tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68376678901501203372024-02-07T00:22:23.376-08:00Chronicles of Flighttimmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-9591599552325964342011-07-26T14:24:00.000-07:002011-07-26T14:24:28.977-07:00N321PF, Cleared to St. George airport...Yesterday was an exciting day for flying. Started out with the Spanish Fork Pioneer Day parade flyover. Me and about 10 other planes flew a figure 8 pattern over the parade route at 1000 feet above it. It was a blast just buzzing the parade. I took some people along with me in the airplane too so that was neat.<br />
<br />
After the parade, Nick and I talked about our flight plan for our trip to St. George. This flight was to be an actual IFR flight. So after working out the flight plan (which is way easier for IFR than VFR) I called up flight service and filed the flight plan. Pretty easy. The briefer was quite pleasant to talk to.<br />
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Our filed altitude was 12,000 feet. Yesterday was very hot and that airplane just didn't want to climb very well. We had to do two climbing 360's to get enough altitude to clear the terrain on the way to Fairfield VOR. After we got up to about 10,500 we called up Salt Lake Approach and requested our IFR clearance to St. George.<br />
<br />
"Diamond Start 321PF, Cleared to St. George airport via heading 220 intercept Victor 21 to Delta then cleared as filed. Climb and maintain 11,000. Squawk 4325."<br />
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So...I did what he told me to do. <br />
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When we got towards Delta we requested an approach into Delta from Salt Lake Center and they cleared us fro the approach to Delta. I flew the VOR/DME 17 approach. Wasn't perfect, but it wasn't too shabby either. Executed the missed approach and climbed back up and got cleared again down to St. George. We turned the autopilot on so it did all the work. Honestly, the rest of the way to St. George was really kinda boring. Only when we got to Cedar City did it get exciting. But before we got there, we switched over to Los Angeles Center and they cleared up to climb to 13,000 feet and then for the LDA/DME approach into St. George. Flew that pretty darn well. It was freakishly windy at St. George and insanely hot. <br />
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Upon landing we bought fuel and then took a courtesy car into town for some lunch at Cafe Rio. FYI, the new airport in St. George is about 20 minutes away from town. Kinda sucks.<br />
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We flew home direct VFR. But we did run into some pretty cool rain storms on the way. Flying in the rain is really fun. Upon reading Fairfield again, we flew a practice approach into Provo and then back home to Spanish Fork.<br />
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It was a pretty fun flight. Spent 5.2 hours in the airplane yesterday. I won't even mention of much that cost.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-8769044618337693642011-07-21T21:56:00.000-07:002011-07-21T21:56:34.939-07:00Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!?!So yesterday I was supposed to fly to Grand Junction with Shawna. We were going to take turns flying and being the safety pilot for each other so that we could build some cross country and simulated instrument time. The day was beautiful. Shawna's insides were not. She texted me and said she was feeling sick. Bummer. <div><br />
</div><div>Fortunately, there was another pilot around, Brandon, who agreed to fly with me for an hour or so and do practice approaches into Provo, because I need the practice. We flew the DA40 for this flight. It was a bit different because I've been flying approaches in the DA20 which has round gauges and no HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator), which really sucks honestly.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So we went and flew the ILS 13 and VOR/DME 13 approaches. Wow! What a difference the HSI makes. So much easier to track courses and fly the DME arc. I was rocking the approach all the way until I get about 500 feet above the ground. Then everything seems to go to crap...and I think I figured out why. At that point I'm re-configuring the airplane for landing and it likes to balloon up and so I start freaking out about losing the glideslope and then end up loosing the localizer too. I'll get it right sooner or later.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Today was interesting. I decided to take a flight this evening with Ashlee Stoddard in the DA40. We were just going to fly up to Ogden, do a touch and go, and then head on back home. Nice fun easy flight. Well I get the plane all preflighted and everything is ready to go. Master-On. Position Lights- On. Fuel Pump- OnThrottle- 1 inch. Prop- full forward. Mixture- full rich for 3 seconds then back to idle cut-off. CLEAR PROP! Starter- engage. Prop turns a half spin and then stops and then nothing. Try again. Same thing. Battery is dead. Ugh...</div><div><br />
</div><div>So I then go and get another airplane, a DA20, ready to go (I was really wanting to fly the DA40). Do my pre-flight inspection. Everything is good to go, except that it doesn't quite have enough fuel to make the trip. So we taxi over to the fuel pump. Ground the airplane, and then run the card. Complete all the annoying prompts that it gives me and then go pump the fuel. I squeeze the lever...and a small stream comes out. Then nothing. What the heck?? So I go and check it and the transaction has been completed already. Weird. So I do it all again. Same thing. I grab the reciept and then notice that it says, "Remaining balance: $0.01" Great...no money to buy fuel with. So I decided to scrub the flight to Ogden and just fly around local and just dink around for fun. (I didn't think about it till after the fact, but I could have used my own credit card and bought fuel and then had it reimbursed). </div><div><br />
