Tractor Portability

[gerard]

Having no kids of my own maybe I should stay quiet on this subject but having been one (a kid), raised in NYC and now moved to the country, I have seen both negatives and positives to both. I think I grew up too quick in the city (was taking the subway and bus to 9th grade in Brooklyn while I lived in Queens) I now live in the country and wonder what it would have been like to grow up in a small town where everyone knew everyones else for the last 20 years. I think it would have been nice. You don't get the sense of community in the city that you do in the country. Easy decision for us 'cause kids aren't in the picture at the moment. If that changed I'd be in the same pickle you are Harv but I THINK I'd opt for the country. (Not much use for my 'bota back on the subways!!

 

[scruffy]

JimMoore, Harv,
Sorry bout that guys! I was just extolling the virtues of computer versus lemonade squeezing WEB-TV keyboards to Chip, and the method to post a picture once you had the pic stored to your storage medium.
Needed a quick handy pic, and that is the one I found first.
Still a cute pic anyway!

 

[RobertN]

Harv,
The company my wife and I work for will instal a DSL for people who log into work, given justification. My wife has justification, but we have no carriers here /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif We are so close to town, and yet so far away.

If you do cut a landing pad, remember to do something for dust. In the Fire business, it is not unusual to pull a hoseline and sprinkler a LZ to keep the dust down, both for the pilot and those around the LZ.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[Harv]

RobertN -

I think it's just a matter of time before high-speed connectivity comes to our little foothill communities. It might just be that we wind up using some sort of satellite communication. Hope it happens soon.

As for helicopters landing on my property, I probably wouldn't have thought about the dust issue until the first time it happened. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif A sprinkler setup is a great idea.

So far I'm not even sure a proper landing site can be established. One of my chopper pilot buddies said that a simple rule of thumb is to stand at the center of the proposed target area and carefully look in all directions. While looking up at an angle of 10 degrees, you should be able to see clear sky all the way around.

With the amount of trees and hills around here I don't think I can meet that criterion anywhere on my 42 acres. Plan B is to drive him out from the neareset airport (probably Amador) and let him scout the property himself. Apparently there are exceptions to the rule-of-thumb test, but it comes down to the pilot's experience and judgement.

So far this project is just a "fun notion". /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Hey! If we ever get that far, it would be fun to see just how far away you are "as the crow flys". Do you have a place to land a 'copter?

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Re: it's just a matter of time before high-speed connectivity comes to our little . . . communities.</font color=blue>

Here, too, Harv. We have a new phone company that bought out a bunch of GTE's rural exchanges, and they sent out letters about all the great things they intend to do. And I'm sure they will, too, but not likely to happen in my lifetime.

I don't have a helicopter "pad" at my place, but there'd sure be no trouble landing right in the middle of my pasture./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[ERNIEB]

How about a hot air balloon instead? When I first moved out here, on my leisure days I got in the habit of spending the mornings sitting around drinking coffee in my boxer shorts. We're so isolated out here that if I needed to run outdoors for some reason, I just slipped on a pair of flip-flops and out I'd go. One morning I went out to get something out of the truck, and I hear this strange noise, that seemed to be coming from above. I look up and sure enough it's a balloon just a little above tree top level. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif To make matters worse that morning I had on the pair with smiley faces/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. I was looking up at the people in the baloon and they were looking down at me/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif. They may have cracked up later, but at the time they were absolutely straight faced. I just nonchalantly strolled back into the house, like it was an everyday thing. Later I found out that some outfit gives balloon rides out in our area. Oh well, at least I didn't have on the pair with the big red hearts.
ErnieB

 

[Harv]

ErnieB -

Be thankful it was a balloon. If it had been a helicopter, the prop wash might have reduced your team of smiley faces to a single vertical smile. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[ERNIEB]

So true. But thanks to a little vacation Uncle Sugar sent me on back in 70, I've got a keen ear for the sound of a helicopter from a good distance. It be hard for one to sneak up on me.
ErnieB

 

[Harv]

ErnieB -

If you're talking about the vacation I think you are, I will not only not sneak up on you with a helicopter, but I think I owe you a debt of thanks. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[gordon]

Ditto on the debt of thanks to not only Ernie but to all that have served and that is an understatement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gordon