cjsmith: (pitts s2b)
cjsmith ([personal profile] cjsmith) wrote2005-02-08 06:06 pm

To the skies again...

I am now the proud holder of an FAA Medical Certificate Third Class.

Next step: become the proud holder of a BFR (Biennial Flight Review) signoff from an instructor. That one will take a little longer. :-)

(Need a "flying" usericon. Can't figure out how to get Paint to crop a .jpg! Grr.)
edit: got one!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
I am hugely fighting that "still not a good pilot" demon. Grrr.

[identity profile] layer.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 11:41 am (UTC)(link)
we'll both get there. we need a support group or something...

[identity profile] klwalton.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Woohoo!
(send the .jpg to me and I'll crop it, if someone hasn't already volunteered - Paint *sucks*.)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Finally got it! [livejournal.com profile] crazyladynocats told me how. (And once I forget how again, I may very well take you up on that offer someday, so thanks!)

Sheesh, that shouldn't've been so darn hard. :-)

[identity profile] klwalton.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It's three steps too many - I hate Paint. At least XP came with MS Photo Editor, which allows you to select and crop with two mouse clicks :):).

(By the way, I hate iPhoto even more - it **sucks**.)

Loves me my Photoshop, yes I do!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Paint seems very simplistic. But it's here, it's free, and it can (though sloppily) do what I needed to do... fortunately I don't need to do anything like that often!

I could imagine getting very addicted to Photoshop. From what I've heard, it's an excellent tool for the job.

[identity profile] klwalton.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
It's amazing, and much more than I need. But I love it!

[identity profile] hanov3r.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Check out The GIMP (http://www.gimp.org). There's a Windows version available, too.

Yay Open Source!

[identity profile] hitchhiker.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
Irfan View (http://www.irfanview.com/) crops and otherwise manipulates raster images very nicely.

[identity profile] just-cyd.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
you trying to crop (cut out a part of) or shrink a pic in paint?

to shrink something down to size, click on Image --> stretch/skew and use the percentage thingey to shrink it down. if you do both as the same percent (50% and 50%) it'll shrink it down evenly.

to crop somethin out of a pic, use the "select" button (looks like a dotted-line rectangle, directly under "edit") and then select what you want. cut, then paste. to crop out the rest of the pic, if you look along the lower and right edge, in the very middle will be a black dot "handle" that will let you move the boundaries up and over to make it smaller. i have a hard time finding it usually.

make sense? this assumes you're using windows, which may not be a correct assumption. :(

[identity profile] just-cyd.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
or you can have [livejournal.com profile] kwalton do it for you! ;-)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
You can MOVE THE BOUNDARIES! Aaaiiiieeee! Cyd, you're a genius. Here's my new icon. 8-) 8-)

[identity profile] hanov3r.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Any particular plane you want an icon of?

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Got one! Pitts S2B. (S2C would've done, too. Twist my arm.) Ahhhhh, I drool at the thought of flying acro again...

[identity profile] hanov3r.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Pitts are nice, yeah. I have a weakness, though, for Russian planes. So, here:

Image

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Never been up in one of those. I do know it can take a lot more than I can take. :-)

[identity profile] tsjafo.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Congratulations!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:15 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

[identity profile] lkeele.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
All right, CJ! Way to go!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks! Now if I actually get the BFR, that's the good bit. This was just looking at an eye chart and getting my ribs prodded. The BFR, well, I have to admit to an instructor just how much skill I have lost...

[identity profile] dizzdvl.livejournal.com 2005-02-08 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Ok, you are just so freaking nifty! You do so much cool stuff!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:14 am (UTC)(link)
Aw, thanks! *blush* Now that I've opened my big mouth about it I'll HAVE to go to the instructor for the next step, right? :-) Can't back out now!

[identity profile] quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Yay!! You'll have to take me up with you sometime. :-)

[identity profile] genderfur.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:05 am (UTC)(link)
icon lurve

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
If you're out here when I'm actually signed off. Warning, I like flying upside down. ;-)

[identity profile] quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Warning, I like flying upside down. ;-)

Oh, the ways I could take that statement out of context. ;-)

*ahem* Actually, upside down would be cool, as long as I have the camera strapped on well. :-)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 01:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Excellent. Consider yourself on the list of potential victims acro passengers. Presuming time, availability, me getting my skills honed, good weather, luck of the draw... :-)

[identity profile] hitchhiker.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
congratulations :)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks! The next step is the big part. I don't enjoy admitting how rusty I am. Too bad there's no cure for that except work. ;-)

[personal profile] chiefted 2005-02-09 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
Hey Congrats on the new cert

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 09:18 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks! Now let's see if I follow through on the real part. ;-)

[identity profile] jupiter29.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 12:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Woohoo! I have no idea what any of that means, of course, but it sounds good. So woohoo! :)

So does this mean you are a pilot? Just curious. Ever since I was a kid, it's been my dream to learn how to fly. I always tell myself that this is the year that I will look into doing it, but I obviously haven't yet. :)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 02:00 pm (UTC)(link)
'Deed I am a pilot. Well, I was one a few years ago. According to the license I still are one but I do need some refresher work. :-)

You could drop by your nearest general aviation airport for an "intro flight", just to dip your toes in and see how it might be. Warning, it can be fun as all get-out and might be addictive!

[identity profile] jupiter29.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 02:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, that's my problem. While I've never done it, I can just tell myself I will someday. My brain is used to that, I'm a great procrastinator. :) But once I do all the work of finding an airport and arranging a flight and all that, my brain is going to start reminding me how much simpler it would be to just take a class or something. And that's when I need to start worrying about money and everything. :)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-02-09 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
But once I do all the work of finding an airport and arranging a flight and all that, my brain is going to start reminding me how much simpler it would be to just take a class or something. And that's when I need to start worrying about money and everything. :)

Yeeeeeaaaaaah, there is that. Sometimes we can fool ourselves -- "I'm eating only one potato chip, really I am!" -- and sometimes we're just too smart to fall for that trick.

[identity profile] jupiter29.livejournal.com 2005-02-10 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not that smart, so I will fall for most anyone's tricks. But my own? I may JUST be smart enough to fool myself. ;)