Flying Wild Alaska Saved My Marriage Ok, just kidding! It didn’t save my marriage, but it may have the potential to significantly enhanced it. Let me explain. My wife is deathly afraid to fly, when I first met her she had to be medicated to go on an airliner. She has gotten better over the…
I shot this video in 2011 during the 40 hour test phase of my RV-8. The music is totally cheesy and way over done, but at the time it seemed appropriate. I didn’t have a lot of time on the aircraft at this point so the aerobatics aren’t perfect by any stretch – still…
Lean times I have been trying to come to grips with proper leaning of my Lycoming IO-360-A1A. It has the stock Bendix injection system and 10:1 pistons so it’s not a standard setup (due to the high compressions pistons). Unlike many of you, I have only recently learned that I should be aggressively leaning on…
New Year’s Resolutions…aviation style With 2013 already in full swing, I thought it appropriate to post up my aviation related goals for the new year. Many of you know this, but there is a lot of power in actually writing these things down – they seem to have a greater chance of actually happening. In…
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…
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…
What will general aviation look like in 40 years? The year is 2053. I drive to my small general aviation airport in my electric vehicle and pull right up to my hangar. There is no need to gain access via gates due to the virtual barrier placed around the perimeter. Any breach will quickly dispatch…
The Instrument rating demystified The instrument rating is really a graduate level course that many undergrads quiver at the thought of undergoing. Lets examine it in detail and discover some common mistakes and misconceptions. What is an instrument rating? We should all understand the basic idea behind being instrument rated, but you might be surprised…
What would I buy….Luscombe 8A This is the second installment in a new series of articles based on a hypothetical set of airplane ownership criteria. Note: This information is strictly the opinion of the author. Your mileage may vary. See our previous installment here. The goal will be to spend less than $20,000 for a light…
Checklist Discipline (Update) Fellow pilot and friend Mike Wojcik contributed to this piece. See his work below regarding a checklist he developed for the Tecnam. Ever thought about your checklist? I mean really thought about it? It is much more than a faded and tattered occupier of precious cockpit real estate. It is one of…