On the passing years

"Too much times have rained" from the first stone in half 2006 to today. We have worked hard to see this machine up and running. An incredible amount of effort, some one count it, some one forget it.


Even if the politicians have inaugurate this facility in 2008, it's now when this resource can be used. If I remember correctly, when this has been inaugurated we have been doing the booster commissioning, the installation of the storage ring wasn't completed and don't imagine who the beamlines was.


But today, we have started receiving the first friendly users. In this case, a very similar thing happen. In the news is indistinguishable if they are friendly users (that means we are in the last part of the commissioning) or if they are the users that have applied to the user office call for proposals.


But we have a synchrotron!

Uou! There is a detail on this picture. We have the letters of the synchrotron name painted in the roof of the warehouse. This warehouse is a building in side the are of the synchrotron but the machine and the beamlines are in the circular building in the centre of the image.


Can we see this letters closer?

What the hell! This letters are uncoloured, but they has been painted in 2010 (just when the salaries of the workers has been cutted) and repainted in February 2011.


Why do we have 4 big letters in the roof of a secondary building of this facility?

Can this be only to distinguish the building in google maps?


In a country like españistan everything it is possible. Cut salaries, when paint superfluous letters in a roof.

Absurdities of who to (poorly) spend (public) money

This morning, in the radio, I have listened a news about the ryanair company is asking for better subsides to work in the Lleida's airport (and for sure the other company on this airport vueling would be asking for it). A few days a go the news was from pyrenair how abort the operations from this airport due to the poor results (3 weeks if I remember correctly).

Note: I didn't know that this pyrenair company was operating from this airport until they cancel the operation. The biggest "ad" was when they cancel the flies...

In this crisis we are making a thing that I see as a mistake: many companies are receiving subsides to continue their business. From this fly companies to the car manufacturers. The issue that I can see is this is not fixing the problem. Instead of make easy the people to be in the capitalist system (do trips, or change your car in this examples) the public money is used to things like build cars and store them. We still have people working on this car manufacturing, when the same people has not enough salaries to get this cars. Stock issue is comming...

air traffic controllers

After some days with much information about the air traffic controllers in Spain, I start to google a little bit more about this thing.

The first thing I miss in the tv and newspapers is the "explanation" of this workers. Many times I can see in the tv images of passengers in the airports with problems to fly, or angry people screaming about this, and the government explanations of what they did. But where is the voice of the militarized workers because of a declared "state of Alarm" of the country? On the internet is the place, I don't know why this is not also said in the news.

There is another page with information from this group. The mass media are saying very different things about them. The explanations on the press says that this air traffic controllers lives in a paradise and they have unconfesable privileges. I have listened in many tv news that their salary is 4 times bigger to the Spanish government president, in average 350k€/year. But seems that they are answering that this is very far from real because it's between 50k€ and 120k€. But I didn't listened that in the news.

Neither I have listened about the number of hours they work per year. And important, what means the work our or what counts as a work ours. In my job, I do in my journey what I have to do, if the company want's me after this time, is on my decision. They explain this is not like that.

Also I like to point about the information that they are blocking the contract of new workers. I don't understand this point. I never saw in a company that the workers representation have voice in the interviews (much less to have vote in the contract process). This link also explains something about that.

If you are ill? As the media says, a big number of them was ill at the same time last Friday. But the air traffic controllers explains that if they are ill they have to work this our in another moment. Do you have this condition in your job? If you have a flu or you broke your leg, do you have to compensate next months for the time that you are offline?

Finally I don't understand why the journalist are not telling this. At least to contrast the information. And also this problem with the air traffic controllers is not new from this year. Even if the AENA's benefits or losses are not from this year, why this government likes to fix it just now? Aren't there any other urgent things in this country to fix? Or is because the privatization of this AENA company. Do we only make a public company work before sell it? I think is better to do always and then the benefits can be from the beginning...

Other information about this, can be followed using the alternative press medias, like:

Abajo el Estado de alarma. Solidaridad con los controladores

El Soylent Green es gente

Militarizar los mercados

Nice view of the shuttle

I found via rss a really good video of the shuttle from a camera in a commercial fly:

Nice view of a synchrotron

Yesterday, I celebrate the airplane license flying an helicopter... From the helicopter notification point Sierra of Sabadell to the Whisky entrance point, there is our synchrotron in the way.

