Rick_Dickert's Blog

With gas prices as high as they have been, more and more people are opting to go with two-wheelers to get from point a to point b. This mode of transportation can save commuters hundreds of dollars over a month. I drive about 65 miles round trip each day and am going through over $400 a month in gas. AHH..it hurts so bad! We are seeing many more motorcycles on the roads and freeways from up in SkyFox than ever before. Unfortunately, with more bikes, there have been MANY more accidents involving them. CHP reports a dramatic increase in bike crashes over the last several months. It seems like I have been covering FATAL motorcycle accidents about once a week and a wreck involving riders just about every day. The causes of these crashes are various. Perhaps some are new riders and just not that experienced. Automobile drivers may not be watching as closely for them as well. Lane sharing (or splitting lanes) by motorcycle riders IS legal in California, so be careful. The bottom line, there are still MANY MORE unsafe automobile drivers on the road speeding, lane changing and texting than motorcycle riders. Chime in and let me know your thoughts. Are you seeing more bikes? Do you ride a motorcycle or have you switched over to one recently? Let me know what you think! Be careful on the roads everyone. The worst part of my job is covering  tragic accidents that could have been avoided. Have a wonderful and safe weekend- Rick

The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is today (September 10th) and a strengthening “Ike” is slowly moving towards the coast of Texas. Now that the storm is out over the warm Gulf of Mexico, it will likely strengthen into a major category 3 hurricane. Some forecast models project that the storm could even become a category 4 before landfall late Friday night. The environment that Ike is entering is very favorable for strengthening. The wind speed and direction are fairly consistent (LOW wind shear) with height and the water is very warm. Moreover, the storm will pass over a “loop current” in the Gulf of Mexico. This is an area where the warm water extends down quite deep. Hurricanes gain and maintain their strength from warm tropical waters. 80-degree water is needed for hurricanes to develop and grow. The latest observations show water temperatures in the 85-87 degree range out over parts of the Gulf. Below is the track that forecasters at the National Hurricane Center think that Ike will take.

 So far there have been 10 named storms (tropical storms) in the Atlantic this season. The average number for an entire season is 10 and we are only at the peak of the season. Lately there has been a lot of discussion and debate as to whether the number of hurricanes and their intensities are on the increase due to global warming. I am in the process of reading a great book on the subject: “Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming” by Chris Mooney. The author does a great job breaking down this topic. I highly recommend it.

 A lot of people ask me if southern California is vulnerable to a tropical system. The answer is YES! A category one hurricane made landfall in the San Diego area on October 2, 1858. Tropical storms have impacted coastal southern California as well. However, typically the water temperatures along our coast are a bit too cool for hurricanes. During an average late summer and early fall, the water warms into the middle 70's. On some occasions, like during an El Nino episode, the water can approach 80 degrees. Some scientists believe that this may become more frequent  with global warming.

We'll continue to update Ike on this web site and during our newscasts. Have a great rest of the week everyone-  

Yes, you all get a break from me! WAHHOO! I'm taking a few days off from my SkyFox duties beginning tomorrow through next week. Nope, I have no elaborate, exotic vacation plans. Instead, I plan to tour around Los Angeles. I think we forget how much there is do in our fine city. We are just minutes away from amusement parks, great hiking, the ocean (and insane surf spots) and amazing museums. I will be catching up on some much needed rest, but I plan on mixing in a long mountain hike, a trip to LACMA and the Getty Villa. I'll for sure log some serious hours at the beach and in the water and will likely take in a movie or two (I have yet to see the Dark Knight). I also have tickets to two Dodgers games. I get to see our city’s FIRST PLACE TEAM  and Man-Ram in action!

I am looking forward to some fun, mellow, low stress times in my own backyard. We live in such a great city that offers so much. I see it from the air every morning, now it's time to cruise around at sea -level. I think we all take it for granted at times. Have a great weekend everyone and see you in another week. I’ll try and get some photos of my L.A. VA-CAY!

