My Ph.D. thesis, which won the 1998-1999 U.C. Davis Allen G. Marr Prize for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the colleges of Mathematics, Engineering, and Physical Sciences. 

I started flying lessons on March 15, 1997 and earned my pilot's license on May 13.  I wish I would have done it years ago, but both my parents don't enjoy flying and it was a while before I could get the money.  I bought 1/2 of N3781V, a 1949 Cessna 140A in July 1997 and me and Mel have been flying around California and the U.S. ever since.  In October 1999 I bought N4310R, a Cessna 172 all my own, to lease back to Ahart Aviation, where I got my private, instrument, and commercial license.  However, after watching some guy bounce up and down on the tail of an Ahart 172 trying to move it, I decided to keep it for myself.  Since then we have been all over the West, and as well as to Oshkosh and Kitty Hawk.

I am tailwheel endorsed and have also had about 15 hours of aerobatic instruction and flight in a Citabria 7ECA, the most fun I have ever had with my pants on!  I wish I had the means to fly one more often.  I would really like an aerobatic plane, but we fly cross country so much that it wouldn't be practical.  I really prefer tailwheel planes as they are more efficient and can handle more crosswind due to their larger and more effective rudders.

Here is some info and links I have picked up that I have found useful.  Some more than others.  

Comics

PVP - Player vs. Player, the best online comic (hell, offline too) out there.  Nominally about gaming, it covers a variety of topics, including many that most cartoonists won't touch.  However, most cartoonists suck, and Scott Kurtz does not.  

Starslip Crisis - An innovative, well drawn, funny comic based in the future on a giant traveling art museum ship.  Yes, it sounds weird, but so does a talking dog and adults that sound like trombones.  

Sherman's Lagoon - How does Jim Toomey keep it so funny for so long?  His ability to express emotion with only a few squiggles is unparalleled.  Consistently good - I have several on my fridge.

Aircraft related

Cessna Pilot's Association - the greatest owner's group ever.  Worth every penny.

AOPA - a must for every pilot, in my opinion, that wants the airport he took off from to still be there when he lands.

Aircraft Shopper Online - one of my favorite places to spend time and fantasize about the future.  Seems like lately it has been taken over by brokers, so now I'm back to

Trade-a-Plane, which requires a subscription but is still mostly owners selling their planes.  

Experimental Aircraft

I really want to build an airplane, but I'm not sure what kind yet.  Here are a few of my favorites, from practical to dream plane.

Van's RV-7 - I would really like the RV-8, but my woman has informed me that she does not like tandem seating.  Van's aircraft are fast, economical, and capable of aerobatics.  Great planes.  Cruises about 207 mph, range 785 s.m., useful load 886 pounds (full fuel 634).  Only bad points are only two seats and a rather homely wing planform.

Update:  Now the two-seat dilemma has been remedied by the arrival of the RV-10, a four-seater with excellent performance.

Velocity - I really like the regular Velocity RG, but I am a little worried about needing longer paved runways.  But the efficiency and looks of the Velocity really appeal to me.  Cruises about 220 mph, range of 1300 s.m., and a useful load of 950 pounds (full fuel 590), which is not that great for four seats.

Aerocomp - the ultimate back country utility plane.  I think they've overdone it a bit by hanging a turbine off anything with wings and making it look like a mosquito, but I really like the look and utility of the CompAir 6.  Kit price $34,000, estimated completion costs about $69000.  Cruises about 180 mph, range up to 1500 s.m., useful load 1300 pounds (full fuel 400).  They are also building a pretty cool jet.  They aren't the best at giving firm performance numbers, though, and weren't the friendliest at Oshkosh.

Lancair - the ultimate cross country machine.  The Lancair Legacy 2000 is one of the most beautiful and most efficient planes I have ever seen.  Cruise at 18000 feet with a 200 hp turbo-normalized engine- 280 mph, range 1350 s.m., useful load 800 (full fuel 500).  Damnation.  Unfortunately the kit price is almost $45,000, estimated completion cost about $80,000.

Weather pages:

ADDS - the best.  Great site with the latest in weather info.

National Weather Service - the best non-aviation site.  No ads, all info.

The Weather Channel - the mother of them all, but way too many pop-up advertisements for me.  Causes the pages to be very slow to load occasionally

Projects

I really want to build an aircraft-based computer for several reasons.  I want to get some cool 3-D terrain software (like FreeFlight) to use with my GPS without spending thousands of dollars and I want to use it as an MP3/DVD player for the passengers.  It would also be nice to be able to get weather updates using my cell phone on trips.  I'll be giving this its own section as work progresses, but it may take a while as I'm trying to do it cheaply.  

FAA

These include searchable databases that are really interesting.  Also lots of forms to keep your info up to date.

FAA aircraft database - find that lost love

FAA airmen database - see if that guy did manage to get a license somehow

Politics

The Bush administration hired a gay hooker to ask biased questions to the prez?

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/man-called-jeff.html

These reports from PIPA are really telling.  Think Fox News tells the truth?  Read this for a reality check:

PIPA Media_10_02_03_Report.pdf

Another good report from PIPA is the different realities of Bush and Kerry supporters (which translate directly into Republicans and Democrats).  Which group lives in the real world and which one in a fantasy utopia?  Read this to find out.

PIPA Kerry_Bush realities report10_21_04.pdf

Religion and pseudoscience

I never thought I could be touched by a religion.  But that was before FSM found me.  

Utilities

Spybot - an excellent freeware spyware S&D program

AdAware - pretty good too.