Highside

For ATP Flight School, only their ground school (ATP CTP) is VA approved. The flying portion is not. It says very explicitly on their website, I even called them to make sure. If you want to find a place where you can use your post 9/11 GI bill, go to this website: http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/buildSearchInstitutionCriteria.do;jsessionid=qtMbSxQFpzyL7GpnQrtnNGv6G9CGQQvb2YqM9Cvw3vB2pv2lXhfJ!-1531379871 and use the dropdown to select flight training then pick the state. You then have to drill down to find which exact programs are approved (CFII, ATP SE, ATP ME, commercial, etc...). THEN (and this is the important part) you have to actually call the school and ask them if they have an ATP ME VA approved course. Just as an example in my state (CA) there are 9 schools that are VA approved for ATP ME, and TWO, I repeat TWO that actually offer that training. As a side note, you MUST have your COE and a current class 1 to start training. Good luck, I still haven't done mine but will start training in a couple weeks.

I have $1500 of block time (use for aircraft/instructor time) left that I am not going to use at Encore Flight Academy (Van Nuys, CA). I'll sell it for $1000. PM me if you want it. They fly Piper Seminoles for the ATP, also have single engine airplanes. They are not the most full service ATP school out there, but they are CHEAP, check out their rates online. Expect to check with Mark Boss.

Can't wait for the new On Any Sunday! I'm racing the Lake Elsinore GP tomorrow, a throwback to the first On Any Sunday video.

We lost a really really good guy. I know people always say this, but Moose was one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I'm just shocked and saddened.

The 370th FLTS is currently advertising a job for a KC-135 IP AGR. Maj position so Captains/Majors can apply. This is a great, very small squadron with a fun job in the local area supporting test. No deployments and living in Southern California. See REAMO for application instructions and rules. Feel free to contact me with questions about the unit, but don't ask how to apply, that information is clearly spelled out on the REAMO site.

Just so you know, your visual ID skills ARE accurate, that IS a MiG-17. Although it is parked out there, as of yet, it is not being flown by the staff/students. We do bring in a MiG-15 for each class. I was the program manager that owned all the contracts for our civilian contracted aircraft (except CALSPAN), from 2010 until early this year. In my opinion it was the coolest job in the Air Force, and the qualitative evaluation program was consistently one of the students' favorite parts of TPS.

Colorado has a great supermoto scene and you can get a supermoto bike with a dirt setup too and have all kinds of fun!

Glad to see nothing has changed since I took chemistry there over 20 years ago. I think we lost 20+ freshmen in a single chemistry cheating event.

That feellikeapro looks like a blast! I am a Willow Springs aficionado, but I have turned a few laps around Laguna as well. I actually raced the AMA Pro Supersport race at Laguna in 2012 which was pretty much the highlight of my motorcycling life. It would be fun to ride on those 250s, I would highly recommend it! I get shivers when that track first comes into view, it is just an unbelievable layout and I've got some great memories there. I've attached a picture of me (#713) in the middle of the corkscrew with Stephano Mesa (#37) and Jake Lewis (#85) during qualifying to get you psyched up!

Nice looking bike! I have no idea why anybody would ride a motorcycle on the roads anyway. It's too dangerous and the cops get all pissy when you drag your knees on the on ramps. I've ridden most of the tracks in TX but been in SoCal for the past 4 years. I'm partial to TWS but Harris Hill has a great grippy surface. Looks like I'll be traveling from SoCal to Altus for some KC-135 qual action in a month but I'll be bringing my supermoto/motocross/flat track bikes and I'll be hunting out some tracks in the OK/North Tx area. I'd offer to hit the road circuits with you but don't currently have a road bike. Got any suggestions for some Sumo/flat track racing?

Someone post a picture so I don't have to google it too.

I'll be on a CRF450r.. heavily modified! Just found out we will be jumping through the Caesars palace marquee.

In Vegas this coming weekend? The USA Pro Supermoto and Robbie Gordon's Stadium Super Truck series are teaming up with Caesar's Palace to bring racing back to the Strip (It's been a while)! They are actually building a track with jumps right in front of Caesar's Palace on the Strip for one event on Friday November 8th. It is going to be Epic! Oh, and I'll be racing supermoto at this event, I'll be on a black bike #76 so come cheer on an Air Force guy as I take on the best in the country and stop by and say hi. Practice and qualifying start in the afternoon and the racing starts when the sun goes down at about 6:30. If you miss the race I think it will be on NBC sports so check it out there if you have that channel. Here's a link http://stadiumsupertrucks.com/ssts/

I just had PRK 6 days ago and was put on a 4 month steroid drop taper for what was a minimal laser correction (-1.5/-1.75). Seems excessive, but was told by the doctor at the laser refractive surgery center that I could RTFS while still on the drops as long as my vision stabilized. This conflicted with my local eye doc who says he cannot send up the waiver until I am off the eye drops. Seems like they are confused.

