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From: -hh <recscuba_google@huntzinger.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Re: What is going on with 2024 the SCCBC season?
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:34:13 -0400
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Tom Elam <thomas.e.elam@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 7/10/2024 1:22 PM, Alan wrote:
>> On 2024-07-10 07:51, Tom Elam wrote:
>>> On 7/6/2024 4:42 PM, -hh wrote:
>>>> On 7/5/24 2:19 PM, Tom Elam wrote (plus merged posts):
>>>>> On 6/28/2024 8:04 PM, -hh wrote:
>>>>>> On 6/28/24 11:10 AM, Tom Elam wrote:
>>>>>>> On 6/27/2024 3:55 PM, Alan wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 2024-06-25 10:34, Tom Elam wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Dear Alan,
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Last year, 2023, April-June, there 3 weekends, 9 races at SBBC. 
>>>>>>>>> Total unique CW driver entries were 97, OW 37. These are typical 
>>>>>>>>> for an entire season for 2021-2023. In April-June 2024 unique 
>>>>>>>>> driver entries are 14 OW and 49 CW, about half prior years.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> These stats are from the SBBC season championship records.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Wow, quite the drop. What's going on, Alan?
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> And, BTW, you entered 11 out of a 71 2021-2024 races. None last 
>>>>>>>>> year of course, but also none this year and 11 out of 34 in 
>>>>>>>>> 2021-22. Have you retired? I thought you were looking forward to 
>>>>>>>>> getting back this year. Not so much?
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> So great to see you taking such an interest in my life, Liarboy!
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> I wonder if I might take a little interest in yours.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Done much flying lately?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Well, yes. Two very different flavors. Full scale last 6 months, 
>>>>>>> 36 hours logged including 2 family visit trips to Georgia, some 
>>>>>>> CAP hours, and just passed a VFR checkride. The Christmas return 
>>>>>>> flight from Georgia was IFR all the way home and an instrument 
>>>>>>> approach into Indy Metro. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Christmas of 2023, of course.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Now good for 2 another years on my BFR, taking me almost to my 
>>>>>>> 80th birthday. At this time I am also IFR current and capable, but 
>>>>>>> those are perishable skills. I'll be taking an IFR skills test 
>>>>>>> checkride before the end of September.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> RC model flying has been active since the weather improved in 
>>>>>>> April. Some of that is documented on my YouTube channel available at:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcvZXi-36GQkeHr0FdB4cTg
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> My latest YT video is rendering as I write this. That one is on 
>>>>>>> programming my 3 meter Fox sailplane for solo hand launch. It will 
>>>>>>> be up on the channel by end of today.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Tomorrow I am scheduled to go to the AMA annual Fun Fly in Muncie 
>>>>>>> and do some instructing with beginning RC pilots. I also just 
>>>>>>> passed my Part 107 Remote Pilot/commercial drone license FAA 
>>>>>>> refresher, and good for another 2 on that front years too.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> So yes, done a lot of flying. Some airline flying in the near 
>>>>>>> future too!
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Because even 36 hours droning along at a Cessna's 125mph cruising 
>>>>>> speed is just 4500 miles: enough to cross the pond once...but not 
>>>>>> back.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> We will be flying to Vancouver next month to catch a train to 
>>>>>>> Calgary then flying home from there. August takes us to France, 
>>>>>>> Luxembourg and a Viking river cruise to Basel. Flying home from 
>>>>>>> Zurich. Ten day trip in all. So still traveling too.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Oh, so now its a ten day trip for what previously was a twelve day 
>>>>>> Paris-Rhine cruise claimed back in February?  /s
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> How about you, doing any racing lately? I know the answer to that, 
>>>>>>> at least for SBBC events. Null, zero, nada since 2022. Going 
>>>>>>> anywhere outside Canada this year?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Life invariably takes different turns.  My last travel comment here 
>>>>>> was in early 2023, that we were looking (in 2023) to be making up 
>>>>>> for our CoVid travel lull, but that doesn't mean that it all went 
>>>>>> as had been hoped for: indeed, it could have changed.  Cancelled 
>>>>>> outright, or even perhaps upgraded to be in First Class instead of 
>>>>>> Coach on all of that year's international flights! /s
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Same applies for 2024 as well, for life invariably throws curve 
>>>>>> balls; this is why the advice was to 'do the hard stuff' while 
>>>>>> one's body (& finances) are healthy enough to be still able to do 
>>>>>> what one wishes. Otherwise, one can be pushing 80 and renting a car 
>>>>>> is no longer trivial, so one can get increasingly constrained to 
>>>>>> guided tours on cruise ships.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> In any event, a week on the Rocky Mountaineer and the 
>>>>>> aforementioned Rhine cruise sounds to be in the rough ballpark of 
>>>>>> ($7500+air)/pp, so it does seem like Tommy is perhaps finally 
>>>>>> breaking out of his prior fiscal constraint, as I'd long advised.  
