Almost Ready for Prime Time

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Why I really ought to learn CSS.

I’ve been tweaking this site night and day, trying to get all the kinks knocked out of it. It appears that although the Theme designer came up with an attractive design for this WordPress theme, it was full of errors in the CSS. And because I really don’t know CSS, it was quite a struggle for me to fix the problems.

Among the problems:

  • References to styles that didn’t exist in the style.css file.
  • Omission of code to prevent the sidebar from dangling below the rest of the page without a proper background.
  • Incorrect references to styles (id vs. class; don’t ask me more than that).
  • Styles set to display: none; so anything the style was applied to did not appear at all.
  • Other stuff I can’t even remember (and don’t want to).

In fixing these problems, I introduced a few new ones. That’ll happen when you know just enough to make you dangerous.

I learned a lot. I learned that no matter how good and professional a theme design might look, it may have problems lurking under the surface. And I learned how to troubleshoot and fix the problems — or at least how to intelligently describe the problem to someone who knows what she’s doing so she can tell me how to fix it.

The she in this case is Miraz Jordan, who has been using WordPress for considerably longer than I have. Her site, MacTips.info, runs on WordPress. And she knows what she’s doing because she uses CSS all the time. She maintains “standards-based” Web sites while I mangle them.

So as I finally work the kinks out of the site and prepare it for general release, I need to publicly thank Miraz for her help. Without her, I never would have gotten the site to look half as good as it does.

And I have a new New Year’s Resolution (other than the usual “lose weight”): learn CSS.

Now if only I can figure out those PHP commands I need to add the RSS feed code…

A Few Desert Gigs

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I spend two Saturdays doing rides in remote desert locations.

One of the things I like to do to earn a little money with the helicopter is short rides at outdoor events. We did great at the Thunderbird Balloon Classic back in October, but that was held down near Phoenix and attended by people with money to burn. Up here on the edge of nowhere, people are a little tighter with their hard-earned money. As a result, I have to price the rides affordably and give each passenger a lot of bang for the buck. The margins are lower at these outdoor events, but I get a lot of satisfaction giving people their first helicopter ride or showing them something they can only see from the air.

The past two Saturdays each had gigs like that.

On December 30, I flew at the ghost town of Stanton. Stanton was a mining town established in the 1800s. At one point, it was a thriving community, with an opera house, hotel, and stage stop. Situated at the foot of the Weaver Mountains alongside Antelope Creek, it was a gold mining community. Legend has it that a man looking for a lost burro climbed to the top of what would later be known as Rich Hill and found gold nuggets the size of potatoes. Like any idiot from that time, he couldn’t keep quiet about his find and, before long, miners were flocking to the area to cash in. The town grew. It was named after a man named Stanton who, I believe, was involved somehow in the Wickenburg Massacre. (More on that another time.) The town was eventually abandoned when it became too difficult or costly to pull out more gold. Later, a group called the Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association bought the townsite. They installed caretakers, which prevented the town from being vandalized like most ghost towns in Arizona were. (For example, there’s really nothing left of nearby Octave, another ghost town.) As a result, the Saloon/Opera House, hotel, and stage stop still stand. They’re actually in use to this very day, maintained by the Lost Dutchmen group. And a campground has sprung up around the property, giving the group members a place to camp out during the winter months.

I’d flown at Stanton before and although it wasn’t a lucrative gig, it made a small profit and was a lot of fun. The Lost Dutchman have “outings” at Stanton a few times a year. The year-end outing is the big one. Everyone wants to see the “Potato Patch” at the top of Rich Hill but no one wants the all-day hike to get up there. I can get them up there and back in 8 minutes, so that’s what I did.

Flying at StantonSo on December 30, at 12:30 PM, I arrived at Stanton as scheduled and landed on a seldom-used road near the campground. My ground crew — Mike, John, and Lorna — got out and set up a little table. I shut down and waited for the crowd to gather. They came in pairs and trios and when I had at least 4 people waiting, I started up again. Lorna took the money — $30, including tax, per person. Mike and John gave the safety briefings and loaded up the passengers. Then I took off toward Wickenburg, climbing, climbing, climbing. I rounded the south end of Rich Hill and climbed up its east side. The passengers had excellent views of what was left of Octave and the mining activity going on in that canyon. Finally, 2000 feet above Stantons’ elevation, I rounded the north end of Rich Hill, still climbing. We were over the next valley, with Stanton far below us in the mouth of the canyon. I pointed out the Potato Patch and the miner types oohed and aahed. I started the descent, coming down at a rate of more than 1,000 feet per minute. On the way down, I pointed out Wickenburg, far to the south, and Congress, to the west. Also, North Ranch (which, you may recall, the management claims occupants are too old for helicopter rides) and the dairy farm. Even at a 1,200 feet per minute descent rate, I can’t get to Stanton without overflying it and turning back, making an elongated spiral to my landing zone.

We flew 22 people that day. Not bad for a gig less than 15 miles from Wickenburg. Even with a side trip to Lake Pleasant before the flight, we made some money.

On January 7, I was back in the desert with my ground crew. This time, we went to Robson’s Mining World in Aguila. This was my third gig out there for their anniversary celebration. Every year was a little better and this year, I’d dropped my price from $35 per person to only $30. I think that made a big difference. We gave about 50 rides.

