Score one for innovation against the declining pilot population I have to say I am impressed by all the ideas being brought to bear on the “war against the declining pilot population.” Some of the ideas are brand new and some are recycled from the past. A couple of these are pretty clever. Open Airplane provides…
Living with your airplane part 2: Residential airparks Last installment we talked about having a private airstrip. This post we are discussing living at an airpark community. Honestly, this is a deeper level of immersion than most of us are accustomed to. Friends of mine report that it’s an amazing experience to live at the…
Living with your airplane part 1: Home strip I have often dreamt of living with my airplane; being able to launch into a beautiful sky by merely walking out my back door is as romantic as it gets. First, only a very small group of us get to experience aviation this way. Most of use…
Self-Appointed Airport Police In my hometown we had a gentleman who took on the self-appointed role of airport police. He was actually a nice guy and he meant well, but boy if he thought you were doing something unsafe, he was in your face. We’ll call our man, John, for this discussion. He was in…
What brought you here? Your journey to General Aviation All of us have a different story of how we came to be involved in general aviation. For some, you are just starting this journey, for others, it has been a life’s quest. Being involved doesn’t mean you have to be a licensed pilot or to…
The dirty dozen of aircraft ownership! A simple list of the costs We’ll just be focusing on ownership, not renting. If you fly less than 100 hours a year, renting is almost always more cost-effective, but never as rewarding or convenient as owning your own airplane. Since a lot of recreational flyers don’t fly much…
A Christmas story from WWII Four days before Christmas 1943, in the darkest hours of WWII, a miracle took place. Two enemies—an American bomber pilot and a German fighter ace—met in combat over Germany and did the unexpected: They decided not to kill one another. Even more incredibly, as old men, they found one…
Twas the night before Christmas all over the place, When we were suddenly confronted by an old flying ace. There was icing reported and turbulent air, He said “File me a flight plan, I gotta get there.”
Pattern Work: Touch-and-goes for increased proficiency In my days as an instructor I spent a lot of time in the traffic pattern doing dozens of touch-and-goes. Today, I still feel like this is one of the best places to refine our craft and maintain proficiency – notice I didn’t say currency, but that’s a…
It’s the end of the world. What did you do? Yesterday marked the end of the Mayan calendar, 12/21/12. I hope everyone got out and flew, just incase! Unfortunately, the weather across Ohio was bad all day and I had to work, so I was left to fantasize about the whole thing. What if yesterday…