New Englander

I've been fortunate that my skill level has always enabled me to work for a company with health benefits. My interview with Jenney Flight Engineering for my second A&P job (first was fly by night operator that I was smart enough to quit before the FAA shut it down) went like this: Welcome aboard. You start at $3.25, we pay half your Blue Cross and all the coffee you can drink. I worked lots of OT and a side job or two. Anyway, it only got a lot better from there. An A&P mechanic at an airline is a six figure job. A fully certified ATC controller is a six figure job. There's money and benefits out there, you just have to want it and work for it. Most McDonalds are franchised and generally offer health care. Here's one of many: https://www.muellermcd.com/healthandwellness It's pretty much the same for all the fast food restaurants. Maybe it's different elsewhere but around here they have trouble filling those positions and the help wanted signs show ever increasing starting wages. What used to be $12 has escalated to near $20., more for supervisors and openers/closer. I believe that if you're willing to better yourself with a trade or other skill there's little need to not have insurance. My wife and son's pregnancy/birth was big money and not a dime out of our pockets. As I age I use an increasing amount of coverage and happy that now my wife's policy covers most of it while mine in my working years covered it. Eventually when she retires it'll be a Medicare supplement.

I've got three of those old irons. One was my dad's the others were given to me. If needed I heat with a MAP torch. My cousin's radiator shop always had a flame on one. They would solder gas tanks with them too.

Yeah, heating oil is really dirty. Every time I ever changed the filters in the house or shop, just shop now, they're full of crap. Funny story: Company I worked for was in the old Gillette hangar on Hanscom Field. The underground storage tanks needed to be replaced and there was a small plume of fuel that was treated in place. The jet fuel tanks were replaced with above ground and the heating oil tank wasn't. The jet fuel tanks were tapped and run through a meter to the heating system so no aviation fuel tax or airport flowage fees would have to be paid. Anyway, the difference between jet fuel cleanliness and heating oil dirt became evident when the heating contractors came in to do their annual maintenance and the guys got all mad saying someone had already changed the filters. No, the fuel is so clean that they just didn't get dirty. Previous year filters looked like new.

If you have to cut the tank up you'll be surprised at the amount of sludge in the bottom. Most places won't take a tank but cut in half it's no longer a tank, just scrap steel. Shop netx to one I worked in as a kid did gas conversions so had lots of free fuel for the shop. Sadly they sucked it right off the bottom so as the opening guy in the morning it was often a cold shop and I'd change the filter and bleed the burner to get the heat on. That company cut all the tanks, mostly just to get them out of the cellars easily but also for disposal. When we converted our house to heat pump with propane auxiliary I found about 4" of sludge with a channel to the outlet. Tank was old from whenever central heat was added.

US airships like the ones based at Moffett Field were filled with helium. Freon is heavier than air and not suitable as a lifting gas.

Germany didn't have the inert helium so had to use hydrogen which is even lighter and easily obtained but has one small issue..................

There's haters out there that don't realize how many he's brought up with him. Good for him!

Maybe look on Amazon for the right picture and buy the whole carburetor? Gamble 40-50 $ and comes with a shutoff solenoid, gaskets, filter,etc.

Our long time flight dispatcher's husband was FDNY on 9/11. He's now dying of cancer. Yeah, can be a nice career but there are unknown risks associated. There are lots of tradeoffs in some jobs. I was on the other side of the world and missed some birthdays and whatnot but tried to make up for it when home. I probably saw more kids sports that the average 9-5 dad. I wouldn't want to be police or EMS and deal with the dregs of society every day. I've been fortunate to be around good working people and successful ones for my job. I suppose if I had to be a LEO it might be OK working for Grady Judd.

Is the rumor true that there's a contract out on the guy who designed those plugs and heads? 😄

Yes. While many were blue fuselage with yellow wings or all yellow with a red stripe there were other less common schemes depending upon service and mission. The one above was customer request of a particular model I believe and an accurate presentation.

A very good friend of mine and former colleague restores Stearmans. His personal one won best in class at Sun & Fun. Here's one of his restorations that I happen to have a picture of on this computer. Matt comes from a family of Pilots. His dad was TWA, one brother UA, another, who I also flew with, corporate, and another now a sim instructor due to medical issue. His daughter is well on the way having logged a couple hundred hours solo before she was old enough for a license. Since he and I are A&P mechanics with an interest in older planes it helped pass the hours on long international flights.