>>>>>> Yay, you!.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> -hh
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>> Ten was a wrong number for Europe. It IS 12 days plus 2 for to-from 
>>>>> travel that I did not include in a prior post.
>>>> 
>>>> But also plus +3 days pre-tour in Paris, as you've mentioned before 
>>>> and mentioned again below.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> The Canada trip is a package tour via a local company. It includes 
>>>>> several side trips, most meals, air, and several nights in the 
>>>>> Fairmont Banff Springs and others of similar quality prior to Banff 
>>>>> Springs. Check the rates on that hotel. $11,990 for 2. Sadly, one of 
>>>>> the people, a good friend at that, was scheduled to go but died very 
>>>>> suddenly. The wife has to cancel. It may still be an open 
>>>>> reservation for two. Interested? Starts July 20.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> We've been meaning to get back to the Canadian Rockies, but that 
>>>> start date hits a schedule conflict.  Plus we learned last month that 
>>>> we're out of shape for any decent hiking in the Rockies (not that 
>>>> this rail journey would really have much), so not enough pre-trip 
>>>> prep time either.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> The Europe trip including air is a bit over $10,000 plus 3 nights on 
>>>>> our own in a Paris hotel at $300/night, plus meals, local 
>>>>> transportation and sundries. Likely to also come to about $12,000.
>>>> 
>>>> Figured about that, as a cabin on Viking is ~$3800/pp on its own.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> Your $7,500 pp is spot-on but includes airfare.
>>>> 
>>>> As you know, there's several rail journey options to choose from, of 
>>>> varying lengths; I'd conservatively parameterized to a higher end 
>>>> tour than what you actually chose.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> We also just this week scheduled a trip to Luddington MI to spend a 
>>>>> week with some good friends at their cabin. I'll be flying us up 
>>>>> there, only about $600 R/T for air plus taking them out to a VERY 
>>>>> nice restaurant or two.
>>>>> 
>>>>> We also have the annual ski trip of course. 2024 is a bit of a 
>>>>> splurge but not that different from many prior years.
>>>> 
>>>> I've not chatted skiing lately with a colleague who spends 2-3 weeks 
>>>> in Vail each season to know current rates, but I'd expect that the 
>>>> Epic is still just ~$1K/pp and that condo/AirBNB rates are quite 
>>>> variable.  Even so, $10K probably covers ~3 weeks when driving.  So 
>>>> without the ski trip, ballpark $25K for 2024, including the Florida 
>>>> bit (next below):
>>>> 
>>>> {merge}
>>>>> 
>>>>> Second reply. I just updated the 2024 travel diary and forgot to
>>>>> include 2 January Florida weeks. We stayed with friends week 1, so
>>>>> that kept the cost down. I think the whole trip was only maybe $3-4k
>>>>> all-in.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> {merge}
>>>>> 
>>>>> Back again. FYI the club 182 cruises at 160+ mph, not 125.
>>>> 
>>>> So its an 5,760 miles upper limit.  That's still not enough to cross 
>>>> the pond & back...and one still can't nap (safely) when at the controls.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> It's a little over 2.5 hours including taxi time, with no headwind.
>>>>> Delta makes it in 1:30 of droning on in a B737 but them you have a 
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