The setup for this event was a little more deluxe. Robson’s was having its annual Anniversary celebration and they had lots of activities and food and vendors inside their “town.” John and Lorna took their truck out there, so we were able to bring a long a lot of extra supplies. Flags, banners, a table, some extra fuel. Our setup, alongside the road, was very noticable, especially since we got there early enough to keep the space in front of our table clear of cars.

Flying at Robson's Mining WorldI flew for a few hours, taking a break for lunch before starting up again and flying some more. The route started from our desert clearing, which was just big enough for Zero-Mike-Lima to fit comfortably, to the east alongside the base of the mountain behind Robson’s. I climbed as I flew, pointing out where Wickenburg would be if we could see it (we couldn’t), Vulture Peak, Congress, and Alamo Lake if we could see it (we couldn’t). Then I came along the back side of the mountain, crossing over a saddle on the west side. (There were a couple of guys and a dog working an old mine shaft up there and I wonder what they think of the helicopter flying over them every 10 to 12 minutes or so.) I came through the canyon where Robson’s is nestled, pointing out the trail to the petroglyphs along the way. I flew jsut to the east of town, where everyone could see me but not be bothered by the sound of the helicopter, before circling around to land back in my LZ.

The passengers were all thrilled. They always are. It’s a rewarding job.

When it seemed as if we were done and the event was winding down, I shut down and took a walk with Mike, John, and Lorna to enjoy the event. The crowds were gone and it was pleasant. We bought $1 ice cream cones (brings back memories, doesn’t it?) and watched the old engines run out back.

Later, when we were ready to leave, there were a few people gathered around the helicopter taking photos. Two men who were part of a party of three people wanted rides. Since they were going back to Wickenburg, I offered to take them there for the same $30 each. (That’s where being a Part 135 operator really pays off; I can do that kind of stuff.) They agreed and while their friend drove to Wickenburg, we took off, overflying Robson’s one more time as we headed back to Wickenburg.

I should be doing similar events like this down in Buckeye and up in Yarnell over the next few months. I’m hoping to pick up a few new gigs in the meantime.

If you’re reading this in Arizona and think you have at least a dozen people interested in taking rides at $30 to $40 per person (prices depend on distance to the gig), give me a call. You can learn more at the Flying M Air Web site.

Welcome to the New Home of Maria’s WebLog

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I combine Maria’s WebLog and the Maria Langer Web site into one site, using WordPress software.

You’re looking at the new home of Maria’s WebLog, which I’m in the process of combining with my personal Web site. If you’ve been following my WebLog, you know that I recently installed Mac OS X server on my old G4 and made the switch to WordPress to rebuild the wickenburg-az.com Web site I host there. This is the second big project for that server, and it’s quite a challenge. Not only do I have to get hundreds of pages of content from both sites together in one central place, but I have to modify the theme on which the appearance of the site is based — without knowing nearly enough CSS or PHP code to get the job done easily.

I do love a challenge.

So bear with me as I get this site put together. Your suggestions and comments are always welcome. Use the Comments link to let me and other visitors know what’s on your mind.

2005 News

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Old news from my old Web site.

December 22, 2005
Informit.com has released my latest article for them, “TV to Go: Watching Video on Your iPod.”

December 19, 2005
How often do you get to land a helicopter right next to a major roadway? I did it at the beginning of the month for Don Green, who was photographing a bridge under contruction further up the road. He was kind enough to take a photo of me with Zero-Mike-Lima and e-mail it to me today. Is that helicopter RED or what?

December 15, 2005
Just got my advance author copy of QuickBooks Pro 2006 for Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide. It should be in stores within the next few weeks — just in time for a new year accounting software change.

December 14, 2005
Did my first Classic Rock Cuts radio show on KBSZ-AM. Many thanks to Miss Holley King, the Rock-a-Billy Queen, for helping me out, teaching me how to use the board, and e-mailing me a bunch of Webcam images (including this one) while I worked.

December 10, 2005
Took delivery of 28 baby chicks today! Unfortunately, I only ordered 12. Even worse, all the extra chicks, which were packed in for warmth in shipping, are males! Anyone want a rooster?

December 9, 2005
My Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Visual QuickStart Guide has been translated into French! Just got my author copy today and it’s just as big and fat as the English version.

December 5, 2005
Have just begun the major project of upgrading my Web server to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Server. I’m sick and tired of the unreliable operation of WebSTAR and want to take advantage of all the cool Web publishing tools Mac OS X Server has built in. If you’re interested in this project, follow along in the “Call Me a Geek” category of Maria’s WebLog.

November 27, 2005
Just returned from a very short trip to the New York City metro area for Thanksgiving with my family. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2005
Just put the finishing touches on my latest book for Peachpit Press, QuickBooks 2006 for Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide. Look for it in stores in December.

November 18, 2005
Informit.com has published my latest article, “Yes! You Can Use Your GPS With Your Mac!“

November 14, 2005
I decided to simplify my podcasts and have merged Maria Speaks and Maria Speaks Plus into the original Maria Speaks podcast. I’m also actively seeking suggestions on topics for future podcast episodes.

November 13, 2005
Just finished up a busy weekend that included two big charters for Flying M Air: I took two people to Sedona and three people to the Grand Canyon.

November 10, 2005
MacDirectory’s Winter 2005/6 issue includes a rave review of my Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide. Read more on the companion Web site for the book.

November 7, 2005
After a careful comparison of service quality, I’ve decided to shift from Amazon.com to Barnes & Noble.com as my source for books—and my preferred vendor for my books. B&N simply offers better service. Bear with me as I change links throughout my site.