</div><div>So we flew around while, and checked out the rodeo and the carnival going on. Flew past the Y where there were a ton of people hanging out on it. Probably making out. That's what I'd be doing. ANYWAY...I rocked the wings at them to say HELLO! Went and did a touch and go at Provo. That was perfectly executed and greased the landing. However a guy in a Stationair came up on me rather fast and ended up having to go around because I still on the runway. Now, unless I'm wrong, I believe it's common practice that if you have to go around to avoid an aircraft on the runway, you sidestep to the right of the runway to pass that aircraft. Well...this guy side stepped to the left and I was quite surprised when he called and said he was on my left wing. This creates a few problems. One, he was going faster than me so he ended up ahead. Two, he had to turn right to stay in the pattern. Three, that turn was going to put him right where I was going to be. Because it was after 9:00 pm, the Tower was closed so we didn't have a controller helping us out here. He asked me what my intentions were. I was going to do another loop in the pattern, but i saw him there and was a bit confused so I made a decision to abandon that but I told him that I would turn right to avoid him. Well then he announces that he's going to turn right to start the crosswind leg. I was so confused as to what was going on. So I just kept him in sight, leveled the wings to fly straight and climbed until we were no longer a threat to each other. Now that I think about it, I probably could have announced before all this took place what my intention was going to be but I really didn't realized how close behind me he was and I didn't hear him announce that he was missed approach either. Wow...I'm still confused just thinking about it. And just to give you and idea of how quick you have to be on your feet up there, this entire episode began and ended in about 10 seconds.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Left Provo and came on back to Spanish Fork. Landed runway 12 with some funky winds right over the threshold. Put it on the ground and taxied back to parking. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Fun flight.</div>timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-77189861438807956832011-07-16T16:34:00.000-07:002011-07-16T16:34:18.409-07:00VOR/DME and GPS approachesToday I took to the skies in N376DC a Diamond Katana with my instructor Nick Carter (No, not the Backstreet Boy). It was really hot outside and the plane really didn't want to climb much at all. I rotated at 45 knots but the thing didn't want to fly until it got to almost 60 knots.<br />
<br />
Immediately after takeoff I put on my view limiting device (known as Foggles) and instrument training began. I was given vectors (by my instructor) to clear Provo's class D airspace and then direct to Fairfield VOR. I was instructed to hold over Fairfield VOR. Being at only 8,500 feet and the mountain at 7,000 the turbulence from the wind was ridiculous! It was so hard to do the hold correctly. <br />
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Then I was cleared for the VOR/DME 13 approach into Provo. That wasn't so bad. Out over the lake the air is much much calmer and made for easier flying. Upon reaching the missed approach point, we executed a missed approach and turned off to go and fly the GPS approach. Not hard really. Just gotta make sure to but the VOR on GPS mode and fly the needle. While on the approach and about 2 miles north of WAVIT (the Final Approach Fix), a Cessna Citation X called in announcing he was on the approach. Since we were very slow compared to him, tower had us do a 360 to get out of the way and then resume our approach. All went well. We executed a missed approach and flew back to Spanish Fork.<br />
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The interesting part of the whole bit had nothing to do with us, but with that Citation Jet. Tower told him to report WAVIT inbound and he forgot to do so. He then also proceeded to land without a landing clearance! That's a huge mistake! That can have pretty bad consequences. Tower realized what happened and then issued him a landing clearance after he had already landed. Since Provo doesn't have a radar yet, there is no way to see that the jet landed before the clearance was issued. That pilot better go and give the controller a nice sum of cash or maybe a dinner or something because he totally saved his butt.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-25928811275973199862011-07-16T12:45:00.000-07:002011-07-16T12:45:07.539-07:00New Direction & AutopilotSo I've decided that I'm going to take my blog in a new direction. I never have anything fun or witty to share, so I'm going to turn this blog into a record of my flying. I will try to update it after each flight I make and tell about the highs and lows, the boring and the exciting, the calm and scary. My official logbook will keep track of the hours; my blog will keep track of memories.<br />
<br />
Now for the first entry.<br />
<br />
So recently down at Diamond Flight Center, we acquired a Diamond Star DA40-180. Boy is that a fun plane. It has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G1000">G1000</a> avionics system. It's quite complex and takes some time getting used to, but once you get it, it's quite nice. <br />
<br />
I decided that I would take a flight to Price, Utah in order to get myself a little bit more familiar with it before I fly it down to St. George in a week. I pre-flighted the airplane and all was good. Did my run-up and everything was fine. Leaned back the mixture to get the proper mixture for maximum takeoff power. So I taxied out onto the runway and announced that I was taking off. I pushed the throttle all the way forward and the engine almost died. "What the heck?" ran through my mind and then immediately "too lean." So I enrichened the mixture a little bit and the engine roared to full power and off I went. I thought I had done it right. Guess not.<br />
