Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Day 12 - NZ
Cookie says...
Well, as they (who are 'they' anyway?) say; all good things come to an end. As with most trips, the last day is more a commuting process than anything. We woke, packed, checked out and headed to the airport where we had breakfast and waited for our flight.
Once onboard and in the air I couldn't help but try something. In the last few years there has been a question floating around the internet that has caused more forum closures, banned users and internet outages than the number of people who died from the black death in the middle ages. The origin is rumored to have been in an aeronautical engineering exam and is simply a question about whether a plan will take off or not. So I figured now was as good a time as any to send this question to the pilots as they are experts and surely have nothing better to do other than play cards and snooze whilst the autopilot does their dirty work.
Ten minutes later the air hostess returned with the question and said that the pilots agree that the plane would not take off. This was concerning as this was the wrong answer and I was on their plane. I think that the navigator was actually right but the pilot who figured that the navigator was wrong because it's his job to navigate the plane and not fly the plane so he pulled rank on him.
In reality, it's a trick question because the wheels and runway don't have any inpact on what the plane is doing because the engines push against the air to propel the plane forward and ultimately into the air once lift is generated at the wings.
I also discovered that while it nominally takes three hours to fly from Queenstown to Brisbane, it is also the amount of time it takes to educate 150 passengers on aviation theory and how I am right and the experts are not.
Back to the commuting and we landed, picked up our gear, headed to my place and then I dropped people hoome.
Well, as they (who are 'they' anyway?) say; all good things come to an end. As with most trips, the last day is more a commuting process than anything. We woke, packed, checked out and headed to the airport where we had breakfast and waited for our flight.
Once onboard and in the air I couldn't help but try something. In the last few years there has been a question floating around the internet that has caused more forum closures, banned users and internet outages than the number of people who died from the black death in the middle ages. The origin is rumored to have been in an aeronautical engineering exam and is simply a question about whether a plan will take off or not. So I figured now was as good a time as any to send this question to the pilots as they are experts and surely have nothing better to do other than play cards and snooze whilst the autopilot does their dirty work.
I think some 'turbulance' was really a cockpit disturbance
while the pilots 'discussed' this question
Ten minutes later the air hostess returned with the question and said that the pilots agree that the plane would not take off. This was concerning as this was the wrong answer and I was on their plane. I think that the navigator was actually right but the pilot who figured that the navigator was wrong because it's his job to navigate the plane and not fly the plane so he pulled rank on him.
In reality, it's a trick question because the wheels and runway don't have any inpact on what the plane is doing because the engines push against the air to propel the plane forward and ultimately into the air once lift is generated at the wings.
I also discovered that while it nominally takes three hours to fly from Queenstown to Brisbane, it is also the amount of time it takes to educate 150 passengers on aviation theory and how I am right and the experts are not.
Sadly Gurti's, friend's, partner didn't make it through customs
Back to the commuting and we landed, picked up our gear, headed to my place and then I dropped people hoome.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Day 11 - NZ
Quote of the Day
"Benny and I are now exclusive" - Morgan
Cookie says...
Last full day today. Before sleeping we decided it would be a full day on the hill. After falling asleep, we must have agreed that we'd sleep in. Didn't matter, it was typical of every other day and besides, we're on holidays. Popped into Macca's / Subway for breaky just like yesterday and then made tracks for Remarks.
It was on hold till 8 but it was open. It was raining in QT, sleeting around the 6km mark and snowing shortly after that. The report said chains for 2WD's at the 12km mark which was why I get AWD's so we were waved on through. There were a few cars passing us in the way down and made it to the second last turn before discovering why. For three years running now I have seen a car in the ditch... and we nearly joined them. At the corner we'd slowed to avoid the car and lost traction and started slipping... backwards... down the road... all good though. We were on snow. Could have been a different story if it had been ice!
After backing down the road slowly, one of the Remarkables guys came past and ended up towing us up to the carpark during which we watched another car sail past us into another ditch. It was puking snow and blowing everywhere which would have made it a positively crumby morning on the field. The carpark dude had a guy down to help us with the chains and we made our way back down the hill.
We made it back to the fort and Beno headed out to do a few things. We had some stuff to pick up, met up with Ben and headed to Winnies for a late lunch.
I hadn't done much time-lapse so I thought I'd give it a crack. Wasn't that great a location but that's okay, I stood out there freezing my bum of for a while before the others joined me. Once it was done we did a little souviner shopping and headed home to pack.
"Benny and I are now exclusive" - Morgan
Cookie says...
Last full day today. Before sleeping we decided it would be a full day on the hill. After falling asleep, we must have agreed that we'd sleep in. Didn't matter, it was typical of every other day and besides, we're on holidays. Popped into Macca's / Subway for breaky just like yesterday and then made tracks for Remarks.
It was on hold till 8 but it was open. It was raining in QT, sleeting around the 6km mark and snowing shortly after that. The report said chains for 2WD's at the 12km mark which was why I get AWD's so we were waved on through. There were a few cars passing us in the way down and made it to the second last turn before discovering why. For three years running now I have seen a car in the ditch... and we nearly joined them. At the corner we'd slowed to avoid the car and lost traction and started slipping... backwards... down the road... all good though. We were on snow. Could have been a different story if it had been ice!
This makes it a hatrick of car-in-a-ditch photos!
After backing down the road slowly, one of the Remarkables guys came past and ended up towing us up to the carpark during which we watched another car sail past us into another ditch. It was puking snow and blowing everywhere which would have made it a positively crumby morning on the field. The carpark dude had a guy down to help us with the chains and we made our way back down the hill.
Beno and Morgs texting God for help
We made it back to the fort and Beno headed out to do a few things. We had some stuff to pick up, met up with Ben and headed to Winnies for a late lunch.
Morgs and Ben sharing a quiet moment...
blisfully unaware that we were sharing the table with them
I hadn't done much time-lapse so I thought I'd give it a crack. Wasn't that great a location but that's okay, I stood out there freezing my bum of for a while before the others joined me. Once it was done we did a little souviner shopping and headed home to pack.
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