My fight with a prop.....and losing!

[Jaypratt]

Stein Man,

Sorry you got bit. I know you will get over this and back in the saddle soon!
Let me know if I CAN DO ANY THING ON THIS END FOR YOU.

Cheers

[Jaypratt]

Stein,

Glad you did not have anything worse. Wish you a quick recovery

Cheers

[SteinAir]

You guys & gals are one phenomenal group. I can't think of any other community with so many truly good people in it - and I sincerely mean that. I'm really lucky to have so much support from so many people. Some of my support has come in aimed at my sense of humor and I LOVE IT! Here's a quick sampling:

1...My dear employees made me an "ACME prosthetic finger" from an old stuffed animal (monkey) to tape onto my new stump

2...One of my nice customers kindly offered me a discount coupon for 10% off my next manicure!

3...Another friend/customer (most of the times these words are interchangeable) offered to buy me lunch....just with no "finger foods", but did offer to buy me chili from Wendy's in case I wanted to search for my missing finger!

4...Next 'friend' wanted me to work on my price quote I sent him last week, but then realized that since I probably won't be allowed around pointy or sharp objects that asking me to "sharpen my pencil" might not be a good idea!

5...Another guy realized that I'm one of the few people who'll be able to count accurately to 9.5 on my fingers!

6...Someone else realized that shaking my hand will be difficult, so they'd give me a "high 4.5" instead if a "high 5"!

7...Others suggested I might need seatbelts for the motorized couch given the fact that I must be dangerous around anything motorized.

8...One of you suggestd I have a "1/2" off sale to celebrate!

9...The last question I got was someone wondering if I'd be having a sale on "DIGITal" items!

Anyway, it might seem morbid, but I can either laugh or cry....neither of which will undo this, so I choose to be in good spirits. The humor is helping me cope, so keep it coming!

Belated happy BDay to Jay Pratt. At the rate I'm going I'll be lucky just to be alive at his ripe/wise old age, much less have all my remaining extremeties! I don't know how he does it, but perhaps I need to start living his lifestyle!

Thanks again to everyone. I wish I had the time or energy to write every one of you back...but the drugs are keeping me from doing much of anything productive (hey...at least now I have an excuse) right now. It warms my heart to see that people care so much...especially over somethng so little. I'm so much more fortuneate than many that I have no right to feel very bad. I walk past 2 finished RV10 instrument panels in my shop everyday that belong to 2 widows and it reminds me that my life really isn't that bad - even when I think it is.

Keep the jokes coming, I enjoy the reading and since I've been known to occasionally dish it out, this is one if the rare chances you'll have to throw it back at me!

FYI...things are just moving along OK. I have another surgery scheduled for Thursday (to work on the nerves and such). The missing finger hurts like heck - which is just crazy - but luckily some of the 28 pills I'm taking each day are helping me cope. I have pain killers, anti-biotics, muscle relaxing pills, anti-inflammitory pills, and other things I can't pronounce.

Thanks again everyone! I really and truly apreciate the support and am loving the chance to laugh so don't hold back with the creativity....Lord knows if the tables were turned I wouldn't hold back

Cheersm
Stein

[pauldan181]

Heartfelt wishes for a quick recovery, Stein.

With some time and physical therapy you'll be operating a crimper, a phone, and a bratwurst simultaneously like before.

Paul Danclovic
RV-8A Flying
Carver MN

[JonathanCook]

Here is to a speedy recovery. Good luck and best wishes.

[cytoxin]

a guy here this past weekend had his arm bitten off by an alligator in monks corner.http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/...igators_belly/
he came out of the lake to a picnic and so happened 5 nurses were there and took care of him..alligator was shot and arm recovered from the gut. could not be reattached however.

[weeav8ter]

Hi Stein,

Man I'm really sorry to hear about your accident. I can only imagine what a shock to the system that was. As you said, luckily it wasn't worse than it was. I hope your remaining surgery goes well and you have a speedy recovery. I hope it wasn?t the middle finger or you won't be able to give me the same answer you always give me when I ask you for more of a discount

Two short stories for you. My younger brother lost three of his fingers on his right hand, which were severed all the way to his knuckles, and they sewed them back on and you can?t even tell today that it happened. On your phantom pain issue, as you know I had a family member lose part of a limb recently and she had that issue and they ended up using a drug that is used for epilepsy and the pain went away, so tell your Dr. to get you some of that stuff.

I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

Wayne E

[pierre smith]

Hi Stein,
Years ago while helping another ag-pilot friend of mine, I met his other pilot. This guy had had a bad crash and burned. He lost his thumb and three fingers on his right hand. In order to hold the stick to fly again, they removed his big toe and attached it to his right hand. He flies with that toe/thumb and his forefinger........truly amazing bit of surgery.

Get well soon,

[Geico266]

Glad to hear you are doing good. Poop happens.

[DanH]

Hey Stein,
You like morbid humor eh?

One of our guys tangled with the Warp Drive on his Kolb Slingshot. The blade tips made a few passes through his triceps muscle. You know those barbed wire tattoos people get on their upper arm? That's what the scar looks like....but I digress.

I went over to the emergency room to check on him, and his only worry is that he somehow damaged his airplane (gotta watch those pain meds). I assured him since his arm was still present it was unlikely he hurt a carbon fiber prop. Still, I promised him I would go inspect everything.

So next evening I went out to the airport. It was summer, and hot. When I opened the hangar door, the first thing to register was the smell. Yeah, the prop had splattered, well you know, stuff, all over the airplane and nature was taking it's course. I didn't stay long. Next evening my wife and I went back with two bottles of spray cleaner and a whole case of paper towels. Having spent a long-ago summer on my daddy's hog farm, my dear wife didn't even gag once. The things we do for our friends!

BTW, the prop was fine.

As you know, the aviator's world can include more than a little kidding from your buddies. At the very next beer call things went into full swing. A little computer graphics work, a quick trip to the vinyl sign shop, and the deed was done. You know the spot on the boom tube under the prop arc where builders often place a decal that says "DANGER - PROPELLER"? Well, the next time my friend saw his airplane it was sporting a version of the logo made famous by Popiel TV ads: "VEG-A-MATIC - It Slices, It Dices".

I hope you realize you've probably earned a call sign. Such things are another great aviation tradition and apparently very popular with RV pilots. I think "Lefty" sounds good, but I'm sure some other suggestions will arise <g>

My grandfather was an ironworker and lost his right thumb on the Golden Gate job in the 30's. Didn't bother him and it didn't bother his grandkids either. You're still here, so I wish you a quick recovery and a whole bunch of grandkids.