Hey, guys.  I sure missed ya.  Just got back from Ft Myers, Florida.  Ended up going to my company’s User Conference.  Just wanted to say Hi.  I had very limited access to e-mail and the Internet in general.  I’ve got to say, only being able to check out this site a few times for a few minutes really hurt.  I’m addicted to this site.

One other thing.  Dial-up SUCKS!  Best I could get was a 26400 connection.

You were gone?


ByteTheBullet  (-:

DAMN! If I would have known, I would have posted some nudie pictures. While that cat is away ........

Glad to see you came back, I like Fla way too much. Something about it bein hot as hell and gators, with girls at the beaches....ok im going to Fla.  

Welcome back BookHound.
Any good stories from Fla?

ARH

Do I know you?  

what

Stories?  Well, there are stories and then there are stories.

I’ll give you the brief versions of the highlights (and lowlights).

Bad flight down
The wife is scared to death of flying.  This was only her second round trip ever.  Everything is going well until…we lose the auxiliary engine.  This was just before takeoff.  Hey for all you captains out there, announcing that we’ve lost an engine (even “just the auxiliary engine”) really freaks out people who are already scared to fly.  Lie to us.

Bar tabs
Sunday night, after the dinner (which included drinks), a handful of us (seriously, like 5 people) ran up a $525 bar tab.  Each night the group and tab got bigger.  Monday’s tab was over $1200 and Tuesday’s tab was just less than $1100.  Overall, the one waitress who served us all three nights got over $1000 in tip money.  (We get a little loud, so we tip really big.)  

Between Monday and Tuesday nights we consumed 153 buttery nipple shooters.  Yummy.

Ever been kicked out of a hot tub?
Yep, that was us.  02:45 we got kicked out of the hot tub for making too much noise.  But, security let us go to a small, secluded pool further from the resort.  Nope.  Still too loud.  Got kicked out and asked to leave at 03:30.

Bomb scare at the hotel?
No clue what it was, but the resort was evacuated at 14:30 Wednesday.  Fire trucks, cops and ambulances all on the scene.  Our luggage was checked with the concierge and sitting in a small room adjacent to the lobby.  We could SEE our luggage, but they wouldn’t let us into the hotel to get it.  Fearing we’d miss our 15:15 shuttle to the airport, a buddy of mine and I snuck into the room via an exterior door.  Hotel security really doesn’t like us.

Never did find our what happened at the hotel.  Anyone here from Ft. Myers?

Terrible flight coming home
I’ve been on some bad flights, but this one was the worst.  I can’t ever recall having the feeling that I really was going to die.  I mean I really thought the plane was going to crash.  At one point the plane just dropped what felt like 100 feet or better.  Luggage bins popped open.  People screaming.  Carry on items sliding up and down the isles.  Even the flight attendants seamed scarred and concerned.  Could have been 10 inches for all I know, but it felt like we were falling out of control.  Then we’d go up and back down again.

Wife swears she’ll never fly again.  I believe her.

Did you get searched when you went through security?
I have been searched every time but once since Sept 11. The one time I didn't get searched, my luggage did. Is your liver mad at you?

ARH

My wife got through security with a razor.  She forgot it was in her bag.  We had to have our bags x-rayed coming home (security level was at orange by then).

Yes, my liver hates me.  It's rare for me to indulge like that.

Hey Mark,



Unless the capitan comes on and says "Smokem if you Gotem!!!!!!!!"  You're probably gonna be allright.

DeltaAir423,

I was thinkin' about you when we landed.  I was thinking you guys do a hell of a great job keeping those planes together.  I owe you a beer.  

The bad ride was entirely weather related.  I'm just glad those planes can withstand that kind of a beating from Mother Nature.  I bet the pilot's arms are sore today from fighting the controls.

Hey book,DeltaAir just tags a problem (MCO) then the plane goes over to the Hanger where the MECHANICS fixes it, right DeltaAir. Hey Book are you sure the pilot didn't say he lost the auxiliary power unit (APU) which does help fly the thing but a pilot won't take off without one working

Hey mpearex, I don't mco them any more.  On midnights we try and clear the omi.  I was thinkin that the pilot meant the Auxiliary Power Unit too.  As long as my name is on the Airworthyness Release, it's my ass on the line too.  We're mechanics on the line too, we just don't hang out at our rollaways and talk nascar for half the day.

The pilot said it was the auxiliary power unit that was only used to start the plane.  He said we don't need that unit in the air, just to start the main engines.  At least that's what he said.

One more thing.  After we lost whatever power unit it was that we lost, the ground guys had us back up and running within just a few minutes.