Icenine, thanks for the laugh. I could imagine Alexei doing this things, especially the cheesegrater on the head or staring at the sun.Originally Posted by icenine
You have a wonderful sense of humor, thanks for sharing it with us.
Dee
Icenine, thanks for the laugh. I could imagine Alexei doing this things, especially the cheesegrater on the head or staring at the sun.
You have a wonderful sense of humor, thanks for sharing it with us.
Dee
You're right, now that he finally has the time, he's got the energy to pursue some adventure, lol. And as far as "changing in the near future", why should he?? There's no rule about how much fun we "should" or "shoudn't have" in life. *singingHe is a guy with too much energy and time on his hands. He always does whatever he wants as we can see. I don't expect him to change in the near future if ever
" It's my life ,it's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life "
QUOTE from Icenine:
"Thanks for the additional info on the plane. Good to know it is state of the art, and not constructed from balsa wood and duct tape."
Hey - and thank you for the well thought-out posts and to everbody who has contributed to this interesting discussion!
Of course it's great to see that people are concerned about Alexei's welfare. Even though I absolutely loved his aerial "Passion" routine this past season, I was dead-set against him performing it due to the risk of an equipment failure in particular. Luckily - and of course due to his considerable talent and skill - he performed it flawlessly city after city, night after night, without incident. So, I guess it just goes to show different folks tastes as to what is an acceptable risk, and what is not. For me, "Passion" was an unacceptable risk because there was simply no back-up: no hidden cable, no invisible cushion on the ice beneath, no harness...no nothing.
In retrospect am I glad he went through with the airborne routine? Hard to answer. I loved it - it was an aerial work of art. But on the other hand, I couldn't have been more relieved the last night the tour was over.
Acceptable risk is what it's all about. Flying for the most part is only as dangerous as the pilot at the controls. There are the relatively rare accidents attributable to catastrophic mechanical failure, but for the most it's human error, with bad weather as a frequent contributing cause.
Can't really comment too much specifically on the CIRRUS aircraft because I now work for this company in addition to other jobs. But I can say that it is a revolutionary airplane, designed and built by some of the most amazing people you'd ever want to meet. As the first company in the world to make a full-airplane parachute a piece of standard equipment - well, that tells me it's a company very dedicated to safety. Does it work?
Ask Ilan Reich. Last week he suffered a loss of consciousness while flying near New York and passed out. When he came to he was in a high-speed dive, uncertain of what had happnened and uncertain of if he would again lose consciousness and crash. He pulled the 'chute. And survived. Even after 'landing' in water. I had the pleasure of speaking with him this morning. Turns out he had an undiagnosed brain tumor that led to a seizure - not completely dissimilar to perhaps what Scott Hamilton suffered from.
And hey - anyone who has ever driven with a Russian (not to generalize of course, LOL) knows that being on the road is where their risk lies!!!!!!!!
Anyhoo.....photos to come soon - hopefully a few up tomorrow!!!
Last edited by Zanzibar; 07-08-2005 at 06:36 PM.
Hi Everyone, this is my first post here. I wanted to find a good discussion of Alexei's flying lessons, because he inspires such a range of strong emotions in us, his fans. And I here I am via some intriguing threads and links in Katya's BJDG!
Now, last fall when I saw him in Lake Placid performing on his cocoon, he already seemed to be completely competent on it, and even though my heart was in my mouth the whole time, I was never actually fearful for him.
I admire the way he approached that new challenge. 1.Got the best professional instruction and advice. 2.Prepared the best possible equipment. 3. Practiced, putting every single move into muscle memory. 4. Enjoyed every moment of the use of his own skills, flexibility, strength, and senses of drama and rhythm. 5. Gave to us some thrilling moments we will never forget!
No reason that most of that isn't exactly how Alexei's approaching this dream-come-true of his. I am so happy for him I could burst, and I hope he can let any negativity out there just disappear.....and not let anything taint his wonderful experiences.
