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CHRISTOPIA

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Dreams in Spaaaace!

March 7th 2012 19:02

Hey everyone,

Check out this site and PLEASE vote for me and I promise I'll blog about it. I'll also take requests while I'm up there so if you want me to do something in space I'll record it and post it to my blog.

Really Long Link

I've been all over the world and 49 out of 50 states but never into SPACE! Help me go where no blog has gone before.

More on flight training soon!

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March 04 2010 Appleton WI

March 4th 2012 21:58

Many of my friends have asked me what goes into being an airline pilot. Well I thought that as I begin training here I would attempt to satisfy the curiosity of those readers.

By the time most pilots get to the airlines they have already been training in the military for eight years or paid for their own training and have been teaching as flight instructors. These days as airlines fold and pilots look for jobs more and more pilot applicants have had experience at other airlines. Five of the six students in my class come from other scheduled airlines (known in the industry as part 121) or on demand airlines (known as part 135.)

If you pass the interview you go on to training. In most cases this consists of two weeks of indoctrination where you will learn about the company and company operations. After indoc there's two weeks of systems training where you learn all you need to know about the aircraft you will by flying, from it's limitations to emergency procedures to all the different performance characteristics of all the different systems. This is normally followed by Cockpit procedures training and simulator training where for two weeks the instructors place you through an intense emergency simulation series. Assuming you survive your line training begins and you start flying for the company as a first officer.

My first impressions is that this place is a great place to work. Everyone has been super friendly even though we are the new guys. We met with all the senior staff on our first day and they all welcomed us to Air Wisconsin. As a commuter airline we support U.S. Airways and supply the smaller destinations into the main hubs at Washington, Charlotte, New York and Philadelphia. As with any airline things are SUPER busy for new trainees. On top of all the normal benefits, uniform and other housekeeping items there is daily homework on the company as well as aircraft limitation and emergency procedures which we are all striving to memorize. In all there are 6 manuals that need to be committed to memory.

Just some of the information that needs to be committed to memory.

Benefits include being able to ride along on any empty seat the airline has. So I could conceivably fly to a tropical destination (which would be great for you readers) and give reviews on places that Air Wisconsin/U.S. Airways flies. I'll try to write updates as training goes forward.

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December 9, 2011

December 9th 2011 18:40

Today Stacy and I flew from Chicago to Orlando to see Universal Studios. Now normally we avoid going to Orlando as we do not yet have children and having lived in Florida before we find it to be something of a tourist trap. On the other hand there was an airline pilot job fair there held by the good people of Airline Apps.com

Stacy is using me for my body...and bait.

I'm searching for a new position as first officer on an airliner and Stacy and I hope that it will lead to a life full of travel and excitement. In any case I had not been to Universal before and Stacy said I would definitely enjoy it. She is an expert on things that I enjoy so I figured it would be a good idea. Besides, seeing as we presently live in central Illinois, just about anywhere is exciting.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency attached to the Orlando International Airport. We had a scenic view overlooking the security gate. The amenities were great and we had access to the rooftop pool which we spent hours in under the watchful eyes of the air traffic control tower. I really hope they are not distracted by all the girls in bikinis out here.

Don't like your kids? the E.T. ride at universal is a great way to trade them in for ones you do.

Universal is a great place to take kids. They have an E.T. ride where you can "fly" with E.T. like you always dreamed of doing as a kid. Do kids today even know who E.T. is? I'm guessing this is more a chance to relive nostalgia for the parents. They also have a Men In Black ride in which you shoot laser guns at aliens. I didn't see a little girl with a nuclear physics text though. As with all theme parks in Orlando there is an evening parade. Probably every single girl in the park is dressed as a candy cane on one of these floats. I'm guessing these are unpaid internships for college kids. We had Lunch at Cheese Burger in Paradise. It was just like any other cheeseburger but 50% more. The tickets to get in were $90 for the two of us. This combined with a $50 meal reminds me why I prefer to travel abroad rather than in the U.S. For $50 more we could have spend two days in a five star resort in Asia with meals. Still if you have a family the theme parks of central Florida are literally designed with you in mind.