November 5, 2005
Went to a nice airport open house in Boulder City, NV. Mike flew us up in his plane. It was a real pleasure to go to a small-town airport event that was so well organized with so much to do and see.

October 30, 2005

Just had a great weekend in Glendale at the Thunderbird Balloon Classic and Air Show. Flew a total of 131 passengers in my R44, doing rides during the weekend-long event. Best of all, I got to park next to a pair of F-16 fighters while waiting for passengers.

October 20, 2005
I’ve discovered enhanced podcasts. Learn more on the Maria Speaks home page.

October 14, 2005
I couldn’t resist. I had a spare iSight camera with nothing much for it to do and decided to use it as a Webcam. So now you can watch me work. I put the image at the bottom of the Home Page. We’ll see how long it lasts. I’m not so sure I want to give my editors the ability to keep tabs on me when a deadline approaches.

October 10, 2005

My podcast, Maria Speaks, has finally appeared in the iTunes Music Store’s Podcast Directory. Search Podcast titles for Maria and it’ll come up. I seem to have caught a cold, but if I don’t sound too nasal, I’ll add a few episodes this week.

October 8, 2005
Just got back from a week-long trip to Maine. The fall colors were a bit disappointing, but I did get to experience two weather phenomena that I seldom see: fog and rain. Had a great time, but it’s good to be back in sunny Arizona.

October 1, 2005
Had a great time doing a presentation at the Tucson Apple Store. Had a good turnout with lots of folks who had great questions and tips. Thanks very much to the Apple Store folks for letting me come by.

September 26, 2005
After experimenting with podcasting by publishing KBSZ’s podcast, I finally got around to recording episodes of my own. Called Maria Speaks, it’s a sort of audio blog that includes information about my work and some tips and tricks for Macintosh users. To subscribe, use the URL http://feeds.feedburner.com/

mariaspeaks. I’ll also be publishing transcripts for entries related to a specific book on that book’s companion Web site, accessible from LangerBooks.com.

September 25, 2005
Had the weirdest flying day of my life: picked up two campers on top of a remote mesa, dropped 1000 golf balls onto a golf course green, and practiced flying in formation with a car. Want the details? Read more on Maria’s WebLog.

September 20, 2005
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide has been translated into Dutch!

September 19, 2005
Just got back from a 4-day helicopter gig at the Mohave County Fair in Kingman, AZ. I took well over 100 people for helicopter rides — many of them for their first flight! Many thanks to Betty and Phil at the fair for helping make this a smooth (and profitable) gig.

September 14, 2005
Well, that didn’t last long. I gave notice at my coffee shop job. Too much time away from my office and too many editors asking for articles. I need to get back to my real work!

September 10, 2005
Finally completed the tale of my roadtrip. Read up in Maria’s WebLog.

September 6, 2005
I’m starting a job at the Old Nursery Coffee Company in Wickenburg. I’ll help out at lunchtime during the week, making sandwiches, espresso drinks, and smoothies, until the permanent helper returns from an Alaskan “fish camp” in November.

September 1, 2005
Just found out that a lot more people are reading Maria’s WebLog than I thought. It appears that my travel stories have become quite popular. Now if only I can find the time to write up the last day’s story…

August 31, 2005
Did a fun helicopter charter out of Prescott yesterday with three folks dropping paint bags to mark the corners of their remote property. I’m still trying to figure out why they chose lavender paint.

August 30, 2005
Made a last-minute trip to the FileMaker Pro Developer Conference at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort today. Got a personalized demo of FileMaker Pro 8 and can’t wait to start using it.

August 26, 2005
Informit.com has published an excerpt from my book, Creating Spreadsheets and Charts in Excel: Visual QuickProject Guide, titled “Building a Budget Worksheet in Excel.”

August 25, 2005
I’m back from my trip. I put about 4,500 miles on my Honda S2000 visiting 9 states in 16 days. My favorite places: Goldfield, NV; Cedarville, CA; Redmond, OR; Hood River, OR; Walla Walla, WA; Lewiston, ID; McCall, ID; and Cascade, ID. You can read all about my trip in Maria’s WebLog. Thanks to the folks who used my special roadtrip e-mail address to suggest possibilities.

August 20, 2005
My 60th book, Quicken 2006: The Official Guide is now available. You can find this book at Amazon.com. All support for my Quicken books is on the McGraw-Hill/Osborne Web site.

August 15, 2005
My latest eBook, Maria’s Guide to Pubishing an iTunes-Compatible Podcast, has been picked up for distribution on David Lawrence’s 10QuickSteps Web site.

August 9, 2005
I’m off on a road trip. My search for a new home begins with a 19-day journey throughout the U.S. northwest. Follow my progress in my blog. If you live up that way and want to try to sell me on your town, e-mail me at roadtrip@theflyingm.com. No support questions, please—I’m on vacation!

August 8, 2005
I was taday’s guest on KBSZ-AM radio’s “Around the Town” show here in Wickenburg. Host Pete Peterson asked me about the podcasting work I’m doing for KBSZ as well as my recent books and helicopter tour business. Want to hear me? Visit www.kbsz-am.com and click the Podcasts link. The KBSZ podcasts are also available for subscription from the iTunes Music Store.

August 5, 2005
Informit.com has published my article, “Creating a Photo Book with iPhoto.”

