Ol' Thirty-Three

Okay, I know that this blog is supposed to be about airplanes and flying, so I apologize to the 1-2 people that give me the time of day. However, if you've been reading, you will know that I am interested in all things mechanical and engineerish. Planes are #1.....but trains are a pretty close #2......So, yesterday, I'm sitting in the control room looking at agitator speeds and pump flowrates and other stuff and I HEAR IT. The musical harmonies of a real, honest-to-goodness STEAM WHISTLE! This was no normal air horn from a diesel-electric locomotive! I jumped up, ran out of the control room, grabbed my camera, and booked it out to the railroad tracks running behind my place of employment.

Joy of joys.....wonder of wonders....could it be true? It sure was! Ol' 33 was doing some speed tests down the Ohio Central mainline in Coshocton. It was about 25°F out, so the steam was aflyin' - it looked really cool. Was I made fun of? You betcha. Did I get to stand 25 feet from a huge steam engine going "phffff-phfff-phff-phfff-phffff"? You bet your shorts I did! Man....Kendall and I decided at that moment we were going to quit our jobs, move out west, and be REAL engineers for the Union Pacific....hauling some big loads over the mountains. Pull the big trains, see the wild country, fight off indians, rescue pioneers, shoot banditos....it was gonna be great. Snap back to reality....what time is it? Time for another decant! Hey, Kendall.....is the steam on yet? Stupid freezing temperatures....

777-200LR Worldliner

I won't pull a JNW and post 6 hi-res photos of obscure planets and moons (very pretty photos, by the way) but I just wanted to include a few nice shots of the 777-200LR and the AWESOME 115,000lb thrust GE-90's that power this fantastic aircraft.

Note the raked wingtips - they improve aerodynamic efficiency

Sweet fisheye photo of the underside

Photo of a GE90-115 engine run-up test (mounted on a 747-200 test aircraft). Dag, yo! Them rocks be FLYIN'!

Record-Setting Day

A historic day today in aviation history. November 10th, 2005 - a world record flight made by the 777-200LR "Worldliner" from Hong Kong (HKG) to London Heathrow (LHR) non-stop.....the HARD WAY. Distance traveled was 11,664 nautical miles and the flight time was 22 hours, 42 minutes. Normally, this flight is made over the Asian continent, and is normally a very standard 6000nm flight, about 12-14hrs flight time. To make it a little interesting, Boeing decided to fly east from HKG instead of west. Check out the two routes, courtesy of Great Circle Mapper

The Short Way


The Long Way (well, pretty close except for the LAX-JFK leg)


Check out the Seattle Post Intelligencer article. I especially like the comparison to the Wright Bros. flight in 1905 that traveled 24 miles in 38 minutes, 20 seconds. 100 years makes quite a difference, huh?

Goodbye Workmans

A popular Coshocton dining establishment, the Workman's Restaurant is closing after 66 years. This place was a gem, a classic 1950's blast from the past where "menus were for women", where my cousin JD had his pocket picked, where you could order items like "Johnny Marzetti" or "chipped beef on toast". I wish I had know about this place sooner and could've enjoyed more smoky meals there, but that's the way it goes. Goodbye Workmans. *Sniff*