Monday Misc.

—I’m studying to prepare for the FAA Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems test. I have flown a drone for a few years, but this will allow me to fly for hire - such as real estate videos and photos, etc. One of the things they test you on is reading and understanding sectional aeronautical charts. I was browsing YouTube for some instructional videos and came across one called “A crash course on reading sectional aeronautical charts.”

I skipped by that one.

—The test also requires an understanding of the METAR report. A METAR is a standardized weather observation report used in aviation. It provides real-time weather information at a specific airport, including wind direction and speed, visibility, runway visual range, present weather phenomena, sky conditions, temperature, dew point, and altimeter setting.

Weather conditions have codes, most of which make sense.

For instance, TS stands for thunderstorm, and RA stands for rain. One code is BR, and it stands for mist. I have no clue why BR is the code for mist, but one teacher said pilots remember BR means mist by pretending it stands for Baby Rain. I may forget everything else on the test, but I will always remember that BR is Baby Rain and baby rain is mist.

—Our neighborhood has a lot of dogs. One of my friends joked that they must give everybody a dog when they close on their house. “Congrats, here’s your mortgage documents and a Golden Retriever.

One thing I have noticed is that it’s almost always the tiny dogs that bark when I walk by. The big dogs just look at me, The little yippy dogs…well, they yip. Ever notice that? Napoleon complex? Or, just because smaller dogs are more nervous and alert?

—I saw this the other day and it’s worth sharing:

Q: Why can’t the church be more like an AA meeting?

A: The short answer is that it can, as long as the people who attend it are willing to be more like alcoholics. Too desperate to hide, too humbled to judge, too weak to solo and too needy to skip.

-John Ortberg