Where Did I Go?

So yeah, it's been a little while. Uhh, sorry. I never realized people read this thing until I started getting threatening emails and text messages about my lack of updates. So, here goes...I'm gonna backtrack a little.

Things are starting to settle at work a little bit. Things at the new terminal have gotten a little better and things on the night shift, though every night is a pain in the ass, have gotten better as well. We've kinda got a routine down now. Except when all hell breaks loose. :) About a week ago, actually exactly a week ago we had a little incident.

Well, not 'we' per se...but one of our planes took a bird on the nose during final approach. Birdstrike, baby! Nothing left of that little fucker except blood and feathers on a newly delaminated radome. OK, so maybe that was speaking Greek to some of you. I'll explain.

Dictionary.com defines a radome as a domelike shell transparent to radio-frequency radiation, used to house a radar antenna. In the case of this (and most aircraft) the radome is the nosecone of the airplane. It's made of composite materials and is pretty damn sturdy considering the light weight of the materials.

Well, composites are typically in a "laminated" state that support the structural integrity of the item. When hit hard enough (like hitting a fucking bird at 400mph), the composite item can become misshapen and the integrity of the composite is compromised.

Basically, long story short, radome+bird(speed)=grounded airplane.

We're an outstation, so we have contract mechanics...very good at what they do, especially when they have to improvise. One was on site when the plane landed around midnight, checked the plane out through and through for about an hour to ensure the bird never entered the engine intakes or anything like that...then began the business of hunting down a radome.

There was alot of drama in between in all of that with our night crew. Basically, alot of pissiness because of lack of communication and lack of similar views on what the real goal needed to be...was it getting to leave work on time? or was it helping the mechanics when asked and avoiding the lost revenue of a canceled flight? Anyone in the airline business knows the correct answer to that...

We're an 'outstation', therefore we have no hangar, and few spare parts just lying around. Usually, if we need a part, it can be there in a couple of hours...or we can "rent" the part from another airline. In this case, we rented a radome from "Evil DFW Empire Airlines" that runs similar, very silver a/c. Must be nice to have VERY expensive parts just lying around.

Our mechanic managed to get the radome and began the replacement by 0330. He recruited me to help him out off and on through the night. I started helping him full time at around 0630 and had to hold the damn thing in the air after the supports were disengaged. My arms were sore the rest of the weekend. The thing is lightweight, but standing on a ladder and holding something in the air for about an hour is kinda tough.

That plane was supposed to leave at 0700, but a tail swap pushed that a/c's push time to 0810. New radome was in place and had it's airworthiness signed off at 0830. Not too shabby for one A&P licensed mechanic and a lowly ramp rat.

Anyway, so there's my "I got to play with a 30 lb. nosecone that costs more than a really nice house" story. The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. We've been a man short at night all week. We finally replaced our smoky-ass, dying piece of shit of a pushback tug. I pushed a solid turd into a hole with a big waterhose in the pouring ass rain (yes, I just typed that). Unloaded "precious cargo" into an armoured truck. Got to work my first full on triple-ops. Good times, eh?

I've accomplished nothing today. I was thinking about non-revving to somewhere fucking random like LA or Tampa, but decided to sleep all day instead. So I've sat on my ass all day and talked to people online, played around with the blog, watched some TV.

I did leave for a little bit with Robbie Mac to go eat. We went to Ye Olde Smokehouse II and had BBQ sandwiches and onion rings. When we got there, we saw our old Sunday school teacher from when we were in high school, Dave James his wife, kids, and mom-in-law. Dave was definitely the coolest Sunday school teacher I ever had and honestly, one of the only people from FBC Gainesville that I still like. He sat with us for little bit and we played catch up. Still very cool. I actually miss that guy.

Robbie says he was contacted by someone with the military in regards to Cpl. Compton's security clearance and that he referred them to me. Well, I'm gonna act all skitzoid if they call me and tell them Cody's an Islamic radical. :)

So yeah, I really wanted to do something this weekend...but really, I'm down to 10 bucks until my check decides to direct deposit itself...any minute now. I'm finally gonna be almost caught up on bills for the first time in a while. There's still a ton of credit card debt, but I can deal with that. My car is ALMOST paid off and I'm gonna try to work some OT and get it paid off ASAP.

I'm still looking for a place. Something has opened up, but it's kinda in the other direction from where I want to be and it's gonna be open at the end of the month. I dunno if I'll have the cash to do anything by then. We'll see.

Saw some of my Sweeney buddies last week. Met them at the airport...that was fun. Saw Skip there, too...that was kinda awkward. Oh well...I can't make them like me. I can only know that I changed that place for the better, no matter what Ernie thinks.

Hmmmm, what else. The lovely Kari intro'd me to a pretty sweet ass band. They're called SouthFM. You can get my favorite song from their new CD at iTunes using the link below. Great song...and I leave you with the lyrics. Be good, folks...and be good to each other.

so save your breath
for the rest of this relationship
cause it will get harder
and harder
for us to breathe
and when you fall find my hand
to help you stand again
cause times will get harder
and harder than these

where did you go
I thought I'd be the first in line to know
you know that I have trouble letting go
and when the world has taken
everything you have to give
I promise I will never say
I told you so

we'll prove two people can stand
when everybody else is falling apart
in a world that keeps ending
I know you and I could
make a new start
my days go by

Oh, one last thing...the BWI supervisor chick, Gina, on the show Airline is wicked hot...I might have to make another BWI trip. :) That's all.
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Current Music: SouthFM - Where Did You Go