Shooting At Approach

No, that's not a misprint when I wrote "at" instead of "an". Read on. Many people refer to flying an instrument approach as " shooting an approach". This is a silly term, when you fly an instrument approach you are flying a plane, even in an armed fighter or bomber you aren't shooting a gun or missile., you are trying to get the plane down through clouds to a safe landing. I dont know where that term came from, but people like to have nicknames, and terminology for things.
But this if different, though it reminded me of the inst approach slang. This morning on Yahoo there is a story about a post apparently on Facebook where someone is encouraging people to shoot at Irma, that is actually fire their guns at Irma Thats what I mean in the title, shooing at an approaching storm. Seems a 22 year old man came up with this idea and posted it as a joke, and 50,000 people actually took it as serious and were ready to join in shooting guns at a hurricane. To compound the joke there is another bogus posting which claims to be a local sheriff saying not to shoot the hurricane and with a chart showing how the bullets would be turned around by the wind and sent back.
There's not too much else to say about this story, one poster says people in Florida are different but Ill bet this could have happened in Texas or lots of other places. Read it and laugh while shaking your head.

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This is a silly term, when you fly an instrument approach you are flying a plane, even in an armed fighter or bomber you aren't shooting a gun or missile.

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About as silly as shooting a photograph, shooting the rapids, or shooting the works, Bill. Lots of words have multiple uses that are unrelated...

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Originally Posted by lnuss

Lots of word have multiple uses that are unrelated...

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So true, one of the reasons why the English language, with it's many similar unrelated words and phrases, is so difficult to learn and understand for those whose first language is other than English. Please don't shoot the messenger.

Reminds me of soldiers who say they are going to "shoot an azimuth," which causes us Forward Observers to cringe. We "determine direction," as a compass lacks a trigger mechanism.

;)

Maybe I didnt write it so well, but you guys are focusing on the first paragraph which is the inexact use of the word "shooting" re inst approach.
But the bigger part of the story, the incredible and humorous or disgusting or both is part two that as a joke a man posted about actually shooting at a hurricane and 50,000 responders in Florida took him seriously and were ready to get their guns. One of the comments on line after this story was that he hoped some people dont reproduce, another was he worried about the future of the human race.

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

But the bigger part of the story, the incredible and humorous or disgusting or both is part two that as a joke a man posted about actually shooting at a hurricane and 50,000 responders in Florida took him seriously and were ready to get their guns. One of the comments on line after this story was that he hoped some people dont reproduce, another was he worried about the future of the human race.

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Yup, crazy story. The sheriff of a Florida county actually had to go on TV and dissuade his constituents from doing this. Hard to imagine.

The Deliverance banjo players that believed this joke have all become instant serious candidates for the Darwin Awards. In the animal kingdom, certain species will eat their young because they inherently know when defects exist to ensure the healthy development and continuation of their species. Making no human analogies of course.......

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

Maybe I didnt write it so well, but you guys are focusing on the first paragraph which is the inexact use of the word "shooting" re inst approach.
But the bigger part of the story, the incredible and humorous or disgusting or both is part two that as a joke a man posted about actually shooting at a hurricane and 50,000 responders in Florida took him seriously and were ready to get their guns. One of the comments on line after this story was that he hoped some people dont reproduce, another was he worried about the future of the human race.

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Well...guess this is aviation-related....bullets and airplanes both use air molecules.....sorry...couldn't resist after reading the entertaining "other thread"....

No Sam this story about 50,000 people who actually are ready to shoot guns at a hurricane is not aviation , only the title reminded me of " shooting an approach, and the hurricane part goes long with my story on Houston which definitely includes airport reports there". I never claimed this was an aviation story, I thought it was interesting and funny in its way and brought it for people amusement. Now if this really bothers you , you could just avoid reading it,. Or you could join a few others who think a high calling is to try to limit what someone else writes, even a nice guy who was only tying to help folks in the forum.
Or if you really fly a Foker a pirep on this forum might be interesting.

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Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood

No Sam this story about 50,000 people who actually are ready to shoot guns at a hurricane is not aviation , only the title reminded me of " shooting an approach, and the hurricane part goes long with my story on Houston which definitely includes airport reports there". I never claimed this was an aviation story, I thought it was interesting and funny in its way and brought it for people amusement. Now if this really bothers you , you could just avoid reading it, and go back to writing all the fascinating and pure aviation stories that you have often put on the fourm. Now I cant recall those stories, but as a "technical counselor" and perhaps RV builder, you must have some. Can you remind us what date you wrote the great pirep on Foker flying? My only other one came from 2 CAF pilots flying a Foker Triplane. Or you could join a few others who think a high calling is to try to limit what someone else writes, even a nice guy who was only tying to help folks in the forum.

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Bill, thank you for your insightful and productive feedback, it makes me feel very welcome here on the EAA forum.

Have a great day!

P.S. The pirep on building and flying the Fokker D.VII was in the March, April, and May 2017 issues of Kitplanes Magazine. Hope you find the articles helpful.

Uh oh, Bill, you kinda threw me curve when you edited your post after I quoted it. But I appreciate your desire to edit your post which I'm sure was done solely in an effort to clarify your thoughts. But the original version is still in my reply posted above.

In your original post you mentioned that I had perhaps built an RV. I apologize for not posting build notes for that project but it occurred years before EAA even considered hosting a forum. I know it is an inconvenience but if you wish to read about the project, its completion, and the many mods to it over the years, you may follow the link in my signature. The documentation of the project has been available on the internet since 1997.

I hate to impose on your anymore, but the main reason I haven't posted much about the Fokker D.VII is because it is also thoroughly documented on the website address in my signature. In addition to the three feature articles in Kitplanes magazine about the build, there is also a YouTube channel with several videos of the plane in flight. That address is on the Fokker D.VII website as well.

I realize it is a considerable inconvenience for you to leave the EAA forum and chase those links, but I hope you will find this info helpful.

Best regards and I hope you have a great weekend!