May 2013
S M T W T F S
« Apr    
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
gangofsix_52
Paul's Thing is a
Gang of Six™ Production

Tree-Reading

E-Reading

Recent Reads

Paul's bookshelf: read

A Visit from the Goon SquadSomeone Knows My NameRobopocalypseUnfamiliar FishesThereby Hangs a TailInside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

More of Paul's books »
Book recommendations, book reviews, quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists
  • 001- To Rome with Love
    In this Woody Allen-directed romp through Rome, an opera director discovers a potential new star in an unexpected place, a young architect battles feelings for his girlfriend's gal-pal, and an average guy suddenly finds himself hounded by paparazzi. […]
  • 002- Arbitrage
    As billionaire Robert Miller struggles to divest his empire before his fraud is brought to light, fate takes a nasty turn. Now desperate and running out of options, Miller turns to an unlikely source for help. […]
  • 003- Now Is Good
    Knowing her days are numbered, Tessa (Dakota Fanning) struggles to make every moment count, and dives headlong through every wild, crazy act of teenage rebellion that she can dream up which includes a passionate romance with her neighbor, Adam (Jeremy Irvine). […]
  • 004- Searching for Sugar Man
    The incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest '70s rock icon who never was. Decades after Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez disappeared following the failure of his two critically praised records in the 1970s, two fans from South Africa, where Rodriguez was a huge hit, try to track down their idol. […]

Paul on Flickr

Paul on Daily Kos

Paul on Twitter

Paul on Facebook

Paul on Google+

Credit


Shit hot header graphic by Paul, w/assistance from "The Thing?"

Copyright

Copyright 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 by Paul Woodford. All rights reserved.

Sunday Bag o’ Mules

Mules, local color, wannabes. [...]

Share

Air-Minded: Phantom Evolution

Did you think, as I did, that the TFX/F-111 was Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s only joint-service aircraft project? No, there were two others: the F-4 Phantom II and the A-7 Corsair II, US Navy fighters more or less forced upon, but eventually enthusiastically adopted by, the US Air Force.

I volunteer as a walking [...]

Share

Another Sunday, Another Car Show

A friend and I rode our motorcycles down to Tubac yesterday for the annual Santa Cruz Valley Car Nuts Collector Car Show. As it does every year, the Tubac Golf Resort opens up its grounds for the show. If you ride down on a motorcycle you get to park on the grass right next to [...]

Share

Air-Minded: Converting Jet Fuel into Noise

THROTTLES—IDLE RUDDER AND AILERONS—NEUTRAL STICK—ABRUPTLY FULL AFT AND HOLD RUDDER—ABRUPTLY APPLY FULL RUDDER OPPOSITE SPIN DIRECTION (OPPOSITE TURN NEEDLE) AND HOLD STICK—ABRUPTLY FULL FORWARD ONE TURN AFTER APPLYING RUDDER CONTROLS—NEUTRAL AFTER SPINNING STOPS AND RECOVER FROM DIVE

That, if you don’t recognize it, is the boldface spin recovery procedure for the T-37. Student pilots [...]

Share

Air-Minded: the Aluminum Overcast

After ranting about the media I need a palate cleanser. The internet equivalent of a breath mint is a LOLcat. But I’m into airplanes, so I’ll give you a LOLbomber instead.

B-36J Peacemaker, Pima Air & Space Museum (photo: Paul Woodford)

As with the B-58 Hustler I described in a previous post, even though [...]

Share

Air-Minded: Restoration

After a meeting at the Pima Air & Space Museum yesterday I introduced myself to the leader of the restoration team and asked if I could take a quick tour of his work area, normally off-limits to all but the volunteer staff who work there. He said sure, and even gave me a lift to [...]

Share

Attack Imminent

A Tucson friend posted this to Facebook this morning:

We’re far enough from the base that we don’t hear the sirens. Actually it’s been years since we’ve heard one, but then it’s been years since we retired from the Air Force. We’re going on base to buy groceries this afternoon; maybe the exercise will [...]

Share

Air-Minded Addendum: Hucks Starter

More on the Hucks starter I described in an earlier entry. One of the aircraft at the Pima Air & Space Museum, a Japanese WWII fighter, used this starting method. When I was at the museum today I took a photo of the prop spinner so you could see the boss they’d hook the Hucks [...]

Share