Wednesday, June 22, 2011

First Full Day of Summer

Today (that is the UTC day, not necessarily your local day) is the first full day of summer. In the latitudes I have been operating in there was snow a couple of weeks before, and it doesn't mean there won't be snow tomorrow, but the sun has set once since it had its moment overhead the Tropic of Cancer, and will remain north of the equator until the equinox in September. Yes, it's odd that we've settled on what is also known as Midsummer's Day as the beginning of summer, but it is pretty close to marking the date of the beginning of warm weather in the northern hemisphere.

As announced earlier, today is also the date SunglassesShop.com is sponsoring a contest in which you can win a pair of SXUC mirrored aviator-style sunglasses, specifically these ones. SunglassesShop.com sells expensive brands, as well, but the website copy makes it clear that SXUC is not an expensive brand, just fun, but they do have UV400 protection. (For work I use expensive sunglasses, but when I'm not working I typically wear sunglasses in about this price so that I won't scream in pain when they get sat on, scratched, or lost. I get my optometrist to verify that they have the advertised UV protection, and he puts them in a machine and tells me they do, even though he's the one who sells me the expensive sunglasses).

After considering various options for the workings of a contest, I've decided that we will play nosewheel roulette. On my next flight, I will mark and photograph a chalk line on the left side of the lowest point of my nosewheel tire during preflight. Then I will taxi, take-off, fly an entire flight and return to parking, at which point I will disembark and re-examine the chalk mark. Your task is to predict how many centimetres clockwise around the circumference of the tire the chalk mark will appear once the airplane is stopped. This may be at the fuel pumps or it may be at the final parking location, wherever I first get an opportunity to photograph and measure it for you.

The total circumference of the tire is 128 centimetres, giving a giant roulette wheel with 128 possibilities, from zero to 127. Post your selection in the comments, then back it up with an e-mail to me with the subject Sunglasses. Your e-mail should contain the same guess, so I don't need to sort out which Anonymous or which David is which, when I need to contact you for your mailing address. You can also save that step and put your mailing address in the e-mail. I won't use it for anything except maybe sending you a postcard sometime, unless you win in which case I will send it to SunglassesShop.com so they can send you your prize. If you live underground and don't need sunglasses, or want to play for glory only, and prefer to cede your prize to the next runner up, you can put that in the e-mail too.

Don't pick a number someone else has chosen, because I'll give priority to the person whose comment appears first. If two guesses are equidistant either side of the correct location, that's okay because there are two pairs of sunglasses available to be won. If there is some added complication I haven't thought of, I'll do my best to be fair.

There will also be a booby prize for the entry furthest from correct. The booby prize is a second-hand (or possibly more) aviation-themed decorative towel in extremely questionable taste. Someone sent it to me and after I looked at it, it went right back into the envelope waiting for its next victim.

71 comments:

Brandon said...

I pick 75cm

MaF said...

I'll pick a nice round number like 32.

sean said...

I'm going to play the "you know that statistically, blah blah blah" card and take zero. :)

D said...

put me down for number 4

Feffe said...

I'll take number 98

/ Fredrik

Carmi said...

I'll take 16, please. I admit I had a hard time containing myself to integers, though. I'd really like 5pi, if it's not too much trouble.

Aside from that, it's purely for fun, I don't wear sunglasses, as I don't like being distanced from humanity that way.

Anoynmous said...

sean beat me to zero, so I'll pick 64.

flightless bird said...

Damn, I was going to take zero but I see I'm third in line for it so I'll take 1 instead then please.

Anonymous said...

I'll go to the other end of the range -- 127 cm.

-- Mark

fatfred said...

Please put me in for 51cm. Pass the prize along if I win as I need prescription specs

Jared said...

I'll take 107.

Ed said...

I'll skip this as a prescription glasses wearer. However, I'm curious why you measure the distance to the mark clockwise when it feels more natural to do so anti-clockwise on the left hand side of the wheel?

Oh, all right: 42 cm.

Paul Tomblin said...

I'll pick 68, but only because my first three choices were taken already.

david said...

The English language used to have only two seasons, Summer and Winter.

Midsummer is the summer solstice, halfway between the two equinoxes (equinoctes?) on the warm & sunny side; midwinter is the winter solstice, halfway between the two equinoxes on the cold & dark side.

Bobby said...

This is an easy one. Based on my calculations, the rotation of the earth and the rotation of the nosewheel, the answer will obviously be 78.

jump154 said...

86cm

Anonymous said...

For some reason I'm surprised nobody picked 7 yet, so I'll make it mine.

-- Paul

Sue said...

I'm a computer guy, so I'll have to pick 8 (as in octal). If that's already taken (I searched the answers but I could have missed something), I'll go back to decimal and pick 100.

Jim said...

