Category: Revelation

Four Seats Four Weeks

Back when I first starting looking at the Glastar/Glasair Sportman 2+2 and their “Two Weeks to Taxi” program, I predicted that other kit builders would do something similar as soon as they figured out whether it was legal or not. Today I found this one on the web: US Jabiru’s Four Seats Four Weeks program. It’s very similar, except because it’s 4 weeks long it gets a lot more done, including painting, and starting the flight test program. Looks like a nice little plane too – I wish I’d visited their booth at Oshkosh.

Coincidence

At the Seaplane Pilots Association corn roast at Oshkosh, I spent a lot of time talking to a guy who had built and owned a Murphy Rebel on amphibious floats down in Florida. I didn’t catch his last name, but I think his first name was Jack. He almost had me convinced that I should get a Rebel, but I don’t think I’m the kit plane type.

So today after work I come home and fire up the TiVo, and there is about the only good General Aviation tv show, Wings to Adventure. And there, complete with Murphy Rebel and his flying-crazy dog, is Jack. Cool.

Sometimes you get a winner, and sometimes you get a loser

While I was away at Oshkosh, I got two emails from users of my Waypoint Generators. The first was from a loser:

Wow,

What a disappointment. Even though I have donated before, I see that you require a donation now for the waypoint generator. I made another donation (see below) and when I am halfway though the waypoint generation process, I get redirected back to the paypal screen. I have a trip to Canada in the morning and I guess I won’t be using Copilot…

First of all, everything he says is a total lie. I have never required a donation, and I never will. There is nothing that will “redirect…back to the paypal screen” other than user stupidity. Second of all, if you think you’re going to get me scrambling to help you, neither your lies nor your generous $1.00 donation (of which Paypal takes $0.33 in fees) is really going to do it. I wrote to him back and said that I was refunding his $1.00, but only on the condition that he never use any free software or free web services ever again, because the thousands of people who provide free software and free web services don’t need his kind of abuse.

The second email I got was much more welcome. It was from a man who had a commercial product on display at Oshkosh that is using my waypoint generator’s waypoints in it. He had some small suggestions for improvements, and he also offered to provide some improved data for South Africa. He is located in South Africa, so unfortunately he wasn’t at Oshkosh himself. I got the name of the company representing him on Thursday, but I never got to their booth on Friday, which is too bad. It sure is nice to see people using and appreciating what I do.