Our crew condo for the Aspen based was in Glenwood Springs, CO. Lots of Amish holidaying presumably since the train stopped there so steel wheels. Girls looked as good as any.

When they invent time travel there's a lot of things I want to go back and see!😄 I grew up in a house that was bought brand new in 1899 by my paternal grand mother's family. It originally had gas lights until electrified in the '20s. The house we live in now was originally built in 1852 but may have burned and been rebuilt. Stone cellar steps lead to nowhere, bulkhead stairs added on and crawl space only added under ell, which is not an addition so probably part of a complete rebuild. Still balloon construction so still likely 19th century. Septic tank was cast in place when indoor plumbing added sometime, lids have horseshoes for lift points. We've been here 32 years and the old townies still refer to our place as the old Emery farm even though it's passed through several owners before us. Farm pretty much divided off; we've got what was left. A local barn was to be removed due to highway enlargement so for some reason it had to be dated and compared to other area barns. The person who visited ours dated it mid 1860s ish due combination of trunnels (treenails) and factory nails in the construction. Since I rebuilt it hopefully it'll last into the 22nd century. Values around here have risen so dramatically that I wouldn't be surprised if our house became a tear-down for a McMansion. House built on adjacent 35 acres that we didn't purchase sold a few years back for over a million and has since had a 2000 square foot "pool house" added along with a monster pool complete with waterfall and a large heated and air conditioned barn for a car collection. Rumor is it's they're moving and it's going up for sale. Speculation is 2.5 million or more. Land on the bay was just developed and the waterfront lots alone went for 1 million! All real estate around the seacoast is going for stupid money. EDIT: I was wrong on the waterfront lots. The waterfront lots went for about 2 million, the water view about 1.5. New lots being developed down the street are reported to be 1.5. Neighbor informed me that his place, the one described with the pool house above, will be listed for a staggering 4.0 !!!!!!!!! What makes the town attractive is the tax rate which is the second lowest in the state. I guess we made a lucky move buying our place 32 years ago. I doubt it would go for real crazy money but being next door to a multi million place might drag it up. It's all stupid money unless one is getting out of the market and moving to somewhere reasonable.

My approach has been to get a permit if they can see it from the road or if paying a contractor to do something. NH is somewhat laid back, I can't imagine living say in California where a bird house probably needs a permit and corresponding inspection.

I that one time and thought what the heck? I opened the connector cover and flushed it out with some brake cleaner that was close at hand and that made it happy. Has not reappeared and trailer brakes work fine, best brake controller ever. Salt belt issue? '13 GMC

Our agent (Farm Family) is pretty reasonable. The only dig is that we're under-insured, something I expect due to local real estate going completely nuts.

I'm aware. Local station trucks sit outside all day for some reason. Obviously air should be up from moving out in the morning.

I think that's right as I have both green and yellow. I buy full chisel but have some older safety chains that I think have green links. Kick-back doesn't seem hard to control as long as you maintain a good grip/stance but maybe it's people reaching that gets them.

SFI engine in '99 is 290 hp, 410 lbft. Should take the hills OK. Ready to go as soon as the air builds up. Fuel costs really pretty much a wash nowadays.

I sure wouldn't be afraid of a 454. Looks turn-key. Change the name on the door and go to work.

I bought my compressor real cheap from a closing shop because it had a 3 phase motor. Even with replacing the motor with a new surplus single phase I was way ahead. I didn't see any good reason for a converter as a brand new motor was not much more money. There's no three phase advantage when you're converting single phase.

I just got the notice for my next one. Prep for my last was way easier than the first. The first one nothing seemed to happening and I got bored waiting and thought I'd get a little field mowing done. Wow! When it finally kicked in I came back in driving road gear and almost bouncing out of the seat. Didn't make it.........

I've been contemplating a new one as my Tech2 only goes to 2013 so while it works for my pickup it's old school now. My other tool has a lot of limitations. Anyway, searching I stumbled upon this. I bought and have only just given it a little test and I'm surprised at how well it works. I have not needed it for any serious problem yet.

I'm convinced the gravel truck driving test includes successfully running a red light from a mile back! Obviously it's only a suggestion for a great many drivers of all types of vehicles, those that do stop have no idea what that wide white stripe on the road means.