting for his life.

Pistolis' blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.

Cedar's Take:

In light of several recent lengthy prison sentences handed down in cases like this, I'm pretty surprised at the slap on the wrist. That said, prison even for 81 days is pretty severe punishment. I suspect that 4 years and 8 months will change Ms. Pistolis and finish the job of destroying her life that she started more than a year ago when she got behind the wheel of her car.

I personally continue to push for a national zero tolerance policy on drinking and driving. A BAL of ZERO. Simply eliminate the excuse "I didn't think I was that drunk".

 

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Tiger Woods Will Sit Out The US Open

Tiger will miss the US Open in Pinehurst next month, and some including ESPN's Rick Riley must think Tiger is done. Why else would he crack on Tiger's tipping habits while on Conan?

 “I’ve covered [Michael Jordan] his whole career, but I don’t think he can hold a candle to Tiger Woods. You need a court order to get Tiger’s wallet open. It’s unbelievable. He’s always like, ‘I don’t carry cash.’ I know a valet here in town that stands between Tiger and his car just to get his $2. He’s really terrible. I’ve seen Phil Mickelson buy a 50-cent cup of a lemonade from a little girl and give her $100. When he leaves the Masters each year, he gives the guys $2,500. Tiger gives them nothing. I was with Phil once, and it was raining. He sees a homeless guy, and he gets out, parks his car and gets out his umbrella to give to the guy. Tiger would charge the guy!”

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When Stand Your Ground Won't Protect You From Killing People

Minnesota law allows the use of deadly force to prevent a felony from taking place in one's home or dwelling, but one's actions must be considered reasonable under the circumstances.

18-year-old Haile Kifer and 17-year-old Nick Brady

Prosecutors said Smith's plan was set in motion on the morning of the killings, after Smith saw a neighbor whom he believed responsible for prior burglaries.

On the day of the killings Smith moved his truck to make it look like no one was home, and then settled into a basement chair with a book, energy bars, a bottle of water and two guns. Smith also set up a hand-held recorder on a bookshelf, which captured audio of the shootings.

At the beginning of the tape Smith calls his lawyer's office making an appointment for the following day. The audio, which was played several times in court, captured the sound of glass shattering, and Brady descending the basement stairs and then the sound of Smith shooting Brady three times. At 3:20 Smith can be heard saying, "You're dead." Prosecutors said Smith put Brady's body on a tarp and dragged him into another room, then sat down, reloaded his weapon and waited.

About 10 minutes later, Kifer came downstairs apparently looking for Brady. One shot is heard, and as Kifer cries out Smith walks up to her and says "Oh, sorry about that" then three more shots are heard on the recording as Kifer screams again and again. Then Smith tells Kifer, "You're dying," followed soon by the sound of one final gunshot, which investigators said Smith described as "a good, clean finishing shot."

Later on the recording, Smith refers to the teens as "vermin." Smith waited a full day before asking a neighbor to call police. Then entire 30 minute recording unedited can be heard here.

The recording was of course Smith's undoing and while Smith may have thought he had every right to execute the two teens, that isn't what the Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground laws recognize.

The jury deliberated less than 3 hours, Smith was found guilty of two counts of first and second degree murder and sentenced to life without possibility of parole.

Detailed coverage from the Star Tribune here.

Cedar's Take: While justice was served, the fact remains that two teens lost their lives because of their need for drugs. And the out come of the trial would have been much different without the tape and if the teens were not attractive white kids in a small rural town. But the tape proved Smith was not in fear, but rather nothing more than a sadistic killer.

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