From Sierra Lima Lima, to Golf Romeo Oscar (and go back)

The first trip alone. Take off from Sabadell with the icao name LELL (Lima Echo Lima Lima, in the NATO alphabet) and the iata name SLL (Sierra Lima Lima) alone in the airplane.

After the take off permission from Sabadell tower in the 13 way, I fly bearing 70 until notify 5 NM out the ATC (Nautical Miles), traffic information on 125.25, then change the bearing between 50 and 60 direction to the mountains. 20 minutes fly to arribe to the SW (Sierra Whisky) access point of Girona, iata name GRO (Golf Romeo Oscar) icao LEGE (Lima Echo Golf Echo).

Tuning the radio to 120.90 and call the tower 'Girona, buenos días de la EC-ERV' (Echo Charlie Echo Romeo Victor). 'EC-ERV le veo sobre SW proceda a viento en cola derecha pista 20, notifique establecido'. Easy, they saw me before do nothing... they are on my, and all the other medium birds from Ryanair, Spanair, and others (airplanes like a A320, much bigger than my C152).

'EC-ERV estableciendo viento en cola derecha 20', 'Roger ERV'. And before arrive the end of tail wind the allows me to land 'ERV autorizado a aterrizar, pista 20, viento 230 8KT' and the answer 'autorizado a aterrizar 20 ERV'. Base, final, and landing... 'ERV abandone por la primera salida y siga al amarillo'. It's funny to follow this yellow car to the parking platform.

In the Aena's office, a new fly briefing, back to the airplane and go back! 'Girona buenas tardes de la EC-ERV', 'EC-ERV adelante', 'EC-ERV en plataforma de aviación general para vuelo visual a Sabadell, solicito instrucciones de rodadura', 'Detrás del Ryanair en rodadura, ruede al punto de espera de la pista 20, detrás', this expresion of say two times 'detrás' is to be sure that you understand, the answer is mandatory 'Detrás del Ryanair en rodadura, rodar al punto de espera 20, detrás'.

In the wait point I did the engine test and announce the tower, I'm ready to take off with 'EC-ERV punto de espara 20 listo', the tower answer was 'Roger EC-ERV'.After two A320 take offs and one citation landin, arrives my torn: 'EC-ERV entre y mantenga', 'entrar y mantener EC-ERV'.

'ERV autorizado a despegar 20, viento 260 12KT', ready to take off! 'Autorizado a despegar 20 ERV'. Taking off in a 3Km way with a cessna that only needs 400 or 500 meters is funny, I was 500ft over the field before the end of the way. 'ERV notifique abandonando por SW'. The ground reference of the SW point is a castle but there is another littler one before when you go out. it means went I say 'ERV alcanzando punto SW' the tower says... 'Segun mi pantalla usted está aun a 5 millas de SW, pero si lo desea puede pasar a la escucha de traficos en 25 25'. Ups! this was my mistake... by the way, tuning the radio to 125.25 and direct to Sabadell...

A factory in polinyà was on fire, and when I arrive to the Echo access point of LELL ('ERV accediendo por punto echo a 2500 pies'). 'ERV debido a incendio dirijase directo a base izquierda de la 13, notifique establecido '. The rest of the fly was like the common ones in sabadell.

Now I have an stamp and a line on my fly book saying that I went to Girona as a pilot in command!

Append: A video in Microsiervos about the 'follow me' car in the Barcelona airport (iata BCN, icao LEBL ).

La suelta

This morning around 9 zulu in the morning (zulu means Coordinated Universal Time, locally was 11), I flew the instructors leader. I did it more or less like other days but a little bit nervous because this instructors was flew with me to evaluate if I am already able to fly alone.

After 4 touch and go, the tower calls as to say this will be last one because other traffics wait to do the same maneuver. This instructor ask the tower if can be possible to land brings himself down because the pilot student is able to practice one circuit alone. The tower was agree...