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Flew up Spanish Fork Canyon and off to Price. Since it was quite hot up at 11,500 feet, my cruising altitude, the air wasn't really stable and so it was a bumpy ride all the way there. Not much fun really. I decided that I would try using the autopilot. I dialed in the altimeter setting and desired altitude into the autopilot and then turned it on. Smooth as could be. Well...sort of. The autopilot had a hard time keeping up with the bumpiness and altitude was all over the place really. After a while I noticed I was getting off course a little bit so I went to turn to get back on course. I pushed on the stick. Nothing happened. I couldn't even move it! This scared me a little bit so I immediately hit the big red button on the stick. A loud ear piercing beep sounded indicating that the autopilot has been disconnected and that I had full control of the aircraft again. I tried it a few more times with the same results. I'm pretty sure there is a way to rememdy that, but I just don't know how to do it. I'll ask my instructor next time.<br />
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Did a touch and go at Price. Nothing out of the ordinary. Flight back was pretty normal too, except that when I got close to Spanish Fork I had a pretty strong tailwind. Tailwinds are good, except when you are trying to descend quickly or land. <br />
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When up at high altitude it's bad to just pull out all the power and glide down. You can do what they call "shock cooling" the engine. When at high altitude the air is cool and sometimes down right cold. The engine is working hard and produces quite a bit of heat. But as soon as you start pulling out power, it doesn't create as much heat and the engine cools down. If you pull all the power out quickly, the engine will then cool too quickly and can crack the cylinder heads and other stuff.<br />
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So being high and fast I couldn't just pull all the power out and "fall" out of the sky. So that made it even harder to descend. I ended up doing S-turns in order to try to lose altitude.<br />
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Upon being within about 5 miles of Spanish Fork I radioed my intentions and was told by the pilot of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Air">King Air</a> that the wind was favoring runway 12 instead of my intended landing runway of 30. This was actually good since it would allow me more time to lose altitude as I had to fly around the pattern instead of just a straight in landing. I turned base and then final. I felt that I was coming in a little fast. I looked at the airspeed. It showed the correct airspeed for approach. Then I noticed the wind indicator on the G1000. 8 knot tailwind. What the heck!? The King Air pilot lied to me...either that or the wind changed quickly. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I landing a bit long, but it was a beautiful landing. Wheels just kissed the pavement. Nose down, flaps up, stick back, brakes. Got her slowed down, taxied off the runway and parked.<br />
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Fun flight. Ready for the next.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-86811127890680063432011-04-19T02:07:00.000-07:002011-04-19T02:07:34.802-07:00Secrets to Research PapersHere are a few secrets I've found to writing long research papers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Have a super long introduction.</li>
<li>Research before you write anything. That way you have something to write about.</li>
<li>Discuss your topic with other people and have a discussion about it. It'll show you what you've learned from your research and also other points you may want to explore further.</li>
<li>Take breaks so as to not overload your brain.</li>
<li>Get your friends to give you suggestions.</li>
<li>Don't give up.</li>
</ol>timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-17078036369977961572011-04-11T21:35:00.000-07:002011-04-11T21:35:59.593-07:00StressSo I was chatting with someone in my English class about our paper and during the course of the conversation I learned that our 10 page research paper that I thought was due on the 24th is actually due on the 19th. That still gives me plenty of time, right?<div><br />
</div><div><b><u>WRONG!</u></b></div><div><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div>Work has been so busy lately and tomorrow evening I'm leaving for a 5 day trip to California. So when I get back from that trip I'll only have about two days left to do the paper. I CAN'T DO THAT IN TWO DAYS! I will have my laptop so I'll work on it as much as I can down there in California, but to be honest, I doubt that much will get done.</div><div><br />
</div><div>As soon as all of this sunk into my brain the stress factor totally kicked in. But what's interesting about it is the way it manifests itself in me. It shows as ANGER. Just like someone flipped a switch, I went from being content with the world to being angry at just about anything. In fact, my cat is sitting on my bed and it's making me so mad just thinking that that stupid cat has no responsibility except to eat, sleep, poop, and be cute and cuddly. I'm just angry about. . .life!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I haven't felt this way since high school, back when life was very stressful for me. I never realized that stress makes me feel this way. My life is virtually stress-free. (At least free of major stresses, like I am now experiencing)</div><div><br />
</div><div>The only good thing about this whole frickin' situation is that I just learned what my reaction to stress is.</div><div><br />
</div><div>ARRRRGHHH!</div>timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-41487855922231176012011-04-10T20:20:00.000-07:002011-04-10T20:20:06.650-07:00Hot Springs and Wrecking CarsA most interesting Friday evening. <br />
<br />
So Rachel decided to have a little birthday shin dig at the hot springs. We met at her place at 5 and headed down. I asked her once where they were (i'd never been there), and she said "oh, it's just a little south of Spanish Fork." Good deal. So Todd and I pile in the car with Nate and follow Rachel (and some of her friends) down there. So we pass Spanish Fork. Then Nephi. The Scipio. A LITTLE PAST SPANISH FORK MY BUTT!!!! Turns out that these hot springs are a bit south of Fillmore. <br />
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So we get there and chill in the springs for a while. That was actually pretty fun, even though it was freeeeezing cold. <br />
