From the Flight Deck

Wow Doug! You are quite the talented guy no doubt. If you ever needed another career, you could make a killing in home renovations:)! Where the heck did/do you find the time for all these projects?! You must also be incredibly efficient, flying as much as you do. Excellent work!

Christer

Christer.

That's one perk of being an airline pilot...days off.

It's been constantly raining here and it's driving "number one" nuts because she can't get her
worker out to build a deck.

So finding time is not the issue....but funding can be.
Heck, I do that too. :))))

And speaking of hands...do you have insurance for your "tools of the trade?"

You mentioned your projects...one cut or bad splinter could affect your play.

I guess it's like actors/models insuring their assets....ahem... :)

Yeah, I hear you as for funding being an issue- ideas and wants are ofter bigger than the pocket book eh?! :)

As for hands- I don't have mine insured, although it may be a good idea. My instrument sure is though. I'm always careful when doing other projects, but in the end, there is no sense in being paranoid. I just remind myself not to get too comfortable or lazy with what I'm doing and it works out alright. A little patience and foresight goes a long way. It's when you get a little too comfortable, or overly cautious that accidents happen:) Like most things in life, you've gotta find the right balance.

I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty though- I like a good project every now and then.

You're right about the weather- the wife and I were up in your neck of the woods this weekend and were treated to a non-stop texture-less sky and drizzle. The cold was also not very welcoming. Sure hope it clears up for you soon!

Nice work, Capt. Doug! Christer is right, if you ever tire of flying I guess you can go do home renovations. You could even exercise your TV persona and give Mike Holmes a run for his money.

On that last picture of the joystick .... is that the tiller beside it? You've written about the Airbus being steered on the ground by a small tiller mechanism and I've always had a hard time picturing it in my mind. Would that be it?

Cheers

Craig R

Craig R. That's indeed the tiller! The F/O has one as well, but it's policy the captain taxis the airplane. If I hit something, it's my neck they will be after. :))))

And speaking of Craig Holmes, "diesel daughter" has a picture with him sitting on the tail gate of a pick up truck. I'll stop there.....

Now there's an idea for a DIY show....airline pilot does renos on days off. Will jet lag get in the way?
Can he measure twice and cut once accurately enough? Will he tell the owner "to pound sand" due to lack of sleep or will he exercise CRM?"

When I did overseas I had a policy of not running saws until a day later. But "number one" thought differently....:)))))

Very cool. And the red button on the joystick? Is that the guns?

:-)

If I recall correctly, the red button disengages the A/P?

I must say you are truly a man of all trades! Great work there Captain!

If I make it into your profession, I probably would not give up on writing. It is always fun to enjoy two favorite jobs together.

Wannabe Mike ~

Craig R

The red button WAS used to pretend we had guns when we had young visitors pre 9/11.

But like "Mike" says, it's one way to disconnect the autopilot.

So no guns then? That's too bad. Could be a great way to prevent damage from bird strikes.

Sorry ... in a silly mood today.

Craig R

If you didn't become a pilot ( I know it was inevitable but I put a big IF ), would you have become a carpenter? You seem to do a very good job at things like that.

My brother is a certified carpenter and is going back to school in September to start electrical/plumbing. I can see it now... I'll be relaxing by the pool and he'll be inside renovating my house doing the hard work :)

Good jobs with the renos both my father and my brother are quite handy with the tools one been a retired math prof and the other is a CMA. My self I can't draw a straight line with a ruler,lol. Anyways I will be flying this saturday to visit my sister in Calgary for a week. I,ll be flying AC of course you can spot me wearing a retro TCA baseball cap. Take care and happy flying, Chris.

Chris. Thanks for flying AC! I'll be in YHZ. :)

Daniel.

I probably would have stayed in meteorology. Didn't think I could handle being a doctor but after
bringing three kids up and the sights you see and the things you experience makes you realize..."I could do that."

Always did like building things. When I was 10 or 12 I built my first "fort." At age 13 I had my first job helping build a house from the foundation up. At age 15 I started my painting career. What is legal working age in Canada? :)

Carpentry would be fun. Though I must watch myself. One A340 skipper lost half his thumb on a table saw and another
pilot lost his eye with a nail.

I always thought in this stage in my life, I would be yelling "fore."

But "number one" likes to see paintbrushes, shovels, hammers and saws in my hand instead of golf clubs. :)

Captain Doug,

Great looking projects, you certainly have many talents, including adding plenty of value to your beautiful home.

I recently read both the article that Aviatrix wrote, as well as your response on your own blog. It is unfortunate that someone would critically comment on someone who has every right to blog about what she wanted. I'll admit that I skipped over some of her 'non-aviation' topics, but she certainly has every right to blog about what she wants. She is also a very talented writer, like yourself, and I'm sure is a fine pilot.

