Blog

May 28, 2013

AirVenture Oshkosh 2013

I will have to start this post out with a tinge of regret. You see I am most likely not going to make it to “the show” this year due to family obligations. There is the remotest of chances that my situation will change, and I’m clinging to that hope dearly, but in the end…

May 26, 2013

50 Tales of Flight: A Review

I recently had the opportunity to read Owen Zupp‘s book, 50 Tales of Flight. I have to tell you if you like reading a wide cross-section of aviation, this book is for you. That’s because Owen and his family have a long history in aviation. Owen is a highly published author and professional pilot. His…

May 25, 2013

New Toys

Pilots are not unique when it comes to the state of euphoria that accompanies getting something new. Recently, fellow builder and close friend, Greg Schroeder, had the experience of having a brand new Lycoming IO-375 show up on his doorstep. Greg is building a Sportsman 2+2 so this engine was a welcome sight indeed. He…

May 23, 2013

Plan Continuation Bias

I penned an article for General Aviation News this week about a Human Factors condition known as Plan Continuation Bias, we know it as “get-there-itis.” I thought folks that come here would enjoy it as well.  Without giving it away, I will say that this human condition is in all of us and I have…

May 21, 2013

Flying As Art

Flying As Art I sometimes like to refer to flying as a form of art. In fact, I’m not alone in the sentiment; many have written beautifully about our craft. Frankly I love the analogy. It allows your imagination to take over. You might visualize the sky as a canvas and your airplane as the…

May 19, 2013

Air Show Love

Air Show Love One of the unfortunate byproducts of sequestration is the impact it will have on this Summer’s air show season. According the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), 10s of millions of folks attend air shows annually and it competes as one of the largest outdoor sporting events in the U.S.  Most of…

May 16, 2013

Batteries included: The simplified future of electric flight

When I think about where we will be in 20 or 30 years in terms of general aviation, it becomes apparent that we will need to be adopters of technology. We have thankfully already seen this shift start to occur in GA. The experimental segment has already been on the cutting edge, with electric flight….

May 14, 2013

Something Old, Something New…Light Sport Aircraft

  Tecnam P92 and the Piper J-3 Cub – brothers from different mothers There are plenty of articles that talk about the very specific niche that is the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), but I thought it would be fun to discuss it from a little different perspective. One of the interesting things to look at…

May 10, 2013

The Last Bush Pilots: A Review

I have two constants when it comes to my book-reading life. I read anything written by a fellow pilot, but I almost never read non-fiction. In this case I am really glad I broke one of my rules to read Captain Eric Auxier’s novel titled, The Last Bush Pilots. The funny thing is it’s hard…