Boredom + AE = Innovation (?)

Started by Brad, January 10, 2008, 11:10:42 PM

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Brad

Ok, so seems like another quiet night at work, so I just fired off an email to the cadets with regards to an idea I have. Just wanting to quiz them on their AE stuffs. Now I'm looking for opinions, or just looking to share in case my fellow AE buddies out there are hard-pressed for something to do:

QuoteCadets, I know Christmas is behind us now, but here's a rather interesting poem
I found out on the web:

'Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tiedowns with care,
In hopes that come morning, they all would be there.

The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.

When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.

He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was "St. Nick".
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.

He called his position, no room for denial,
"St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final."
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!

With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid!" What pills was he takin'?

While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their head,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour:
"When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower."

He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard "Left at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking."
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh
And stopped on the ramp with a "Ho, ho-ho-ho..."

He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.

His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.

He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to "fill it, with hundred low-lead."
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was anxious for drainin' the sump.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.

And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, "Clear!"

And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion"

He sped down the runway, the best of the best, "
Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west."
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed thru the night,
"Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight."

Merry Xmas to all.


Ok, so, nice little poem, right? Well, to keep things interesting, I've devised
a little short quiz on some elements in the poem. The first cadet to contact me
via email or phone with the correct answers will receive a reward at a meeting.
Not sure which meeting, but I'm shooting for our next AE night.

Winner will be announced at the meeting so as to encourage everyone to complete
the quiz. I will send you back the appropriate answers for incorrect questions,
and we will also go over them at the next AE meeting.

This is open-book, however I highly encourage you all to attempt as many
questions as you can without looking things up; you'd be surprised how much you
know!


1.)  What type of aircraft is a Champ? Jet or Turboprop?
2.) "With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots." How would you see this line given
in a METAR? Note: omit the non-gusting windspeed by substituting "XX"
3.) What's a glideslope?
4.) What are fixes?  (ex: "Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!")
5.) Who or what is "Charlie"?
6.) What is "three-oh"?
7.) What's a "squawk"?
8.) "Take [...] Charlie, the southbound direction, Turn right three-two-zero at
pilot's discretion"   What does this phrase mean?
9.) "I have traffic in sight."  What does this mean?

------------
//Signed//
SM Brad Lee, CAP
AEO
MER-SC-020

Just trying to motivate 'em, heh. By the way, I found the poem on the CAPblog site.
Brad Lee
Maj, CAP
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications
Mid-Atlantic Region
K4RMN