After land, back to Romeo 2, Carles (the instructor) says me 'bye, bye', then I say to the tower 'Echo Romeo Victor, listo para rodadura'. Tower: 'Roger, Echo Romeo Victor, ruede a punto de espera 13'.

Two other traffics was on the wait point, and when I was ready I said to the tower and wait for permision. When my torn arrives: 'Echo Romeo Victor, después del tráfico en salida entre y mantenga detras', then 'después del tráfico en salida, entrar y mantener detras, Echo Romeo Victor'. And just before stop in the line radio says 'Echo Romeo Victor, viento calma, con precedente que mantendrá en circuito, autorizado a despegar 13'; where is the moment 'con precedente a la vista, autorizado a despegar 13, Echo Romeo Victor': full engine and at 60kt rotation speed and go to the air flying alone...

First, cross wind then tail wind, apply the pre-landing procedure and notify the tower that I'm turning left to base 'con precedente a la vista'. 75kt watching the landing way on my left. Turn left to final approach, control the landing way and my air speed. A second flap point is required but the landing maneuver was fine. Free way to the tower and came back to Romeo 2. Carles was there waiting for me to ask my impresions: simply incredible! Really nice! He gives me the suelta!

Planet atmosphere

During this time that I has learning for the theory fly exams I was think that I provide me too much thinks to write here. At the same time, the day only have 24 hours (strictly less than this, 23h 56min 4sec). But I have a huge list that I will write, from time to time.

Also last Thursday I fly. In combination with this, I will began with the idea to fly in Mars. How different are the parameters in this planet to take care in an hypothetical fly try?

First of all, the gravity. The main think that you need to fly is the lift force, to do a balanced fly the aircraft will create the same lift than weight but under an opposite direction. As Wikipedia says, the gravity in Mars is 3.69 m/s², that is to say 2.65 times less than in the Earth.

Back to the lift force. Witch other parameters have influence on it? Right now we know that with a half lift force than in the Earth you can fly in Mars, but it doesn't say that is easy to create lift to an object in Mars. The formula becames from the Bernoulli principle:

What is different in Mars? (C_L is the lift coefficient is experimentally calculated). The atmospheric density! In the Earth the density (rho) is 1.225 kg/m³, and Mars rho is 0.020 kg/m³, that is to say 61.25 times less than in the Earth. The Lift force is directly proportional to the air density. If this parameter of the formula is 60 times smaller, the other need to be increased in this order; the speed or the surface of the wing are the only options that you have.

You need a half lift force to fly in Mars, but in Mars is 60 times expensive to have lift force... Then I can deduce that is 30 times much more difficult to fly on mars...

In this las link about Mars in found too much information from this planet in comparison to the Earth values. There are curious values in the atmosphere composition. I study the Earth atmosphere composition for the fly exams, and the Mars one is really different.

The first curiosity is the most common gas: the carbon dioxide. This gas that in the Earth makes move too much ink, with the 0.038% proportion, and the responsible of the greenhouse effect, in Mars is the most common gas with the 95.32%. Far from the most common in the Earth that is the Nitrogen with the 78.084%.

Flight Planning Free Software

This Saturday I will go to Menorca with a couple of an unknown friends. One of this people is the one who invite my to start the curse that I am doing to obtain the Private Pilot License (PPL), and I will meet this journey some other pilots...

They send to the list a flight planning draft generated with a software called FliteMap. Really nice software, but is there any other option under GPL license? Or another free software license?

Right now, I found Kflop, that seems fine. It works under Qtopia, then it can be compiled to work under some embedded systems, and be used during the fly. Now is the moment to compile it, install and use it!

I want to fly!

This afternoon I will start the small aircraft private pilot! After to many years doing alternative activities because I cannot be a professional helicopter pilot, finally I will do it as a hobby.

Why I am a computer scientist? Because I could not be a rescue pilot, that's easy! When I was 18 years old, the moment to do your live elections, and it has not be possible to be this specific type of pilot, I decide to change the options radically to computing. Some people say me to study to be a commercial pilot, but I don't want to drive a bus! There is a really huge difference between drive an ambulance than an a bus, isn't it?

This afternoon, I will start the last option: to fly as a hobby, privately, during my free time... This is a dream: fly by my self!