Raymond Wright
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Book Club Discussion Points
Daytona Beach, FL – SPOILER ALERT! Only for those who have read my book! After my dear friend Doley introduced me to my dear editor, Catherine Adams, The Inkslinger, the real heavy lifting began. If I was to convince her to work with me, I had to submit a 10-page essay to her detailing what
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The Law of Maximum Entropy Production
Daytona Beach, FL – The Law of Maximum Entropy Production within IYAAP – The Law of Maximum Entropy Production (LMEP) is introduced in conversation with the astronaut in the flight planning room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He affirms what Major Carrington has said about preparation being one way to battle entropy, but
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Ginsberg’s Theorem in IYAAP
Daytona Beach, FL – Ginsberg’s Theorem within IYAAP – Ginsberg’s theorem is a parody of the laws of thermodynamics in terms of a person playing a game, first attributed to American poet Allen Ginsberg in a 1975 issue of the “Coevolution Quarterly.” Ginsberg, 1926–1997, was one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation
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The Laws of Thermodynamics within IYAAP
Daytona Beach, FL – The Laws of Thermodynamics – The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics, that of thermal equilibrium, is introduced when Captain Wright tells Doley and Ray why he prefers cold beer to free beer. The concept of equilibrium, though not thermal equilibrium, is also presented in the scene in the altitude chamber, where students
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The IYAAP Epigram
Daytona Beach, FL – The IYAAP Epigram – “Thermodynamics is a funny subject. The first time you go through it, you don’t understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you
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The IYAAP Cover Design
Daytona Beach, FL – Cover Design – Greg Gannotti, my-brother-in-law, designed the awesome cover for If You Ain’t a Pilot…. Miss Rachel took the picture of my surprised eyes and furrowed brow. The cover design follows the same rules given to the student pilots of UPT class 88-07 at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, way back
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Always Sound Cool on the Radio
“Always Sound Cool on the Radio” UXBRIDGE, MA – March 20, 2019 – IYAAP Blog – As a student pilot in the Air Force, I learned that one of the three rules of flying was to always sound cool on the radio. The sky could be crumbling around me. Flames could be shooting from my
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Gravity and Granite Walls
Gravity and Granite Walls UXBRIDGE, MA – May 25, 2018 – IYAAP Blog – Gravity culled a training jet from the skies above Columbus Air Force Base this week. Fortunately, both pilots ejected and rode their parachutes to safety as their T-38C Talon II was pulled to an uncontrolled impact with Earth. No one on
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Descent Planning
Descent Planning UXBRIDGE, MA – Sep 19, 2017 – IYAAP Blog – Being of Italian descent, I wear an undershirt beneath my dress shirts as a comfort for myself and as a courtesy to others. For me, wiry hairs rubbing against medium-starched garments are way too itchy. For others, my nipple-and-fiber tribute to Michael Faraday’s
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Hearing Protection
Hearing Protection UXBRIDGE, MA – Apr 9, 2017 – IYAAP Blog – Prolonged exposure to jet engine noise can cause long-term hearing damage. That’s why pilots wear hearing protection on the flight line. Years after hanging up my flying gear for the last time, I still have trouble understanding what people say in a crowded