I have a pretty sweet job.  Currently when I’m not working on a tactical UAS for special forces and three-letter agency operators, I’m helping a buddy generate air loads for the Scaled Composites Roc (commonly known as Stratolaunch), the system Paul Allen signed on to fund which will put rockets in space by launching them from an airplane at airliner altitudes.

It’s projected to have a 385ft wingspan and 1.2 million pound maximum takeoff weight (not breaking any ground here, these are publicly available figures).  When you compute loads for such a large airplane you end up with really large numbers.  REALLY large numbers.  You also end up with HUGE moments.  Moment, also called torque, is a measure of force about an axis that causes rotation.

Imagine tightening the lug nuts on a car.  You apply a force (say 75 lbs) on the end of a wrench (let’s say it’s a foot long) and you create a moment of 75 ft-lbs (75lbs x 1 ft).  In English units ft-lbs are common although with airplanes we commonly measure things in inches (damn base 12 math) so instead of 75 ft-lbs, you’d get 900 in-lbs - same moment, different units.

Well when you want to calculate the root bending moment of the wing (ie. the amount of torque caused by the lift of the wing on the fuselage) and you have a 1.2 million pound airplane with a 385 ft wingspan, you end up with billions and billions of in-lbs of torque.  While I know approximately what 75 lbs feels like and I know that 12 inches looks like, I have no idea what billions of in-lbs correspond to.  Neither did the other guys at work, so they converted the loads into a different set of units…

mile-tons.

Imagine hanging a ton (2000lbs) at the distance of a mile (5280 feet).  Imagine hanging a ton at 20 miles…

They better buy a lot of carbon fiber.

I have some experience with lever-action rifles in odd calibers. Grandpa Burgess hunted with a Winchester Model 94 for decades, but instead of buying one in 30-30 (one of the most popular hunting calibers of all time) he purchased one in .32 Winchester Special. Whereas a 30-30 owner can buy ammunition at any sporting goods store or Walmart, you pretty much have to order .32 Win Special online.

I thought that was about it as bad as it could get until we were given Leah’s rifle.

Leah’s rifle is a Winchester Model 71, handed down from her father. As far as I can tell, it’s Leah’s rifle because all the other rifles are still being used, or have been given to her brother, which makes perfect sense. Although her dad didn’t use it a lot, he did take a couple of elk with it, and so it has some sentimental connection.

Model 71’s were only made in .348 Winchester, and .348 Winchester was only made for Model 71’s. It was the largest commercial smokeless cartridge made for a lever-action. Much more powerful than the venerable 30-30, the cartridge was more suited for dangerous game and larger animals like elk or moose. Approximately as powerful as the 30-06, it was favored in Alaska and Canada, where a quick-handling, powerful gun might come in handy.  Leah’s 71 is a “Deluxe” from 1935, the first year of production, and although someone poorly refinished the stock, it’s in pretty nice shape. The larger problem is although approximately 50,000 M71’s were produced, no commonly available ammunition is still loaded. The one company who loads ammunition for it in small amounts charges almost $4 per round. Handloading is the only viable route if we want to shoot the rifle, although Winchester has announced that they are going to begin loading .348 again to go with another commemorative run of rifles (we’ll see).

While we only have a handful of shells left, we were given a number of old ammunition boxes that came with the gun.  The box in the front dates back to the original run of ammunition in 1935, while the other boxes date from the 50’s, 60’s and later.  I love old ammo boxes.  The large swathes of primary colors and clear branding in fonts that existed for decades harken back to a classic age for American guns.  It feels like a link back to the old west, where guns were a way of life and not a political argument.

Some guns come and go, while other ones earn permanent spot in the back of the safe.  While this one might not make it out very often, it’s certainly a keeper and a fun piece of family history.

With a sleeping puppy on my lap, and the end of the year approaching, it seems like a good time to round up my favorite pictures from this year.  Looking back at these pictures it helps me remember what a good, crazy year it has been.  I hope 2012 will be equally eventful.

February: Eddy wilds out at the dog park

April: My trip to Bangalore for work exposed me to life in India. Here a woman sweeps the sidewalk

It also featured lots of wildlife, including this alligator

…and these two one year old lions

Cows were everywhere, including on the sidewalk.

April: At Eric and Kristi’s wedding dad played George C. Scott playing Gen. Patton.

May: Sis’ senior photo session produced a few good shots, including this one

While we were at it, we stood my father in law by some of his handiwork

June: Wheat fields shimmer on the Palouse

July: On the way to Alaska a beautiful sunset near BC

One of the many great totems in Ketchikan

One of the hundred of Bald Eagles we saw in Alaska

The inside of the dome of St. Micheal’s Cathedral in Sitka

Mt. Edgecombe shrouded in fog

Brothers playing at a bear rehab center in Sitka

July: Dale and Kate share their first kiss as a married couple, while Leah looks on

Flashes create patterns on the wall while dancing

July: Morgan steals a look at Ian as they walk down the aisle

The newlyweds enjoy some time to themselves

September: Leo carries Erika out after exchanging vows

Baby V flips upside down with mom, Amy during a Christmas photo shoot