Well…just as the title says it would seem I’m in a bit of a bad luck streak. As those of you that read regularly know, I’m technically unemployed at the moment. I occasionally can pick up a side job flying for a couple days here and there, taking someone somewhere, or teaching them a flight lesson or two to freshen up. Today was supposed to be a side job day…

After returning to my house a couple times when I realized I had forgotten one thing, then left, then went back again when I remembered something else…I went to the pilot shop nearby to pick up some essential charts and such. For some reason, the credit card machine wasn’t working…and yes I was actually using a card that had money on it so that wasn’t the problem like it normally is…after wasting precious time there, I just told them I’d come pay later (and being an ex-employee there and a regular it was no biggy). So the fun began!

As if things couldn’t get worse I get out there to the airport the plane is kept (about a 35 – 40 min drive with traffic) and it turns out the owner and his wife are leery about the weather conditions. Today we had winds blowing in the neighborhood of 40ish MPH. Sometimes it gives you quite the ride in a small aircraft but behind the hands of someone experience (ME) it wasn’t going to be an issue.

Well, despite that explanation they decided to take a commercial flight instead that left a couple hours later. So of course I turned around to go home! About 1/3 of the way back to where I live from the airport I was at, I hear an odd popping noise. Not a tire POP, but a POP like a cap gun or a firecracker. Suddenly, my windshield is blocked out by vapor and looking in the rear view mirror I realize I’m creating a smoke screen behind me. That asshole that was tailing me sure got more than he expected! HA! Well, I successfully managed to exit the freeway and pull into a gas station to survey the damage. Here is what I saw upon opening the hood…

If you don’t know what you’re looking at, that it the engine compartment under the hood. To the left is the radiator and in the center is the engine. If you look between the two you’ll see a large black hose, WITH A GAPING HOLE IN IT! That hole is not factory installed. Nope, as it would be, that whole is completely unnatural. Well, that is unrepairable at that very moment. I could have maybe gotten the parts to fix it, but to properly diagnose things there are some things I need to take apart first. I called AAA and got my free tow home.

While waiting for the tow truck I was trying to get a bite to eat in the gas station. Orange Juice looked good! Open the fridge door and sure enough the front bottle attacks me, flies out, and explodes on the ground on my nice white khakis….hmmm I hate you Orange Juice. And you too Car. Well I suppose that wraps up my fun Monday morning. My side work ended up costing me my car and making me no money. AWESOME!~desuuu Or something to that effect.