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On the way home we stopped at Carl's Jr. Yum.<br />
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Then Nate, Todd, me, and Megan ( a girl from Rachel's car) head on back and Rachel is following. So about 15 minutes past Scipio we get a call from Rachel saying that she's crashed because of a snow bank. (By the way, it was starting to snow pretty bad). So we turn around a go make sure they are all ok, and they are. But the car is totaled. The sucky part about it is that Rachel had just gotten that car a few weeks ago because she was in a car accident and her car got totaled. So we just chill and wait for the tow truck to show up and tow her back to Scipio.<br />
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Then we head on back up to Springville. Disney music was the theme and we spent most of the trip home singing Disney songs. It was a blast. <br />
<br />
Definitely should do it again...but minus the car crunching episode.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-74043174121885259092011-04-02T13:08:00.000-07:002011-04-02T16:13:12.679-07:00Lessons from General ConferenceThis will be a continued update over the weekend as General Conference continues to go on.<br />
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Elder Quentin L. Cook talked about the value of women. I found this to be an excellent talk. It's not that he taught us any new and amazing doctrine. It was just a reiteration of the things we've already been hearing for years. What I found amazing was my own thoughts and impressions. How amazing it is to be in the company of well-rounded, intelligent, grounded woman. It just makes you feel good. There is a particular girl I'm interested in right now and I like her for these reasons. I can't really articulate a lot of how I felt, but I just know how I felt about it.<br />
<br />
President Henry B. Erying<br />
I don't exactly recall the entire subject matter of his talk, but what stuck out to me is when he was talking about the Priesthood quorum trying to help a brother find employment. Members of the quorum volunteered names of people that they thought this brother could find employment with. Unemployment strikes home for me. My dad has been unemployed quite a bit in the past 5 years. There is a sense of dignity that comes with work and providing for ones self and family. To have that taken away from you is devastating, especially when you have others to support. I thought about my business that I want to open, and FBO (Basically it's an aviation service station). I had the thought that I should always have one or two positions available at my business which I can offer to those who need help. I will train them in a new skill if they don't have it already. And if they only stay for a month or so until they find employment in their field, so be it. I don't consider the funds spent to train a man in a new skill a waste. Sure, financially it may not make the most sense. But was does make sense is saving a man's dignity and ability to feed his family, and hopefully help to save his soul. President Erying talked about how to Lord blesses those who give as well as those who receive. I'm sure that the Lord will bless my business to make up for the financial losses incurred to preserve the well being of one of his children.<br />
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Elder Ballard<br />
Service is the best missionary work. If we are going to bring our friends to the gospel, we have to do meaningful service for them. Sorry, cookies isn't going to cut it. We need to be there and serve them in their potentially life changing situations.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-90510007524761088772011-03-28T13:15:00.000-07:002011-03-28T13:15:40.733-07:00Stop Snoring, dang it!<img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm76U23UTmft50CcHmSBu5xsAtfvVIKDAtc_UkbIs50MHMXqyFR7k0e9_mlM5k0BqY0Ovmj0mOZHAdqwYOE5sml1JSqH3WNR8Nvx0RAprfwleaH0MecgNZPrriQdewEdKsQJp5l21Bbj4/s640/pillow+fight.jpg" width="510" />timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-51082856159991754642011-03-17T10:57:00.000-07:002011-03-17T11:38:22.332-07:00The ArrowSo flying the Katana is fun, but its main roll in the aviation world is that of a trainer. It has decent speed, and great handling characteristics. It's just not designed for traveling. It has a payload the size of a coconut, and can only seat the pilot and one other person, and it's a small cockpit. No space to stretch out at all.<br />
<br />
So I've been learning to fly the Arrow.<br />
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<img src="http://www.livephysics.com/gallery/d/1214-2/Piper-Arrow.jpg" /><br />
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This plane is a blast. It's got a 200 horsepower engine, so it's fast. It seats 4 people and even has a baggage compartment. It's meant to be an airplane that you go places in and take stuff with you.<br />
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It's a bit different than the Katana, the main difference being retractable landing gear. Gotta remember to put those bad boys back down before you land. Landing gear-up classifies as a good landing, not a great one. Pilots always strive for great landings. (A good landing is one you can walk away from. A great landing is one in which the airplane is reusable.)<br />
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It also has what's known as a Constant Speed Propeller. I won't go into all the details as to how it works and all, but suffice it to say that it works kinda like cruise control. Set the power and never have to worry about it again until you want to slow down.<br />
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These differences classify this airplane as a Complex Airplane and so I had to get a special endorsement to fly it. Now I just need more flight time in it to make the insurance company feel happy about my taking it for a spin solo (fyi: spinning is not allowed in this airplane).<br />
<br />
