Pelosi Wants To Fly High (On The Hog)!!

The illustrations shown here are of a Gulfstream GIII aircraft, the type that the government has offered to our new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Contrary to what was indicated (either by her or her staff), this plane seats 10 people, cruises at 460 knots, and has a range of 3700 nautical miles...it can fly coast to coast!

Even though she denies it, Nancy Pelosi is demanding a USAF 757 for her personal use, according to several news sources. A plane of this size and configuration is used by VP Cheney, but never before has been afforded the use by a Speaker of the House.

Mrs. Pelosi's request is not new for a speaker, who is second-in-line in presidential succession. A defense source said the speaker's regular access to a military plane began after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, who was speaker at the time, started using U.S. Air Force planes for domestic travel to and from his district for security reasons. Sources said Mrs. Pelosi's request goes beyond what Mr. Hastert received. The speaker's legal counsel is spearheading the talks.

An aide to Mrs. Pelosi, who asked not to be named, confirmed several days ago that discussions are ongoing with the administration. "It would be done for security reasons," said the aide, adding that the speaker has used military aircraft for at least one trip back to San Francisco.

As I stated above, the government has offered her a Gulfstream GIII type commuter jet. Her saying she needs a larger plane to fly coast to coast (Washington D.C. to San Francisco) without stopping, does not hold water. The range for the GIII is 8 to 9 hours of flight time. It can fly the complete trip without refueling.

This corporate jet is regarded as the epitome of luxurious private aircraft, offering passengers a combination of comfort and performance. Refer to the link to the following website : http://www.chartright.com/guide/chartright.swf
for more details.

What are your thoughts on her request? In a time where we are supposed to be thrifty, trying to reduce our costs (and the national debt), should she be seeking a large jet to take her back and forth across the country? Seems like what she's been offered is quite nice, and fits her needs.

Is A Secure Border Important To Seniors?

I'd been listing to a talk radio station this morning as I was making my rounds in the automobile. I had to go to Crestline, where our second home (weekends and vacations) is located. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Crestline is a small town, around 4,000 or so, located in the San Bernardino mountains, about a half an hour South of Lake Arrowhead. It's a bit lower than Arrowhead, setting at about 4800 ft. Less snow and closer to home. The trip takes about 90 minutes from Placentia, so I was listening to AM 640.

The primary topic this morning (for this hour at least) was whether securing the U.S. Border was important to Americans, the Bush Administration, President Bush, the Democratic Party, etc. Much of the conversation circled around the recent "guilty" verdict of the two U.S. Border Patrol agents who ended up in prison for shooting an illegal drug smuggler in the backside.

The program went on to say that 27% of the prison population is made up of illegal aliens. The two guards sent away were promised a minimum security location with the general population, but that one was sent to a Yazoo, MS, a medium security location. The thinking was that minimum security would not have "violent" inmates and that the Border Patrol agents would be in little danger. Within a day, Ramos was beaten within an inch of his life. From the "WorldNet Daily", it was reported that Ramos was assaulted by five Hispanic men with steel-toed boots – likely illegal aliens – who cussed him out in Spanish.

So, the general feeling is that they are telling the Border Patrol agents not to pull their guns and shoot anyone fleeing in a certain direction. The agents would be better off in a non-active position of drinking coffee and eating doughnuts.

The "drive-by media", mainstream newspapers, and the television channels do not always give us a clear view of what's going on. We have to look deeper on matters that concern us and the welfare of our children and our nation. Here's the link for the WorldNetDaily:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/

How do you feel about a secure U.S. Border....is it important to you? Is the Republican or the Democratic Party concerned? Should they be? Is this one of the areas we really need to think and be sure about when we elect the next President of the United States?

Laughlin Banquet Wooden Nickel and First Day Cover

A 1st day cover with a picture of a paddle wheel boat and a wooden nickel is being planned to commemorate the event held in Laughlin, NV, at the Colorado Belle Casino & Hotel.

There will be a limited number of covers printed. The limit is set at the 50 to 75 range for the covers. Price TBD, but in $3 to $5 range. The cover is presently being designed.

An order has been placed for 500 wooden nickels. They will sell for 25C each plus an SASE.

