by Chris Oquist So you’ve finally done, you decided to buckle down and make your dream of flying a plane a reality. Now what? Well, you are going to need a few things before taking flight. Some items on this list may seem like little things, but they can make a big difference. An important aspect of being…
Disclaimer: the inspiration for this post comes from my minor obsession with coffee. It real doesn’t matter where you are in the spectrum of aviation, sometimes we just need a little jolt to remind us why we have embarked on this journey. Indulge me as I draw parallels between my other vice, Starbucks, and different ways to enliven…
by Mike Wojcik Anyone remotely interested in aviation is buzzing about this movie. Folks attending Oshkosh this year will get to be the first or Top Gun, to see it. The rest of us will have to settle for wingman. Of course I am talking about the theatrical release of “Planes” August 9th. I have…
One my favorite things to do is land on a nice grass runway. There is something about it that almost makes it seem like a guilty pleasure. No TSA, no metal detectors, no sequestration-impacted-control-towers, and rarely any fences, and certainly no barbed wire! It is flying in the most organic sense of the word. My…
Why do people stop flying? Why do normal, well-adjusted, intelligent people drop flying like a bad habit? Unfortunately for our industry there are more than a few legitimate reasons: Expense Time Lack of interest Bad experience Accessibility Life circumstances These can actually overlap to some extent, but let us look at each in detail and…
Ten Simple things you can do to improve your airmanship. I thought it might be helpful to post up a few things that I have found useful, in terms of keeping the rust off and trying to continuously improve the craft. I’m sure you have some of your own methods and we’d love to hear…
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Short Sortie: A Normal Flight in the RV-8 Since the last time I flew the -8 was four weeks ago, I was looking for any excuse to go flying yesterday. My home airport doesn’t have fuel so I have to go to other airports to top-off. So the mission today was to top-off the fuel…
My Last Piston Twin Trip My last paying trip in a piston twin was emotional, but not for the reasons you might think. First I should quantify, at the time I didn’t realize this was to be my last round trip. I was flying for a great little FBO in my home town. We did…
Each month I will feature an aviation book that I would recommend you add to your collection. Appropriately, the first book is the seminal work by Captain Ernest Gann – Fate is the Hunter. This is my favorite flying book of all time! The romance and thrill that was present when our transportation system was…