And batteries. Over time, portables' batteries lose their ability to hold a charge, just like cell phones. Because I usually use ship's power, I don't necessarily know how badly the battery has deteriorated -- and standalone power backup is one of the potentially life-saving features of a portable. So replacing batteries every year or so -- and maybe buying a spare -- should be part of the budget, too.
Thanks to all of you for the comments -- especially blummouse. When I re-read Bob Buck's 'North Star Over My Shoulder' recently and came upon that passage, I thought it really spoke to the truest of joys in IFR flying. Not that it isn't satisfying to "have the peanut butter and jelly come out even" at the conclusion of a complex flight (as Richard Collins so elequently put it), but I would like to think that we pilots also enjoy the experience -- kind of like the feeling you get on a road trip, sipping coffee and cruising in shirtsleeve warmth with bands of frosty, blowing snow sweeping across the highway.
Mark Phelps
A bit harsh, perhaps, but we each experience satisfaction in our own ways. Reminds me of Tom Lehrer's 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.' (search YouTube) -- Mark Phelps
Extremely well presented by Robert. As he points out, one innocent death is one too many. Yet, based on reports that 200 IRS employees worked in the building, there are at least 199 people who can be thankful Stack chose a light airplane as a weapon. Spectacular, yes. And that element, no doubt, suited his twisted purpose at the time. But had he not been a pilot, Stack might, instead, have chosen another means. Maybe a gun, as Robert suggests. Or perhaps worse, along the lines of Timothy McVeigh?