August 4, 2005
I just finished my newest eBook, Maria’s Guide to Publishing an iTunes-Compatible Podcast. You can learn more about this book on the Maria’s Guides Web site. And if you subscribed to the LangerBooks.com notification list, check your e-mail box for a 20% off offer on the book—the offers went out today.

July 31, 2005
Flying M Air ended the month on a high note. In the past week, I’ve done 4 custom charters: 2 in the Wickenburg area and 2 to Sedona. (And I thought summer would be a dead season!)

July 29, 2005
Informit.com has published my article about Mac/Windows file sharing, “Setting Up Macintosh & Windows File Sharing.”

July 28, 2005
Appeared at the Las Vegas Apple Store this evening. Many thanks to the folks at Apple for having me.

July 25, 2005
My production Mac, a dual processor G5, is comatose. I dropped it off at the Chandler Apple Store for a new logic board. This $715 repair (ouch!) should be finished by Friday.

July 24, 2005
I’m back from Howard Mesa—at least for a while. It was an interesting and relaxing month away.

July 22, 2005
Informit.com has published the update to my Faxing with Mac OS X article, “Throw Out Your Fax Machine. All You Need is a Little Tiger.” (Hey, I don’t name them, I just write them.)

July 18, 2005

Apple’s eNews newsletter included instructions for getting a free copy of my eBook, Maria’s Guide to What’s New in Tiger. This offer is only available until July 31, so act now if you want your copy for free. Many thanks to Apple and Peachpit Press for making this offer available.

July 15, 2005
Informit.com has published my article on Widgets, “Widget Watch: Dashboard Widgets to Download Now.”

June 25, 2005
Well, I’m off to the middle of nowhere: Howard Mesa, AZ. Although I’ll be back once in a while during the summer, don’t expect many updates to this site. I’m going off-the-grid in the cool, high elevations of northern Arizona and I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I’ll be updating my blog while I’m away, so check in there if you want to see what I’m up to.

June 24, 2005
Finished my latest book revision. Sadly, I can’t say what it is! Look for it in stores in August, when I can reveal the big secret.

June 17, 2005
Just moved all downloadable files and book excerpts to a new, faster server. If you have trouble downloading any of these files, please use the Web Feedback form to report it.

June 16, 2005
Got the French translations for two of my books in the mail today: Creating Resumes, Letters, Business Cards, and Flyers in Word: Visual QuickProject Guide and Creating Spreadsheets and Charts in Excel: Visual QuickProject Guide.

June 15, 2005
Just updated my Calendar to add two rescheduled Apple Store appearances, as well as a helicopter rides gig in September.

June 4, 2005
Two good things today: First, our shed was finally delivered to our property at Howard Mesa. I’ll be going up there for July and August to escape the heat of Wickenburg. Second, I had a great presentation at the Chandler Apple Store. Many thanks to the folks there for hosting me. And if you’re wondering how I survived about 450 miles of driving in one day and was fresh enough to do an Apple Store appearance, here’s the answer: I didn’t. I flew. Total flight time was only 3.5 hours. Sure beats the 8 to 9 hours it would have taken by car!

June 1, 2005
Looking for a good deal on my books? I just discovered that Informit is selling all current Peachpit Press titles I’ve written for 30% off—if you’re an Informit member. Go to Informit.com and create a free account. Then click here to view a list of the books. That link will also display all of the articles I’ve written for Informit, all of which are free to read online.

May 28, 2005
Had a great time doing a presentation in the Biltmore Apple Store. The crowd may not have been large, but it was enthusiastic, and full of questions that I could answer. Many thanks to Robert and the other folks at the Biltmore store for having me.

May 27, 2005
Just got a call from my editor, Cliff. He was pleased to tell me that Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide is currently the #5 computer book. Cool!

May 20, 2005
InformIt has published my latest article on their Web site, “Publishing Your Photos on the Web with iPhoto.”

May 18, 2005
Added excerpts for my two new Maria’s Guide eBooks to the Maria’s Guide Companion Web site.

May 17, 2005
I just released the second eBook in the Maria’s Guide series: Maria’s Guide to Writing a Book Proposal. This book, which sells for $9.95, is available for immediate download via BitPass.

May 16, 2005
I’m the featured author on Peachpit Press’s Web site this month. Look for me right on the Peachpit home page! (Now cool is that?) Peachpit has published details about my Tiger Book Tour on its Web site. You can find other information about my upcoming appearances on my Calendar page.

May 15, 2005
Just got back from a weekend camping trip to the Groom Creek Horse Camp in Prescott, AZ. This excellent facility is one of a few campgrounds in the state that allow people to camp with their horses. We were part of a big group that included the Wickenburg Horsemen’s Association and the Morgan Horse Association (of Prescott). There were great rides every day, up in Prescott’s cool pines!

May 13, 2005

It’s final! I’ve sold the 5-unit rental property I owned here in Wickenburg. That’s a big weight lifted off my shoulders. Best wishes to the new owner. (Better her than me!)

May 12, 2005
Informit has published an interview with me called “Ten Questions with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide Author Maria Langer.” The article page also has a link you can click to buy the book for 40% off—heck, that’s cheaper than I can buy it!

May 9, 2005
Finished my first eBook in the Maria’s Guide series: Maria’s Guide to What’s New in Tiger. This eBook, which was written to introduce Mac OS users to the new features of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, sells for just $9.95 and is available for immediate download via BitPass.

