K.C.'s Garage

There's a petition on the "We the People" section of Whitehouse.gov to remove "Aviation User Fees" from Obama's proposal. Sign the petition here: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/take-aviation-user-fees-table/Mtjk9lM3 It's worth mentioning that the petition acknowledges the need for additional taxes, and every pilot I've talked to agrees that an increase in existing tax revenues would be preferable to adding the infrastructure, bureaucracy, and overhead needed to collect a $100 fee for ATC interaction. In case you're interested, Here's Obama's proposal: http://www.whitehouse.gov/ sites/default/files/omb/ budget/fy2012/assets/ jointcommitteereport.pdf Here's the exact text proposing "User Fees:" (pp. 22-23) More equitably share payments for air traffic services. Roughly two-thirds of the air traffic control system’s current costs are financed by aviation excise taxes.  Most of the tax revenue is collected f...

On our way back from Las Vegas, my coworker August and I stopped for lunch and fuel at Shafter-Minter Airport (KMIT). There were some unusual aircraft parked there, including two crop-dusting helicopters and a Fouga Magister jet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/phreakmonkey/sets/72157627406069076

My profile is here: http://goo.gl/hOFRA

May 1st, 2011 marked the 10th anniversary of my first time leaving the Earth in an aircraft alone. I had been planning a flight over the Sierra Nevada mountains near Yosemite into the high desert, and conditions on 5/1 were perfect. Below are my photos from the trip. Sorry about the lack of detail (especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains) - the side windows on my airplane are crazed and in need of replacement. Soon, I promise. Set 1: Flying over the Sierra Nevada Mountains via Mammoth Pass: http://www.flickr.com/photos/phreakmonkey/sets/72157626519075811 Set 2: Flying from Bishop, CA to Beatty, NV over Death Valley: http://www.flickr.com/photos/phreakmonkey/sets/72157626643771696 The desert photos are my favorite. I have to go back there and explore some more. The world is just different out here, compared to the forest and field covered Southeast. Edit: If you're wondering, here's (roughly) my route of flight: http://goo.gl/atBjz

So apparently there's a Ghost Town nearby!

I took the Cessna 172 up to Lake Tahoe just to see some snow. ;) I didn't have the Canon with me, so these shots were taken with my HTC Evo phone.

It's time to take the Cessna in for annual maintenance again. Yippee!! It was a beautiful day, though, so I decided to take the scenic route from Palo Alto airport (KPAO) to Livermore, CA (KLVK) via the Golden Gate Bridge. I snapped some photos along the route:

Jan 17th was a very warm day in NorCal. Kim, Will and I set off towards the coast in search of some beach lounging. I took these photos in Capitola Beach, just south of Santa Cruz, CA.

mcwolles made an amazing 3d working representation of M.C. Escher's "Waterfall" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v2xnl6LwJE It is nothing short of awesome. Below is my quick & dirty guess as to how it works: