All I know is

After evacuating my home on October 8, returning on the 10th to 6 days without power or internet, getting the office and my home in working order for the last 2 days…

It’s going to be nice to get into the air again this weekend.

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:dizzy_face:

Holly flying cow, dude !
I just can’t imagine the pain here.
I wish you good luck for all the rebuild needed.
Also if your avatar is your actual cat ? Is he ok ? :worried:

Best regards, and see you in the sky maybe :wink:

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Thanks, friend. No, that cat (named Jack Bauer) belongs to a member of another forum I belong to. It was born with a defect that causes its tongue to look that way.

He poses the cat in dangerous looking scenarios, like being in a bathtub partly filled with water, and a toaster perched on the edge.

It’s epic trolling, and has some newb members threatening to call the authorities on him.

Those of us who have been around know that he loves Jack, and would never hurt him. Jack just goes along with these stunts, and in general seems like an awesome feline.

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Jack Bauer. That’s great.

Best wishes to recovery & settling back in at home

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Jeepers!!! Sorry to hear that mate! Your problems will melt away (at least a little) when you get in the air again!! Keep strong man!

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Glad things are looking up! Where and what are you gonna fly first?!

I’d been working on my SPAD setup for the R-FAL, so I think I’ll hop in it and do some canyon runs. Might as well give my new STECS throttle a workout. :grinning:

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STECS sounds like an illness!

Simulator Transmitted Disease

We were almost 5 days without power and that prompted me to get a few solar panels and some batteries and inverters and solar charge controllers. I also got some fridge protectors (and we had to get a new fridge because power fluctuations had killed the compressor). Now at least I know we can have some semblance of life even if the power does go out for days again. Its amazing how other worldly things seem when you are stuck in a situation like that – work all day cutting trees and cleaning debris and then take a shower with the garden hose and then the only A/C is the one in your car or truck but thats only for emergencies because there is no gas available.

Glad to hear you are back into a more normal routine and can relax for a while.

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It is quite a different world, isn’t it.

Gas was a challenge, for sure. I tried to keep my 18 mpg truck full in the days before the storm made landfall, and had 15 gallons in Jerry cans for my generator. It was still dicey because I drove from Tampa to Orlando and back, which used over 1/2 tank, then had to drive back and forth to my Mom’s to get her propane generator set up so she wouldn’t lose her fridge, and have her Keurig, her air fryer, and a lamp.

There was no gas anywhere at that point, and Mom was on her own. Fortunately, Mom’s power came back before she ran out of propane. We’d gotten her an electric-start gen, and she was able (even at 86 years old) to change tanks and start it. It was still pretty rough for her without A/C, but she could at least cook real food.

I went home and waited a couple of days, then went out looking for gas, since several stations were reporting availability. I passed a couple of stations with lines that I swear were over a mile long, with police managing the traffic. I ended up committing to the line at Costco, which was surprisingly under 1/2 mile long, and got to the pump in about two hours, where I was able to fill my truck and two empty Jerry cans.

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You see… electric cars are the future – where you could charge at home and solve all thi… oh, wait!

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image

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There you go @BegottenPoet228 , fixed it!! :+1:

I built my own system which sits quietly inside my home and can run the fridge, lamps, TV, fans, and even my 6,000 BTU window A/C unit for short periods depending on how much power my panels can bring in. I haven’t yet tried to run my microwave with it or Keurig but I see no reason it wouldn’t work.

The world is changing and not only can you charge an electric vehicle with solar panels, there are vehicles that have panels built in that charge themselves just sitting in the sun.

For home power you might look at something like the Anker Solix F3800 or something by EcoFlow. I have no personal experience with either but I understand both work quite well.

When we were without power, our cars were also blocked in by a large tree that had fallen and blocked our driveway so we couldn’t have gone to get gas even if it was available but it didnt matter much because there was no power at any of the local gas stations or stores either and everything was closed. Now, as long as the sun shines though (and even if its cloudy) Ill always be able to gain some amount of useful energy. My batteries are four years old now and the system still seems to work as new but it does only get periodic use. The only maintenance is battery balancing which just means you fully recharge the batteries independently and then hook them back together. Gas generators on the other hand may not even work after sitting for a while. My only regret is the panels I bought but I think they were the best option at that time.

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