42. The answer to everything is 42.

Jim

Jim said...

Oh drat, Ed 10:59 buried 42 at the end of his comment.

37 is a nice prime number.....

Alex said...

Sign me up for 117-
Alex

rw2 said...

43

Sarah said...

Ok! For me, 57

That is not my age.

Amanda said...

I pick 24!

Unknown said...

Not knowing whether you'll be at the fuel pump or parking makes it tough, so I'll split the difference at 22.

Wayne Conrad said...

63, please.

ADBBingo said...

Darn - waited too long to read this and 42 was taken. Despite certain failure, I will guess 55.

Don

Anonymous said...

LT says 114...

Christopher Thompson said...

Picking 80! But I am really hoping to win the "towel of questionable taste".

Jeremy said...

I'll go for 107.

Tom said...

23

Anonymous said...

I'll go 122

I have just found your blog from reading Cap'n Dave's FL390, so pleased I have another to read that looks as interesting and fun!

Add me to the England list if you ever cross the pond!

DaveW

Luis said...

I'll choose 56 cm.

JimB. said...

My first fleet squadron in the Navy was VS 31, so it's 31 for me....

nec Timide said...

123, but I wear prescription lenses so give them to the next person in the cosmically unlikely event that I win.

cockney steve said...

I'm another one optically challenged,so i'll skip the prize(but the tea-towel of questionable taste is another issue altogether.

I go for 69 , my ladyfriend's favourite ;-)

DataPilot said...

108.

Your towel has got to be better looking than some of the ones my husband brought to our household (and won't let me throw out). Your booby prize might even spruce up our place a bit.

Jasper said...

My Ouija board has told me to select 37.

Head in the Clouds said...

I'll choose 27.

Wild Blue said...

112 for my guess. Why? I was going to pick another, but it's taken, so I just moved down a few digits.

X-av8r said...

My pick is 111 cm clockwise from the bottom. My birthday this year is on 11/11/11, so maybe a derivation of that will be lucky!

coreydotcom said...

99

it's not for wayne gretzky, it's for carl edwards.

Cedarglen said...

I'm going with 128, just becasue I'd love to have that silly towel.
Fun!! -C.

5400AirportRdSouth said...

35 for me please.

If I win, I'll trade The Sunglasses Of Aviation to the booby prize winner for The Towel of Questionable Taste, open offer.

Word Verification: Pingui

Is that multiple penguins?

JimK said...

44 :-)

Jack Fenton said...

Put me down for 88.

Anonymous said...

Was going for 123, the frequency @ CEN4, where I got my PPL, but it was taken, so I'll pick 126, for the next frequency outta there in VFR.....

Paul.

Matthew Flaschen said...

I'll gamble that you'll measure at the final parking location, which will make it 19.

Echojuliet said...

My lucky number of 17 is not taken, so I will claim it! <3

Big Steve said...

I choose 47, please.

Paul B said...

Can I put in a bid for 101 please?

Jim D said...

I'll go for 28.
Thanks.

Mike Eisenstadt said...

I pick 77 assuming it's not already taken.

Mike in Austin Texas

Wayne Farmer said...

72

Mark said...

I'll Take 11..
Mark

Cirrocumulus said...

94 - how can an aviation towel be in actually bad taste? Unless maybe it has "Fly United" or "Fokkers"?

saminacam said...

Sam say's: looks to me it will land on 81

Unknown said...

66 for me please! I'm in Australia, so you could drop them off next time you are over here... or pass them on to the next closest!

leisuresuitwally said...

115

Transplant said...

26cm please! Let's hope the Posties are back to work if they're going to get mailed!

GaryC said...

Reserve the 49th cm for me please.

Aviatrix said...

Would that be 48 or 49 you're asking for, Gary? As the centimetres start at zero, technically 48 is the 49th centimetre.

Roundo said...

as my Mom taught me, "May I have 83, Please!"

Mario in PY said...

Please mark the 13 for me.

GPS_Direct said...

Well 'Trix, you definitely have a LOT of readers!

Put me down for 67, though as I wear prescription sun shields, I'll defer to the next in queue...

Captclapper said...

95 Please!

Chris Muncy said...

I'm in for 103

Anonymous said...

I'd like 3, please!

JarangMandi said...

Am I too late to pick 45?

Andy - Bristol, UK

Edu said...

Being late to join the competition, I'm going to use this to my advantage and pick 60, because it has currently best chances to win. To be fair, I won't actually want the sunglasses and the next one can get them.

I can also help someone coming after me and tell that next best guess (statistically) is 91.

I might want the towel, though. But maybe a picture of it would be enough...

Aviatrix said...

Edu, I think you got your guess in during the relevant flight. I'll close comments on this now, and post the winners when I've had a chance to write the relevant blog entry.