It has some drawbacks. The view outside is not as good as the Katana because it doesn't have a bubble canopy. It doesn't have a Garmin GPS with moving map, the Transponder uses little dials (which I find verry annoying) instead of pushbuttons. The biggest drawback? It costs $141 an hour compared to the $106 the Katana costs. But...when going long distances, the speed makes up for the cost, and it ends up being cheaper than the Katana.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-11118955811438946022011-03-09T20:49:00.000-08:002011-03-09T20:49:48.305-08:00I can breathe nowOk...so it's gonna sound really lame and stupid, and 16 year oldish, but I was sooooo nervous to ask this girl out in my institute class. But I grew a pair and just did it. <br />
<br />
Was I nervous? Heck yes!<br />
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Did it go as smooth as I had planned it? Heck no!<br />
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Was I kinda awkward? You betcha.<br />
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Did she say yes? YES!<br />
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I feel so relieved now.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-47880478430803827272011-03-05T15:17:00.000-08:002011-03-05T15:17:39.303-08:00When you're feeling stupid...Ever have those days where you just feel incredibly stupid? The dumbest person in the world? <br />
<br />
I have those kinda often. <br />
<br />
My remedy???<br />
<br />
<img src="http://innerconfidence.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Judge_Judy.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Judge Judy!!!</b></span><br />
<br />
Ever watched this show? After listening to the STUPID people and their STUPID problems, you'll feel so much better.<br />
<br />
I may be stupid, but there is no way i'm <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">that </span><span class="Apple-style-span">stupid.</span>timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-86597853792495740462011-01-27T18:56:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:56:05.426-08:00ChangesI was just thinking about life and my past and noticed a very significant change in my life.<br />
<br />
I remember in high school I used to be angry. I was angry about everything. It didn't take much to throughly piss me off. It was so bad that I went to counseling to help me deal with it and find the causes. I have recently had some incidents occur that if I were still my high school self, I would have completely hit the roof. <br />
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My iPod got stolen out of my car. I was rather annoyed, but I never got mad about it. I was able to realize that in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter so I just express my frustration for a few minutes, then move on with life.<br />
<br />
When I backed my car into the van and damaged the bumper I could have been super pissed because the van was parked all weird making it hard to see when i was backing out. But no, I just let it go. I'm not upset about it. I'll fix it someday, but really, it doesn't matter.<br />
<br />
I'm glad my attitude has changed. I hated life as a teen. Life is better now.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-35223619776045741182010-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:002010-12-15T17:44:24.502-08:00Yes it's boring. Read it anyway.It's been a while since I blogged. Thought I ought to at least say <i>something.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
You know, usually procrastination is not a good thing. Normally you put something off till the very last moment and then you can't get it done on time. Not for me. I've had 4-5 papers to write this semester and 3 projects I've had to do. Each time I kept putting it off, putting it off. Finally I got down to crunch time and actually had to do it. And guess what? I got them all done with some time to spare <i>AND</i> I got good grades on all of them. (Go me!) Confession: I have a bit of a lazy streak. (I know, shocker!) When it comes to things I really don't want to do, I have <i>zero</i> motivation to do it. The only thing that motivates me to do stuff like that is time, or rather, the lack of it. So by procrastinating, I find motivation and I sit down and do my work and get it done. Is it a fun time doing it? Oh no, it's hell alright. I just lock myself in my room with my computer and start researching and typing away and hopefully a coherent paper comes out of it. But I am now done with all my school for this semester so no worrying about that for a while...until next semester.<br />
<br />
I've been working a decent amount lately. Pretty fun too, except for the 5 am days. Ugh. The past two weeks I've been assigned to go and take the BYU men's basketball team up to Salt Lake for their games at the Energy Solution's Arena. Taken some groups up to Temple Square to go and see the lights, picked up a group in Scipio on their way back from Disneyland, and this morning took the BYU football team to the Salt Lake airport so they can fly off to the bowl game.<br />
<br />
Flying is still fun and live for it, though I'm running out of money so I shouldn't go flying as often as I want to. Got to land at Salt Lake International the other day. That was fun. They had me land on runway 32 with a tailwind of about 7 knots so I couldn't get the plane to slow down and put in the last notch of flaps about 20 feet above the runway. It was neat flying in because all the airliners where there waiting on me to land so they could take off. haha. Then we left Salt Lake and went up to Ogden for some lunch at Rickenbackers (awesome food). The hostess there....wow. I'd fly up there again just to look at her. haha, kinda like the girl in Grand Junction too.<br />
<br />
Crap...this entry just turned into a boring, no one cares kinda post. Ending it right...............<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>NOW!</i></b></span>timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-89916474299554907242010-11-17T23:20:00.000-08:002010-11-18T00:21:43.400-08:00With Heavy HeartToday around 1:30 I got a call from my friend down at Southern Utah University. "You're ok, right?" she said. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" "I didn't know if you were flying at UVU or not." Confused, I asked what was going on. I was informed that an airplane from UVU had crashed in Payson and that both occupants of the airplane were killed. <br />