Rick

Recently I had the pleasure of being apart of a very special event benefiting the Cystic Fibrous Foundations. When asked to MC this fundraiser, I only knew the basics about the disease. I was unaware that the ocean that I love so much is helpful for patients. Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of about 30 thousand children and young adults in America. The average life expectancy for those suffering from the disease is about 37 years. However, research is helping! Pipeline to a Cure was held in Huntington Beach on July 19th for just this reason. It brought the surfing and extreme sports community together to bring awareness to this disease. A few years back, researchers in Australia discovered that kids that had CF and spent a lot of time in the ocean surfing had healthier lungs than those that did not. It was determined that the salt water and mist of the ocean had a therapeutic effect on the surfer’s lungs. From this, a therapy was developed so that ALL CF patients could inhale a saline solution to help clear their lungs. WOW! What a connection. The fundraiser was amazing. Big wave riders Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama were honorary co-chairs. We raised

about $400,000 for CF research from ticket sales and auction items. It was such a privilege to be apart of the event. The highlight was meeting CF patient Emily Haager. What an amazing young lady she is. You HAVE to check out this youtube video of her story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Iop-w98YE

The entertainment for the night: Social Distortion..yeah..what a night topper!

Wahoo’s Tacos (the bros were sooo cool!), BJs Restaurant, the Kelly Slater Foundation and many others supported the inaugural event. It was great night..a highlight of my summer. I look forward to being apart of next year's fundraiser. For more on CF or to make a donation, check out their web site:

http://www.cff.org/

Be well everyone-

Rick

I love going back to school…Yeah, I was one of those kids that actually enjoyed being educated..most of the time at least! If I could be a full time student and work on a graduate degree, I’d be there in a second. Unfortunately, I have a daughter I am supporting through college and another on her heels! Maybe later in life. Any time I get the chance, I visit area schools to give presentations on the weather and my career. Just a few days ago I had the privilege of visiting Bret Harte Middle School in South Los Angeles. What a school and what a class! I spoke to hundreds of 6th graders. Ms. Margaret Starks, one of the talented 6h grade teachers at the middle school, hosted me. The students were smart, engaging and very polite. They put together a really cool banner to welcome me (see picture below) and presented me with a sweatshirt, school key chain and even an LAUS ID badge! Great stuff! I had a great afternoon with the kids talking about what I love most, the weather. I am so fortunate to do what I do and I think it’s very important for me to give back to the community in some way. It’s easy to get selfish and forget how fortunate we are sometimes. School visits like these keep me grounded. Happy summer students! I’m looking forward to next fall already..Rick

Ok..gas prices through the roof...less people on the roads and freeways…for sure less congestion during the morning commute when we are up flying. That’s all I really have for you traffic-wise..You know the drill…It’s been rather slow for us up in SkyFox the last several weeks..not much “traffic” to really cover. Well, we all got a nice break this past Tuesday…FOG DAY!! If you have ever lived in a cold climate area and had snow days..you know how we feel…Waahoo!! A little break from the routine..some time to play. The ceiling and visibility were both too low for us to fly out of Van Nuys Airport. All of the media helicopters sat on the ground through our morning news shows. So what do we do for fun?? Check this out: All the pilots, camera persons and reporters are super tight. Even though we complete for ratings, we are all good friends and support each other in the air and on the ground. Helinet Aviation has an incredibly talented staff that helps us and other news helicopters fly everyday. A few of the pilots were nice enough to tow me around the ramp on a June gloom morning..Good times! Take care everyone and happy father’s day to all the dads out there-  

Rick Dickert

 http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detai
l?contentId=6736776&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=V
STY&pageId=5.2.1

When going through the photos of my childhood for the "Remember When?...” segment we recently did on Good Day L.A., this one really brought back some memories. It made me remember when there were no gaming devices to keep us entertained. It was just me and my G.I. Joe! Good times..I remember playing outside in the bushes and dirt with this guy for hours and hours. I didn’t have a computer game to establish scenarios, all I had was my imagination. Joe took out an army of 50 once. He also wrestled an alligator and slept in the brush hiding from enemies. He was solid..always there providing entertainment. The only time he showed weakness was when my neighbor Sarah brought over her Barbie J. I’m not sure whatever happened to Joe. I know he got pretty beaten up after a few years of being my playmate. The days of kids having to use their own imagination for entertainment are mostly gone. Kind of sad…Ok..I’m bored with this blog now..gotta get back to the Wii!!....

