M55 The Beast
Cool electric bicycle by M55.
Vineman Ironman 70.3
Two and a half years ago, I made the decision to compete in the legendary Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, before I turn 45. At the time, I had never run for more than a mile, and the longest distance I had ever completed on a bike was about 20 miles. Back when I was 16, I swam 2 miles with Nicolas, one of my lifelong friends, and the one who first told me about the Ironman. And that was about it. So attempting to complete a 2.4 miles swim, followed by a 112 miles bike ride, and wrapped up by a 26.2 miles run (marathon) was a bit ambitious. And thinking of doing it in the most competitive race of the kind was definitely one of the craziest goals I had ever set for myself.
31 months later, I must say that I am quite pleased with this project’s side effects. The goal of completing this race is totally meaningless in and by itself. If I even qualify, it won’t be for my athletic capabilities, but for my luck at the lottery (I hope). And if I manage to participate, all I hope is to complete the race before it closes, 17 hours after it started. What has meaning is the 12 year long training program that I am putting together. Like a life traveler, what matters to me is the journey, not the destination.
In order to get there, I first completely changed my diet. I eat beef once a month in Japan, poultry whenever I’m in France (once a quarter), and lamb if I find myself in an Arabic speaking country (does not happen very often). Pork is out. My diet is high on proteins, low on carbohydrates, and complemented by a healthy cocktail of dietary supplements. I also make it a point to eat healthy when traveling.
Next, I started working out, going to the gym five days a week at 5 or 6am. I lift weights three days a week and attend a spinning class for another two. Starting next week, I will run on Saturdays and do a long bike ride on Sundays. I also swim 2km a day whenever I am traveling and staying at a hotel with a swimming pool. Finally, I started planning for my first races.
My goal is to complete a full Ironman race sometime in 2011 or 2012. In order to get there, I must start with shorter ones, either the Olympic distance (0.9m swim, 24.9m ride, 6.2m run) or the Half Ironman distance (1.2m swim, 56m ride, 13.1m run). I can swim a mile in 40 minutes, bike 25 miles in 50 minutes, and run 6 miles in an hour, so the Olympic distance is not much of a challenge. As a result, I have recently decided to go for the Half Ironman distance right away. It is known as Ironman 70.3 (1.2 + 56 + 13.1 = 70.3). If all goes as planned, I will participate in the Vineman Ironman 70.3 in Sonoma County, CA on July 18, 2010.
By the time I turn 45, I hope that my journey to Kona will have taught me a healthier lifestyle. I will eat better, workout every day, and harmoniously balance the demands of my professional and personal lives.
That’s the goal, at least.
Wish me luck!
Update: I have registered to Ironman 70.3 Hawaii instead.
First Helicopter Flight
Today, I received my first helicopter flying lesson. Gene and I drove to Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI) and flew a Robinson R44 (727KP) down the coast to Monterey, Pebble Beach, and Carmel. Once back at the airport, we practiced some hovering. Rotary wing flying is quite a bit more challenging than fixed wing flying, but it’s totally exhilarating. Flying at 500 feet along the coastline, we spotted a whale and could easily maneuver over it to get a better view. I think I’m really hooked, and the only thing I can think about now is the next lesson, which will cover autorotation. Many thanks to Gene for this amazing experience.
Trip Around the World
Before we turn 40, May and I intend to take one year off and travel around the world, on a Pilatus PC-12 NG. This trip would take us to well over 100 destinations, flying along the coast of most continents. Here is the map of our itinerary as it is currently planned. Make sure to click on the ‘Next’ link at the bottom of the left column in order to get the trip’s last waypoints. You can also view the trip using Google Earth. If you’ve been to some of these places, please let us know the sites we should not miss there.
New Diet
A year and a half ago, I started working on my diet, reducing carbs and meat consumption, and taking a handful of dietary supplements, while developing a fairly aggressive workout plan. A few months into it, I began traveling extensively, and did not find the discipline required for keeping it together. This week, I started exercising again, and came back to a much healthier diet. I updated my list of dietary supplements, and stopped eating meat altogether. My daily intake of proteins comes from fish, peas, rice, and soy. In order to keep the pace while traveling extensively, I decided to stay only in hotels that have a fitness center, and to spice travels to foreign locations by making strictly localized and temporary exceptions to my diet: from now on, I will eat beef in Japan only, poultry in France only, and lamb in Arabic-speaking countries only. Next trip abroad: Tokyo, for a good serving of shabu-shabu.
