Forget the politics. You should write travelogues.

[gasp!] What am I saying?!?!?

Glad to have you back.

James

Welcome back Bill.

Now, I'm not one to say the whole trip was made up. I'm sure you met all those fine people, and did all those wonderful things but...

I can't help but notice the photo of the Rutan boys with you behind them looks just a little off. As a matter of fact, a really sceptical person might even notice that it looks almost like someone took the pic from the top-right of your blog and photoshopped it in there.

But hey, I'm sure it's all legit if you sez it is!

That XCor stuff flat turns me on. I wish I was a: a rocket scientist, b: a test pilot, or c: a rich mutha who could buy his way into some of that action. Unfortunately I am simply d: a huge drooling fan of stuff like this.

Oh well... at least I can watch and gape with the best of them. :D

One last comment... has there ever been a sexier plane than the P-51? yum yum.

Yay! a Bill post to start off my day -- and it's funny as all get out. Odd how Frank's version of the story is so different...

Thanks for the update and the morning laughter.

You caused me to whip out my V.I.P. club card 5133, Voyager's Impressive People, signifying my contribution to the round the world flight.
See what free men can do.
Sweet looking machine, like a flying wet dream.

Thanks (for the update) and congratulations (on making your dream come true). Your writings and actions continue to inspire us to achieve personal greatness.

Bill,

You've matched Frank J's In My World. And that's no small feat!

Damn. I thought the camera was only supposed to add TEN pounds. Thank God the Velocity's center of gravity is located directly under the rear seat, or we'd never have gotten airborne with me sitting there.

Note to "Peanut Gallery": okay, I'm going for it. Now if I can just find a flight school in the Orlando area that'll take you from neophyte to astronaut in just three weeks, in exchange for some unused exercise equipment.

Now back to getting some REAL use out of this computer... back to flying my 1934-vintage twin-engine racer around the world.

Who says having no life sucks?

GHS

The flyby pic and description were perfect. Keep it up.

Where are the pictures!? All that beautiful prose and nary an image to be found...

*grin* - Welcome Back Bill!

Fullerton? Fullerton?

You'll be lucky if they don't steal the whole airport.

Congrats on getting your baby home. Now, the next few days (years) will be getting it airworthy.

And yes, this subject is allowed to accompany the writing.

If you need some mindless labor at the hanger one of these days, I happen to live down in OC and would love to give you whatever help you might need.

One of my favorite memories of being in the Army in Germany was the sound of the F-16.

After three years of hearing them almost daily, I still never grew tired of it.

I LOVE that sound.

Oh and welcome back and glad your fed, now get writing.

A number of people, including Jay Garner, the first U.S. administrator of Iraq, think that the Bush administration shunned early elections, which might have given legitimacy to a transitional government, so it could impose economic policies that no elected Iraqi government would have approved. Indeed, over the past year the Coalition Provisional Authority has slashed tariffs, flattened taxes and thrown Iraqi industry wide open to foreign investors — reinforcing the sense of many Iraqis that we came as occupiers, not liberators.

But it's the reliance on private contractors to carry out tasks usually performed by government workers that has really come back to haunt us.

Conservatives make a fetish out of privatization of government functions; after the 2002 elections, George Bush announced plans to privatize up to 850,000 federal jobs. At home, wary of a public backlash, he has moved slowly on that goal. But in Iraq, where there is little public or Congressional oversight, the administration has privatized everything in sight.

For example, the Pentagon has a well-established procurement office for gasoline. In Iraq, however, that job was subcontracted to Halliburton. The U.S. government has many experts in economic development and reform. But in Iraq, economic planning has been subcontracted — after a highly questionable bidding procedure — to BearingPoint, a consulting firm with close ties to Jeb Bush.

What's truly shocking in Iraq, however, is the privatization of purely military functions.

For more than a decade, many noncritical jobs formerly done by soldiers have been handed to private contractors. When four Blackwater employees were killed and mutilated in Falluja, however, marking the start of a wider insurgency, it became clear that in Iraq the U.S. has extended privatization to core military functions. It's one thing to have civilians drive trucks and serve food; it's quite different to employ them as personal bodyguards to U.S. officials, as guards for U.S. government installations and — the latest revelation — as interrogators in Iraqi prisons.