<br />
I'm glad I was able to say that I was ok. But what about my friends? I quickly texted Heather to see if she was ok. I got a text back from her very quickly. She was fine. That made me feel much better. I later learned that one of the pilots on board, though not a close friend, was in one of my classes last semester. I had a few conversations with him and he seemed like a really nice guy, always with something intelligent to say during our classroom discussions. <br />
<br />
Throughout the rest of the day, many friends called or texted me to see if I was ok. I truly appreciate those calls and messages.<br />
<br />
The aviation community is a close-knit community. Though many didn't know David Whitney well, his loss still affects us all. Anytime a plane goes down, there is a feeling of reverence towards the pilots. It's a very difficult feeling to explain. The best I can explain is the feeling that we all felt as we watched 9/11 unfold. The scene and those who died earn your respect and reverence. So it is with today's crash. We lost a bright and aspiring pilot as well as a talented flight instructor. May God be with them and their families.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">Lord, guard and guide the men who fly<br />
Through the great spaces in the sky.<br />
Be with them always in the air,<br />
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;<br />
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,<br />
For those in peril in the air!</div><div style="font-family: serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">Aloft in solitudes of space,<br />
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.<br />
Thou Who supports with tender might<br />
The balanced birds in all their flight.<br />
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,<br />
That, having Thee, they know no fear.</div>timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-20673767408167062012010-11-09T09:29:00.000-08:002010-11-09T09:29:20.618-08:00Goodbye, Dear FriendSo yesterday I went out to my car to go to see Inception (incredible movie, by the way) and noticed that my dear friend, iPod, had been stolen out of my car. Just a couple things wrong with this situation.<br />
<br />
1) My iPod was stolen. That's inherently wrong anyway.<br />
2) I live in Mapleton. Come on. It's MAPLETON! Who does that here?<br />
3) My car was in my garage.<br />
4) Nothing else was stolen. Not even my $650 aviation headset. Nothing was stolen out of the garage either.<br />
5) Now the world will know about some of my secret musical tastes, which i tried to keep from the world, for reputation's sake.<br />
<br />
But to the guy who stole it, good luck trying to convince someone it's yours considering my full name is engraved on the back of it. And don't use the "I found it" line because that's just lame, and even if you did, a decent person would try to find the owner of such a thing. You find and keep a dollar. Not and iPod.<br />
<br />
Morontimmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-58409739872539723752010-10-27T22:11:00.000-07:002010-10-27T22:11:01.589-07:00Facebook & BasketballOk everyone, I know it's Basketball season again. That's all fine and dandy. But here's was annoys me about it. The freaking Facebook statuses about it. People comment on every new stat, every score, coach the team from their Facebook statuses, give them moral support, and the list goes on. <br />
<br />
I DON'T FREAKING CARE HOW MUCH YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON BASKETBALL. Post something real about YOUR life.<br />
<br />
I promise, if basketball goes away, you'll still live.<br />
<br />
Rant=over.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-54250270947934658532010-10-18T22:39:00.000-07:002010-10-18T22:39:19.627-07:00It just feels...right.So for halloween this year I wanted to have an awesome costume. For me awesome is anything dealing with flying and what not. So I decided I'd dress up as an airline pilot. So i went online and bought a real pilot shirt and first officer (meant to buy captain but clicked on the wrong button) epaulets. Over the summer up in Alaska, I had a random homeless guy throw a hat at me. The hat was from Salvation Army, but take off the insignia and some other stuff and it is just a plain black pilot's hat. Worked out wonderfully. So then i went to Wal Mart and bought a jet black tie, and then borrowed a set of wings from my buddy Ryan. When I put it all together it looked pretty awesome.<br />
<br />
<img height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs777.snc4/67714_790410698639_17809480_41609711_2284807_n.jpg" width="356" /><br />
<br />
After I put it all on, I looked at myself in the mirror and just had the most amazing feeling. I felt so good. It just felt right. I felt like I was a real airline pilot and that I was about to go head off to the airport to get behind the controls of a huge metal bird and guide it to some exotic destination and then return a few days later.<br />
<br />
I definately picked the right career. <br />
<br />
(Currently seeking skilled female applicant for permanent co-pilot position)timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-30826650744088323922010-09-28T18:12:00.000-07:002010-09-28T18:12:12.516-07:00FinallyI finally completed a life long goal. <br />
<br />
I GOT MY PILOT'S LICENSE TODAY!timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-84256693513563384372010-09-26T20:43:00.000-07:002010-09-26T20:43:56.164-07:00Yeah Service!So yesterday I was just chilling at the airport when I get a call from my friend Tyler who lives up in Tooele. He called to tell me that there was a wedding reception at Thanksgiving Point for his wife's cousin and that she has a cousin down in Provo that needed a ride up and asked if I'd be willing to pick her up and take her. Since I had no other plans that night I decided that this would be a great opportunity to do some service and just get out and not be bored. Plus I'd get to see Tyler who I hadn't seen in a while. So Tyler gives me her number and all and we arrainge that I would pick her up at 8 from her apartment.<br />
