I Feel Better Now

You heard the man, don't buy that malarkey.  

It's all for the Children

Say what you like about Dianne Feinstein, she has been consistent over the years on one particular topic.  

The EC225 Problem - A Summary

Eurocopter, the EC225 Super Puma, and its operators and passengers have a problem in the North Sea.  

Though the Super Puma has served as a safe and reliable aircraft for decades, a change in manufacturing processes of the bevel gear vertical shaft in the main transmission has caused two notable failures this year alone, resulting in two controlled ditchings with no injuries, but two aircraft in the water nonetheless.  

The bevel gear vertical shaft is manufactured in two pieces which are welded together.  It is at this point that the gear fails, which causes both transmission oil pumps to go offline.  To further complicate the already critical situation of no oil pressure while inflight AND overwater, the emergency backup lubrication system displays false indications that the BACKUP system has failed.  The crews therefore have no prudent options other than landing on the water and letting the accident investigators sort out the details.  Happily in both instances the sea states and weather conditions were such that everyone was able to be recovered safely, which is the best case scenario in the often harsh conditions of the North Sea.  

After the first accident in May of 2012, Eurocopter initiated an investigation and believed that they had isolated and dealt with the failing component, and assured customers that the aircraft was safe to fly.  Then in October of 2012, only five months later, a nearly identical ditching occured.  Operators and regulators elected to ground all EC225s until more definite action can be taken to fix the gearbox issue, and Eurocopter had a credibility crisis on their hands.  

As of the time of this writing, several EC225s with older model vertical shafts have resumed operations in the North Sea, while all others remain grounded.  The best guess for when these aircraft will return to service is February 2013.  In the meantime, operators are doubling up on the flight time on their remaining aircraft, to include Sikorsky S92s (which carry a similar passenger load) and Agusta AW139s.  

An "Assault Weapons" Primer

Though the video is over twenty years old, the subject is eerily familiar. Decades later, many among us still think that the best way to prevent psychopaths from killing children is to treat all gun owners as potential psychopaths. Didn't work then, didn't work in CT, won't work anywhere else.  

In the wake of the Stockton Schoolyard Shooting of 1989, a police firearms instructor in CA explains the difficulties in defining "assault weapons" and demonstrates how a nondescript hunting rifle can become an "assault weapon" with the addition of a few cosmetic features... with no difference in lethality.  




For those who would disagree with the assertion that gun owners would be treated as potential psychopaths under proposed legislation, please see the below highlights of Senator Feinstein's new bill... straight off her website.  

Following is a summary of the 2013 legislation:

• Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of:
• 120 specifically-named firearms
• Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one military characteristic
• Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds
• Strengthens the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and various state bans by:
• Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test
• Eliminating the easy-to-remove bayonet mounts and flash suppressors from the characteristics test
• Banning firearms with “thumbhole stocks” and “bullet buttons” to address attempts to “work around” prior bans
• Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds. 
• Protects legitimate hunters and the rights of existing gun owners by:
• Grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment
• Exempting over 900 specifically-named weapons used for hunting or sporting purposes and
• Exempting antique, manually-operated, and permanently disabled weapons
• Requires that grandfathered weapons be registered under the National Firearms Act, to include:
• Background check of owner and any transferee;
• Type and serial number of the firearm;
• Positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint;
• Certification from local law enforcement of identity and that possession would not violate State or local law; and
• Dedicated funding for ATF to implement registration

Assault Weapons Bans are STUPID

Which of the following two rifles do you think would be banned by an ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN?  

Rifle #1

Rifle #2

If you guessed rifle #2, you have drunk the Kool Aid.  Trick question.  

Rifle #1 and #2 are both Ruger 10-22s, of which millions have been sold and thousands have learned to shoot with.  Rifle #2 has been modified with the ProMag Archangel Kit, a popular modification of the standard 10-22 rifle, which ships with an equally frightening plastic bayonet.  