May 7, 2005
Just got back from a helicopter trip to Georgetown, CA (near Sacramento). It was about 11 hours round trip. You can read the details in Maria’s WebLog.

May 5, 2005
Had a busy day with Apple. First, I took part in an AppleCare Vendor Fair in Elk Grove, CA. Later, I did a presentation at the Apple Store at Arden Fair, Sacramento, CA. Had a great time and met a lot of really nice people.

April 29, 2005
It’s out! My Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide was released today with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Look for it in bookstores or on Amazon.com.

April 26, 2005
Next week, I’ll be flying out to the Sacramento area to do an appearance at an AppleCare Vendor Fair and the Arden Fair Sacramento, CA Apple Store. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello. Check my Calendar page for more information.

April 22, 2005
Updated my Calendar page to add some upcoming appearances at Apple Stores.

April 21, 2005
Appeared at an Apple Vendor Fair in Austin, TX. Got to meet a lot of the Apple support folks. Also, Apple has been plugging my book in its Apple eNews.

April 12, 2005
Apple Computer, Inc. has just announced the release date for Mac OS X Tiger: April 29th. Oddly enough, that’s the same day my book should get to bookstores!

April 8, 2005
Just finished up Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide. The book goes to the printer on Monday and should be in stores by month-end. Order your copy in advance from Amazon.com at a savings of 34% off the cover price.

April 2, 2005
Brought Zero-Mike-Lima to Buckeye Municipal Airport for their annual Air Fair event and took 65 people for rides. More the half the passengers, many of whom were kids, had never been in a helicopter before. Some of them had never been in any kind of aircraft! Had a lot of fun, even though I was flying nonstop most of the day. My thanks to the Buckeye Airport Manager for inviting me and helping to make the event a success.

March 29, 2005
What a nice surprise! Found translations of my Creating Resumes, Letterhead, Business Cards, and Flyers with Word: Visual QuickProject Guide and Creating Spreadsheets and Charts with Excel Visual QuickProject Guide on my doorstep this morning. In Italian! The books are in a smaller format and kind of cute.

March 20, 2005
Just got back from a trip to Lake Havasu City, where I was offering helicopter rides for spring break at a local resort. What a waste of time! All those kids care about is beer and boobs. Needless to say, I won’t be back next weekend.

March 14, 2005
Have finalized arrangements with the airport manager at Buckeye Municipal to offer helicopter rides there for their upcoming Air Fair on April 2. If you’re in the Phoenix area, I hope you’ll stop by for a visit — and maybe a ride!

February 24, 2005
I just discovered that you can link to my InformIt articles on Peachpit’s Web site. The benefit: the articles can be read without looking at all the advertisements for high-tech stuff on the page. The drawback: they’re still using a very old photo of me on the book/article list page. Ick.

February 23, 2005
I spent about two hours with iPhoto 5 this morning, creating the Flying M Air Memory Book, a photo album featuring photos from helicopter tours and destinations. The book will be available for sale on the Flying M Air Web site.

February 22, 2005
All the rain we’ve been having is getting a little too close for comfort. My office ceiling developed a leak that drips down about 18 inches from my chair!

February 21, 2005
Got my new business cards, rack cards, and post cards for Flying M Air. They all look great! I spent most of the afternoon distributing the rack cards at Wickenburg area businesses kind enough to let me display them.

February 18, 2005

I’m back at work on my Tiger book. Apple’s getting closer to software completion and I need to be on top of things to get my book out on time.

February 12, 2005
I “rescued” Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble from the Kay El Bar Ranch in Wickenburg. He was trapped between a flooding river and a flowing wash and needed to get out. I picked him up in my helicopter, took him for a quick tour of the town, and dropped him off at the airport. My reward? An interview on the Arizona Almanac radio show.

February 9, 2005
Got my FAA Part 135 Certificate for Flying M Air. This means I can provide charter and air-taxi services with my helicopter.

February 1, 2005

Just set up a new WebCam for wickenburg-az.com and this one has live motion video! Check it out at http://66.218.237.73:81/Jview.htm and enter visitor as the User ID (leave the password field blank). It appears that WebCams are hot on wickenburg-az.com so I may be adding more in the future.

January 27, 2005
Have been playing with iCal on and off all day long, while writing about it for my Tiger book. Discovered a Web site where you can generate custom calendars based on Amazon.com book publication dates. So I created one for my books (just so I know when I’m supposed to be finished). Weird! Click here to subscribe.

January 23, 2005
Did some air-to-air photography with Jim Wurth and got a few good photos of Zero-Mike-Lima for my Flying M Air marketing material.

January 18, 2005
I’ve decided to try a mentoring program and am actively looking for people interested in writing computer how-to books. Click here to learn more.

January 15, 2005
Had a great day flying at Robson’s Mining World. Took 47 people up for rides — many of them for their first time. Many thanks to the folks at Robson’s for inviting me to be part of their anniversary celebrations.

January 13, 2005
I took Flying M Radio off the air today. It’s cool to broadcast, but not worth having my G5 turned on 18 hours a day.

January 11, 2005
Informit has published my latest article for them: “Absolutely the Last Article You Need To Read About Absolute References in Excel.”

January 7, 2005
It’s here! I went to Torrance, CA yesterday and managed to escape from LA with the new helicopter before the weather closed in. Photos to come.

January 3, 2005
Just accepted an invitation for a radio interview on KBSZ-AM, Wickenburg’s local radio station. Tune in to 1250 AM at 9 AM on January 5 (this Wednesday) to hear me.

