pilot dork

We went to Las Vegas with Steve's BFF from college and his wife.  Let's call them M and S.  They live in another state, but I swear we see them more then some of our friends that live in the next town over. 

I didn't know Steve in college, but when these two get together I get a sense of how their college years were.  These two are besties, for sure. 

You gotta love how mature these two are.  Actually, it is really refreshing to see Steve with M.  They truly just have a good time together.  And I get along well with S, so it is good all the way around. 

Ok, so where am I going with this?  Well, we all know Steve is an airline pilot.  M and Steve met in college in the flight program.  M is/was a pilot, never commercial, but he knows how to fly planes.  Now, he is an engineer.  I would call him a aerospace engineer. He calls himself an engineer.  But, his engineering deals with planes, so to me that is an aerospace engineer.

When Steve and M get together, they will often times circle back to plane talk. S and I got to the point, during our Vegas trip, that once they got into plane talk we would cough out "pilot dork."

*****

Poolside in Vegas is sweet.  The four of us were laying around, and of course when on your back you look to the skies.

please excuse my finger

There were a couple planes flying over, and Steve and M had to race to be the first one to identify the plane.  Ah, then an airbus flew over.  M and Steve gathered that the plane was leaving from LAX and flying to Europe.  It was heavy, so it was rather low.  And this is when *pilot dork* started...the engines on this plane...

M said they were xxx engine.  Steve replied with a quick "BULLSHIT!" M repeated himself, and Steve repeated "BULLSHIT" again.  CFM this-or-that kept coming up...these damn acronyms.  Cowlings kept coming up too...new gens, old gens...blah blah blah...

Steve and M then proceeded to pull out their smartphones to further discuss these engines:

Something I didn't know: the airplane that Sullenberger was flying when he ditched in the Hudson River has the same engine that is on the 73.  When the ditch happened, Steve was concerned that there would be follow-up things with the engine.  I don't think it was ever an issue.  Since Steve was very aware of his engines and Sullenberger's engines, he knew a thing or two about a thing or two when this plane flew over.

Yawn.  When pilot talk starts I just tune things out.  We were in sexy Las Vegas by a pool with hot bodies all around, and pilot talk started.  Oh, I should take that back...this conversation happened when we were out of the pool for two hours since some kid barfed in the water.  So all the hot bodies were on poolside loungers.  With no eye candy to look at, what else is there to talk about?

These two...I tell you...

Ok, so then Steve just HAD to go to GameWorks so that he could fly the 777 simulator game.  We hiked all the way down there, only to find it is no longer.  They settled for some fighter jet simulator. *pilot dork*

I might add that I had my try at this too, and did better then them!

Of course I love my *pilot dork* and all his dorkiness.  I have said it before: it is in Steve's blood...it is nice to see him around another guy that he can relate to in so many ways.  Flying is in M's blood too, so they really are like two peas in a pod.