<br />
8 rolls around and I go to pick her up. Turns out that I actually knew who she was. I didn't know her, but she was in the Color Guard and since I was in the band, I had seen her many times. So Kathryn (that's her name) and I drove up to Thanksgiving Point and talked all the way up. She's actually really really cool, and cute, so this is a double plus. Get up to the reception and they drive us down to the actual shin dig in golf carts. It was pretty sweet. Get there and get to see Tyler, his wife, and baby girl. Kathryn knows Tyler pretty well too so that was awesome. We all talked for a while, and then the party ended, but not without the bride and groom walking out in a tunnel of bubbles blown by the attendees. We couldn't leave with half full things of bubbles so we stayed around for another 10 minutes blowing bubbles at each other until we ran out. Then we went to the parking lot and talked again about childhood memories and stuff. (Tyler and I grew up together). Then we left. Kathryn and I had a fun time driving home too. She was super awesome and I was really impressed with her. I think I will probably call upon her again sometime.<br />
<br />
That was my Saturday night. Amazing what service can do for you.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-48833366928515174342010-09-20T22:40:00.000-07:002010-09-20T22:40:15.546-07:00OuchFacebook comment string:<br />
<br />
Me to girl: Hey I saw that you are friends with Ben Truman, from the band Truman. Do you like them?<br />
Girl: yeah i love them.<br />
Me: I just found out that they are playing this Thursday at 8 in Provo. Want to go?<br />
Girl's sister: She loves the band Truman, not you...<br />
Me: Understood<br />
<br />
Harsh.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-85858158201948233132010-09-11T22:06:00.000-07:002010-09-11T22:13:22.404-07:00You are so dumb. You are really dumb. For real.Best videos on YouTube. For real.<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ADiB-v_8sZw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ADiB-v_8sZw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qIoG4PlEPtY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qIoG4PlEPtY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<br />
Cause i'm backin up, backin up, backin up....timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-43040435171540836102010-09-02T09:59:00.000-07:002010-09-02T09:59:42.091-07:00Soarin', Flying'Back in Utah these days. It's been fabulous. Not near as hot as I anticipated. Makes for wonderful convertible weather. And coincidentally, I happen to have one.<br />
<br />
You know what else cooler weather is good for? Flying. Number one reason: my airplane doesn't have air conditioning. Number two reason: the air is denser so the airplane has a lot more performance.<br />
<br />
<img height="320" src="http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/vertical-jet.thumbnail.jpg" width="204" /><br />
<br />
Ok...so maybe my airplane doesn't perform quite like that.<br />
<br />
I'm up to about 24 hours of flight time now. that means I only need about 16 more hours till I can get my license. And i'm probably going to get about 10 hours of time next week. I'm getting really close and it's really exciting. After I get my license, (technically, you don't get a pilot's license. You get an Airman Certificate.) I'll be able to take people flying if they want to. But before you all start flooding me with emails and Facebook posts, the first flight after I take my checkride has already been promised, and it goes to this girl.<br />
<img height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-ash1/v240/246/35/505286758/n505286758_813497_9103.jpg" width="195" /><br />
(Why is she cleaving to a giraffe?)<br />
<br />
After that I whoever wants to go can go.<br />
<br />
People ask my why I like flying so much. It's hard to explain really. Why do people love sewing? I'll never figure that one out. I think I love flying because it offers a sense of freedom that can't be had on the ground. Ever look up and watch the birds soaring through the sky and just imagine how liberating it must be to get out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life on the ground and just be able to fly over it? That's how I feel. I can look down on cities and just feel free of all the chaos.<br />
<br />
<img height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs412.snc4/47536_775909633889_17809480_41300801_7936847_n.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
Also, all throughout my life, I've never stood out as being someone special or different (a good type of different. I've been looked at as the bad kind). Being a pilot gives me an edge over most other people. I can do something amazing that not everyone else can do. Anyone can learn to drive a car. It's super easy and takes almost no effort to get a driver license (that's an issue i have a problem with, but not up for discussion now). Learning to fly is not easy. It is demanding, and some days just down right isn't fun. But the rewards for sticking to it are incredible. Being a pilot gives me some bragging rights. I can do what most people can't. I am special.<br />
<br />
Lastly, it's a matter of faith. If you've ever listened to the talk by W. Cleon Skousen called The Meaning of the Atonement then you will understand what I mean by all this. I find it truly a miracle that an airplane can even fly. Each element in the universe has intelligence and God can command those intelligences and the obey Him. God has spoken to all the intelligences that make up the elements of the air and has given them an order, and a pattern. And unless He commands otherwise, they always follow that pattern. God, in his infinite wisdom, has commanded these elements that such that when struck by an object, they shall flow around the object in as smooth a way as possible. Without that simple command, flight would not be possible. A wing would simply strike the air and the molecules would scatter, rendering flight impossible. So every time I go flying, I like to look out at the wings and witness the power of God as air flows over them. I believe God inspired the creation of the airplane to facilitate the spreading of the Gospel throughout the world. Because of the airplane, the prophets and apostles can travel to any place in the world within a day to organize stakes, dedicate temples, and correct matters of doctrine. In the past this was not possible and the church fell into apostasy as a result. <br />