January 2, 2005
Got back from a much-needed weekend away, in La Jolla, CA (just north of San Diego). We traded desert for seaside, basic American dining for gourmet cuisine. (The dining choices reminded me why people live in cities.)

Helicopter Safe Flight Altitudes

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How some people try to make up — and enforce — FAA regulations.

Yesterday, Mike and I flew out to Wenden to give helicopter rides to our friend, Celia, and her family. Wenden is a farming community primarily inhabited by Mexican farm workers. Its a tiny desert town in what must be a fertile valley. Wells pump water into irrigation canals and the entire area is surrounded by a patchwork of farm fields. This time of year, the cotton harvest is over and big square bins of cotton line one field after another. Most of the fields are already plowed and readied for their next harvest; a few are even planted.

A straight-line route between Wickenburg and Wenden takes me right over the top of an airpark called Eagle Roost. Eagle Roost was the brainchild of a man with vision. He bought a section of land — that’s a mile square — in Aguila, another Mexican farming community. He laid in a north-south runway, paved it, and sold 5-acre lots all around it. Back when I first started coming to this area about 10-12 years ago, the lots were going for $8,000 each and the place wasn’t very impressive. They’re now worth considerably more, and most lots have been built up.

Eagle Roost is the home of mostly retired people who are (or were) pilots. Like Wickenburg, half the population disappears during the hot summer months. Although the development isn’t bad, the town of Aguila has nothing much to offer. There are one or two small convenience stores, three restaurants, and a motel. Most people speak Spanish. On weekday mornings men gather in predetermined places, waiting to be picked for work crews. On Tuesdays (I think), there’s a farmers market. The place has terrible flies during cantaloupe harvest. There’s nothing much to do, so most Eagle Roost residents seem to do a lot of internal socializing, gossiping, and drinking. When they need something, they drive 25 miles east to Wickenburg or about 75 southeast to Phoenix’s west valley.

We used to have friends out there, but after a disagreement with one of them, another one told me he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. (And no, he isn’t a third-grader.) No loss, as far as I’m concerned.

Anyway, whenever I fly from Wickenburg to points west, like Wenden, Salome, Vicksburg Junction, or Quartzsite, I usually fly right over the top of Eagle Roost. I’ve been doing it since I got my first helicopter, back in October 2000. More than five years now.

Don’t get me wrong — I don’t fly out there often. I don’t have reason to. There’s not much west of Wickenburg to fly to. As I mentioned elsewhere, Wickenburg is on the edge of nowhere. West of there is nowhere. But I definitely do it at least a few times a year. In fact, I did it a few weeks ago when I flew out to Quartzsite to research possible landing zones for a gig there.

Now in case you don’t know, helicopters fly lower than airplanes. In fact, there’s no set minimum altitude for helicopter flight. When I’m in Wickenburg, in or around town, I normally fly at 500-700 feet above the ground, but when I’m out in the desert, I sometimes fly lower. This is so for two reasons. The main reason is so I can see the stuff I’m flying over — range cattle, people off-roading out in the desert, the trickles of water in a spring-fed canyon creek. If I wanted to get from point A to point B without seeing what I was flying over, I’d fly an airplane. And that brings up the second reason I fly low: to avoid airplane traffic.

It’s a common joke among helicopter pilots. You mention that you flew at a certain higher-than-usual altitude someplace and a fellow helicopter pilot says, “Why the hell were you all the way up there? That’s where the planes are.”

We also joke about nosebleeds.

If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably guessed by now that I fly over Eagle Roost — and most other places I fly over — at less than 500 feet above the ground. I did it yesterday, on the way out to Wenden.

Now although very few of Eagle Roost’s residents are active pilots, there are a few who do actually own planes and fly them. So I treat Eagle Roost about the same as I treat Wickenburg. It’s a Class G, uncontrolled airport. Common courtesy — but not FAA regulations — dictates that you listen in on the airport frequency as you approach and depart the area and make one or more radio calls to announce your intentions and solicit responses from other pilots in the area. So, on the way west, I tuned into Eagle Roost’s frequency about six miles west of Wickenburg. I made a radio call as I passed south of Forepaugh, a historic airport that seems to have had its name wiped from aeronautical charts.

A minute or two later, I heard a call from someone at Eagle Roost departing runway 17 with a downwind departure. I had to translate that into direction. Helicopter pilots don’t have much use for runways so we don’t pay much attention to runway numbers and directions. It takes thought to decipher what the pilot had said. Since runway numbers correspond with compass directions, the pilot was taking off on the runway that pointed roughly south. Downwind was the direction parallel to the runway, but going in the opposite direction he’d taken off. That meant he was departing to the north. We were east and still pretty far out, so we were no factor. Mike and I actually discussed this thought process yesterday, comparing notes about how airplane and helicopter pilots think.

There were no more calls from Eagle Roost and no more traffic. I made a call three miles east, giving my altitude and intentions: transitioning to the west. Then I made another call when I was over the airpark. Then we were west, speeding along at a healthy 110 knots to our destination, still 25 or 30 miles west.

I circled the town of Wenden to find Celia’s street. She lives in a house between two farm fields, off Alamo Lake Road. I followed Alamo Lake Road with my eyes, saw her house, judged the wind from a flag, and decided to come in from the west. I lined up with an east-west road that ran right past her house. It was a farm road, made to give access to the fields. But it was Christmas Eve day and a Saturday, so the fields were empty. No one was using the road. I landed in a huge cloud of dust about 50 yards from her front door, where she and her family had gathered when they first heard us coming. The breeze from the east was pretty stiff, so the dust cloud swept past me when I idled down, so it didn’t actually reach where everyone was standing.