Though it looks really scary to people who know nothing about guns, there is ZERO difference in the lethality of the weapon itself, it fires the exact same .22 caliber cartridge.  Though fuzzy squirrels nationwide might prefer the smaller ten round magazine of the unmodified 10-22.  

How about this one? 

Rifle #3

Not too intimidating you say?  This is a pair of M14s, which have been in military service since the 1960s and were used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan as sniper rifles.  Some variants were fully automatic.  It is not a "military style" rifle, it IS a military rifle.  It fires the 7.62x51 cartridge, which is just a LITTLE bit bigger and more lethal than the .22 fired by the 10-22 series, see below...

I'd much rather be shot at with the .22 on the right than the 7.62x51, second from left.  Happily for us and the gun fearing populace, the same characteristics that make the M14 a highly effective sniper rifle also make it unwieldy, heavy, loud, expensive, rare, and therefore unlikely to be used in a crime. Much like millions of Ruger 10-22s, with or without modifications.   

The last "assault weapons ban" banned cosmetic features of weapons, deemed threatening by congress members who neither tolerate nor understand firearms.  Their aim is to ban any type of guns that they are able.  Do you think the president's task force will go after other causes of mass murder as hard as they will go after guns?  Wait and see.  

Telex Stratus Heli-XT ANR headset review

Update 05/2016: Please check out my most recent review for the Lightspeed Tango Wireless Headset helicopter version.  

Hard to find reviews on this item, so I am writing my own.  Skygeek's price is the best I have found on this item.  

For what its worth, I own two DC headsets, a converted H10-40 and a passive H10-56, and a Bose X.  I primarily fly S76s and 407s in the gulf.  

The Heli-XT is slightly bigger than most headsets.  Normally not a problem but when you turn your head you can bang it on head cushions, etc. at times.  Many headsets leave you with extra cord dangling around the cockpit but this coiled cord is just the right length with not a lot of slack.  The earcups are not left and right specific so you can just throw the mike boom over the top and hook in on whichever side is closest to the ICS plug.  

The AA batteries are consumed at a pretty fast rate.  Use rechargeables.  My headset came with two 2450 mAh AA rechargable batts AND a charger that hooks directly into the battery compartment, so unless you want a wall charger you will already be set up.  

Passive protection is excellent due to the big ear cushions.  The ANR is not as aggressive as some higher end sets but it does improve the audio quality.  If the batteries and ANR temporarily run out, its not a big deal because of the high degree of passive protection.  

Headband clamping force is pretty firm (and adjustable), but not uncomfortable.  I have a pretty big noggin and wearing it for six hours straight does not cause any problems.  

Volume level can be adjusted very high, which I love since I fly with earplugs also, and other headsets I have flown can be difficult to hear with earplugs in.  

Audio quality clear in and out.  We'll see how it holds up over the long term but so far I am very happy with this purchase.  

*** Update 4/2016

Over the past three plus years, the Heli-XT headset has held up quite well, flying 300-400 hours per year in commercial use.  It has never been in for repair but I replaced the ear cushions once when the foam finally wore through!  This is not a top-of-the-line headset but is a very capable and functional headset that should meet the needs of most pilots, and at a very good price.  

I have never used the charger that plugs directly into the headset to charge the batteries, it was easier for me to purchase an Energizer or Eveready wall charger (with included batteries) and keep one set of batteries in the headset and the other set as a backup.  You will not have a hard time figuring out when the headset batteries are low, if you miss the flashing red light, you will hear a lot of strange noises and then static in the headset as the batteries give up the last of their charge.  

Over the last few months, I have experienced some problems with the power button while turning the ANR on and off, and wear on the battery door which causes the battery door to fall off by itself sometimes, but the ANR still works well.  I emailed Telex customer service for instructions on returning the headset for a factory refurb but they never did email me back.  I plan on keeping this headset as a spare, and buying a Lightspeed Tango for my new primary headset, review to follow!  

Some Help for Brother Joe...

