Congratulations, you’ve received a big promotion and you’re about to move your family across the country to Texas. You’re probably shopping around for a moving company that will ship your belongings safely to your new home. Do you own a second or third car? Do you have a motorcycle or boat? Do you really want to drive your classic sports car all that way? Maybe a car shipping company is something you ought to consider. You’ll save time and money by choosing a company capable of handling your Texas car shipping requirement. You won’t need to hire a driver or ask a friend or family member to lend a hand. Do a little research and look for the preferred alternative: car shipping. You’ll have a couple of different choices. Some companies ship overland by train other ship by common carrier using a truck and trailer combination. Shipping by train may save you money but you’ll be forced to pick up the vehicle at a train terminal closest to your destination. Trucking affords you the luxury of direct delivery to your new home. This can be even more important if you’re shipping multiple vehicles.

You’re probably wondering how much this will all cost. Well, it depends on the method, but plan on spending between $1000 and $1500 for a coast to coast move. A colleague recently spent just over $1,200 transporting his antique hot rod. He used a well known trucking company to handle his Florida car shipping request. When picking a company make certain that they’re insured, are highly experienced and come with a list of good references. Your local car club or AAA organization will be able to provide you with a list of candidates.

Verify that you’re completely insured for the move. It’s a good idea to obtain proof of insurance from the company and a better idea to follow up with your insurance agent just to ensure that they’ll be no surprises if something unforeseen happens. Ensure that the company you’ve chosen is going to handle your car carefully. Ask them how they’ll transport it. Whether it will be transported in a covered container or will it be exposed to the elements. You can request that your car is to be covered; but keep in mind that many states prohibit this.

Lastly read and understand your shipping contract. It should clearly spell out the car shipping company’s responsibilities and your responsibilities. Make sure that you understand any penalties you might incur if you’re unable to pick up your vehicle within the prescribed time frames. Paying attention to a few critical details will guarantee a successful, affordable relocation.

Lots of people would have us believe that conducting a reasonably comprehensive or especially free people search is a piece of cake. However, that would only be one of the three most dangerous myths about online public records floating around today. To begin with, (1) the availability of online public records is not as widespread as one might think. According to our research:

– Only 35% of public records can be found online;
– Nearly all/ every “free” government public record website contains no personal identifiers, i.e., for privacy purposes, they provide summarized information rather than information about specific individuals.

The federal, state, and local agencies that maintain public records systems make substantial efforts to limit the disclosure of Social Security numbers, phone numbers, and addresses. Some even go so far as to limit the use of the dates of birth. The Social Security number is no longer the “key search tool identifier” it was in the 1980s and early 1990s. Websites with open record searching available to the public generally require only a name, unless a specific case file or docket number or registration number, et cetera, can be substituted.

(2) Government agencies that offer online access on a fee or subscription basis generally disclose partial personal identifiers. Nowadays, very few give Social Security numbers, and those that do often cloak or mask the first five digits. Some cloak the month and date of birth, and only reveal the year of birth. For example, most U.S. District Court and bankruptcy court online systems reveal no personal identifiers on their search results, thus making a reliable “name search” nearly impossible (I’ve tried).

We point this out because the lack of identifiers presents a real problem for employers or financial institutions who, at the same time, are legally required to exert a certain amount of “due diligence” in the process of making certain decisions. The existence of any possible adverse information may have to be double-checked by a hands-on search to ensure the proper match of a given subject to a given adverse record.

Also, we noticed that many governmental websites offering online record access tend to include a warning or disclosure stating that their information could have mis-spellings and/ or should be used for “informational purposes only.” For this reason, such sites should be considered as supplemental or secondary sources only. Again, to protect individuals’ privacy, they may provide summarized information rather than information about specific individuals.

The upshot of which is simply that . . . (3) A criminal record search from such a source usually does not, in and of itself, comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act regulations involving preemployment screening . . . see video below:

In the meantime, you can find a dozen or so lists of public and private record information companies on this website:

– Address and Telephone Numbers; other lists (provided on that same page) include information on the following topics:

– Aviation
– Bankruptcy
– Corporate/ Trade Name Data
– Credit Information
– Convicted Criminal Information
– Driver and/ or Vehicle
– Education/ Employment
– Environmental
– Foreign Country Information
– Genealogical Information
– Licenses/ Registrations/ Permits
– Litigation/ Judgments/ Tax Liens
– Military Service
– Patents
– Real Estate/ Assessors

Sometimes, the only way to conduct a reasonably certain background check online is from a reputable private vendor. A reputable online vendor may provide access to many records that might not be otherwise found online via Government online sources.

In the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), we are given the opportunity to learn to fly our own group airplanes; the airplanes are small Cessna 180s. The Civil Air Patrol resembles an ROTC program except it is out of school and we get to do more activities, like flying airplanes and helicopters. One very important tool used when safely operating any aircraft is Aviation Headsets. With aviation headsets, we are able to communicate, not only, with other aircraft, but also any other surrounding airports that we may require assistance from. Occasionally, the aviation headsets that we use are built in to helmets. When we go on group outings in the helicopter, we are mandated to have safe Helicopter Helmets. The helmet sometimes has a built in headset, so that we can speak to others in the group.

When you are in the middle of flying changing the controls on the radio or headset is the last thing you want to do, but if you can acquire an efficient headset, you will be in good shape. Aviation headsets usually secure around your skull like earmuffs and have a connecting piece around your chin with a padded microphone. The headset then has a connecting cord that plugs into the airplane or directly to the radio so that you can speak with other passengers or other aircraft personnel. This piece of equipment really makes the pilot’s job easier as it also increases radio efficiency.

Another extremely necessary unit of equipment to have when flying aircraft, specifically helicopters, is a helicopter helmet. The most efficient route of protection, just like riding a bike, is to wear a helmet. Of course on a helicopter you will also have extra emergency gear but the helicopter helmet is important for many things. Occasionally Helicopter helmets come with aviation helmets built in so that you can speak with your passengers. As a pilot, I am in a large group of people. Sometimes it is very hard to speak to someone because the aircraft is so loud. The aviation headsets built into our helicopter helmets help the communication.

Safe aviation is very important and any experienced pilot will tell you that it is of the utmost importance to protect your self when flying aircraft. With reference to some of the most recent plane accidents, one can observe why it is so important to wear safety gear while on an airplane. One accident in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program included a big animal crashing through the windshield of a small aircraft. The cadet and senior member personnel were thankfully wearing safe gear, so no one was hurt; well, except for the bird.

All in all, aviation headsets and helicopter helmets are essential to one’s safe flying experience. Whether you are in a large group or by yourself, it is important to acquire the correct equipment. Helmets are going to keep you safe if you are in an accident and aviation headsets will give you the right tools you need to communicate safely and effectively while you are enduring your journey of flight.