Celia Takes a Helicopter RideI gave four rides, each with three people on board. It was Celia and her daughters and their husbands and kids. Mike handled the ground crew work. I gave short rides — there’s not much in Wenden to see — and everyone really seemed to enjoy it. I gave helicopter toys to the little kids. The dust was incredible on my takeoffs and landings and my fears were confirmed when I shut down in Wickenburg later on: a little more paint had been sanded off the blades.

When we were finished, Celia invited us in for burritos. But I had another charter at noon and wanted to get back to Wickenburg. So Celia gave Mike a package of burritos and he climbed on board. Soon we were on our way back to Wickenburg.

Of course, we flew over Eagle Roost again. We’d been on the same frequency since we’d left Wickenburg and there was no one talking on the radio. Mike and I kept an eye out for planes, as we usually do, and didn’t see any. I made my first radio call about 3 miles to the west and didn’t hear a thing from anyone in the area. But when I made my second call when I was overhead, the radio suddenly came to life.

“When you fly over the airport, fly above traffic pattern altitude,” came a man’s voice.

“Zero-Mike-Lima is a helicopter,” I told the person who’d called. “Helicopters fly below traffic pattern altitude.” No lie there.

“Helicopters have to follow the rules, too,” the voice said. If there hadn’t been an edge to it before, there was now.

“I’ll have to look that one up,” I replied.

“You do that.” Now definitely nasty. “The FAA would be interested.”

“Then I’ll ask the FAA,” I replied, thinking I might send my Part 135 contact at the Scottsdale FSDO an e-mail if I couldn’t find the rule. (Some people are afraid of the FAA. I’m not. All of my dealings with the FAA have been very fair and everyone I’ve worked with at the local FSDO has been very helpful and informative. So if this guy was trying to scare me, he wasn’t succeeding.)

By this time, I was about a mile or two to the east. The man, who Mike and I figured was on the ground because he didn’t provide an N-number, didn’t say anything else.

I looked at Mike. “Is there a rule like that?” I asked him.

“I don’t think so,” he replied.

“I’ll look it up,” I repeated. I have the 2006 FAR/AIM in my hangar. And we continued east, with the episode tucked in the back of our minds.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. I was sitting with Mike and a few other pilots at a picnic table at Wickenburg airport, waiting for my noon charter and eating burritos when my cell phone rang. I looked down and saw a familiar phone number. When I answered it, I heard the voice of the Eagle Roost idiot who said he couldn’t be my friend all those years ago.

“I have absolutely no desire to talk to you,” I said. And I snapped the phone shut.

It started ringing again almost immediately. I pushed the button that would silence it. Then again. Sheesh! Some people just don’t get it. I turned the phone off.

We talked to the pilots we were with about the “rule” we’d been told about while over Eagle Roost. Mind you, we were sitting with three other active pilots — the kind that actually fly — and none of them had ever heard of such a rule for an airport in Class G airspace, let alone a private airpark that doesn’t even appear on current GPS maps.

I turned the phone on a while later and there were three messages on it. I let Mike listen to them. Two were from potential customers. The other was from the idiot at Eagle Roost. For some reason, this guy has become the “Godfather” of the airpark and everyone goes to him with their problems. And although the original cause of the breakup of our friendship years ago was because I hadn’t “minded my business” when his buddy was sleeping around behind my friend’s back, this guy has no problem minding other people’s business. He’d called to talk to me about flying over Eagle Roost. Supposedly, the guy who’d talked to me on the radio swore that there was another plane in the pattern. He claimed I was being dangerous and I’d been belligerent. And this former friend of mine had been assigned to talk to me about it. The hell with that.

One thing was already pretty obvious: the guy was lying about the plane, probably to cover up the fact that he didn’t know what he was talking about. I have four pieces of evidence to prove it:

  1. Neither Mike nor I, experienced, active pilots who were sitting in the front seat of an aircraft with virtually unlimited forward and side visibility, did not see another aircraft, even though we were both looking.
  2. No other pilot made a radio call. And yes, I do realize that the pilot could have been operating without a radio, but then who’s being safer: me with two radio calls or him with none?
  3. If the guy on the ground was so concerned about our altitude because of other traffic, why didn’t he mention the other traffic?
  4. How did the guy on the ground know there was other traffic if he was inside listening to his radio and the phantom pilot hadn’t made a call?

My charter passengers arrived right about the time Stan had the espresso machine fired up. I did two charters while everyone else went to Stan’s for a latte. By the time I was done an hour and a half later, Stan had closed up shop and most of the other pilots had gone home. I settled up with my passengers and locked up the helicopter on the ramp. I was schedule to fly Santa to a remote ranch at dawn on Christmas morning.

Mike said that the pilots gathered at Stan’s had discussed the “rule” at length. They all agreed that there was no such rule and that I hadn’t done anything wrong.

We had some repairs to make on our airport golf cart and Mike left to get the parts. While I was waiting, I washed the chicken dust off my car and spent about 20 minutes going through the FAR/AIM for the “rule.”