<br />
Truly flying is a manifestation of the hand of God. I'm grateful that I understand how it works and can see his hand in it.<br />
<br />
That's why I love to fly.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-65131979684076171822010-08-19T00:02:00.000-07:002010-08-19T00:02:00.371-07:00The People I MissI miss these people. Fortunately I will be seeing them shortly (with a few exceptions).<br />
<br />
In no particular order:<br />
<br />
Chantel Ockerman- this girl is my best friend. She's amazing, and crazy, and a spaziod. That's why I love her. Words just can not describe how incredibly awesome she is. She has helped me through some hard times and helped me to really discover who I am. I can't thank her enough for everything she's done for me.<br />
<img height="320" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs441.snc3/25335_738303945989_17809480_40102352_1853601_n.jpg" width="240" /><br />
<br />
Lisa Mackley- Chantel's cousin. She's just about the same as Chantel. So much fun to hang out with.<br />
<img height="240" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs152.snc3/17935_424932060454_876200454_10675286_8043182_n.jpg" width="320" /><br />
David Phipps- one of the coolest dudes I know. He and I have a lot in common- pilot, politics, freakin hilarious. David is just an all around good guy. I'm a bit sad that he moved back to Virginia. I guess I can forgive him. haha<br />
<img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs118.snc1/4859_94285288620_665868620_1994624_5805434_n.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Heather Lombard- aka Tinkerbell. Heather is one of my pilot friends. Subway runs are our almost daily ritual. She's a blast to hang out with. She kept a nice female balance to our guy group at school. Heather is awesome, even though she's now a red head.<br />
<img height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs048.snc3/13558_1245893181656_1059186737_30756657_8373159_n.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
Ryan Sherry- Ryan is the married dude, but is still the man. He's a pilot too. Hm...pilots are just awesome. Intelligent guy and fun to discuss ideas with. A little bit of a geek, but that's totally awesome. If we were all the "cool" type, life would be so incredibly boring. It's guys like Ryan that keep life awesome and fun.<br />
<img height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs134.ash2/40030_10150245207505183_861650182_14037232_5814715_n.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
Marlena Rabago- I've known this girl the longest of everyone on here. We met when we were in high school. She's been a great friend for many years. I don't get to see her too often due to the fact that she goes to school at SUU, but I try whenever I can to make it down there. Now that I can fly, I can make it down in a lot less time. I love this girl and miss her.<br />
<img height="320" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs059.snc3/14631_704570438209_17809480_39173172_382152_n.jpg" width="237" /><br />
<br />
<br />
Kathryn McLane- Kathryn is fun. She's part of the hang out group and is an awesome member of it. Kathryn was a fellow band member at BYU so I've known her ever since she showed up at BYU last year. Hung out a few times last year, but we became good friends once Chantel got in the mix and we all started hanging out together. Lazer tag...awesome. haha.<br />
<img height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/9/22/1160794851/n1160794851_30067864_7596.jpg" width="240" /><br />
<br />
Julia Phipps- Julia is David's sister. She's super fly. haha. No, but she's way awesome. Really fun to talk to. I don't know her too well as I met her very shortly before I left for Alaska. But she made enough of an impression that I miss her company and can't wait to hang out with her again.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs333.snc3/29286_389312163379_555558379_4172649_5774100_n.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<br />
So basically, I'm just excited to get back to Utah and hang out with all my awesome friends again. Life will be good my friends. Life will be good.timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837667890150120337.post-5463874876969121062010-08-07T17:37:00.000-07:002010-08-07T17:37:59.754-07:00JobsSo the summer is quickly coming to an end. What does that mean? My job is ending. I'll be heading back to Provo soon. <br />
<br />
I've applied for a few jobs. The one I really hope I get is with the company that I currently work for. If I get this job, I'd be driving all over the eastern United States in this:<br />
<br />
<img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs329.ash1/28603_748966268609_17812966_40409266_1464009_n.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Or it could be orange with moose or blue with a whale. The purpose of this job would be to advertise for our company and to work with travel agents in booking people on tours in Alaska. If I get this job, I would be gone for a long time...like 6 months or so. I would terribly miss all my Provo friends, but I would really enjoy this job I think.<br />
<br />
The other job I've applied for is at Million Air in Provo. If i get that job I'd be doing stuff like this:<br />
<br />
<img height="267" src="http://www.millionairslc.com/images/Jobs-Line1.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />
Moving airplanes around<br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.millionairslc.com/images/Jobs-Line2.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Refueling airplanes.<br />
<br />
That job would be a blast! Doing stuff I love every day. And...I get to stay in Utah and hang with all my amazing friends.<br />
<br />
Which do you think I should do?timmartin1987http://www.blogger.com/profile/17088974082688482548noreply@blogger.com1