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…
New Blogging Weapon: GoPro Hero3 Black Edition GoPro released it best camera yet in late October of this year and I am happy to announce that I will be adding one to my video arsenal this winter. I have to wait for Santa Claus to deliver it under our Christmas tree. One of the many…
Should I train in a modern or vintage LSA aircraft? A friend of the blog, Dave L., emailed recently asking about completing his Light Sport (LSA) training in a legacy aircraft, in this case a post-war Aeronca Champ, versus a modern LSA trainer. He had taken some lesson in a Sport Cruiser and was leaning…
Christmas light rides for fun or profit As a starving flight instructor working for a start-up FBO in a small town of 25,000 people, we were always looking for ways to drum up new business. The Christmas of 1992 we concocted a great plan; we advertised Christmas Light Rides all over town. Ads were put…
Ohio declares December as GA Appreciation Month I often lament about living in Ohio, mostly because of the lousy weather. One thing I can’t complain about is general aviation (GA) in this state, it is alive and well.