According to reports in a number of newspapers, employees from two private contractors, CACI International and Titan, act as interrogators at the Abu Ghraib prison. According to Sewell Chan of The Washington Post, these contractors are "at the center of the probe" into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. And that abuse, according to the senior defense analyst at Jane's, has "almost certainly destroyed much of what support the coalition had among the more moderate section of the Iraqi population."

We don't yet know for sure that private contractors were at fault. But why put civilians, who cannot be court-martialed and hence aren't fully accountable, in that role? And why privatize key military functions?

I don't think it's simply a practical matter. Although there are several thousand armed civilians working for the occupation, their numbers aren't large enough to make a significant dent in the troop shortage. I suspect that the purpose is to set a precedent.

You may ask whether our leaders' drive to privatize reflects a sincere conservative ideology, or a desire to enrich their friends. Probably both. But before Iraq, privatization that rewarded campaign contributors was a politically smart move, even if it was a net loss for the taxpayers.

In Iraq, however, reality does matter. And thanks to the ideologues who dictated our policy over the past year, reality looks pretty grim.

Bill, You are welcome and glad to be of help.
One thing: we're engineers, not scientists. ;->

Welcome back.

Wow, it's really true. For some people, every single second of reality revolves around the Bush administration.

I guess that DOES make him a god for some...

Welcome back, Bill.

i knew frank j was french but i didnt know he was such a weenie. now i understand the whole contest, he was trying to get a girl to talk to him.

one of the first things you should buy is a fein sander. amazon has them, my daddy says their the best.

WTF?

"...eliminate 850,000 Federal jobs.." The horror! The horror! (Reminds me of that old joke about lawyers at the bottom of the sea.)

"Government experts". Tee, hee..

Smells like a troll, but it also smells like spam: lengthy, off-topic post in a comments section. (Shall we call it "Sprolling"? or "Tramming"?)

Harumpf!! It's well known that the largest distributor of MiG parts in the world is the United States Navy, source of the only authentic Pretty Good Stuff. Accept no Left Coast substitutes, believe no high-desert advertisments.

elizabeth,

you're killin' me, you little squirt. Go back to sleep already.

Velocities are absolutely amazing. I have a buddy with a NICE (pink) velocity for sale; he's looking for about 68k last I heard (it's been a while since I asked). Located in southern missouri. So hurry up and publish your book so you can spend the bonus!

Hey Bride,

Why not crack a window and get a little air? You have that groggy, nodding-off tone that people get right before they drive off the highway.

ok. soon as im done playing with the kitty.

frankj is still a poopy head.

You hit the nail on the head, LabRat... "For some people, every single second of reality revolves around the Bush administration." Bride probably crashes parties and weddings just to prattle on about the evil of Bush, et al, as if cataloging his "sins" accomplishes anything other than making the cataloger look like a pain in the ass.

Well, speaking first as a "commenter" here, I'd like to say two things to "Bride": (a) you're trying too hard, and (b) make up your mind.

From the mouth of someone who I'm sure was once a hell-raiser against the Pentagon for its gross inefficiencies in its handling of procurement contracts (from $8,000 toilet seats to communications gear that costs the military six or seven times what it costs on the civilian market), you now point out that gasoline procurement in Iraq has been subcontracted out to Halliburton, when "...for example, the Pentagon has a well-established procurement office for gasoline." Make up your mind.

Yes, now that it's just another way to snipe at the Bush administration, the Pentagon's methods are actually preferred again.

You say, "It's one thing to have civilians drive trucks and serve food; it's quite different to employ them as personal bodyguards to U.S. officials, as guards for U.S. government installations and — the latest revelation — as interrogators in Iraqi prisons."

As if civilian security personnel and personal bodyguards are unheard of, unprecedented, and unqualified for the job, despite the fact that they've been guarding U.S. and corporate assets, facilities, officials, and dignitaries, to some degree or another, for decades.

And stuff like, "... But why put civilians, who cannot be court-martialed and hence aren't fully accountable, in that role?"

What? If you can't be court-martialed, you're not accountable? I'd be willing to bet that YOU'RE not military, Bride, and so cannot be court-martialed either. So does that mean you cannot be held accountable for any lawless acts you commit? Of course not. You'll go to jail just as quick as a civilian as you will as a grunt.

