Leadership voler launched!

During my graduate studies, my favorite topic was leadership. How to lead and motivate a team, myself, or individuals was fascinating to me. I became extremely curious to know more, to educate myself on leadership topics, so I started reading books to learn more. I then found myself giving a motivational speech on finishing my airplane, as noted in an earlier post, and enjoyed it. One thing led to another and I decided my next adventure would be a leadership blog. The success of this blog was a factor in my decision to launch a new one.  

Voler is the french word that translates "to fly." Read my blog to see how that name came about. The site is www.rondurenjr.com This new blog is not necessarily aviation related, although you'll see references, you can't take the aviator out of me. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, check out the site...or "like" my Facebook page under the same name. I will continue to update this blog from time to time also. Links to each have been added to the right column of this site.

Engaged! "Pilot-style"

On Sunday, April 19th, I got engaged! I had been planning a unique way to propose that involved the airplane for about six months. My first idea involved being inverted, but I was too worried about the FAA seeing the video and giving me a call. You all know the silly rule that solo aerobatics without a chute is ok, but dual aerobatics without a chute is somehow much different, chutes must be worn. This rule has always amazed me and left me scratching my head. So, anything captured on video with dual acro was nixed (although there may or may not have been a victory roll with me yelling "yeehaw, great balls of fire!" after she said "yes"). So, I came up with a zero-G scenario that had her catching the ring as I did a pushover. 

The plane has been down for annual maintenance for a month and I have been trying to find the time in my busy schedule to get it buttoned back up and flying...so I could do the proposal. I really didn't have a "plan B" without the airplane...this was it! I knew nothing else would be as memorable as this. Unfortunately I got the airplane flying on Saturday, did a solo test flight as I always do after maintenance, and then the proposal flight happened on Sunday. Bottom line is, I didn't have time to practice the "delivery" or the camera angle. I was quite literally "winging" it. 

Here is some of the backdrop of the story that you don't see in the video. Before the flight, I set up the GoPro camera in a slightly different spot than I have in the past, making sure it would hopefully capture the action. I don't think Sheryl noticed the new location, but she did question why I was filming a routine local flight? I just said I wanted to play around with some new camera angles...and she bought it. As we taxi out, I am just about to do my runup and I hear the GoPro beep three times behind my head. I think crap! My first thought was the battery was dead. I say to Sheryl, "did that thing just turn off?" She says, "no, but it says FULL". My heart sank as I just now remembered that I forgot to remove the last video from the memory card! I proceed to take off and my mind was racing...should I abort and do it another time? I didn't want to do this without video, but I am flying my first acro contest next weekend so it would be awhile if I postponed. After a couple minutes, I thought..."adapt, improvise, overcome"...I got this. "Honey," I say, "hand me the camera." After she hands it to me, I have her fly while I proceed to go into the camera menu and manually delete the contents of the card. Problem solved that easy, I then get it started again and we are back in business! Whew...disaster averted....carry on, I thought. 

Since I hadn't had a chance to practice this with just the right amount of forward stick, I knew I was again going to have to adjust my game plan. My friend, Sean T. had said to me when I told him my plan, "be careful the ring doesn't fly into the back and get lost." Great insight, I thought. I need to be ready for this scenario, but how, without a practice run?

Just a couple hours before the flight, I was watching the sketchy weather, not knowing if we were going to get it in. I came up with my game plan in case the weather cooperated. I would practice, right there in real time with her, and not only would she not know I was actually practicing my "delivery" but also keep her completely unaware of what might be coming. I figured I needed two practice "trinkets" of some kind. I decided on a wine cork...which would be bigger, for my first try. Second was a quarter, which would have a similar size and weight of the ring. The added bonus was it was shiny silver to prep her eyes for the ring to follow. I was hoping to play tricks with her mind so it didn't immediately register that it was a ring. My thinking was, when the ring came up, she might...for a second think it was another piece of change...a nickel or dime maybe. Perfect, I thought, as I stuffed my trinkets and the ring in strategic locations in my front jeans pocket.

Mind you, I am doing all of this scheming, while being as nervous as a "long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs" and also trying not to tip her off in any way to know whats coming. Complete surprise was paramount to me. My new fiance is very observant, which I love about her, but it also meant I had to be very careful in my planning. As you will see in the video, I nailed that shock and awe requirement!