Ok, like you..I am being hammered by the high gas prices. I drive from Redondo Beach to West L.A. (our studio) and then to Van Nuys Airport AND BACK 5 days a week. I am filling up about every 3 ½ days at about $60 a tank..If you are like me and can’t carpool or mix in a few days of mass transit, we just have to deal! However, there are some ways that we can get much better gas mileage and reduce our gas expenses. I have tried these and they work!  

1)     Make sure your tires are inflated to the right pressure 2)     Don’t haul unnecessary things in your trunk or truck bed (drive light!) 3)     Remove bicycle, surf racks, ski racks or any other attachments that might be causing drag on our automobile

4)     DON’T fill your tank all the way up! Experts say to keep your gas tank level at about 50% )     Fill up during the coolest part of the day to reduce evaporation of gas 6)     DRIVE the speed limit!! I know this helps. Driving about 60-65 mph really does save on mileage! 7)     When driving around town, stop with the quick accelerations and rapid breaking. By implementing these tips, I have noticed that I have gotten much better mileage and have saved a few bucks. With $4/gallon..every cent counts! Lastly, check out on our web site under the Good Day L.A. tab, “10 Lowest Gas Prices in L.A.”. We list some stations around town with the best prices. Good luck and see you at the pump!

5

Time is running out! 62 stories….1377 stairs…858 feet up…. If you want to join me on the 26th for the big AON building stair climb benefiting the American Lung Association. The event is "Climb California Greater L.A.". It is southern California's inaugural stair climb event benefiting the American Lung Association of California. The Lung Association wants to promote exercise, clean air and clean living through this great event. I'll be there leading the charge up the stairs! There will be some serious competitors participating. I was told the winners will be complete the climb in about 7 minutes! I am an active guy who likes to runs, but I have been hitting the stair master at the gym lately to make sure I am ready for the challenge. I am hoping to complete the trek up in less than 15 minutes. I'll let you know how the event goes. OR..you can come down and participate. It is NOT too late to register.

Check out climbcalifornia.org to sign up!

Back on the stair master for now..Rick

I can't wait until April 26th...This is going to be a blast. I was asked by the American Lung Association of California to MC a stair climb in the AON Center. This is the old First Interstate building in Downtown Los Angeles, now the 2nd tallest building in L.A. with 62 stories and 1377 stairs. The building 858 feet tall and was built 1974. 

The event is "Climb California Greater L.A.". It is southern California's inaugural stair climb event benefiting the American Lung Association of California. The Lung Association wants to promote exercise, clean air and clean living through this great event. I'll be there leading the charge up the stairs! There will be some serious competitors participating. I was told the winners will be complete the climb in about 7 minutes! I am an active guy who likes to runs, but I have been hitting the stair master at the gym lately to make sure I am ready for the challenge. I am hoping to complete the trek up in less than 15 minutes. I'll let you know how the event goes. OR..you can come down and participate. It is NOT too late to register. Check out climbcalifornia.org for more info.

The best part of the climb is that you get a great view at the end! Yes, you get to go up on the TOP of the building and look out over the city. Hope to see you guys down there on the morning of the 26th.

Our web site: myfoxla.com get's better every day. We have everything to keep you connected with us when you are away from the TV or we are away from covering news on air. One great feature that we've had for sometime that I want to remind you all about..is our SkyFox streaming. Yes, whenever we are up and flying during the morning show we are streaming on the web. You can see our live pictures and listen in to our conversations up in SkyFox. You can hear me talk to my producers down on the ground and see how I prepare for a live report during the morning show. It's great stuff and very entertaining! So..log on to our web site some morning when you are at the office and click on the SkyFox live bottom and check it out. We usually stream from about 5:30 am to 9:30 am Monday through Friday. Write me back and let me know what you think. And don't forget to set you home page to myfoxla.com! It's FOX 11 24-7..Have a great week everyone-Rick

Just back from the San Bernardino Mountains….and it was great..Out of the hustle and congestion of the city and into the pristine mountain air. I spent a long weekend up in Big Bear..snow boarding and enjoying some down time. The slopes are still covered because of all of the storms that moved through this winter. We really are fortunate here in southern California. Everyone is just a couple of hours (at most) away from the mountains or beaches. I am fortunate enough to live at the coast so heading up to the high country is a treat. It was no nice to be away from everything and surrounded by the trees. The air is clean, you can here the wind through the pines and everything moves slowly. I highly recommend heading up to the mountains if you want a break from your rut and need some R&R. I stayed in a cabin in the town of Fawnskin on the north side of the lake. The town is so quaint and everyone is extra friendly…such a fresh of breath air. Not much traffic either on North Shore Drive!…It was awesome. I hope you are all having a great week…Rick

Let me know how you are dealing with commuting and the HIGH GAS PRICES!