When you are serious about solving a problem, you give it to the man who can make it happen... Vice President Joe Biden.  

With that in mind, President Obama has volunteered VP Biden to head up a task force to ram through anti-gun legislation... I mean "provide immediate recommendations about how to reduce gun violence".  

Being that Vice President Biden is a busy and thoughtful guy, I would like to forward some recommendations as a place to start.  

1. Hope nobody remembers that "Fast and Furious" thing.  

2. Ensure that any proposed legislation fails to differentiate between legal gun owners and mass murders.  Demand further gun control while mentioning some blah blah about the complexity of the issue, mental health, etc.    

3. Do your best to ignore that the rumor of further gun restrictions has caused the biggest run on "assault weapons", high capacity magazines, and ammunition in recent memory.  

4. Develop a sub-task force to invent more scary terms like "high-powered assault weapon" and allow career anti-gunners in congress to define same.  

5. Seek to introduce "sensible legislation" that places limitations on any other constitutional amendments as may apply. Freedom of speech?  Unreasonable search and seizure?  Self incrimination?  Poll taxes?  Put them all on the table. It's for the children after all.  

6. Above all, pass some legislation to exploit the Sandy Hook mass murders while the polls favor what you have wanted to do all the time anyway.  

No Guns Here...

In the wake of the Sandy Hook mass murders, it is often difficult to separate truth from fiction between the warring factions.  Here to help you think is NY Senator Charles Schumer, who yesterday said, of NRA Executive VP Wayne LaPierre:

"LaPierre "blames everything but guns, movies, the media, President Obama, gun-free school zones, you name it, the video games, he blames them," Schumer said. "Now, trying to prevent shootings in schools without talking about guns is like trying to prevent lung cancer without talking about cigarettes."

With apologies to Candy Crowley, I'd like to correct the Senator on a couple of points.  LaPierre did indeed mention the president FOUR times in his official remarks.  Three of them were to point out that the president, as well as members of congress, are themselves protected by armed security, but that they think that denying the same protection to your children in schools makes them SAFER.  The fourth mention was this:

Ladies and gentlemen, there is no national, one-size-fits-all solution to protecting our children. But do know this President zeroed out school emergency planning grants in last year's budget, and scrapped "Secure Our Schools" policing grants in next year's budget.

At this point, at least half of you should probably stop reading, as hearing for the first time the actual message that LaPierre delivered may cause painful cognitive dissonance.  Return to your TV and what LaPierre REALLY MEANT to say will be repeated to you for the next few days, as part of the greater campaign against high capacity magazines, military style weapons, gun owners, and the second amendment.  

As to his point that LaPierre doesn't talk about guns, there are TWENTY mentions of guns in the official remarks.  Here are a few of them and I hope that you might agree with at least some of his points...

As brave, heroic and self-sacrificing as those teachers were in those classrooms, and as prompt, professional and well-trained as those police were when they responded, they were unable — through no fault of their own — to stop it.

As parents, we do everything we can to keep our children safe. It is now time for us to assume responsibility for their safety at school. The only way to stop a monster from killing our kids is to be personally involved and invested in a plan of absolute protection. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Would you rather have your 911 call bring a good guy with a gun from a mile away ... or a minute away?

Now, I can imagine the shocking headlines you'll print tomorrow morning: "More guns," you'll claim, "are the NRA's answer to everything!" Your implication will be that guns are evil and have no place in society, much less in our schools. But since when did the word "gun" automatically become a bad word?

A gun in the hands of a Secret Service agent protecting the President isn't a bad word. A gun in the hands of a soldier protecting the United States isn't a bad word. And when you hear the glass breaking in your living room at 3 a.m. and call 911, you won't be able to pray hard enough for a gun in the hands of a good guy to get there fast enough to protect you.

So why is the idea of a gun good when it's used to protect our President or our country or our police, but bad when it's used to protect our children in their schools? They're our kids. They're our responsibility. And it's not just our duty to protect them — it's our right to protect them.