In the end, with all of the unrehearsed details and things that could've went wrong, I was amazed at how well it played out. With my first attempt with the wine cork going flying to the back because of overzealous stick input (thanks to Sean T., that wasn't the ring!), and with her catching the ring in the perfect orientation, I couldn't have asked for more to be honest. After the deed we had some great conversation on the flight home and I confessed, I didn't have a plan B...she responded, "there is no plan B, nothing else would've been as cool as this" as she loves the airplane and flying as much as I do. Yep, I am a lucky man! 

Without further ado, here is my proposal video, (watch it in HD) hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it...I really had a blast with this. I apologize for my "potty mouth" a couple times...I completely forgot I was being recorded as I was caught up in the moment. Also take note how fast I am chewing my gum, which is pretty comical in hindsight as I had no idea at the time...I may appear calm, but underneath I was a nervous wreck! 

Lastly, all of this was possible because of a plane I built. The ways to use your RV to change your life never cease to amaze me! KPR, its all worth it.

Finishing the Job

Saturday, April 11th happens to be my birthday. 47 years young! Wow, how times flies eh? To celebrate this occasion I am delivering a talk at an entrepreneurial success summit about "finishing." The topic of discussion will be what its like to tackle, and ultimately finish a monumental challenge like building an airplane. Definitely a topic I know a little something about. I will offer my tips on what helped me through the nearly five year process. Finally, I will share what it "looks" like to finish, documenting the incredible flying adventures we have had in the last year. As I put together the content for this, I was sort of amazed how many fun things we did with the airplane last year. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next year. 

I also welcome the opportunity to share our amazing homebuilt aircraft community with a group of mostly non-pilots. I think we sometimes lose track of the fact that a lot of people think what we do--building and flying our own airplanes, is pretty amazing. My hats off to all of you out there building...or flying your creations, that is an amazing accomplishment and its ok to pat yourself on the back, you've earned it. Hopefully my talk will inspire them to follow their own dreams, whatever they may be. I'll share some of the content and my insights with you when it is over. Until then, keep pounding rivets (KPR)!

Bill's First Engine Start! HOBBS 2699.0 hrs

A couple weeks ago, I got to watch my hangar mate, Bill, do his first engine start on his RV8. We have been racing each other to see who will do their first flight...first. Although, he did his engine start before me...we are still pretty neck and neck as of this writing. Its the usual bet between friends...a cold beer!

 

It was the first time I had witnessed a first engine start. Two things came to mind watching it. One, it was pretty anti-climatic...I kept thinking, isn't there more to it? He only did a very conservative one minute run so it didn't last long either. Beyond that, if you dig deeper however, to a guy like me (about to do my own)...and Bill, it was pretty gosh damn glorious! It marks the first time this expensive pile of aluminum and inanimate parts comes to life after many hours of building...that's pretty cool. Seeing him got me fired up to get mine done! Congrats to my hangar mate.

 

Lastly, we were all pretty surprised at how fast that puppy came to life. It really was only about two blades before she perked right up. It stumbled slightly as Bill fed in the mixture, but ran fine for the one minute. Hopefully mine will go just as well this weekend.    

 

Roll With It HOBBS 2570.0 hrs

From time to time I like to post inspirational stuff (click on the tag in the right column to see them all) on my blog...to keep the juices flowing. Building can drag you down if you don't take the time to remember why we are slaving away the countless hours, alone in a hangar or garage for years and years on end. Whether it be exotic trip reports or sweet aerobatic/formation videos like this one from Brad Benson, as posted on VAF. This gets my juices flowing...how about you? Nicely done Brad...with both the flying and the video production! KPR!

First Flight New Year! HOBBS 2452.0 hrs

Hello 2014, you're gonna be epic! I hope you all had a great Christmas and safe new years celebration (happy birthday Pop!). Mine was fantastic, Santa (aka my girlfriend Sheryl) was good to me and we had a nice Sushi dinner and some hot sake with fellow builder Sean Thomas and his charming fiance Diana for new years dinner.