As high as gas prices have gotten lately, I am surprised to see no change in the amount of cars on the road. Congestion is as heavy as ever. People just seem to be going on as usual, probably because they have no other choice. I wonder at what point will people pull back on their driving. Although Los Angeles is not the most mass transit friendly town, I have to think some will start looking for alternative methods to get to their destination. Metrolink and Metro Rail zig zag across the county and are quite convenient. Monday through Friday I drive from my home in the South Bay up to West Los Angeles and then to Van Nuys Airport. In total, I travel about 75 miles a day. That adds up to almost a tank and a half of gas a week. How much $$$??....almost $300 month. Ridiculous!! Once I am home I stay away from my car. I walk, run, skateboard or ride my bike whenever possible. Due to my odd hours and travels, mass transit and carpooling are not an option. The only choice I have is to move closer to West L.A. I know many of you are in the same boat that I am in. You have to work to pay for the gas and the expensive groceries and all of your other bills...You have to commute to work! Unfortunately, I don’t think we have seen the worst of it when it comes to gas prices. My gas guy says he thinks it may be in the $4.50/gallon range by the end of the summer. Not so good of times…Hang in everyone..

By the way, (800) COMMUTE will give you guys some great info on our cities mass transit. Have a great week everyone..See ya on the FREEWAY!

A BUSY 10 freeway despite $3.55/gallon!

So we set our clocks FORWARD 1 hour over the weekend. Daylight saving time began 3 weeks EARLIER than usual (this is a permanent change). The time change is nice in that we have extra light in the evening hours. For those of you who are 9-5ers you can get out and enjoy outdoor activities when you get home from work. The only drag for me is trying to go to bed when it is still light!

The time change also has an impact on accidents. A recent study indicated that the car crash rate INCREASES by about 17% on the Monday following the “spring forward” time change. The cause is likely due to the extended darkness in the morning hours and sleep deprivation. Well, this morning (Monday) was busy on the freeways. We had four pretty serious crashes/SigAlerts and several minor ones.

I also learned that the time change, which is supposed to help reduce energy usage, actually does the opposite. Yes, the increase in daylight later into the afternoon and evening reduces the usage of home lighting energy. However, the INCREASE in air conditioning that is needed later into the evening due to the extra light at the end of the day offsets this. In fact, one study actually showed energy usage INCREASES due to daylight saving time.

Regardless, the time change is a sign that spring is here and summer is right around the corner…my favorite season. Here in southern California, most of us enjoy the longer days. You can’t beat going for an evening surf! Have a great week everyone and enjoy the extra light.

Every day is different up in SkyFox. Each day is very unique. Yes, except for the holidays, there is ALWAYS traffic to show from 1000’. Some days we have some major breaking stories like fires or police pursuits. Others are filled with spectacular views of the ocean and mountains. And of course, we always mix in some fun. That’s why I dig my job so much…What I do up there constantly changes.

I grabbed some photos with my camera last Thursday (2/28) to illustrate this. We made a fly by out over Riverside over the tragic plane crash. We captured the snow capped San Gabriel Mountains as we headed back west. We always make a pass through Downtown L.A. and yes…we mix in a crowded freeway or two.

We are a team of *3* up in SkyFox. I’m just the talking head. The two most important guys are Kevin Walton, our senior pilot and Vince Mac, our award-winning photo journalist. Kevin is an amazing pilot and Vince works magic with our high definition Cineflex camera. I’ve included photos of them all. So, a little “behind the scenes” action for you guys. Let me know what you like and don’t like from what we do up in SkyFox. We are here to serve you!