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From: Tom Elam <thomas.e.elam@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Re: What is going on with 2024 the SCCBC season?
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:20:51 -0400
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On 7/15/2024 1:53 PM, Alan wrote:
> On 2024-07-15 10:47, Tom Elam wrote:
>> On 7/10/2024 3:22 PM, -hh wrote:
>>> On 7/10/24 10:51 AM, 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.
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