 

I sent a 'New Years' text to my friend, also an RV7 builder, Sean Blair and said I was looking forward to a first flight in 2014. After I sent it, it then dawned on me that I said the exact same thing to him last year! Funny how things don't always go as planned when building one of these puppies, I sure thought I would have been flying in 2013. But...we're getting real close now so it's all good.

 

I watched a great TED speech by Diana Nyad during the break about never giving up. She is the woman, that, at age 64 became the first person (man or woman) to swim from Cuba to Florida. Its quite a good speech if you have 15 mins and want to be inspired. In it, she quotes Henry David Thoreau; "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." I've said it many times in the last four years, this journey will change your life, it certainly has mine. Watching this speech on Friday really motivated me throughout the long hours in the hangar over the weekend.

 

Ok, back to the project status. I had the entire week off from Christmas to New Years. I spent the first part of it spending time with Sheryl and doing the Christmas thing, but she had to return to work on Monday...and I was still on vacation. I used this golden opportunity to spend some LONG hours at the hangar...I was there so often I felt like I should move in. 

 

In fact, in a five day stretch I logged 37.5 hrs, which included a 27.5 hr stint over three days. By far my biggest solo output during the entire 4+ yr build. I was on a roll, things were clicking and the tasks ahead were easily seen, the fog had cleared for the moment...one after another, things started falling into place. All of this somewhat frenetic activity was mainly to get the plane ready (or mostly) to mount my wings this Saturday. Mission accomplished, I feel good about where I am.

 

Yesterday, fittingly on Jan. 1st, I felt like I finally overpowered the 2000 lb Grizzly bear I have been wrestling with for months...the wiring, that is. All switches, avionics and components have been tested and are working so it was time to start bundling (tie wrapping) all my wiring.

 

It was a mess before I started...it looked like tangled fishing line in a pile...almost overwhelming to be honest. Having never done this, I didn't really know where, or how, to start. As with most things on this build however...you have to find a way to push on through--figure it out, you cant just give up when a task looks daunting. 

 

I started slowly, if I could do just one wire, it would be progress....then another...one bundle at a time (best way to eat an elephant?...one bite at a time), starting at each wire source and working toward the center. After a lot of time and effort, its actually looking respectable, and what a relief that is. I won't win any awards for my wiring from an aesthetic standpoint (some guys do outstanding work in this area, but I am not one of them), but it will be functional and hopefully safe....that's the key.

 

This Saturday morning, Jan. 4th, the wings go on permanently. I have read the instructions over and over and have a pretty good idea what to expect, procured the necessary supplies and lined up a work crew of about 8 people (more than I need, but some just want to witness it). All systems are go for launch! I will post plenty of pics as this should be a heckuva milestone for the project. The next one on the horizon will be first engine start...I have a case of 40 weight mineral oil ready and waiting for that one!

Merry Christmas 2013! HOBBS 2434.0 hrs

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As you can see, I am getting caught up on quite a few overdue blog posts before we roll over into 2014. I can't believe it is already Christmas eve...seems like it was just Thanksgiving last week!

 

I hope Santa brings you all exactly what you want tomorrow morning (or tonight). As for me, to borrow a quote from a recent VAF post..."Move on Santa, I got all I need"...I couldn't have said it better. KPR!

 

A gratuitous shot of my Garmin GDU375 talking to my GDL-39 ADS-B receiver. This is cool stuff, when I am in the air, this screen will fill with airborne targets to give me better situational awareness about traffic around me.

View from the Cockpit of a Pitts HOBBS 2416.0 hrs

Eric Sandifer shot this great cockpit video of him doing some aerobatics in his Pitts. Watching this will give you an idea what its like from a pilots point of view, how quickly things move and how disorienting it is to new aerobatic pilots. I remember my first couple flights in the Pitts and being downright startled at how nimble the airplane was. Its hard to describe if you haven't experienced it firsthand. 

 

Project related...I've got several irons in the fire right now. I finally got my CO detector working properly, did some layout work and ordered my final three push/pull controls (oil shutter, ram air and cabin heat) from McFarlane and lastly decided to add an accumulator to my "semi-inverted" oil system. I will comment on all of these topics in greater detail next week. Until then, as I always say, "its not going to build itself!" Have a good weekend...you know where I'll be.