Enough. Bride, you've had your fifteen minutes of flame now. So here's a little FYI: nowhere on this site is there a banner that says, "Free Soapbox! Come here to publicly vent your spleen on someone else's nickel!"

As has been repeated to many borderline trolls before, this is a "Comment Section," where people can come and make comments on either Bill's essays and postings, or to comments made by other commenters. Doing otherwise is abusing the forum and making a pest out of yourself.

So, speaking now as the Site Bouncer here (or "Surly Gatekeeper," as Bill put it), either (a) behave (comment on the topics or comments at hand), (b) leave, or (c) prepare to be deleted.

You sound like you can put thoughts and words together well enough (however confused, misguided, and untimely they may be), so why waste them on an unappreciative and unmoved audience, and at a place where I'm just going to wind up flushing 'em as fast as they appear in the bowl.

Come on. Play nice.

GHS

Bride:

I know it's in there somewhere. Some small little nod acknowledging Bill's trip.

Sigh. Nope. Looks like it's all about the Bride's EGO-tripe.

Whatever helps you sleep at night, gangsta! Looks like my first impression 'bout you was correct. Scattershot rhetoric, squealing tires, and juvenile laughter at your own bravery fading into the night.

Can we play "what's your favorite part of the travelogue?"

I like this 'un a lot: It's a visceral, mind-blowing, jaw-dangling noise, like the velcro that holds the sky up being ripped open right before your eyes.

This made me laugh -- "Got a karaoke Elvis, there, flyboy?" -- 'cause it reminded me of Bruce Campbell in "Bubba Ho-Tep."

And this just speaks for itself: we live in an amazing country where dreams come true, don't we?

Your turn to play...

Oy! Why didn't you SAY you were going to be in Melbourne?? I could have gotten your autograph on the back of a BBQ sauce stained napkin! I didn't know I shared this town with Frank J. ::shudder::

I've never seen a picture of FrankJ before. That can't possibly be him! What a babyface/cutiepie.

(Note I post this here and NOT at IMAO. Running and hiding nonetheless.) ;-)

Can we play "what's your favorite part of the travelogue?"

The Bride's appears to be the part where Bush sent his ninjas against Bill and Frank J. ;)

Re: the .9 Mach flyby.

The Blue Angels do this as part of their show. The announcer has the audience looking up at the Diamond as they reform while one of the soloists comes in behind the crowd at just under Mach, followed by another zipping past just in front. :-D

As I was reading your post I started to get the thought, "Uh oh, he traded the EZ project for a Velocity"

Fortunately you’ve stayed at level one insanity.

From your mockup picture it appears your going to add some Berkut touches to your airframe. Should be fun. You should add a sidebar area for all of us interested to follow your progress.

If you want to read about someone else's homebuilder trials and speaking of the Berkut check this one out: http://www.berkut13.com

Welcome back, Bill.
Great pictures.

Bill, are you still thinking of calling the Long EZ Shrike?

Believe me, if the peanut gallery is willing to donate a few grand to my flying cause, I'll be more than happy to place Flight Simulator on the "retired" shelf. So expensive, and I'm way too impatient to wait the years it'll take to get the very prestigious FAA private pilot rating.

Welcome back Bill. When can I spend my $24.95 on patriotic essays? That should have been the big question on everyone's lips. That and can I get an autographed copy for $34.95? I want to point anyone reading this to a pretty good essay on the dead from Iraq coming into Dover Air Force Base. http://www.linkswarm.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Journal&file=display&op=605

Welcome back, Bill.

Be careful up there.

dverespey
thats james project, hes almost done. if you look at the picture at http://www.berkut13.com/berkut.htm the man in the red hat is my daddy.

Welp, I suspect that you know already that the best way to acquire a small fortune in aviation is a two step procedure:
1. Have large fortune
2. Buy airplane

Like the heritage flights. Still hoping to see one that incorporates Glacier Girl, the early model P38 that was dug out of a Greenland glacier.

I've been keeping my eye on James' Berkut 13 site for lo, these ten years now.

Looks like he's getting close. Huzzah!

I will put my O-360 powered Long against his Puny 540 Berkut any day! Any Day!

I'll LOSE, but I'll do it ANY DAY! ANY DAY HE WANTS!

Bill: Actually he wimped out and went for the IO-360, so I think you can smoke him.