I'll post pictures once cover is complete and nickels are received.

Golf Event Scheduled For AZ Course Desert Lakes In Bullhead City

I've posted the Flyer I received in my email regarding this years golf event. For the first time, it will be held in AZ at the Desert Lakes course. If you need further information, please contact me. Note the deadline is March 16th to have your money to L.H. Butts.

7th ANNUAL DOUGLOID GOLF OUTING 2007

DATE: SATURDAY APRIL 14, 2007

COURSE: DESERT LAKES, BULLHEAD CITY, AZ

TIME: 8:00 AM NO SHOT GUN AT THIS TIME. EARLY HEADCOUNT IS IMPORTANT

TYPE: LOW GROSS/LOW NET HANDICAPPING: CALLAWAY

FLIGHTS: MEN'S AND LADIES NEED SOME LADIES

COST: $70.00 INCLUDES GOLF, CART AND PRIZE FUND

SIDE GAMES: OPTIONAL CLOSE TO PIN ALL PAR 3'S $4.00 SKINS $10.00

GET YOUR GROUPS TOGETHER AND YOUR CHECKS IN ASAP. LET ME KNOW WHO YOU WILL BE PLAYING WITH. IF YOUR A SINGLE WE WILL PUT YOU WITH SOMEONE.

CHECKS PAYABLE: L. H. BUTTS

MAIL TO: 2987 RAINBOW RIDGE DR.

PRESCOTT, AZ 86303

DEADLINE MARCH 16,2007

Here's a link to a map of the Desert Lakes Golf Course in Bullhead City, AZ.





Map of
5835 S Desert Lakes Dr
Bullhead City, AZ 86426-9106

JetMakers Group On Eons

While surfin' the web, I came across a free site that allows you to join and become a member. It's specifically for folks (like us) 50 years old plus!

The site is called Eons, and they have sections on People, Fun, Money, Body, Life Dreams, Obits, LifeMap and Travel.

Eons link: http://www.eons.com/


The site also allows you to join and/or start a group for people who have similiar interests. With that in mind, I decided to start a group for people interested in commericial aviation. This group allows you to discuss areas around your interest, post photos, etc.

Here's the link: http://community.eons.com/groups/group/jetmakers

You all are invited to join.

Making Contact With Ex-DAC/Boeing Aircrafters

Of the few replies I've had to this blog, one of my fellow ex-aircraft workers has mentioned that he'd like to contact and/or find out where some of his "old" working companions are now. I'm wondering if any of you are also interested in finding others who you've worked with in the past.

It's really a kick in the butt to make contact and see what they've been doing, i.e., if they have another area they are working in, got remarried (or in my case, married for the 1st time), have new additions to the family (grand kids...hopefully), have take on new hobbies, or maybe even taken a exciting trip/vacation.

Many of us have relocated. The gentleman above is presently living in AZ, but prior to that had moved from CA, went back to school, became a minister, moved to KS and ended up in IA for several years before going to OK. So, in a period of 30 years since he left MDAC back in the 70's, he's changed careers, got married, had grand children, and moved to no less than 4 other states. I'm still in CA, where I was born, but soon hope to leave. Hey, I just heard that Orange County has over 7 million phone numbers....that's why they need to come up with another area code!

We could put together a listing of people who have relocated and show where they are today. Another suggestion would be for you to make a request for a "lost contact", i.e., Ron Fern (MDAC/Boeing 1967-2002) is looking for or would like to contact Geo. B. What do you think? Is there any interest?

There are several ways you can find people for free. One of the better places to combine several search engines and resources to look up an individual, both white pages and email is the ultimates. This is like a giant phonebook where you can get name address & current phone numbers for free. He is the link:

http://www.theultimates.com/

There are also several sites that allow you to search their databases once you've joined. Be selective if you choose this method, and think about your privacy before joining and providing them too much information. Here is one of the links:

http://www.friendster.com/

Well, this is a start. I'd like you to reply if there is any interest in developing this as a regular feature of this blog.

Making Cents When Buying Gas

It always amazes me as I travel about through the southern California area how the price for a gallon of gas varies by such a wide margin. It makes sense to try and save some cents as you plan better on where to buy your fuel.

