Whiplash; Why blog? What's a pilot?

If anyone out there has actually been reading all of these, you may have noticed that I tend to switch topics without warning between paragraphs. If I had more time, I would make each topic it's own entry, but I don't, and I apologize for the whiplash.

[Interesting note, a two ship of helos just flew over the building.]

So why blog? A topic I will continue to return too, but here's another example of the reason: Anne Frank has been in the news lately again, since a photo of the boy she loved has recently surfaced. There is hardly a better example of someone who has changed world in spite of a short life (and they're all too short) through writing. I'm hardly putting myself on par with Anne Frank, but her resolve is good motivation. Ironically, I haven't read her book, but I plan too; I have a copy that bought in Amsterdam last summer.

What's a pilot? The question comes up because some people might wonder if what I do (flying planes from the ground) still counts. It's a relevant question, and one the AF is still wrestling with. There are concepts in play here that are totally new and thus deserve a great deal of examination. For example, if one pilot is controlling two planes from the ground at the same time for an hour, should he/she log two hours of flight time? So, far the AF says yes. When I am in the ground station operating a plane, is that "flying?" That's what we call it so far, I personally think of it as operating. As to whether or not I am a pilot, I don't really care. I know what I do is important, and that's enough for me. Regardless of the new usage, the skills used as a pilot are the closest possible match to what I do now, so until we come up with a new word, it'll have to do.

[edit 3 mar 08: corrected spelling of "note" in helo line]