Fun weather

[Randy Powell]

I've been whining about the rain and wind the last couple of weeks. Normally we get a few days here and there over the winter that are very flyable, if a bit cold. Nothing big, but it takes some effort to get engines started. Especially in November. Well, I'm not whining about the rain anymore. There's about 3 inches of snow outside and the forecast is for a LOT more by this evening. Getting home should be a joy. Man, I thought I got rid of this sort of nonsense when I moved to Puget Sound from Idaho. Heck, according to the National Weather Service, the weather is better in Boise. Sigh...

Time to reconsider that move to Tuscon, I guess. Oh, and the weatherliars are also saying that when the snow stops around 7-8pm, the wind will pick up to 35-40mph with gusts to 50. Oh, Joy.

On the other hand, we are supposed to get back to the weather we know and loathe by Thanksgiving (low 40s and rain, rain, rain).

[Garf]

Sounds like fun. Here in Miami, it is from 75 to 80*, occasional shower, 5-15mph winds. Right now, the sun's shining.

[Paul Walker]

On the other hand, we are supposed to get back to the weather we know and loathe by Thanksgiving (low 40s and rain, rain, rain).
[/quote]

Except where I am heading this Thanksgiving weekend.  Fortunately, it will be back up to the 20's by Thursday during the day.  Projected lows on Tuesday night, near 0.

Time to fit those planes with Skis.....No really, some day I will do that!  Just not this year.

[Randy Powell]

Thanks, Garf.  

One point is this place is built for rain. Deep drains on the sides of roads, pronounced crowns in roads (for drainage during heavy rains), turns set up to shed water, not keep cars on the road and lots and lots of hills and water. And not many snow plows or sand trucks. My office is near a fairly steep hill and there's a bus sideways on it right now.

I can't wait to drive back over the Narrow Bridge that is currently pretty icy.

[Randy Powell]

Paul,

Well, that's what you get from having a house in Deer Park. Ask Mark Scarborough about the lovely Pullman weather this time of year. And at least in Eastern Washington it's fairly flat and they actually understand the concept of snow plows.

[Paul Walker]

Well, that's what you get from having a house in Deer Park.


Who's complaining.  I'm, for some weird reason, looking forward to the experience. Check with me again next spring!

Paul

[Tim Wescott]

http://www.stefanv.com/rcstuff/skis.html

(edit: just outside of Oregon City OR, about 150 miles south of the Puget Sound, we're getting driving rain, with predictions of snow to follow.  In the typical snow pattern for the Willamette valley it's supposed to get clear, cold and dry later -- I'm hoping for clear, cold, dry and only light wind, but I doubt I'll be that lucky -- maybe in January.  Meanwhile, I'm building a Bostonian before I clean up the bench and build another CL plane)

[Matt Colan]

It's been raining since August, basically non-stop. And we've only flown about 3 or 4 times since the last contest we went to.  Now that the weather has gotten a lot worse, we won't fly again until March    Well on the brightside, I can work on my Trivial Pursuit some more.

[Randy Powell]

Tim,

Yea, I read that northern Oregon was going to get pasted later. It stopped snowing here an hour ago, but the wind is picking up seriously and the snow is due to start again at any time. Weeeeee!!!!!!!!!

Matt,

We usually get a few days, here and there, that are flyable over the winter. Cold, but decent. Not sure that is happening this year.

[Scott Jenkins]

Garf,
Hows the suntan oil supply dow there I got extra if you need it.
Ya know the worst sunburn I ever had I got in January go figure.
supposed to get down to 60 tonight might have to wear long pants
being acclimated to this kind of weather is not hard to take. I just don't
like the sun going down at 6 pm. rather stay on daylight savings time.
 

Scott

[Randy Powell]

Keep in mind, the issue here is not that it's snowing and cold. I had plenty of that in Idaho. It's that this area usually has milder temps and really isn't set up for this sort of thing. I just hope I have power when I get home. I lived in the outback in Idaho and don't ever remember losing power. Here it's a regular gig. Sigh...

Hey, at least the office is closing at 4pm. Might get home by 7pm

[Tim Wescott]

Keep in mind, the issue here is not that it's snowing and cold. I had plenty of that in Idaho. It's that this area usually has milder temps and really isn't set up for this sort of thing.

My dad was in LA one June; it had the kind of rain that we call 'drizzle' in the Pacific Northwest, and down there they call "Omigod!"  Traffic on the freeways was at a crawl, in no small part because (a) it being that first rain in a long time it liquefied all the oil on the pavement, making everything slicker than snot, and (b) no one from LA understood (a).

The show was lightly attended as a consequence.

But on the bright side, they went to Disney Land, and the only other people there were Japanise tourists who were also, no doubt, used to a bit of fine rain on a nice June day.

My point being that no matter where you are, when the weather is worse than what they usually see everything goes to pot.  The only folks around here who know how to deal with snow are either ardent skiers, or come from out of state.  And even they aren't sure what to do with the wet glop that we get, and the lack of plowed roads, and the nifty frozen slush with the ruts pre-aimed at the ditch that can develop when things get bad.

[Garf]

Our area is honeycombed with drainage canals. We can get 6" of rain and we get some street flooding in low lying areas. Side effect of having been a swamp at one time.

[Shultzie]

Randy...
My wife Carol just arrived from her job in Sumner....talke about a bananananananan belt run through 3 accidents on 1-5 starting at the Tacoma Dome, another one at the 16 cut off and another one just before crossing the Tacoma Narrows bridge.
It took only 2.5 hours total.

A couple of shots out my window here up on BlueBerry Dana hill.

