Aerial Photography

27-Dec-2012 (KOA)

Yesterday was the day once again for an annual aerial photo flight at Kona.  I’ve gone up every year between Christmas and New Year’s since 2004.  In the beginning these flights were only done at Kona to capture the crowded conditions we see on the ramps during the holiday break.  Eventually a separate annual flight was scheduled at the Hilo airport too and the photo library became a useful tool for recording conditions and changes over the prior 12 months at both airports.  We also learned how to leverage the pictures for reports or whenever a case had to be made for project needs.  Images really do trump words every time.

2012 Video of the Year

It's tough to top a kitten being a kitten.



Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Senator Daniel K Inouye

Today Hawaii and the entire United States lost a true American hero, Sen. Daniel K. Inoye.  In ways that will go far beyond politics, the State of Hawai‘i, including the military, airline, travel, agricultural, aviation, science and high technology industries all gained much from the senator's tenure in office and his senior ranking on several of the most powerful committees in government.

The senator was a true American hero. He was a World War II veteran, a soldier in the 442nd, "Go For Broke", Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit for its size and length of service, in the entire history of the U.S. Military.  He lost his right arm in combat near San Terenzo, Italy and earned the highest military honor the country awards, the Congressional Medal of Honor.  He served in the Hawaii Territorial legislature after the war, and went on to represent Hawaii in Washington, D.C. when statehood came in 1959.  He was the most senior member of the Senate and third in line to the US presidency. 

I was fortunate enough to meet Senator Inouye on several occasions in connection with Hawaii Airports Division projects, including the siting and construction of the new FAA air traffic control tower at Kona, during a dedication for new ARFF vehicles at Kona, and at a briefing I prepared and delivered to him and his staff once during a Hawaii visit. 

Sen. Inouye was often a man of few words, but when he spoke they all had meaning.  When he listened he did so quietly and respectfully and you always knew he missed nothing.  He however, will be missed by many.

"Aloha" to you and RIP, Senator.

TS Repair Pau

All together again!

Today was the day to finally complete the table saw repair.  The major part of the work was the removal of all the miscellaneous parts... things like the rails front and rear, the motor, and the base section.  That provided access to the arbor assembly where I could unbolt it from the table top and rethread the screw that rotates the blade for bevel cuts.

Table Saw Repairs

Table Saw Inverted

A week or so before leaving for AU this year (more on how that all went in a future post) my trusty Rigid TS3650 table saw broke down.  It has worked flawlessly since it was new 10 yrs ago, but time caught up and the doctor needed to make a call.  What actually happened was that the threaded rod that rotates the arbor for bevel cuts popped out of its "catch" in the arbor assembly.  What I hadn't really noticed over the years was that the sheet metal siding was slowly being pushed out of shape, and the additional length inside the assembly finally wasn't enough to keep the rod in place.