Category: Virtual Aviation

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A decade of blogging

I’ve been blogging for a decade. 10 years already… huh!

While this is certainly an interesting point in a time line, it’s really only an electronic analogue to a diary. I’m sure many people have been keeping diaries for longer. Nonetheless I’m kinda tickled to meet this milestone. I started “blogging” before “blog” was even a noun or a verb; indeed before it was even a popular catchphrase. Indeed I had my first web page back in 1995 (See my “Deep Archive” link above)

That’s a lot of time and bandwidth (timewidth?) dedicated to my own banter. What have I accomplished in that time?

As it turns out quite a bit. I became a true adult (still out for some debate). I had a successful consulting company (official corporation even!) and then transferred clients/closed it after my clients became successful and got gobbled-up by other, bigger corps in what became the dot com bomb. I moved to California and back. I bought a house. Got cats. Sold a house. Bought a condo. Used five different types of blogging software. Stumbled into a great relationship. And generally observed what made me laugh and ranted upon the stuff that irritated.

As I look back at some of my entries it makes me smile and laugh a lot. Also I cringe a lot…was I THAT shrill, really? Or was I THAT stupid, really? But that’s the deliciousness of time and becoming older — the cumulative benefit of your experiences always makes you wiser and wiser.

So what will the next decade have in store? Who knows….That is what is fun, and worth living!

-Garrett

1998:
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/1998/

1999:
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/1999/2/
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/1999/3/
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/1999/

2000:

http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2000/1/
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2000/2/
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2000/3/

2002
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2003/1/

2003:
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2003/2/

2004:
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2004/1/

2005:
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2005/1/
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2005/2/

2006:
http://www.gmwnet.com/archive/2006/1/

P.S.: I’m going to attempt to add these old entries to my database. So if you subscribe to the RSS feed you may see a slew of new entries. I’ll be careful to set the date in the posts properly, but I’m unsure if they will appear in the RSS feed because they are “new” entries as far as the database is concerned…

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Huge online dust-up

So my online hobby (virtual air traffic controlling — see www.seaartcc.net) just today had major kerfluffle…basically the entire staff of my center quit and accusations are flying everywhere. It’s quite fun drama to be an observer after being on the staff previously. It’s one of the most beaurocratic orgs I’ve worked with. Well, I guess our goal is to emulate air traffic control as in the FAA. In this regard I think we have it nailed 🙂

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Big photo upload!

I finally had some time to clean my photo pile and get some of that organized. I downloaded Picasa from Google — and I’ll be if that ain’t the best little utility ever for organizing and creating photo albums (once you find the time).

The scary part, though, was Picasa found everything — and I mean everything. So some editing had to take place! 🙂

I organized a bunch of stuff including the full set of photos for my recent Paris trip. Here they are:

Full Paris Compilation:

Misc albums that amused me:

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More snow…virtually

So I’ve been sick and at home for a few days — no fun. I’m still alive, however!

Anyways, I decided to fire-up Flight Simulator and do some mountain flying. Love winter scenery. So I took a few shots of me in my trusty Cessna 172 “N101GW” departing Lost River in the North Cascades. Also got a vid. Watch video

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Live Seattle Air Traffic Control

Since I moved to Capitol Hill, I’m able to receive Air Traffic Control (ATC) frequencies into Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport. In fact, I live 1,420 Ft from the imaginary airspace “intersection” that marks the start of the final approach from the north to Seattle.

So I decided to sponsor a live Internet audio stream of Air Traffic Control. You can listen to it at http://www.liveatc.net/ (click the “listen to Live ATC feeds” in the sidebar and scroll-down to “SEA Final” — there are a number of SEA feeds, actually. I’m the one with 133.65 as the only frequency)

133.65 is the final approach sector for KSEA — Seattle-Tacoma International. Busiest times seem to be around noon, 4-6PM and 8-10PM.

Seattle has 2 (soon to be 3) close parallel runways oriented north-south — named runways 16/34. You can click on the chart to the right to see a bigger image of this. When landing and departing to the south 16C is used mostly for arrivals, with 16L used for departures. When the weather is really bad or foggy they switch to the Instrument Landing System (ILS) on 16L as the ILS for 16C appears to not support bad weather CAT2/3 operations anymore because of contruction of the third runway.

In the summer, and in better winter weather, Seattle usually lands the other way to the north, using runways 34C for arrivals and 34R for departures

After-hours this frequency can be combined with one or all of the feeder arrival sectors, so you’ll hear ATC, but not pilots. Also sometimes you’ll hear some bleed-over of a Seattle radio station in the background — their main broadcast antenna is only 1 mile from me, so with it’s huge power output sometimes you’ll be stuck listening to Seattle’s best smooth jazz — sorry! Could be worse…

Here are charts and info for KSEA

Here is an airspace illustration I created of major arrival and departure routes into SEA. The triangle symbols are the major intersections along the routes (Imaginary places in the air programmed into aircraft navigation databases) The hexigonal-type symbols are actual radio navigation stations on the ground. The 3-letter acronyms you see are the codes for other radio navigation stations outside of the chart

This is far from complete, but a good intro into how traffic is sent in/out of the Seattle area.

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Less than a week + more virtual geekdom

In less than a week I shall be back in Europe!! I’m so looking forward to this trip. This weekend I’m going to pack and wednesday I’m off!

So more virtual aviation geek stuff: Not only am I a virtual pilot for a virtual airline, I’m now a virtual air traffic controller! 🙂 I passed my initial test and I’m now certified for “Tower” for all airports in the Seattle Center area.

http://www.seaartcc.net/ is my home “center.” Next I go for approach control and start vectoring aircrafts all around the sky. HAHAHAHAHA, ahhhhh, the control… 😉

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Virtual Aviation ROCKS!


I am right now piloting a 757 from SEA to MCO (Orlando for those of you airport code challenged!) I’m just crossing into the NE corner of Wyoming. 3 hours to go!

I am amazed at what the Internet can offer (and I work with it daily!) You see, I’m not just flying flight simulator on my computer alone. I’m connected to VATSIM, a virtual aviation network. Real “virtual” human air traffic controllers are directing my flight, using voice and headsets and virtual radar just like in real life. I’m talking to Denver Center right now. In a few minutes I’ll be handed-off to Kansas City Center, just like in real life. When I get close to Orlando, Orlando Approach Control will decend and “vector” (turn) me onto the final approach course and Orlando Tower will clear me to land. All different virtual, yet real people. I hear them. I talk to them. They see me on their scopes.


I’m a member of Pacific Airways, a virtual airline. I’ve made the rank of Captain recently because of the hours I’ve flown. My Call sign is PAY1837 – “Pacific eighteen thirty seven” is how you’d hear it on the “radio”

I’m an Instrument-rated pilot, and the level of reality this brings just astounds me. What I say, What I do, the rules, etc…are almost completely in sync with what the real world does.

Is this healthy? Debatable. But I’m having fun. So what’s wrong with that, eh?!

below you can see a screenshot of the current VATSIM general status– I’m the airplane in the upper-right, traversing through Denver’s airspace now (The green Circles represent Denver Approach and Tower’s Airspace) GOD I’m a GEEK!!

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