If you and Aviatrix both leave the blogging world, we'll all lose two of the best writers on the internet...and all for a comment that was made in poor taste.

YYC Dispatcher

YYC Dispatcher.

I think most people have MANY talents. Problem is...many don't realize it. LOL

As far as Aviatrix, both her and I figure she is #1 here in Canada as far as readership.

She sent me a glowing response today and I almost started to cry. I was in the grocery store and
had to stop reading my blackberry.

I was so upset no one from A.C is acknowledging her resume, that I emailed a "heavy hitter" pilot manager.

He said all he could do was confirm she is in the system.

I did respond...VERY DIPLOMATICALLY..."it's a pity AC gives me the keys to a $60 million airplane, but we can't have any say who we fly with. :))))
But I realize you must get this same complaint all the time."

Thanks for your kind words!

For that....I owe you another beer. LOL

And thanks for checking in.

Captain Doug with the keys to a $60 million machine.

P.S For those wondering, there are no keys to an airliner. :)

Doug, those are amazing pics. You are definitely a superstar in the air and the backyard! I need to do some renos at our place; you interested in giving me a quote...lol.. all cash :)

HI Mark. My neighbour asked the same thing. :)

Actually, the way the weather is, I should be building an ark! L

Whaow Captain, you are a handy man! It's really looking good!

Bas. We had a comedy T.V show here in Canada called the "Red Green show."

He would mock the handyman to the nth degree! He brought to the forefront, the many uses
of duct tape. :)

One of his lines was...."if the women don't find you handsome..they should at least find you handy."

Yes, I've overused that line quite a bit. :)

But thanks for the kind words, Bas.

Hey Capt Doug at lest you will not be on Canada's Worst Handy Man.

Chris. You haven't seen ALL my projects. LOL

Hey Doug, please don't knock the many and varied uses of "Duck Tape". That, except ours was black and we call(ed) it bogde-tape, held many an RAF aircraft together. Oh, and "alloooominum" speed tape, with a little bit of "double-bond" thrown in for good measure. Who needs fasteners, rivets and autoclaves? A half roll of "black bodge" - it'll do a trip. When I was selected for a very specialist training course the joining instructions included at the end of the long list of stuff we had to take:

Tape, waterproof, adhesive, heavy duty - "Black-Bodge" - 2 off rolls. If we didn't have them we didn't pass the course.

BTW, do you use Binford Tools - More Power than a CFM-56 in overdrive - as endorsed by Tim "the Toolman" Taylor?

Foggy.

We can now get duct tape in black instead of the standard grey. So you call it "bodge-tape?" Interesting. :)

And yes, we have our "speed tape" over here. We pilots chuckle when we read it was fixed with "speed tape."

Funny you should mention tools...I was doing the "Tim the Toolman" grunt when I bought a 12 inch 15 amp mitre saw.
(My other one, that's been on a ton of projects had an angle issue. Funny I thought it was just my cuts).

Anyway, you could hear the "oh, oh, oh" through the neighbourhood when I flashed that puppy up.

So that's Diesel Daughter.
[gorgeous; absolutely]
________________________

As I look at the photos, what's remarkable to me is that you are able to build these things, even though you have not had the opportunity to train as a general contractor. A Mike Holmes. A natural ability, for sure.
__________

How important was mechanical aptitude when you were learning to fly? The small planes, and then the big ones?

Oops. Did it again. "D" is me.

"D" (Daniel) Yes, we tried to get her into modelling, and yes I spent the money, with promises, promises, promises. Maybe one day?

Thanks for the kind words. I do like building things....well at least "number one" likes me building things.

Mechanical aptitude? Well, at least a small dosage of it is required. The smaller the airplanes, the more is needed.

The bigger the airplane the more the "big picture" is needed.

Thanks for dropping by. :)))

Captain "D"

Fascinating. That the smaller the aircraft [less complex ones; not military jets, I assume], the more vital it is to possess a mechanical aptitude.

well, i didnt see anyone else say it! your daughter is very good looking!

im gonna admit i didnt pay a huge amount of attention to the other projects :p

hope all is well, and if you havent been following, i got the job, flying the canadian super trooper.

mike

Michael.

I'm surprised no one else mentioned my daughter either. Luckily you are in Australia. LOL

I took a look at your blog. Looks like that is a DASH 8 from the photo although I didn't see it written anywhere.

Never heard the Dash 8 referenced as the "super trooper" but it sure is.

You'll enjoy it! Seems like your career is coming along nicely!

Thanks for checking in from "down under."

Doug