FAA Recreational UAV Certification

 That certification is a nice thing to have! And it was not that hard to get. The rules governing flight are pretty commonsense rules and basic aeronautics are just that: basic. I do have my FAA number on the two planes I've got that weigh more than 250 grams, but they still come in under the AMA "park flyer" limit. Who would have imagined that a simple hobby would get so complicated. And its all because some people are irresponsible-- enough of them to raise red flags. It only take a few jerks to spoil something good. 

Fuck the FAA? (Well, no...)

 Despite living in a loony bin world, it's still possible to have a good day. The weather looks good this morning. I got my cameras emptied into the computer yesterday and there are many more pics now to post here, sufficient to carry me into the next year, and I have the feeling that next year will be a horror movie, sort of a cross between a zombie apocalypse, attack of the brain eaters, and an invasion of pod people. With echoes of Germany in the 30's. On another front, I have examined the rules regarding RC aircraft, thanks to the FAA, and the hobby has gotten too complicated for me. I'd have to have a "smart phone" to get permission to fly even a sub-250 gram plane and take a stupid test, and carry a safety checklist. Fuck that. I can understand why some people might hate the "government". These regulations are oppressive and stupid. Park flyers, the kinds of small and simple planes I like, are going to be extinct. Who wants to go through all that shit for brains red tape to enjoy what amounts to a toy?? People are being fined up to $20,000! I can actually begin to feel some sympathy for the antigovernment crowd. These stupid regulations make no distinction between quadcopters and winged aircraft and they are very different things. I'm pissed off about that. I've enjoyed this hobby for years and it is effectively killed off, for me, by fucking big government. Fuck the FAA!

I decided to see how hard it would actually be to comply. I took and passed the FAA exam and printed the certificate. That is a one time deal and I will have the certificate laminated and have it with me when I fly. I am a member of AMA and I printed their safety guidelines and I will have that laminated and have it with me when I fly, which covers the Community Based Standards requirement. I will print and have laminated a pre-flight checklist. I found that I can use my desktop to access an FAA website where I can check the status of my flying area for restrictions and get permission to fly. So my hobby isn't dead. But I will probably retire my larger and heavier planes after 2023 because I'm not sure they can be updated with a Remote ID transmitter. If that isn't too much of a hassle I can continue to fly everything I have. So it just goes to show-- things might not be as bad as you think!

I should worry more about power hungry assholes at the state and local levels...

Soggy Yesterday Terrific Today

 I'm actually getting tired of rain! Enough for a while, eh? And the burning question is: can a nation of goofballs and half-wits long survive? At least the answer is obvious. No head scratching on that one. 

I'm running low on sunflowers but I've got more in various cameras. I ought to transfer them into the computer today, so I can keep blogging. I completely support Ukraine in its battle with rotten, fascist, Russia. It won't be long before we have a rotten, fascist, America. Aren't we already more than half-way there?? 

I Had No Severe Weather

 What I did get was overnight rain and a soggy morning. I'm getting tired of that. And it's not so good for the few cotton farmers who managed to plant something. But they are welfare queens anyway, so no need to worry about them. 

Heh, I couldn't resist a little editorial. I found the image on the web and I don't know who to attribute it to, but it hits the target. Look at those scum, eh? Scum of the earth, and filthy rich. Sellers of snake oil. P. T. Barnum had it right. These scumbags have hooked in the suckers, and they bleed them dry. If it's thumping a bible and begging for money, it's a scumbag con artist. 

Severe Weather?

 I should have known that wouldn't be far away. Wait and see...

I hate it when I just have to accept the things I can't control-- like the weather. Like almost everything. There's no percentage in raging against the machine. The machine sucks. 

Super Weather Continues

 Crisp and bracing, it is. The air is clean and all is fresh in the aftermath of recent rain. Sunshine is abundant. 

October has to be the best of months! At least, in this area. Spring tends to be fouled by dust storms.