what do the bachelors do for crew?

Not a married guy are you, Johan!!!



:-)



Larry





" wrote in message
oups.com:

Ray Lovinggood wrote:
So, I know there is NO WAY my wife would EVER crew
for me. NEVER.

May I ask why not? Your wife would have to find a way to kill a lot of
time while waiting on the ground, but that doesn't sound like such an
unreasonable thing to ask for, particularly if it's just one week per
year.

Johan Larson

wrote:
I've been doing some reading about sailplane racing, and it seems
pretty clear that every racer needs a crew. He needs at least one
person who can help him ready the plane and retrieve him when he lands
out. Now, for most guys, I'm guessing crew=wife. But what do all the
single guys do?

Some of them get a motorglider! My wife thinks motorgliders are great,
since she used pull me out of the ocasional field; 2nd greatest is the
self-rigging dolly. She even likes sailplane pilots, maybe third after
the self-rigging doll, but only one at a time. One is interesting, but
two or more together are pathetic as company, she says.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

Ray Lovinggood wrote:
I'm married, but when it comes to anything dealing
with gliders, I'm the bachelor. If I'm reading 'SOARING',
I'm a bachelor. If I'm reading RAS, as I am now, I'm
a bachelor. If I'm loading up my car with my stuff
to fly, I'm a bachelor. When I go to the field, I'm
definitely a bachelor.


snip

Sombody told me, once upon a time, that "fighter pilots are bachelors
by geography." The same person (a fighter pilot) mumbled something
about a "two TACAN rule" where anything you did that far from home
happened as if it was in Vegas...

Now I'm wondering about glider pilots...

....but I must admit, my usual crew is my wife and daugher. Yes, I do
go to the mall (and Chuck E. Cheeze's) to repay my debt to them. It is
a small price to pay to "look for a diamond in the sky" as my daughter
puts it.

When "crew" is not my very supportive wife and daughter, it's usually a
pair of buddies from past "jobs" who like to THINK they are bachelors
when they are "crewing" for me...and when they are "crewing for me,"
there are vast periods of time when their whereabouts are unknown...to
me, let alone their wives...

If you keep ropes in your ship, in a pinch Elsie the Cow can turn into
your crew, if you choose to think outside the box...

-Pete
#309

Eric Greenwell wrote:
Some of them get a motorglider! My wife thinks motorgliders are great,
since she used pull me out of the ocasional field; 2nd greatest is the
self-rigging dolly. She even likes sailplane pilots, maybe third after
the self-rigging doll, but only one at a time. One is interesting, but
two or more together are pathetic as company, she says.

Obviously not a connoisseur of "There I was at 1500 feet" stories...

Johan Larson

They dont outland !

01-- Zero One wrote:
Not a married guy are you, Johan!!!

:-)

Larry

There is a rule of thumb which posits that the time spent at the
airport by any significant other varies inversely with the stage in the
relationship:

Just started dating: "This is cool, when can we go back to the
airport"
Dating a while: "This is cool, I'll meet you there later"
Dating a long time: "This is cool, I'll skip today but I'll see you
tomorrow"
Engaged: "This is cool, but I'll meet you for dinner afterward"
Just married: "Do you have to go to the airport today?"
First child: " You're not going to the airport today, are you?"
Second child: "Don't even think about it"

Just in case any of you rat-*******s (and you know who you are) are
thinking of forwarding this to my lovely wife, Mary: Some of us are
lucky enough to wind up with someone who understands that all serious
glider pilots are nuts and have the ability to put up with our many
foibles. They may not always be able to make it out to the field and
crew, but in a pinch, they'll stick two screaming kids in the back seat
and drive with a 30 foot trailer over hill and dale to come get you.
We are the lucky ones.

P3

wrote:
Eric Greenwell wrote:
Some of them get a motorglider! My wife thinks motorgliders are great,
since she used pull me out of the ocasional field; 2nd greatest is the
self-rigging dolly. She even likes sailplane pilots, maybe third after
the self-rigging doll, but only one at a time. One is interesting, but
two or more together are pathetic as company, she says.

Obviously not a connoisseur of "There I was at 1500 feet" stories...

Oh, I am, but now I just listen and not tell them anymore. The story
loses a lot of punch when "There I was at 1500 feet" is followed by "...
and then the engine started". If the motorglider pilot botches the
restart, it can somtimes be a riveting story, however.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

Papa3 wrote:
01-- Zero One wrote:

Not a married guy are you, Johan!!!


:-)

Larry


There is a rule of thumb which posits that the time spent at the
airport by any significant other varies inversely with the stage in the
relationship:

Just started dating: "This is cool, when can we go back to the
airport"
Dating a while: "This is cool, I'll meet you there later"
Dating a long time: "This is cool, I'll skip today but I'll see you
tomorrow"
Engaged: "This is cool, but I'll meet you for dinner afterward"
Just married: "Do you have to go to the airport today?"
First child: " You're not going to the airport today, are you?"
Second child: "Don't even think about it"

Just in case any of you rat-*******s (and you know who you are) are
thinking of forwarding this to my lovely wife, Mary: Some of us are
lucky enough to wind up with someone who understands that all serious
glider pilots are nuts and have the ability to put up with our many
foibles. They may not always be able to make it out to the field and
crew, but in a pinch, they'll stick two screaming kids in the back seat
and drive with a 30 foot trailer over hill and dale to come get you.
We are the lucky ones.

P3

Hmm.

Married 20+ years. Two kids (two dogs, two cats, one parrot and a mother-in-law)
balanced by one glider. Lucky enough , said spouse is of the opinion that I
should go flying lest I get grumpy and insufferable. She that must be obeyed
even occasionally brings herself and some friends to picnic at the field. Even
occasionally enjoys a winch launch and a gentle drift around the goldfish bowl.

Certain activities are out of the question:
No aerobatics .
No out of sight of the field.
No towing the trailer - if you land in the middle of nowhere and will die if I
don't come and fetch you - well, I'll miss you...

In return, no expectation other than normal parental responsibilities. An
occasional bunch of flowers go a long way.

Eventually back to the subject - if you are a real or virtual batchelor - then
get one of the others to cover for you on XC.

We are the lucky ones.

Pay for a crew, or better still get a turbo!



At 15:06 10 November 2006, Eric Greenwell wrote:
wrote:
Eric Greenwell wrote:
Some of them get a motorglider! My wife thinks motorgliders
are great,
since she used pull me out of the ocasional field;
2nd greatest is the
self-rigging dolly. She even likes sailplane pilots,
maybe third after
the self-rigging doll, but only one at a time. One
is interesting, but
two or more together are pathetic as company, she
says.

Obviously not a connoisseur of 'There I was at 1500
feet' stories...

Oh, I am, but now I just listen and not tell them anymore.
The story
loses a lot of punch when 'There I was at 1500 feet'
is followed by '...
and then the engine started'. If the motorglider pilot
botches the
restart, it can somtimes be a riveting story, however.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change 'netto' to 'net' to email me directly

'Transponders in Sailplanes' on the Soaring Safety
Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

'A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation' at
www.motorglider.org

Crews used to be the larval stage of the glider pilot.