Path: eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Tom Elam 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 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 239 Message-ID: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:20:51 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="30cf954d2f1dbbf6ffa1d1b8d1b46abd"; logging-data="1351952"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/4MLRFH00/M+xrYf7pmYMGPwG1gpujL0o=" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:bfXw7bwTVOt0oId6Tsw0uC4iNhU= Content-Language: en-US In-Reply-To: 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. ========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========