I use an an Aprilia SXV 450 to cross train with supermoto. I can comfortably go into corners at 80 mph.. sideways.. on pavement. And then hit a 40' tabletop. Not a tank.

This weekend marks the start of the 2013 AMA Pro Roadracing season. Catch the Daytona 200 on Speed TV this weekend. If you are a motorcycle rider you will love watching these guys!

FYI, I qualified for and finished my first AMA pro race. Not bad for an active duty pilot. I've been racing since 2000 and always battling commanders who didn't understand. I've only been seriously injured once, and that was during a non-flying assignment so I can say I've never missed a flight due to my hobby in 12 years. I'll be at Laguna Seca in July running AMA supersport, I'm #713. If anybody will be there, stop by and say hi! If anybody has a business they want to promote on my bike in front of 50,000+ fans, maybe we can work a deal because I have NO sponsorship!

Got my team put together and I'm currently at Miller doing some club racing getting ready for next weekend. Don't know if I'll make NOLA but I'll be at Laguna for sure. I'd love to do Austin, so I might see you there next year. My AMA number is 713.

Any club racers or racing enthusiasts planning on going to the AMA/WSB races at Miller Motorsports Park over Memorial Day weekend? How would you like to be part of the show instead of spectating? I'm attempting to qualify for my first AMA supersport race and could use 1 more crew member. No real skill needed, just hauling stuff from the trailer to pit wall, putting on tire warmers etc. You should be at least vaguely familiar with motorcycle racing so you don't do something stupid and get me in trouble! I've got a capable crew chief (hopefully) lined up along with one other person, but could use 1-2 more bodies. I'll take care of your credentials (access anywhere) and food etc so you don't have to buy tickets or anything.. Still pending commitment from my crew chief, a long time AMA superbike racer until 2010. PM me or email me at "jonappelt "at" yahoo".

No I don't think there is a catch. I'm almost done, it has been a pain in the ass but I know it is waaaaay easier than the "real" masters degree that my brother got taking night classes at Carnegie Mellon. I still have the final research paper to do and I know it will take a bit of work. I think this masters is probably harder than ERAU or AMU or something, but this one is totally free and you don't have to mess with tuition assistance or any of that crap. All you do is click the mouse a few times, fill in your info and bam, you are taking your first class. And remember, this program fills TWO squares at once, Masters and ACSC, Bonus! I think one of the reasons a lot of people shy away from this program is I'm sure the degree is pretty much useless in the real world (although it is accredited, whatever that means). I personally don't care. I have talked to a lot of people trying to convince them to try it out because I personally think it's a good deal to fill squares. The other good thing is you can slow roll the program. I took a year off of classes just because I was sick of it, then I just went online and clicked "enroll" and I was back at it again. Nice! It's going to end up taking me about 2 1/2 years but can't think of an easier more flexible way to do your masters/ACSC crap. Bad side is it's cutting into my motorcycle racing, but I give myself at least one day per weekend for practice!

I've been min-running the program, and I've got 4 more classes to go. Lot's of reading assigned, but you have the question beforehand so you can focus your reading in order to just be able to answer the question. No problems getting A's and I'm not a very academically inclined person, my college GPA was 2.6. Most of the classes are repetitive and boring, but some of it is interesting. I'm just doing it to check the boxes... It's a pain in the ass, but I can't think of an easier/cheaper way to get it done. I would recommend signing up.

RIP Marco. Football, soccer, baseball, hockey, basketball, etc.. require skill. Motorcycle racing requires skill and courage, Simoncelli has reminded us of this. We will miss you.

Now that the Defense Authorization Bill has passed the Senate (awaiting signature), anyone more savvy on the issue care to weigh in on whether the Pilot Bonus will be available this year. A cursory glance seems to indicate no changes to retention bonuses...

Why be a victim when you can scam the scammers. Check out this site for lots of fun with the nigerians. http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/

Saw an email a few months ago that the FAA was batting the idea around to give military IPs a CFI (again) as long as all the appropriate tests are taken. Anybody know the status of this or know where to look?