First Pilatus PC-12 NG Flight
Yesterday night, I got to fly on the brand new Pilatus PC-12 NG. I flew my first hour on PC-12 a year ago, but it was on a PC-12/47, equipped with more traditional instruments. The PC-12 Next Generation is fitted with Honeywell Primus Apex, a simplified version of the instrument panels found on the Boeing 777 and the Falcon 7X. Eliot and I flew N935NG from San Carlos (KSQL), and did three touch-and-go’s in Half Moon Bay (KHAF). I flew on the left seat, for a total of 45 minutes, which unfortunately could not be logged, for the chief pilot who was on the right seat was not a CFI. But quite frankly, I did not really care, for getting to fly this amazing aircraft was enough to make me plenty happy. I’m loving it…
Christmas Presents
Christmas is fast approaching, and it’s time to make lists for Santa Claus. At the very top of mine would be the Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter and the Kobalt 53″ Stainless Steel Tool Chest. At $15,000 and $1,600 respectively, someone might have to bail Stanta out though…
Linde Werdelin Sea Instrument
From time to time, I come across a truly remarkable piece of craftsmanship, and the upcoming Linde Werdelin Sea Instrument is clearly one of them. My Suunto D9 is pretty cool, but this one tops the charts.
Rolls Royce RR500
Rolls Royce recently announced the release of a new turboprop engine, the RR500. This 350 to 450 shp class turbine is designed for single and twin-engine fixed wing aircraft. I can’t wait to see it on a Cirrus…
High Altitude Training
I completed my high altitude training today. Eliot and I flew N423SR to Beale Air Force Base to attend the Aerospace Physiology Training organized by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI). On my way there and back, I had the privilege of carrying a former captain who flew on Boeing 747 for Cathay Pacific. The training program was absolutely fascinating, to the point where I almost passed out in the decompression chamber (sorry, no pictures…). Definitely an eye opener regarding the risks inherent to high altitude flying. We also got to see four U2 planes, including one doing some pattern work at incredibly slow speed, and a couple of Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which definitely are much bigger in real life than they look on pictures. Overall, a fantastic trip, which added 2.2 hours of SR22 experience onto my logbook and completed my transition to Cirrus SR22 GTS Turbo transition, for both G2 and G3 models. Awesome!
Cirrus Perspective
The ish+may family is back home in Palo Alto, CA, right on time to learn more about the new Perspective avionics developed by Garmin for Cirrus. It’s now an option for the SR22 and SR22 Turbo, replacing the good old Avidyne Entegra. Cirrus Perspective is based on the Garmin G1000, integrates Synthetic Vision Technology, Dual AHRS, Yaw Damper, and a convenient Target Fuel Flow indicator that should dramatically simplify operations when flying the Turbo model. Prior to this upgrade, I preferred the Columbia 400 (now Cessna 400) to the Cirrus SR22 because of its superior avionics. The only advantage the Cirrus had over the Columbia was a redundant GPS (Garmin GNS 430). Now that the Cirrus SR22 comes with Garmin G1000 and Dual AHRS, I cannot think of any reason to look for something else. Aircraft ownership envy…
First Flight in Canada
Today, Teddy and I rented a Cessna 172P (CGGSN) with Victoria Flying Club and flew over to nearby Vancouver, BC. We left Victoria International Airport at around 7:30 PM, and this wonderful 1.3 hours flight took us over Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver Harbour, and Gabriola Island. Our instructor Tristan had been flying for less than a year, and had about the same amount of flying hours as I did, without any instrument rating. Quite refreshing! Now, I really need to get my seaplane rating…
Turbo Transition
Last week, I started my turbo transition on Cirrus SR22 GTS Turbo, alongside training for my high altitude endorsement. I now have 3.9 hours on type, including a flight to FL 250 (25,000 feet). I expect to be done with the whole program in a couple of weeks, following completion of the Aerospace Physiology Training, a 1-day training course organized by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) at Beale Air Force Base and other participating military facilities. More on this very soon…
First Independent Mission
Today, I flew to Apple Valley Airport (KAPV) with my friend John to pick up a puppy that should make the delight of his three kids. This was my very first mission conducted for an independent third party. Of course, not running a Part 135 operation, all I could do was to share the cost of the flight fifty-fifty with John. Nevertheless, it was pretty cool to finally put all this training to good use. Another nice thing about this flight was the fact that it allowed me to log my 250th hours, a requirement for the commercial pilot license that I expect to get later this year. I logged a total of 4.7 hours of cross country flying on N53224. I’m loving it…
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