Elizabeth: It's a frighteningly small world. Although you do have a ready answer for, "who's your daddy?"

Once when I was young and foolish many more years ago than I care to admit...at the Reno Air Races a long time pal of the folks who was a racer, stunt pilot and WWII pilot in hte Pacific said "Hey Kid, ya want a ride in the new plane?"

Yep, a Mustang...he put that beast through some stomach churning manuveurs (I just barely managed to keep my dignity and lunch). Man, it was awesome...especially when came out at the bottom of a loop and inverted 50' off the deck.

He had a 1933 Ryan ST too...the most beautiful engine turning I've ever seen.

The description of the Heritage Flight was terrific! I attended the Rose Bowl last year. They had the F/A-22 Raptor, B2 and the F117.
That too, was the sound of freedom. Sometimes it sneaks up on you!

Keep up the great work.

Dasher

Someone wiser than me (doesn't narrow the field much) once said "an airplane is the world's most efficient tool for converting money into noise". That pretty much describes my 7-year foray into aircraft ownership, and all I had was a lowly Cessna 150. Of course, I had to do dumb things like make a taildragger out of it, which raised the cost a bit. Still, I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't have kids, and I'm very jealous of your EZ purchase. Be sure to wave as you're passing me in my rental spam can Cessna.

Uh, when you say Barnaby, would that be Barnaby Wainfan? He and Lynn still hanging out together? Tell him ahmma gonna build me a Cyrano Real Soon Now, no kiddin.

Oh, I miss flying so much...

When Silent America gets published, I'll be picking up a few copies, for myself and my like-minded peers. You articulate American Idealism better than anyone I've read.

One small thing:

"After all, how will the Big Brains in the teacher’s lounge be able to control such a boy? Idea! Perhaps we should drill into this Kent kid the notion that If we can’t all fly faster than a speeding bullet, then no one should. It’s not fair to all the other kids at Smallville High."

Just wanted to let you know we're not all like that. Many educators, like myself, don't play the Self-Esteem-for-Gratis game. We believe in effort, ethic, attitude, and ultimately, performance. Accomplishments build self-esteem; giving everyone a certificate on Awards Day only serves to demean those who actually make an effort.

If I am proud of my students, it is because so many of them will actively work to meet my standards, not beg me to lower them.

Please remember the days when teaching was considered by many to be a noble profession, and wish well for those who try to reclaim that nobility.

tinker's damn = tinker's dam

People who defend Saddam and Kim and Castro have no idea at all about what that life entails.

Yes they do. You give too little credit for intelligence and too much for character.

Well, monkey poop.

Posted the comment to the wrong thread. That's what I get for not paying attention. Apologies, all.

I wanted an EZ for so long. I think I'm going to get an autogyro instead. Good flying with the EZ dude. Oh yeah "the bride" Clinton hired Haliburton so many times to clean up his messes and the press said nothing. Think about why that is.

I think 1st Lt. Mark V. Shaney USMC said it best when he said:

"...this is not defined as an absence of war. It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In the face of the enemy. Don't buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, "It's hopeless," "They hate us too much," "That part of the men and women serving here in Iraq the enemy wherever you are. You are a mighty force for good, because truth is on your side. Together we will ultimately fail. That is why I am asking for your support. Become a voice of truth in your community. Wherever you are fight the lies of the men and women serving here in Iraq the enemy wherever you are. You are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception with the media and American people. Our enemy has learned that the people in the highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an endless degree, because we care what others think. "

Raymond Onar
And as always: "Quidquid excusatio prandium pro!

When four Blackwater employees were killed and mutilated in Falluja, however, marking the start of a wider insurgency, it became clear that in Iraq the U.S. has extended privatization to core military functions. It's one thing to have civilians drive trucks and serve food; it's quite different to employ them as personal bodyguards to U.S.

Congrats on getting your baby home. Now, the next few days (years) will be getting it airworthy.

Someone wiser than me (doesn't narrow the field much) once said "an airplane is the world's most efficient tool for converting money into noise". That pretty much describes my 7-year foray into aircraft ownership, and all I had was a lowly Cessna 150. Of course, I had to do dumb things like make a taildragger out of it, which raised the cost a bit. Still, I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't have kids, and I'm very jealous of your EZ purchase. Be sure to wave as you're passing me in my rental spam can Cessna.

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