6 miles a day. I'd make it seven, but then I'd be emulating you, something I never want to do.  Then again, I know you don't walk, you'd get lost on a straight dead-end street.

The problem with deficit reduction is the solution is easily envisioned and difficult to enact.  So-called entitlement spending has to come down along with military spending, those are the big drivers.  Conservatives will decry reductions in military spending as making us less safe, and to a small degree that's true.  What's more important is our military has a proven track record of excellence.  They will not be able to maintain that in an era of austerity.  That said, poor people can't afford to be safe, and we're a people deeply in debt.

Liberals will decry any reduction in medicare or social security, but they really need to come about and soon.  The problem is the politician who cuts these popular programs will quickly become an ex-politician, and they all know it. Thus both D's and R's dance around the issue without addressing it.  I can tell you that the token reductions to the discretionary program put forth by the R's won't cut it.  Raising taxes and cutting military and benefits are the only way its going to happen. 

My big fear is it will never happen.  the politicians will just keep kicking the can down the road, and we'll wind up being a much larger much more dangerous economic problem than Greece.  I only hope I don't live to see it, but I strongly suspect I will.

Wow, actually agree with just about all of this.

Unfortunately the system isn't setup to decrease power or decrease spending. 

and costs less than $10,000, right?

-Dan

I’m in Banff for vacation and some skiing.  It was -27 when we got to the slopes yesterday.  I didn’t know the thermometer went that low. 

I think that is the coldest weather I have ever experienced, or have any desire to experience.

-Dan

I doubt any of you are employed to do it.  And in better news I finally figured out why you call yourself number 7. I admit, it took awhile, but I got it in the end.


I'm paid to interact with high school kids all day every day.

I see a lot of good kids, but I also see kids that have been so oversupplied and protected that they would rather not try something new than risk failure. 

Because they have never been allowed to fail at anything, they are so terrified of the idea that they might fail they won't even try.  I find that truly terrifying.

-Dan









You call yourself number 7 because that’s the highest you can count....

What you say is true by letter of the law but impractical in my experience where I personally know many pilots who own used Experimentals that they didn't build who don't feel comfortable going in and pulling wires, designing and fabricating wiring harnesses, installing high value avionics boxes, setting up a new EFIS from scratch, troubleshooting all the little integration gremlins that come up, etc., all things they would have done while building the plane had they built it - those jobs, and the conditional which they would not be able wit do without the repairman certificate, all end up being done by an A&P with the attendant cost.

I do nearly all of my own maintenance on my Yak (Experimental-Exhibition), and assist with my Conditional, but there may be jobs that I wouldn't feel necessarily qualified to do having not built the plane or seen/done them before (can't think of many off hand but there are probably a few, e.g., engine overhaul, etc).

'Gimp

But you can make that statement about anything.  Of course you should get help or not do jobs you aren't comfortable with, but my point was you can do a lot more (legally) with an EAB than a certificated plane.  If you are competent, or want to do the work is another story.

As an aside, how limiting do you find the Exhibition category?  I have been fighting with the FAA and Piper for almost a year on my grandfathers J-3 cub.  The current hangup is they are complaining that a fuselage replacement that was done in October of 1946 is stopping them from issuing a new data plate (apparently the one I have isn't original).  Even though the replacement was done according to a letter from piper to the CAA and I have all of the logs and 337's.  The FAA guy is trying to push me towards making the plane an E-Exhibition.  I'd rather not, but I'd also like to fly the plane while my 90 year old grandmother is still alive.

Thanks,

-Dan
-Dan

My wife and I build an RV-9A.

I'd be happy to answer questions, but a few things:

It is about the same to build as buy.  I could probably sell my 9A for a few bucks more than I have in it, but only if my time has 0 value.  I wanted to build, and I wanted the exact plane I wanted.

I have close to 100K in my plane, but I have a 150knt TAS plane at less than 7.5 GPH.  I have an AP and glass panel system that rivals any certified plane on the market at 3-5x the cost. 

With the speed and economy I can go a lot of places in a reasonable amount of time.  It will haul me, my wife, 100 pounds of cargo and full fuel and jump off my grass strip in less than 500 feet on a hot texas summer day.

Bang for your buck in the RV world the RV-6/A is the best bet.  They are great planes, but people prefer and pay a premium for the 7/A.

Let me know if you have other questions I can answer.

Oh, and flying an RV is like driving a sports car.  No comparison to the certified planes in anything close to the same price range.

-Dan

Heinlein (along with Tolkien) are my two favorite authors.

Thanks, I haven't heard of this one either, I'll check it out.

Have you read his rumblings from the grave?  It involves a lot of predictions the he made about the future (our past/present).  It is amazing how accurate he was, and on a lot of the things he misses (space travel) the reasons why are very frustrating.

-Dan

I know it is Fox news so it has to be fake, but interesting none the less.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/02/07/federal-scientist-cooked-climate-change-books-ahead-obama-presentation-whistle-blower-charges.html