It's not Rocket Science...

...but it is Rocket Engineering. Some of you might be wondering what I'm doing with my life right now, besides school. Right now, I'm blessed to be employed at a place called Rocket Engineering, where I get to help "soup up" airplanes! We take Beechcraft Dukes and Bonanzas, as well as Piper Malibus (all piston-engined aircraft) and convert them to turboprops! For example, the Beechcraft Duke starts with two 380 hp piston engines. We remove them, and fit the aircraft with a pair of Pratt & Whitney PT-6 engines, each generating 550 hp. The aircraft's performance jumps through the roof! Our converted plane is then called a Royal Turbine.

Beechcraft Duke before conversion, with dual 380 hp piston engines still mounted.


Beechcraft Duke (now a Royal Turbine) after conversion to dual 550 hp engines. Everything from the firewall forward is converted.

The Price of a White Christmas

So there are some things that are really cool about a white Christmas:
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-Your brother might do something crazy...

















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...like jump on the trampoline...






















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...in his shorts...






















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-Everything around the house looks amazing...






















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...especially when the blizzard is blowing snow...

















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Unfortunately, these kind of blizzards can lead to cabin fever...






















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...family that can't get home for Christmas, and obnoxiously slow-loading blogs.

Enjoy your white Christmas if you have it, and enjoy your family actually being there if you don't!

When Capitalism Works

Today I volunteered to have my flight to Colorado for Christmas bumped back one day. Amount I was reimbursed: $400 voucher towards a plane ticket, $90 hotel stay, $26 in meal vouchers. I believe that's the most I've ever earned in a day!