I've noticed that prices are cheaper a few blocks from the freeway off ramps. Why not see for yourself....the next time you're on the freeway, and exit, look at the prices for gas at the stations that are directly off the freeway exit. Prices are usually about 3 to 5 cents a gallon more, but can go up to at least 10 cents a gallon higher.

It makes no sense to me why prices within an area change so drastically. My wife works in Ontario, CA (San Bernardino County). The approximate location is where the 15 and 60 freeways meet. Usually, gas is about 5 cents a gallon higher there compared to Placentia, CA (Orange County), where we live. Placentia is close to Anaheim, Disneyland, and the newly named Honda Center....it used to be called The Pond.

Go to southern Orange County, i.e., along the coast, down the I-5 freeway, towards San Juan Capistrano, and you'll find the cost of gas rockets to more than 50 cents a gallon more for stations right off the freeway.

If you listen to the radio while your on the road, you often hear local stations talking of calling in and giving them the location and station where you can buy "cheap" fuel. I'm not sure why they do that, because if you are Internet active, there are several websites where you can visit to find the cheapest (or highest if you choose) fuel in the area.

Here is one of the website links for finding the cost of fuel in this area.

http://www.orangecountygasprices.com/

If you live out of the Orange County, CA area, fear not. The below site allows you to put in a city, state, or zip, so you can find out what the current price for fuel is all over the country. People who don't live in CA are more often than not afforded the luxury of cheaper gas. The exceptions would likely be Alaska and Hawaii.

For areas outside Orange County, check out the following links:

http://www.fuelmeup.com/

or

http://www.gasbuddy.com/

Gas has been coming down for the last four weeks, according to the TV news this AM. The reason they state is that there is an over abundance of "winter fuel". Apparently this special blend will not be able to be sold after the next month or so, so they need to get rid of it....remember the law of supply and demand? If there's too much of a supply, simply reduce the price and increase the demand....as fuel becomes cheaper, a segment of the population who didn't buy as much can now buy more. They said the price for gas in the LA area was $2.51 a gallon, and in the OC, $2.52 per gallon. If you check the website, I find gas as cheap as $2.19 a gallon in my area.....it pays to look. At the low end, 20 gallons of gas would cost about $44.00. On the high end of $2.79 a gallon, 20 gallons of gas would cost $56.00, or $12.00 more!

Southern Californians are a unique breed. Most of us still seem to have a love affair with our automobile, and choose to be independent. I'm amazed at the number of cars with one person...the driver! Not too long ago a driver was pulled over by the CHP for driving in the carpool lane with a manikin as the passenger in the front seat next to the driver...how inventive, but costly!

Let's see the importance of planning where you buy gas on a trip to Las Vegas from the OC. If you filled up here in the Placentia area, the cost is about $2.35 a gallon. About half way to Vegas, a Barstow stop would cost $2.39 a gallon. Further up the hill, headed to "sin city", is Baker....the place with the tallest thermometer and higher gas prices. They are anywhere from 25 to 50 cents a gallon higher than Barstow....so fill up before you get back on the road. In N. Las Vegas you can presently get a gallon of gas for $2.35 at the ARCO. Head west to Pahrump, and a gallon will cost you 10 to 15 cents more. It pays to watch your gas gauge and fill up before the price peaks!

If you were to choose going to the "Vegas Alternative", Laughlin, NV, you head up the I-15 Fwy to Barstow (again, fill up here), and head east on I-40 towards Needles, CA. Be sure and NOT stop in Ludlow, CA for gas. You'll presently pay $2.85 a gallon for unleaded! Not any better is Needles, CA. There you will get hit for about $3.00 a gallon for unleaded. Just across the border, in Ft. Mojave, AZ, a trip of only a mile or so, you'd be able to get unleaded gas for $2.20 a gallon....it pays to know where to stop for fuel!

Remember when you purchase gas that some stations charge more if you use a credit or debit card. Some stations also charge a transaction fee for using a card, like ARCO. Also consider that some debit cards charge a transaction fee as well, so you get double charged. You may want to check and see if your bank or credit union will allow you to use your debit card as a credit card to eliminate that charge. I recently received a notice from my credit union to do that to avoid the debit charge.