100,000 Pageviews!! HOBBS 2371.5 hrs

 

Just a quick acknowledgment of the fact that the blogsite has now exceeded 100,000 pageviews in its 4 1/2 yr existence! I have to admit, 100k, that's kind of a cool number to see. I have said it before and I'll say it again, not in my wildest dreams did I ever think this site would turn into what it has when I started it. Thanks for taking the time to visit, its truly humbling to think you all hopefully find some value in it. Here's hoping its making your build go easier...I am a mistake-making machine after all...you're welcome, just trying to help! ;)

World Record Formation Flight! HOBBS 2260.0 hrs

If you've been under a rock (or just too busy building) and haven't heard, this past weekend, 49 RV's flew in formation over Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders football game for breast cancer awareness. Of course, because of the cause, with pink wingtip smoke! 

 

It was a world record for the largest civilian formation flight, easily besting the 37 that flew over Oshkosh several years back. I had a handful of personal friends who flew in this, including at least a couple Rocky Mountain Renegades. Here is a great behind the scenes look at getting the formation "dressed" (or in position) right before going over the stadium.

 

Who would've ever thought, in this litigious age we live in, we would ever see 49 homebuilt planes flying over a packed football stadium?! The horror of airplanes built by amateurs in a garage flying over women and children! I'm only half joking...I never thought I would see something like this. Only the RV line of aircraft could even be considered for such a thing, because of the well proven design and numbers flying...nice work Van, your creation has officially arrived. Hats off to all the pilots, men and women alike, that did such a safe, professional job. You made us all proud. This was cool to witness.

 

Disclaimer: I take absolutely zero credit for any of these fine photos. I picked them off the VAF forum site and do not have proper references to cite, although some are watermarked.

 

 

 

Big Winner! HOBBS 2260.0 hrs

 

Well, I attended my first LOE fly-in over the weekend. Although the turnout, especially people flying in, was low (about 100 people) because of the weather, it was a good time nonetheless. We did a brewery tour on Saturday which was fun, looked over some fine RV's...talked flying and airplanes. What's not to love? Saturday night was the banquet and charity raffle. The generosity from the group was nice to be part of. Even with the low turnout, we raised $6100 cash...pretty cool. I ended up buying five raffle tickets and sure enough, came away a winner! I won two RV8 leather stick boots from CAD valued at $267.

 

What really made my night was, I wanted to win the $500 off a paint job coupon from GLO Customs in Dallas, which I didn't. This is the premier RV paint shop in the U.S. and was already leaning toward using them for my paint job. I wandered over and asked the winner if he wanted to part with his coupon and he graciously said, "$50 and its yours". I was impressed with his generosity...he could've easily said $250 and I would've still walked away happy! I tried to get him to up the price but he wouldn't....very cool.

 

Obviously the stick boots aren't useful to me, but I did find an interested party and sold them for the same whopping $50...you know, to cover my costs. ;) I figured, anyone who was at the banquet also made their donation to charity so I didn't try to make any money off the transaction. Of course, I also wanted to 'pay it forward.' I realize I wasn't as generous as my guy was, but hey, it was nice to break even...sorta.

 

High fiving Sean Blair, with Caroline Zilik and the gang cheering me on. Our table did quite well, as we had multiple winning tickets in our small section.

 

Renegades flying a missing man formation for Russ and Carol Kamtz, who tragically lost their lives in their RV7A last month in Wyoming. Russ was co-chair of this event and the event was in honor of them. (Disclaimer: All photos were taken by the LOE photographer...not myself)

LOE Fly-in HOBBS 2252.0 hrs

The LOE RV fly-in is back in Colorado, after quite a few years away. The story goes that it started here in Colorado, moved to New Mexico for several years, then to Oklahoma for a couple. Now its back in the good ol' Rocky Mountains! LOE, depending on who you ask, stands for "Land of Enchantment" (for New Mexico) or "Lots of Experimentals". Not sure it really matters what it really means, what you need to know is its a very good size gathering of RV's. Rumor is that Van's is planning to fly an RV12 or 14 out for this...but we'll see since the weather isn't cooperating as we have a system moving in Friday.

