Onions make you cry

 Bausch & Lomb introduces "Aviator" contact lenses

Thanks to the Onion.  God, I love these guys.  I only wish this wasn't a joke.  I'd walk around like this all day.

Aviation "Porn"

Thanks to Bill Spring for sharing this video with me, and for giving me the saucy title.

Those who dare follow this link will witness the assembly of Florida One, Southwest Airlines' new 737, from bare-aluminum components (thank you, Spirit Aerosystems) through interior assembly and zinc chromate (Oooo baby, lay on the green, you know what I mean) to the SUPER COOL 16-color custom paint job of the Florida State flag (which took 32 people 8 days and 46 gallons of paint), and finally, the debut flight.

Just a few days ago, this plane made a goodwill tour of the six cities Southwest serves in Florida (Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Meyers, West Palm Beach, and Jacksonville), Southwest will also begin flights in and out of Panama City starting May 23.  According to Southwest's website, they currently carry 46% of all intra-Florida airline traffic.

Pretty plane.  Good job, guys.  And thanks!

An inauspicious beginning

Okay, so for my first-ever blog post, I've got to own up to an unfortunate but very real part of working around airplanes:

They have sharp bits poking out of them all over the place.

Ow.

Here's the pitot tube that sticks out about eleven inches from the leading edge of the left wing of the Remos G3 Light-Sport on our ramp. I started my morning yesterday by poking myself in the nose with it during preflight. Good thing it wasn't a Cessna- those things' pitot tubes are eyeball-level on me.

Speaking of Cessnas, here's the trailing edge of an aileron on a 172. I can promise you that every Cessna pilot who is more than 5'6" tall has, at one time, used these to stamp a pattern of lines and diamonds deep into his or her forehead.

This is the plain flap of a Piper PA-28R. Not only does it like to hold onto the strap of the airplane's cover, so you have to walk all the way around the tail to unsnag it, but its corner will scratch the back of your hand deep enough to bleed. Thank god for neosporin.

There are other nasty airplane parts, as well. For example, running your finger along the edge of a seaplane's prop is a bad idea, especially if it's made with carbon fiber or fiberglass. Water spray gets a prop beaten up like a Jets fan at a Giants game, and that stuff leaves splinters. Oh, leaving pitot heat on during preflight, touching exhaust pipes, and unscrewing hot oil dipsticks are all very good ways to burn yourself, if that's what you're into.

To be fair, I haven't hurt myself badly preflighting a Cirrus or Diamond, but hey, it's still early in the week.