[Tom Niebuhr]

Randy,
I suggest that you complain to Big Al!

[Tim Wescott]

No snow down here yet, which is a comfort considering that we've got a 17 year old driver who's still out there -- in dad's "sporty" car with the summer tires.

(and the Bostonian fuselage is nearly done, which is good.  Even if it does weigh four grams, which is bad).

[Steve Helmick]

Tim...To refresh my memory...and info those who have no idea what a "Bostonian" is...it's kinda like a non-scale Peanut Scale model, right? Or is it bigger? How big an "engine" are you allowed?

Which brings to mind the question of the day: Is Paul going to fly rubber powered stunt before or after steam powered stunt? Just looking at the trend, ya know...   Steve

Edit: Got home not long ago...about a 10 mile drive (passing near PW's, in fact), and would like to report that while it didn't take much longer than normal...it was slicker than Aero-1 on wet monokote. Even with the Toyota in 4 wheel drive, it was a little exciting...mostly "pushing like a dumptruck" on the turns, followed by a serious "loose" condition. Sorry, watched Jimmy Johnson win his 5th straight NASCAR championship (and $5.7 million) yesterday.  Oh, hey, Scarborough...Chad Knaus is a smart cookie...and a really nice guy, too.   

[Tim Wescott]

Tim...To refresh my memory...and info those who have no idea what a "Bostonian" is...it's kinda like a non-scale Peanut Scale model, right? Or is it bigger? How big an "engine" are you allowed?

Yes, the class is designed for 'looks like it could be scale'.  Apparently peanut scale started out as "scale that's easy", then got hijacked by Serious Competitors, and turned into "scale that's teeny and hard".  So, to attract beginners, someone came up with Bostonian.  Basically, the planes are 16" span, the rules are designed so it's easy to build and to make them look like scale, and the idea of the event is low-key competition for fun.  I'm not sure if there's a limit on the motor -- "that which does not crush the plane", I think.

Rules are in the AMA rulebook, on the webside.  They're pretty simple.

I don't know if I'm even going to get to the 'competition' part -- I just want something that'll fly in the club's winter quarters and will be reasonably fun.

[john e. holliday]

I like the pics of the snow flurry.   Tom Wilk up north of me aways sent pics of his snow fall.  I just remembered we did not have one snow day last school year.  We had  a couple of days off because of temps being in the minus teens F.    This past week I have been on crossing duty with light jacket in am and shirt sleeves in pm.  Next morning wearing over coat and wishing I had found my heavy mittens.  Today was light jacket AM and heavy Jacket in the PM.  One more day for this week.  Now as far as day light savings time if they ended it in the first part of October I could still see the kids.  Street lights are not that bright in the neighbor hood.  Even with reflective vests, parents were having trouble seeing me.  By the way Thanksgiving day is supposed to be below freezing temps.  Glad I am off even tho I am losing money.

[Bill Heher]

It's chilly , dry  and windy here in Albuequreque, with snow predicted in the higher elevations. Only have to make it through the next 36 hrs and I'll be on the plane back to Sunny Florida for 4 whole days. Orlando has been dry and in the low 80's- hope that continues through the weekend. Maybe even get a flight or 2 in.

Just have to stop and get a plain white T-shirt and a jumbo magic marker so I can make myself a " TSA- Don't touch my Junk" logo shirt to wear. On the plus side - they reopened the CLEAR registered traveler system in Orlando a couple weeks ago- I reactivated my account and have 13 months of contract left- whoo-hoo! Express lane to the metal detector for me for a while!

[Scott B. Riese]

Well...I got "Foreigner" on...I'm in the shop working on customers engines....72 degrees & no wind. I hope to get back to my building before December 

[wwwarbird]

 Only about the next 4 to 5 months straight of it coming here. Today it was nice out, 29 degrees and rain. Building season is officially on.

[Paul Walker]

Well Randy, I live 15 miles from work. Waited until 6:00 pm to leave, and it still took me 2 1/2 hours to get home. The first 1/2 mile took 1 hour.

Drove the truck in today as it has studs. Big difference in these conditions. Very few people on the road this morning!

Paul

[Mark Scarborough]

LOL well the weather was pretty mild yesterday, only two inches of snow fallen on the ground, and we were up to the low 20's, of course the drifts were a lot deeper than two inches..
My drive isnt as silly as some of yours,, you know 7 miles in 2 hours,, Mine is about 45 miles,, across the rolling hills of the palouse,, we know what plows are for the snow, but since we know how to handle driving in it, they dont bother untill we get closer to 6 or 8 inches.. Well excepting all the Seattle area kids that come over here for school.. somehow they dont get the concept of coming down a hill in the snow, and NOT doing 50 mph,,, sigh,,

Last night it got a bit brisker,, we got 6 to 8 inches,, its pretty hard to know for sure,, the 25 to 35 mph winds made it two feet in some areas, and an inch in others. My drive to work this morning, I had to take the scenic route since they closed 195, that means going through moscow,, and down 95. It wasnt to bad, I think I averaged 40mph. well except when you crest a hill and the downslope is ice, no brakes allowed. so your doing about 55 at the bottom of the hill, WEEEEE n~My normal commute is about 45 minutes,, which translates to about 45 miles,, this morning, ,an hour and 40 minutes,, to cover 50 miles,, oh well, I had lots of time to think about my Electrajet thats on the building table now,, so its not a totall loss. Thank heavens for 4 wheel drive.
@Paul, it really is nice when it snows,, the air is almost dense,, its quiet,, and beautifull,, I do really like it,, mostly,,