 

I've never been to one of these, but the girlfriend and I will be attending this one obviously since its in our backyard. It'll be nice to see some flying RV's and meet some new people.

 

Here is the weekend schedule. If you are in the area...come on by, we'll be there all day Saturday, going to the banquet and grabbing a hotel and departing Sunday morning. So, no building this weekend for me.

Rocky Mountain Airshow HOBBS 2185.0 hrs

 

Here are a few pics from the airshow for your enjoyment, including our very own Rocky Mountain Renegades RV formation team. This years version was a little lackluster compared to last year. Crowds were smaller, there was no military flight demos and not as many big airshow names as last year. But hey, I still had a good time...three days of hangar parties, airplanes and hangar flying is never a bad thing!

Acro Video HOBBS 2170.5 hrs

 

 

Just a quick update before the weekend starts. In the shop, I am finishing up my throttle and mixture control cables--prop control up next. It took some doing to make this work with my setup, but I like the way it came out. 

 

This is our airshow weekend at KBJC, three day/night airshows starting with the night airshow tonight. I will be bouncing around to several hangar parties socializing throughout the weekend. It should be a hoot! Although, obviously no airplane work this weekend. I expect to be having several "show and tell" sessions during the event as quite a few people have enquired about stopping by to see the project. I may have to dress her up a little. ;)

 

Lastly, I saw this video by Jon Thocker and his daughter Haley on VAF this morning. Its cool to get a feel for what you can do with one of these planes with some basic aerobatics. This is a great video to start your day. Its entertaining on several levels for me. Enjoy. Have a great weekend.

 

Tiger Cruise Recap HOBBS 2098.5 hrs

Finally getting around to posting about the Tiger Cruise I went on back in April (if you don't know what a Tiger Cruise is, go back in my posts for an explanation). If you read my posts when I returned, you will know it was the 'trip of a lifetime' for me.

Rarely does something in life that you build up in your mind actually live up to that billing in reality. This trip, for me, actually exceeded my lofty expectations--which is quite amazing in of itself. It was nothing short of incredible to be part of, I am fortunate for the experience. I came away with a whole new respect for not only the Navy, but also the men and women that make 'er go.

Here is a small sample of the almost 1000 pics I took during the adventure with narration...be sure to check the end for the many thank you's that made this all happen.

Our game plan consisted of flying Chuck Spaur's wonderful RV10 from Denver to San Diego. This would be my longest cross country flight in a GA aircraft...ever, either as pilot or passenger. I could've easily just done this flight and been a happy camper. I flight planned it as if I was flying my RV7 just for practice and then compared it to what the more experienced pilots came up with...mostly it was to get a feel for the best way to cross the big rocks (the good ol' Rocky mountains).

The RV10, with four good size guys, needed one refueling stop since we took off with less than full tanks...but we still made it out there in about 5 hrs. My RV7 with the aux tanks and higher speed would do it non-stop in a shorter time. Very cool.

The flight out was smooth as silk with severe clear all the way to SD...the Rockies were glorious with a fresh blanket of snow. Above is a pic from our trip down to Mission beach in San Diego once we checked into the hotel. Left to right, Jerry Knievel (RV6A), Gary Zilik (RV6A) and Chuck Spaur (RV6, RV10). 

From San Diego, we hopped a commercial flight into Honolulu...our departure point for the cruise. Of course, we had to spend a couple nights at Waikiki for a little added fun. Here is a pic from our first afternoon...my beer sampler platter...this is a great (and popular) bar right on the beach called Dukes.

Da boyz soaking up some Hawaiian charm, this was a fun afternoon tossing back Mai Tai's...life is good! Again, left to right, Gary Zilik, Me, Jerry Knievel, Scott Mills (RV9A) and Chuck Spaur.

Meeting the GunBoss for a few drinks....

On board the Carrier, getting ready to get under way from Pearl. Scott, Gary and Chuck joke with our sponsor, the GunBoss, Kevin Dowd.

Manning the rails...

The USS Missouri, now a floating museum. This is the ship where the Japanese surrendered at the end of WWII. I've been on her many times as a boy, she used to reside at the Puget Sound Naval Ship yard in Bremerton where my Dad worked.

