JensenPark

this is how I imagined Colin with the Torch. How are you UK'ers perceiving the Olympics btw? Is there general excitment? Or "just get it over with?" watched some of the bike races...was neat to see the streets lined with people. Had no idea this was the 3rd time London has hosted...

The Vintage Wings guys are the ones who took me up in the P51 last year (it is back in a few days). Great, great bunch of guys. In their museum outside of Ottawa they encourage people to climb over an into all their planes...none of this 'stand behind the ropes' stuff.

good eyes Pook...never noticed that before. Might be one of my boys. Yeah, first time I met Jim and Helen. We had brunch first then off to the museum. Helen sat in the car the entire time waiting..."like a women should" I remember Jim saying...out of earshot of course.

to find some old pics of Parker for a school project and came upon these. I may have shared the first one, but not sure if you've seen the other. from January 2005, me and BG with Col. Cy Yarnell, an old Spit pilot Jim is with one of the old 'bus drivers' who was rebuilding a Halifax in Trenton, Ontario (about 1 hour outside of Toronto). Can't remember the chap's name, but he was a Halifax pilot.

Bombs away!

Quaz is doing well. he sounds great, better than ever. I too was worried we had lost him. Prayer and God have helped him overcome a lot of issues. Probably means no more singing though. He'll be back soon. I now have his phone number so I can call and bug him and make sure he sticks around. I'll try to get on this weekend as well. For you east-coast types, my brother is just outside of Philly, and I need to come visit him...will try to arrange it so we can all get together (not that way Painless, you perv).

Quazi! Chatting with him right now. He's better, on the mend and getting his stuff together. Moved to near Pittsburgh, PA Will say hello to him from you guys.

from Yahoo... Vintage Wings are the guys I know who flew me in the P51 (and brought out the Corsair to Edmonton a few years back that me and Rattle got to sit in). Stocky Edwards (he was one of the Allies highest scoring aces in Africa), who they thin from the serial number once flew this actual plane, lived just up the highway from me when I lived in Victoria. I met him a few years back...and got him to sign a copy of his book Kittyhawk Pilot for me and BG . Small freakin' world. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/fighter-plane-world-war-ii-found-194133295.html

Ahh yes Friar. The "Painless Initiative" I understand it is called.

hey chaps: I was reading a paper today (ok, someone was reading it to me) and there was an article that said that security was so bad at Heathrow that there were 3 hour waits to clear customs... you guys hearing anything? Puts a damper on a visit, ya know.

is good to see you back!

How noisy was it inside? My wife's grandfather flew in one...said it was deafening.

ps: here's the B25 sim cockpit. still in the works...but will be fully functioning.

I vote we send out Tribunus and claim this as ours!

well, we both kinda' crashed and killed all on board. I tell you, the last few minutes of their lives were terrifying as we slewed back and forth. Amazing experience through. Buck had just driven for 10 hours...from 2am to 10am so he looks a bit dazed. Lack of sleep, not pepper spray.

So I'm walking through the hotel this morning after breakfast and I hear "Hey Kelly". Great, I think. Another bloody guest wanting to complain. I look over and see a guy in sunglasses and a toque (a knitted wool head garment for you non-Canadians). Great, I think. Another bloody homeless person to kick out. Turns out it is Bucky (I swear I thought he was a hobo when I pepper sprayed him). I was on my way to the local aviation museum where my oldest, Jensen, volunteers so I asked Buck if he wanted to join me. "Planes?...Yea, I guess I could" he responds through tears from the spray. Before we go to the museum we stopped into a coffee shop and run into our provincial Premier (equivelent to a Governor of a state in the US). Bucky thinks it is cool until I pepper spray the Premier. I don't like her. We zip over the museum where the curator lets us into their flight sim...a fully functional cockpit of a DC 6. He lets both of us take it for a spin. It's hard to see, but the throttles, trim, flaps, and almost every dial (over 100) is 'live' and connected to the sim. They are also building a B25 sim and a Elecktra sim http://en.wikipedia....d_L-188_Electra that will be an actual certified trainer. Amazing for a small museum. Here's a few pics Me and Buck (shameless advertising for my hotel) Bucky in front of a restored B25 Bucky 'flying'. In the right hand seat...just like a Betty. A very jaundiced JP and Bucky in the sim. Again, all the dials, buttons up top are 'live' and hooked into the sim. NON BUCKY RELATED Was in Jasper, Alberta the other day on meetings. Pull into the hotel and see this. They're all over the freakin' place just hanging around eating. This is from our hotel in Jasper...

Holy cow Snacko! Well done, old boy, well done! Way too cool. Great pics. That's one off of the bucket list, eh?

I'm working on tickets from this end. My local MP, who owes me, is attending...so I'm hoping for a ticket with him. Will let you know.

is coming to Edmonton (my home town) in September! woo hoo!

Opens in June in England? Any idea where? We should go visit. this is my local MP talking about it (an old CF 18 pilot): http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/1549353123001

Love it. It is creepy to see footage with Hess, et al together though.

Hunger Games Egyptian style. Oh for the good ol days of Mubarak and Italian tourists. French Canadian women are the same. They dress up just to go to Wal-Mart. Alas the rest of Canada, the women dress in sweat pants for normal wear. Getting dressed up now is changing into clean jeans.

wow is right. thanks for sharing this.

This is great. "not to mention the SIMHQ freaks" "30 pages in one day" "don't worry, they'll will ban them" Classic.

bwu ha ha ha ha! Free stays at Friars! See you in June sucker!