Fellow Aviators, Et Al

 

Recent communications amongst and betwixt LML’ers seem to indicate expectations of disdain characterized by phrases such as “flame suit on,” “asbestos in place,” etc.  Some lurkers remain so because of aversion to steamed heat or YELLING.  Sometimes, feathers (not you Lorn) are ruffled, riffled and even rifled – playground sensibilities are bruised and abused.   Service backgrounds are pilloried (Navel ROTC was the best I could do), IQs are implied as lower (counted on toes only) or higher (fingers can participate in the enumeration) and other hi-jinks (such as my high-key is higher than your high-key).  Oh why, oh why, can’t the whining stop when the turbine is shut down?

 

Perhaps we should don full face masks and chain mail to protect ourselves from the pain of e-mail?  Or, perhaps we should try not to take critical reviews and commentary so personally. Any lawyer will tell you that retort is cheaper than tort.

 

ATC once said to me “Uh, mumble mumble… Where the mumble are you going?” – obviously irritated by me simply trying to get somewhere near my destination, alive!  Wouldst I shrivel from such an implied attack on my pilotage, parentage and/or personage?  “Nay”, I say to myself.  Hungry for attention amid so many professionals, I reply “Repeat.”  Later I would learn that more could be gained by saying “Please Repeat” or, better yet “Stand-by.”  If I was feeling moody, tense or miffed I would say “Make sure you save the tape.”  Sometimes I would just say “I can’t take this crap,” then I would push the xmit button and really let my feelings be known, “Cancel my flight plan now.” 

 

You might ask, What the hell is he getting at?”

 

Well. Thunderclouds and ice or sticks and stones may break my bones but words’ll never hurt me!   Na Nah Na Nan Na!

 

Some questions have answers and some questions that don’t have answers are questionable.  But unasked questions have unanswered answers which are unquestionably questionable.  (Paraphrasing D. Rumsfeld in an unknown way)

 

In other words if you don’t ask, no one tells and we are all left in the dark.

 

We need the LML lurkers and sometimes contributors to come forth and procreate.  Oops - no, I mean proselytize their projects, raise issues of building and flight – question, inform, etc.  But don’t stand on the sideline because you might be wrong.  I might be wrong, but everyone has knowledge and information that can be shared with others and be a benefit to all.

 

Now, about this high key stuff……….

 

Shields up, force fields energized, head down bum up, hope I can learn from any retort, comment, criticism, yada, yada ……

 

Scott Krueger
Sky2high@aol.com
II-P N92EX IO320 Aurora, IL (KARR)

"...as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know." D. Rumsfeld