A moment of silence passing the Arizona Memorial...a powerful tribute to the men and women who lost their lives there.

Dress whites...do not remember the officer on the left's name, but Kevin Dowd and Doug Kesterson round out the threesome.

And the motley crew...

Sailing past Waikiki...this is way cool, as we get underway! We clipped along at about 27-28 knots for pretty much the entire trip, which was pretty wild to see a ship that size going that fast. Thats 30+ mph, 'ski boat' fast!

Great photo op that the boys take advantage of...a vantage point not many get to see looking back at Waikiki from a Nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

We pretty much had free run of the ship and we took full advantage. On the bridge in the 'gator's (navigator) chair. Scott and Gary practice their best Star Trek "engage" command. We were up here several more times during the five day cruise.

Pics on the bridge with the CO

Good ol' John Regelbrugge, a 'throwback' career sailor and a colorful guy, gives us the rundown on ship ops. We really never stopped going during our time aboard the Stennis...one tour after another, there really was not much 'downtime' for this group. We were very active....I was exhausted each and every night when I finally hit my rack.

A private tour of the SeaHawk (Navy version of the BlackHawk) helicopter with the squadron's CO...

View from the bridge...lots of nice hardware eh?

The men and women that make the Carrier go...flight ops. I was pretty fascinated watching them do their work and photographing them, it was impressive to see.

Photo pass...there is a photographer shooting photos of the Hornet.

Look at the color of that water being churned up behind the ship, just gorgeous.

We were treated to two airshows at sea...one a rehearsal and then the real deal the next day. Watching flight ops from "Vulture's row" was freaking amazing! Here are a couple shots as they come in for their "trap".

Everyone on the flight deck wear's a different colored vest that corresponds to their job responsibility.

Here is a shot of "vultures row" (can you guess how it got that name?) and the Eagle's nest...I was up here each and every time they did flight ops. This photo was taken during the airshow...I was on the flight deck when I snapped this.

A super hornet being used as a tanker....I never knew they did this, interesting to see. This, believe it or not, is part of spending cutbacks. Instead of replacing the retired tankers with new ones....they now just use the super hornet instead.

Approaching the "boom"...

One of the cool things they did during the airshow was supersonic fly-by's right on the deck and about a half mile from the ship. The sonic boom sounded like a very large stick of dynamite going off...what can I say, this was nothing short of amazing to witness. Let me tell you trying to snap pics of a supersonic fly-by was a tad challenging to say the least...here are a couple of my feeble attempts.

You don't see this kind of display at your local airshow...some serious firepower in this formation. You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of this party.

The flight deck was absolutely huge standing on it...I don't suppose the pilots landing on it would agree however.

Helicopter drills...

Last minute checks before launch complete...clear!

Thumbs up...all clear on the right wing!

These prowler's were incredibly loud during cat shots...they shook like thunder!

Oh, did I mention, they dropped live ordinance during the airshow?? Again, not something you will see stateside. Here they deploy anti-missile flares.

1000 lb bombs...

Rocket launch...

And the "wall of water"...500 lb-ers

VFA-41 squadron (one of four fighter squadrons on board) flying F/A-18's, the Black Aces, ready room. These guys were the coolest squadron of the four. This private tour, set up by Doug, was another highlight of the trip for me. I bought their deployment video too...which has some sweet flying footage in it.

Our tour guide, Lex "Snooki", yes, this was his actual callsign, as he was a jersey boy. Of course, we had to ask how he got that particular callsign...which was a funny story. He started flying F-16's in the Air Force and then moved to the Navy and was a "Wizzo" in the F/A-18. Not a bad life eh? This guy was great, funnier 'n shit to listen to as he told us colorful stories about flying over Afghanistan...a real hoot.

First time ever sitting in a fighter jet cockpit...pinch me, I'm in heaven...now give me the keys damnit!...I could get used to this! Unfortunately, only in my dreams...

Full afterburner cat shot! These events were so loud it actually made my teeth rattle on vultures row. The power of these engines, being this close to them, is incredible. Hearing protection is not an option...its a necessity.

