Hello from Everett, WA<\/p>\n
Saturday afternoon July 13 2013 (First travelogue of this trip).<\/p>\n
As I have mentioned before, I am a contract based instructor for NTT (link)<\/a>. I was an instructor for them from 2000-2002. I was recently retained to do some training. It appeared that I might do a couple of classes a year. That has changed, as I have joined a team of instructors who are teaching at various Boeing facilities. This is a major contract that is reported to extend into 2014.<\/p>\n I enjoy teaching. My main subject is what is called Mechanical Drives (bearings, belts, chain, gears, couplings, etc). I have now expanded into other subjects as well. This week I taught Mechanical Drives for the first three days and Shaft Alignment for the last two days. The students are generally trades people \u2013 mostly mechanics. <\/p>\n Mechanics and related trades are not fond of engineers. We have a lot of fun with that. I tell them that Pat does not think I am normal {big grin} and, for sure, I am not your \u201cnormal\u201d engineer. By the end of the class, we generally have a good relationship. I try to make the class fun (hard to do with a boring subject), and I think that most of the students, do indeed, have fun (at least most tell me they do).<\/p>\n I am staying at the Holiday Inn Express (map)<\/a>. I am training at a special Boeing training facility (map)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The training facility is a bit remote from the huge Boeing facility here in Everett. This plant assembles\/produces the 747, 777, and the new 787 planes. I had really hoped to get a tour of some of the facilities. Pat and I took a \u201ctourist\u201d tour here a number of years ago, but a \u201ccontractor\u201d tour would be much better. Maybe some time.<\/p>\n The only \u201cnegative\u201d part of this teaching is that you have to fly to the location. I hate to fly! I hate the security lines, the \u201ccattle drive\u201d loading the planes, the very tight seating, etc.. However, I am not a white knuckles flyer. I often tell the story about reading an NTSB investigation report on the 1982 plane crash at Reagan National Airport (details)<\/a> as we were landing at the same airport. The stewardess saw what I was reading and about flipped out. She asked if the report made me nervous and I told her no. These investigations and resulting corrective actions are what gives us so much better \u201codds\u201d.<\/p>\n My flight home yesterday was a good example why I don’t like to fly. The plane was delayed over four hours (mechanical issues on the inbound flight and then the crew ran out of \u201chours\u201d). I ended up arriving at the gate in Denver at 2:50 this morning and into the driveway at 4:43!!!<\/p>\n As seems to be the case lately, I start the post in the place I have traveled to and then finish it somewhere else. In this case, home in Evergreen.<\/p>\n That is all for this trip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello from Everett, WA Saturday afternoon July 13 2013 (First travelogue of this trip). As I have mentioned before, I am a contract based instructor for NTT (link). I was an instructor for them from 2000-2002. I was recently retained … Continue reading