Julie
And yet, “Passion” didn’t concern me much at all, dangerwise. Go figure. It’s just whatever happens to push your particular panic button, I s’pose. I know he is a very calculated risk-taker, and beyond some question about the silks (What is the tensile strength of worm silk as opposed to synthetic silk, anyway? I have a truly geek-like fascination with minutiae such as this), and the guy controlling the other end of the sling, I was all for it. The day after SOI, I had five neat little bruises on my arm where my niece had me in a death grip during the acrobatics. Apparently, she shared your concern. But... what a great program.
Last word on the flying... at least no one will be shooting at his engine or his fuselage. I try at all times to look on the bright side.
Let’s drink a toast to the calculated risk-takers of the world, in the here and now and in the hereafter... they sometimes make our lives hard, but they make our lives interesting.
...And Dee, I was perfectly serious.
Very well put, LOL - can I steal that???
Will have some Alexei flying photos up today and will put them under a new thread with 'photos' in the title.
Photos of Alexei at the controls? Bring 'em on!
Julie
[QUOTE=Zanzibar]Very well put, LOL - can I steal that???
You bet. But I prefer to be footnoted.
Somebody finally sent me the actual magazine (rather than the web version) that the Alexei flying story is published in - it's a group of 10 regional publications called Airport Journals - this one is from the Dallas area.
If you've ever wanted to launch Alexei into space, and god knows I have, then you might find this cover amusing.
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/View...p=72258093&f=0
Last edited by Zanzibar; 07-13-2005 at 04:26 PM.
Alexei is such a rebel. I just adore him. Hmmm, I wonder if he ever watched The Graduate??? Just call me Mrs. Robinson.
Crizzy!Just call me Mrs. Robinson.
I think there have been plenty of ladies who wished to have this title with Mr. Yagudin, but remember, in the end.....her daughter ended up with the guy!
Nan
Quote: If you've ever wanted to launch Alexei into space, and god knows I have, then you might find this cover amusing.
Why, Kathleen. Anyone who has followed his career knows him to be soft-spoken to the point of timidity, even tempered, slow to anger, self effacing, the very model of zen-like patience and saintly humility... oh, who am I kidding. Good thing he’s worth the trouble.
Not sure NASA, even in the capacity of an elaborate, governmentally funded, highly skilled team of baby-sitters is up to the task of riding herd on him.
My advice: drink plenty of water, breathe from the diaphragm, concentrate on your happy place, and try not to break your foot.
"high flying" Yags
Of course we all want Alexei safe and happy!! But don't get me wrong! lol While I'm all for Alexei (or anyone) pursuing their dreams and passions, I held my breath every show until I read that Alexei had an "uneventful" and "safe" Passions! I mean, between worrying about a malfunction/human error with the crane, "no safety net" and his raw blades sliding across the silks night after night, I prayed nothing would go wrong for him.On their last day in Victoria, a weight was lifted from my heart knowing he's back safely on solid ground!
Hehe, little did I know it wouldn't be for long!! lol
But the same would apply when he's flying his plane. lol The only difference is, with his plane, he HAS a form of "safety net" which he didn't have when he was suspended above solid ice. And those flying instructors aren't going to "pass" him unless they feel he is absolutely ready ( I believe Alexei would be an excellent student, and would catch on quickly anyway
I also loved the cover with him and the astronaut!
Looking forward to more pictures Kathleen
Alexei seems to be one of those daredevils would needs a certain level of over-the-top excitement in their lives. People who study brain chemistry have all kinds of explanations about it. When I saw Alexei hanging upside down from the rafters in SOI, my first impulse was to shout, Now, you get down here this instant, young man!
Great story, Z! Wait, don't tell me -- you were the person who invented the all-airplane parachute -- (called the K-Bang, IIRC).Ask Ilan Reich. Last week he suffered a loss of consciousness while flying near New York and passed out. When he came to he was in a high-speed dive, uncertain of what had happnened and uncertain of if he would again lose consciousness and crash. He pulled the 'chute. And survived. Even after 'landing' in water. I had the pleasure of speaking with him this morning. Turns out he had an undiagnosed brain tumor that led to a seizure - not completely dissimilar to perhaps what Scott Hamilton suffered from.
Tell your buddies in high places at NASA, full speed ahead on the manned flight to Mars.
MM
Good for him!
Really, flying is so much safer than driving, or just being in a car. Stat: 1 of 50 people will be killed in a car accident.
Scary, huh?
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks