sssurfer

My favourite is: P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft. I bet it was very rough!!!

After every flight, Australian Qantas pilots fill out a form called a "gripe sheet" which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, & then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that Aussie ground crews lack a sense of humour. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots & the solutions recorded by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has NEVER had an accident. (P= The problem logged by the pilot.) (S= The solution and action taken by mechanics.) P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. S: Almost replaced left inside main tire. P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft. P: Something loose in cockpit. S: Something tightened in cockpit. P: Dead bugs on windshield. S: Live bugs on back-order. P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent. S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground. P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed. P: DME volume unbelievably loud. S: DME volume set to more believable level. P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. S: That's what they're for. P: I.F.F. inoperative in O.F.F. mode. S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode. P: Suspected crack in windshield. S: Suspect you're right. P: Number 3 engine missing. S: Engine found on right wing after brief search. P: Aircraft handles funny. S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, & be serious. P: Target radar hums. S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics. P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed. P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer. S: Took hammer away from midget.

T.R.H.P.S.! Great! Too bad I just came in knowledge of it via the Fame movie in the old 70's, when you still were in God's mind, V... Just, were the Italian subs pointing to anyone in particular? A little revenge about some remotes? Or am I just unbearably self-oriented?

SLURRRPP!!!

Considering your top knowledge of PAM models I rely on your expertize. Also, the correct "A"s already made me a little dubious about the 005. But then please tell us something about the 'L SWISS MADE L' text, as this is a scan of a 005 pic from an official OP catalogue: I read with the highest interest your post about the long arrow 005, but the 'L SWISS L' vs 'L SWISS MADE L' issue on the 005 is still unresolved to me. Thanks!

Absolutely fascinating interview, thanks for sharing, Vicky! Just some quick consideration: 1 - Has not a ceramic PAM already been released in 2007 models, i.e. the PAM 292, Radiomir Black Seal Ceramic? 2 - Mistifying to read that Angelo Bonati now tells their PVD cases 'fragile' and prone to get scratched, while when they originally released them they advertised them as more scratch-resistant than steel. 3 - I heard that ceramic is higly resistant vs scratches, but also very fragile vs crashes, you may get it broken by simply letting the watch fall off your hand. Something like sapphire-vs-glass (sapphire more scrach-resistant, but less crash-resistant). Anyone got any info about it?

You are welcome. I seem to remember that I got my 090 from TTK (I can't verify it as it happened during the lost months in RWG I). Unfortunately no, it does not have sapphire. Just sent you a PM about the 090 datewheel.

Surely making no sin of excessive originality, I suppose it has something to do with the human curiosity and compulsion to explore. Once and as soon as a territory is explored and known, we seem irresistibly attracted by whatever is beyond... Exactly my thoughts when I was typing the whole story. It's a pity that a forum, even if a great thing, cuts out 90% of possible interactions. Fortunately it looks as the two of us are doing their best to put limits under pressure. Anyway, you are even correct on some sapphire crystals (as I learnt at my own expense when I tried to remove the cyclops ). I have to admit that the rep thing tought me patience much more than the zen thing, as you call it Good. A modder woman would look a bit gay. www.cousinsuk.com But essentially useless to non-modders. I have to say that that issue hit my mind while looking at the pic. Congrats! What about a praying mantis?

Thanks for your interest, appreciation and encouragement, Vicky. And for another thing too. Actually, even if you did not know, you played a crucial role in the development of this project. After about a year since May 2006 when the 1st version was ready, I was feeling a little bored with it. The mini fiddy option had not yet come to my mind. I have even been on the edge to sell the watch. Then your unfortunate experience with the miny fiddy brought my attention to that watch. I began thinking that a mini fiddy look might complement the watch nicely. Just, considering your experience, I was not willing to waste my money on a mini fiddy before having any clue about how the final look with a domed crystal might be. So I decided to preliminarly have a test on how much a domed crystal would add to the watch look. It took some time to find a source for a domed crystal fitting a 44mm case (cousinsuk), a little more time (three orders) to find which diameter was correct (36.2mm), a little more time to select a correct cyclops, and some more time again, and three crystals wasted, to learn about the differences between plexi and glass/sapphire in glueing the cyclops. In the end, almost a year and half after the 1st version, the 2nd version is ready and the result is encouraging, I feel. So the project is alive and running again. Thanks to you, Vicky! P.S.: that minifiddy / grasshopper combo is exceptional. It makes me wonder if I could use a grosshopper too on this project...

Yes, you actually have a problem and it would need a therapist's help... But it is that intention of yours to get rid of almost all your PAMs!!! Anyway, Bea Flora is gorgeous.

I have always been in love with PAMs with 1950 case (especially for the domed crystal) and gold hands, but I always wanted a seconds hand and date too, and I prefer 44mm models. So at first I put gold hands on a 144, I already posted it here. A decent start, still I wanted something more. Now I took another step forward, by adding a domed crystal and a nice and very comfortable strap (kind courtesy of dadog13 -- thanks, Vlad!). Here is the result. Front view: A little right and left view, to better show the domed crystal: A shot pointed at the date window. It came out a little out of focus, apologies, still it is good enough to show that the date font is crappy (to be fixed soon, thanks to archibald!), but the date readability is decent: Unavoidable wristshot: And, last but not least, a shot of the strap by dadog13. I am very happy with it and I especially love the one-hole-only thing, that makes me feel the strap exclusively of mine: In the end, I love this project at the point that I am now even considering to get a mini fiddy just to take its case, crystal (current crystal is plexi) and hands. I would put in the movement, dial and cyclops. What would you think? Thanks for looking, :sss:

Daylight. Or 62, 72, 105, 121, 122, if you manage to find them repped. There is also a 2007 model already repped, but it is very incorrect. 47mm.