I found the helicopter altitude rule I’d already committed to memory: Helicopters may operate at an altitude lower than airplane minimum requirements as long as operations do not pose a danger to persons or property on the ground. This is paraphrased, of course — I don’t have the FARs in front of me right now. But this is the rule we’re taught and we discuss it at length. Although it seems like it’s a free pass to fly wherever you want, if something does happen and you have an emergency landing and someone on the ground gets hurt, the FAA could always say that you were not operating at a safe altitude. So safety is always the primary concern when choosing a minimum altitude. For a helicopter, that means operating within the safe area of the height-velocity diagram, a document that establishes safe altitude and airspeed combinations to make a power-off landing. Of course, terrain has a lot to do with it, too. There needs to be a flat open space within range to land. Like a farm field? Or a runway at an airpark? So as far as that rule was concerned, I was operating at a safe altitude.

I also found another helicopter rule that was pounded into my head when training: helicopters are to avoid the flow of fixed wing traffic. This is the rule that keeps helicopters low. In fact, whenever I operate in a Class D airspace — that’s an airport with a control tower —-and I want to approach my landing zone or cross over the top, I’m directed to stay below the traffic pattern altitude. Even when crossing over the top — and I can’t tell you how many times I crossed over the top of Scottsdale while working on on my private helicopter rating. Just the other day, when leaving Scottsdale Airport, the tower cleared me to depart and directed me to remain below 2,000 feet — or below the traffic pattern altitude. I come and go at Prescott below the TPA and, when I was training at Grand Canyon Airport to work for Papillon, I was constantly reminded by my instructor to stay below 7,000 feet MSL — below the traffic pattern altitude. (Of course, that put me right over the treetops, which wasn’t a comfortable place to be, at first.) As a result of all this work in Class D airspace, it’s become natural for me to cross airports below the traffic pattern altitude. I never expected to be told that there was a rule to the contrary.

I looked for, but did not find, any rule stating required — or even recommended — altitudes for any kind of aircraft operating in the vicinity of a Class G airport. So what the hell was this guy talking about?

I reported my findings to Mike as he worked on the golf cart. We went home, stopping at Safeway for some wine to take to Christmas dinner at a friend’s house the next day.

Belligerent. That word bothered me. I asked Mike if I’d been belligerent on the radio. He said I hadn’t but the guy who’d talked to me had definitely been belligerent. So I asked Mike to call the idiot at Eagle Roost and tell him I wasn’t belligerent.

Mistake. The guy talked poor Mike’s ear off. And, as usual, he didn’t believe anything Mike had to say. Talk about a trap door mind. One of his neighbors had sworn something to him, and the idiot, our former friend, was willing to believe him instead of us. Radio man said that a plane had been in the pattern and I had been belligerent. Period, end of story, trap door swings shut. Poor Mike listened to the idiot far longer than I would have. I felt bad for him when he finally hung up.

Like I said, no loss.

Tomorrow, I’ll give my FAA contact a call and ask him about this “rule.” He’s a helicopter guy, so he’ll know. And if there is no rule, I’ll just pretend the whole thing never happened.

PostScript

I called my POI at the Scottsdale FSDO and talked to him. Twice. He confirmed what I suspected: there is no rule in the FARs specifying an altitude for untowered airport overflights. That applies to both airplanes and helicopters. However, he added in his best FAA voice, a “prudent pilot” would overfly above the traffic pattern altitude. He went on to provide some examples of how overflight at a lower altitude could cause problems.

So I was right but I was wrong. And so was the guy on the ground.

In my opinion, if something happens while you’re flying in Class G airspace — like a midair collision or even a near miss or a forced go-around — then one of the pilots (at least) is not being prudent. It doesn’t matter what the situtation was: if a rule wasn’t broken but someone did something dumb that caused a problem, that someone wasn’t being prudent. But if nothing happens? Then is there a question of what’s prudent? I don’t know. But I do think that if the FAA felt strongly about altitudes at Class G airports, it should amend the regulations to specify an altitude. That would turn a gray area into black and white. What good are regulations if you can’t use them to guide you in your actions?

I also spoke to a fellow helicopter pilot who lives in the area. “Do you ever fly over Eagle Roost?” I asked.

“Once in a while,” he replied.

“What altitude?”

“Usually about 400 feet.”

So I wasn’t the only one. “Do you talk on the radio?” I asked.

“No.”

He didn’t add what we both knew: The regulations do not require communication in Class G airspace. But who’s being more safe? The pilot who attempts communication or the one who just buzzes through without a peep?

What is the lesson to be learned from this? It isn’t one the FAA would like.

The lesson is that when you overfly an airport without a published radio frequency, don’t talk on the radio. Eagle Roost’s frequency does not appear on any chart and the airport is not listed in the Airport/Facilities Directory, the only two documents a pilot is required to have onboard (and I’m not even sure the A/FD is required for all pilots, although it is required for Part 135 operations). If I hadn’t responsibly made my radio calls, the guy on the ground wouldn’t have even known I was flying over. He’d have nothing to get his blood pressure up. He wouldn’t have called the idiot to harass me. None of this would have happened. Heck, you wouldn’t even be reading a blog entry about it.

Fortunately, that’s not the lesson I learned. I learned that residents at private airparks are a bunch of whiners who like to boss around anyone within radio range. They like to make up stories about possible accidents and share them with anyone who will listen and take their words as gospel truth. And some of them even like to take it beyond the radio, with harassment by phone and in person.

As for me, I won’t overfly Eagle Roost again. It just isn’t worth the headaches that go with it.