Kathy's Journey, vol 2

[Dawn Kellie]

I flew the CT-114 Tutor, a Canadian designed and built trainer from the early 1960s.  They were retired from training in 2000, but the RCAF's demonstration team, the Snowbirds, still fly them.

The snowbirds have a different meaning in Florida. I snowbird is a person that lives in the north during the summer and Florida in the winter. As a whole they are very unpopular. Our car accidents go up and getting in to a doctor is near impossible

[KathyLauren]

The snowbirds have a different meaning in Florida. I snowbird is a person that lives in the north during the summer and Florida in the winter. As a whole they are very unpopular. Our car accidents go up and getting in to a doctor is near impossible

Yes, we have the same meaning here.  In fact the primary meaning is a Canadian who spends the winter in Florida.  By analogy other northerners are included too.  The term, whether referring to the air demonstration team or to vacationers, comes from the Anne Murray song "Snowbird", which was insanely popular here in the 1970s.

[Stottie Girl]

I've never been sure why military aerobatic teams often opt for training aircraft instead of front line fighters. UK's red arrows used the Folland Gnat and the BAC Hawk, The french use Alpha jets, Italians Aermacchi.

Is it a cost thing or are they significantly more manouverable?

I suppose the americans buck the trend with their f/A 18 hornets.

[Dawn Kellie]

USAF Thunderbirds use the F-16c.

US Navy use the F/A 18 super Hornet

Both front line aircraft.

[Stottie Girl]

USAF Thunderbirds use the F-16c.

US Navy use the F/A 18 super Hornet

Both front line aircraft.

Blue Angels and I don't know the name of the other one. America always does things differently!

Actually the Russian Knights used to use front line fighters too. I saw them in the 90's after the fall of the Soviet Union, before we ended up back in a cold war.

[Dawn Kellie]

As an Airman I'm hurt you never heard of the Thunderbirds. 😤.
They obviously need a better PR firm. They are the Airforce equivalent of the Blie Angles

[KathyLauren]

I've never been sure why military aerobatic teams often opt for training aircraft instead of front line fighters. UK's red arrows used the Folland Gnat and the BAC Hawk, The french use Alpha jets, Italians Aermacchi.

Is it a cost thing or are they significantly more manouverable?

I suppose the americans buck the trend with their f/A 18 hornets.

The main reasons are cost, availability, and show performance.  Trainers use significantly less fuel than fighters, and are cheaper per hour to maintain.  Most air forces have many more trainers than fighters.  When they are taken off training duty, the ones in better shape can be reassigned to demonstration teams. 

Trainers give a more enjoyable show from the spectators' point of view.  When a fighter jet, flying at 500 knots does a loop, it climbs so high that it becomes a tiny dot.  If it does a level turn, it will quickly be in the next county.  A trainer, flying at 250 knots can turn within the airport fence, and is easily visible at the top of a loop.

[ChrissyRyan]

Kathy,


I do hope everything related to the sale of your house and your move goes extremely well.



Chrissy

[KathyLauren]

Kathy,


I do hope everything related to the sale of your house and your move goes extremely well.



Chrissy

Thanks, Chrissy!  As a matter of fact, our buyers removed the last of their conditions today, so the sale is final.  Now the packing begins!

[Dawn Kellie]

Congratulations. I don't envy you the packing and the move.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Congratulations!

I hate packing and moving, but a fresh start is always welcome.

[Dances With Trees]

That is such great news, Kathy!

[Stottie Girl]

Thanks, Chrissy!  As a matter of fact, our buyers removed the last of their conditions today, so the sale is final.  Now the packing begins!

I don't think I'm going to be far behind you Kathy. My buyers queries are all answered. Just waiting for the sellers respose from where I'm going.

[KathyLauren]

On another thread, someone mentioned grieving for the experiences we missed out on growing up as the wrong gender.  Here's a trivial one that came up for me: I don't know anything about many "beauty" products.  (Told you it was trivial! 😄 )

Hair conditioner.  "What the heck does it do?"  "Well, it conditions your hair.  Duh!"  Maybe it's because I have a scientific mind, or maybe it's because I am a bit autistic, but that tells me nothing.  A product name should at least give some hint as to its purpose.  Imagine if salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard were all referred to as food conditioners.  Factually correct, but spectacularly uninformative.  "Pass the food conditioner, please."  "Which one?"  "The one that conditions food.  Duh!"

Okay, I figured it out with help from Google's AI.  But it's the sort of thing that girls being raised as girls are taught, and that girls being raised as boys are not. 

I am probably not going to run out and buy hair conditioner.  I may not have known what it was for, but I sure can tell when someone has used it.  The fumes burn my eyes and sinuses.

I came across another similar one today: body lotion.  My wife asked me if I used body lotion.  Um, no.  Aside from the fact that she has never seen me buy any and never seen any empty bottles in the garbage, why would I?  Is there some ailment that I have for which body lotion is a cure?  Who would know?  Only someone who was taught when they were young that body lotion is used for ... whatever.  People being raised as boys don't get taught that.

Again, Google AI came to the rescue.  Turns out that it is something that I might try some time.

Not all the experiences we miss out on when we are raised as the wrong gender are momentous.  Some are, but some are trivial.  But all of them give us reminders that we did miss out.  I just acknowledge that yes, it sucks, but life goes on.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I remember as a kid, "conditioner" was called "creme rinse". That's even less clear!

I do use conditioner, as my hair is dry and curly, so it gets tangled easily. I am not big on lotions because I don't like having a greasy feeling on my skin, especially my hands. Fine gold can float on water if it comes in contact with oils, so I keep it away from my hands.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

I guess I must be a bit odd in this case as I used conditioner all my life in boymode. But then i did also go to proper salons for my hair to be coloured and styled.

But youre right about missing out on stuff. Now its simple stuff like putting hair in a bun...how?

Charlotte 😻

[Stottie Girl]

I've always used conditioner like from when I was a little kid. I didn't realise until much later in life that it wasn't something men used really. I just like the feeling of hair after I've used conditioner. Do I actually know what it does? Hmm nothing more than a vague idea that it "nourishes" the hair from root to tip but as you said that doesn't really explain things.

I've used hand cream for the last 20 years but that was because I was doing a manual job and needed to recover the feeling in the skin. Since going onto HRT all that hard skin on my hands and knees has vanished and I have lovely smooth hands again. I love the feeling!

Body lotion falls into the whole moisturising skin care thing though. It's not something I have bothered with except when the weather is very cold. They say it stops you aging but in all honesty, I think I'm not really looking my age at 50, people often comment on it so it does make me think this market is full of snake oil salesmen.

[davina61]

I have dry skin and hair so use both but only the hair one since I grew out what I have (not enough at the front centre).

[ChrissyRyan]

I condition my hair every day.  I use a hair cleaner or shampoo less often.
You can over shampoo but unlikely to ever over condition it.

Chrissy

[KathyLauren]

I just like the feeling of hair after I've used conditioner. Do I actually know what it does? Hmm nothing more than a vague idea that it "nourishes" the hair from root to tip but as you said that doesn't really explain things.

Just for my own understanding, and to supplement Google's limited knowledge, what is the feeling of your hair after using conditioner?  That's the part that no one ever says out loud, and that leaves me puzzled.  Women, almost universally, seem to use conditioner, but no one says why.

Why do the companies make it?  To sell product and make money.  How does it do whatever it does?  Probably something like nourishing the hair.  But what is the effect on the hair?  "That, my child, is one of the great mysteries of life.  If I told you, I'd have to kill you.  Just buy it and use it and don't ask questions." 

Don't mind me: I'm just being nerdy.  This is just one of my pet peeves.