Agree.

You are always welcome, rr.

Just ask Davidsen for the diameter of his crystal. But most PAMs have a 35.5mm diameter crystal, while capt_cope's 090 is almost 36mm, my 090 is less than 35mm, and my 027 is less than 35mm too. 0.1-0.2mm tolerances may be acceptable thanks to the teflon gasket on which the crystal sits, but 0.3+mm are too much. Be warned that a Chieftang cyclops might result a little overpowered on a 090, given the additional small lens on the ST-2530 date window. The main problem with the 090's date is not magnification, it is its datewheel bad font. Member Lello is considering to make improved datewheels for this movement. If he gets interest enough he might go on with this project. But so far he got too few subscriptions. Btw, if you are paulw also on RWI, your interest has been booked already. Unfortunately, there is no general size for that. The CG holes in the Silix' 027 are of the small type: thin screws, and short distance between them (13.5mm). But why are you interested in them? Do you plan to transplant your 090's CG on the Silix's case?

Great results and great review! Thanks! (Btw, I mistakenly rated it 'good idea'. I actually wanted to give it 'gold star'. My apologies. )

Anyway, V., you are the only woman I would not use those controls on (especially the 'mute' button)

Those actually are 6 more things, but as you got replies from vbarret too then I am in good mood and I will do my best to address your questions. ??? My link was to Silix' PANS057. Wasn't it? Silix' PANS056 is a rep of PAM 090. It is a great watch too, its movement is even better than the 027. Silix just placed it at 80 USD so recently that I missed it. Both PANS056 and PANS057 are great choices, pick the one that you like most. Just be warned that the 090 has a better cyclops (so it just needs datewheel replacing, no cyclops replacing), but the gen 090 is AR coated while the 090 is not. The gen 027 is not AR coated exatly like the rep 027. Good question for a newbie, you will became an asset to the forum IMO. To answer your question, the Asian 21J center seconds hand sweeps in a quite decently smooth fashion. Not at the level of a 2892-A2, obviously, but there is a 570 USD difference in the end. An RWGer, and 90% of Paneristi, would tell it instantaneously anyway. Sorry unable to understand. Please elaborate. More data needed. From what height did you try to plunge in it? What race are you? What job is yours? Because useful vs unuseful population ratio keeps lowering. It is a well know issue about the western emisphere, and it makes for one of the main reasons for the eastern emisphere rising. In a global village like the current world, at least. Most likely, when we (I) will stop giving you silly answers.

Argh. Your 090 looks quite different from mine. Ok, as far as I know the case of Silix' 027 is the only case without a quick date pusher that is able to accept a caseback as large as the 090's. So your best option is to get the Silix' 027 (80 USD), and replace its movement+dial and caseback with those from your 090. Most likely you will also need to remove the 027 original cyclops and reposition it (or replace it with the cyclops from your 090) in the correct position for the 090 dial. This is as the 090's Seagull 2530 movement has its date window placed a little more outwards than the Asian 21J movement that comes in Silix' 027. You might also need to file down the 090 dial a little in order to make it fit into the 027 case, but that is easier than filing or dremeling anything else. Warning: I can't be sure that Silix' 027 case is better than your 090 case. But you will surely get rid of the quick date pusher that way.

Don't measure them on your bf, V. After all, he has some Italian DNA inside him.

If you use a black light the type they use on dancing rooms I suppose you get the best effect. I tried with an UV lamp emitting in the far UV spectrum (that lamp that looks purple and barely emitting any real light) and, besides it is dangerous, its emission in the purple visible spectrum was sufficient to definitely alter the color of the dial, case, hands, everything. Not good for taking pics.

Dimentions, as well as mag power i.e. focal lenght (FL), vary in the different models. Diameter is between 6mm and 7mm -- 6mm for the earlier models (A-C series), 7mm for the most recent models (F- series and on). Mag power is lower for the 2892-A2 models (that have an additional lens on the movement date window) and models with a higher rehaut. On those models you can get as high on FL as 11-12mm. On the contrary, you need a higher mag power (shorter FL) on models with short rehaut and no attitional lens, e.g. the 029 and 063. On these models you will need to go as low on FL as 8-9mm. You will find that getting a short FL is more difficult on 7mm diameter cyclops. You will also find that higher magnification is very likely to give cushion distortion. In order to get rid of distortions while still retaining good magnification you will have to go to aspheric lenses, as chieftang already pointed out. And, more precisely, sapphire aspheric lenses (don't expect to get enough mag power with glass cyclops). Making aspheric sapphire will prove costly. (You can use glass only if your cyclops is thin so to enhance its distance from the date window so to get higher magnification. Machine-made cyclopses can't go below 0.3mm of unuseful thickness, so you can use glass only if you thin it manually on post-production). Like kruzer I am not trying to discourage you. But chieftang, archibald and I already got a long way on our attempts to provide enhanced cyclops and I am just trying to let you benefit from what we all already discovered.

LOL But, in this case, please stay on queue. I was telling about the model on Silixprime, not that on Silixwatch (Silixprime is Silix's site for better reps, while Silixwatch is their site for cheaper reps). Here is the link: http://www.silix-prime.com/product.asp?id=1486