All the single ladies

To finish we took the city bus over to Downtown Disney. This was by far the cheapest part of the trip and we would highly recommend it. Round trip was about 90 minutes and $4.00 for the two of us.We ate a Bongos which is a restaurant owned by Gloria Estefan. I had the Pork Asado and I thought it was fabulous. Portions are on the large size so come hungry and again meals for the two of us ran about $40.00 but compared to a $12 hot dog in the park it was a great deal.

Part of Disney's new security conscious image. "You will eat this and you will like it!"

As far as vacations go if you have a kids I would recommend Universal and Bongos. Pack a lunch if you can as park food is robbery. If you don't have kids pass on everything here. Except maybe Bongos...mmmm. Bongos.

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September 24, 2011

September 24th 2011 20:36

The Catalina 'Accomplished'

Today Justin, Sheena and I set out to sail Lake Michigan on the 40 foot Catalina "Accomplished". When we arrived at the dock we were a little worried that it was cloudy, rainy and we could see active waterspouts. Of course when has the weather ever kept us from having a good time? Luckily, Henry the boats captain showed up and we had a nice long talk about his work as a lawyer and his international travels including Kosovo during the war in the Balkans. Evidently Henry has been to several conflict countries helping to reestablish the rule of law

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September 17, 2011

September 17th 2011 17:53

Hey Everyone,

Some exciting things are coming up on Christopia soon. Next week if the weather holds we'll be going sailing on Lake Michigan! Stay tuned for more pics and stories.

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July 9, 2011 Boracay Philippines

July 16th 2011 18:19

Started another wonderful day with a wreck dive on the Camia. It's the wreck of a cargo ship sunk off the coast of Boracay to create an artificial reef. It was sunk almost 10 years ago to form an artificial reef for tourism divers like myself. It really makes you appreciate how slowly coral grows. The wreck is sitting upright and intact in about 20m of water. There's always an eerie feeling as you dive down towards a wreck and the shadows around you transform into this huge ship. There were a cloud of fish over the ship including grouper, bait fish, and a couple HUGE coronet fish. We also saw an animal that I believe is my first nudibranch. It was about the size of a dime and moved by swimming in a flying pattern. It looks like a little Flamenco dancer as it moves

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July 8, 2011 Boracay, Philippines

July 14th 2011 00:13

20 years ago I was with my family on vacation in the Philippines when we took a boat to the pristine island of Boracay. Back then it was a white sand beach that had a handful of tourists on it. We stayed in one of eight Nipa huts on the island and slept under a mosquito net. There was one bar on the island where you could order food. Last week I went back to Boracay with my friend Laura. I thought I would see how the island has changed over the years.

Boracay is accessible by air from Manila or boat from Caticlan. Websites will tell you that you can fly into Kalibo which is the largest nearby city. That's what I did but let me tell you that it is over an hour away by van or bus. That's two hours you could be sitting on the beach. Better to travel from Caticlan I think. For one thing it will prevent your van driver from having to stop for lunch to wait for more passengers and will keep you from being irate right before your vacation. Not that this happened to me. I'm known for being very patient... not. The van ride is about 200php which is only around $4 but is still a little high compared to similar length trips in my opinion

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Three Trails you will love to Hike

May 22nd 2011 13:22

The world is filled with great places to hike and camp. Difficulty can range from easy day hikes on flat ground to difficult uphill climbs in rugged terrain. No matter whether you enjoy a leisurely stroll in nature or the sense of accomplishment that comes with something more challenging, here are three places that you will absolutely love to hike.

Larapinta Trail, Australia

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Ten Cities You Must See in Asia

April 10th 2011 20:31

1. Bankok, Thailand- The most popular city in Asia for tourism, Thailand not only has favorable exchange rates with Western currencies but is home to the epic historic temples of Wat Pho, Wat Suthat and Wat Saket. While there, make sure you see the Grand Palace, the official residence of the King and Queen of Thailand. For more information see: http://gothailand.about.com/ or Really Long Link

2. Singapore- Known worldwide for its great shopping and economic prosperity, Singapore is a culturally diverse city state composed of Indian, Chinese, Arab and Malay ethnic groups. The city’s Orchard Road district has some of the best deals in Asia and is a booming hub for business, shopping and restaurants. For more information see: Really Long Link or Really Long Link
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Best Diving in the Philippines

April 9th 2011 20:27

Best diving in the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago nation located just to the Northeast of Indonesia. It is highly regarded as having the best scuba diving in the world. Here are my picks for the top three dive spots in the Philippines.

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