Capturing the "salute" just before launch...I love this photo

And one last "hang loose" Hawaiian style before launching this sucker from 0-160mph in 2.5 seconds!! Its a spectacle to see this incredible acceleration in person...videos just don't do it justice.

During a private gathering with the Admiral and the dept heads (HOD's) on the Eagle's Nest...watching the sunset, looking down at about a billion dollars worth of Naval aviation hardware on the flight deck, smoking a cigar and drinking non-alcoholic Coors (no alcohol allowed on board).

Wow, is this really happening? Scott Mills thought this picture of me was deserving of a caption from the "Most Interesting Man in the World" commercials. I got a kick out of it!

It got even better...the CO from our helicopter tour brought up two of his flight helmets with night vision goggles (NVG) so we could play around with them. Here, Chuck and I  and Gary and Scott pose pics. He was pretty careful with these puppies and I figured I knew why. I asked him what they would cost to replace and he said about $10,000! Don't drop 'em!!...good thing it was non-alcoholic beer!

A funny pic during one of our tours...that's a "WTF" look in case you were wondering. Kind of ironic the callsign, "Mouth" below.

Touring "Pri-Fly" the AirBoss (primary flight) bridge as the sun gets ready to set. Scott and I just wandered in here during one of our many exploration trips and asked if we could come in. She said "sure, but I need to limit how long you stay." She was a very nice young lady sailor. When I asked her if I could get a picture with her, she said somewhat surprised, "with me?" haha! I said, "Of course!" When she saw our red (HOD sponsor) badge and found out we were with the GunBoss, she changed her tune and said stay as long as you'd like. Nice to have friends in high places.

Of course, Scott and I had to snap some pics in the Air Boss chair. This wouldn't be a bad gig eh? Has kind of a nice ring to it too...don't ya think?

With the Carrier fun over...we jumped back into the RV10 for our flight home. Our refueling stop was in Cortez, CO on the the way back. The RV10 was a nice chariot to deliver us back safely to Denver, another smooth flight.

In summary, as you can gather from my gushing description, it was just an amazing trip all around. If it weren't for Chuck Spaur, I would've never even had this opportunity. I cant thank him enough for letting me tag along! The guys I was with are all great guys too, a wonderful group to travel with...and yes, every single one of them I met through this wonderful passion/hobby of RV aviation. Not bad eh? 

The hospitality of the Navy and crew aboard the USS John C. Stennis was something to behold, from the Admiral on down. All taxpayers should know, from my firsthand knowledge, their money is being well spent on that ship. As much of an "intrusion" we (the tigers) were to the crew aboard the Stennis, never once were they not gracious and patient when we got lost...asked them silly questions...got in their way...or just bumped into them countless times in the passageways.

Every officer we encountered were top notch, career sailors. I got the sense, every last one of them, was very proud of what they did and took great pride in their job and serving their country. They were knowledgeable, courteous, respectful and friendly. Officers and gentlemen, one and all.

Special thanks to Doug Kesterson and John Regelbrugge, who were with us all week and were a great complement to Kevin, getting us special tours by calling in favors over and over again.

Lastly, our sponsor, GunBoss Kevin Dowd, a career Navy man (and a proud "Mustang") was unbelievable with us. The private tours and special treatment he went out of his way to deliver were beyond words, it was much appreciated.

We were invited to listen to Kevin deliver an awards/recognition ceremony for the end of deployment (8 long months at sea supporting our troops in Afghanistan) for his 200+ men and women in the ordinance dept. I will tell you, as someone who is in graduate Management school and knows a thing or two about what makes a good speech, Kevin is a great public speaker. The speech he delivered (remember these men and women were coming back from war) would have made Vince Lombardi proud...hell, it even got me fired up! Kevin is a good man, and a great leader, and I told him so when I shook his hand after he finished. I was quite impressed.

How's this for a great group pic with the Admiral?? And no, that bikini-clad woman was not on the cruise...that was some creative photoshop editing for our 8x10 framed gift to the GunBoss.

Thanks to him and all the men and women that serve our country so well! After this trip...you can definitely put me in the category of being a huge fan of the Navy...mission accomplished with the tiger cruise concept, I'm now drinking the kool-aid in big gulps! Carry on.