It took me longer to fly home than it did to drive up there. Pretty much every pilot has made this joke when battling a strong headwind, slowing your progress.  It would have been quicker to drive!  Cars are passing us on the highway!  Usually it’s not true, it just serves to illustrate how slow…

Airplanes can be fun but at the end of the day, they’re just metal, wood, and composite.  The one ingredient required in enjoying aviation is people.  I have written before that I am the luckiest guy I know.  Line guy to pilot has given me a great life.  But without the people that have been…

This is my humble contribution to the blogging in formation series.  Inspired by the video that I will link to at the end of this post, I wanted to summarize this incredible story of aerial courage and daring. After the United States entered the European theatre, it would have been a strange sight indeed to see…

What would I buy? Monocoupe This is the fifth installment in a 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.  So for this one I reached deep into my eccentric tastes to produce an example of how I…

I Love Biplanes! One of the most existential things you can do as an aviator is fly a biplane, especially an open cockpit variety. Having been lucky enough to have been a steward to one of these sentient vehicles in my youth, I can say I have tasted it’s nectar first hand. There are few…

One of my favorite airplanes and one that I will almost certainly never get to fly, is the De Havilland DH88 Comet. Actually there is only two flying examples, one being a replica that was commissioned and built in the U.S., the other is in a museum in England. The Comet is a gorgeous design,…

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…

Piper Cub By Stephen Pope / Published: Jul 25, 2012   (editor: Check out this video to get the essence of how pure flying can be in a Cub!)   Simplicity and durability are defining characteristics of so many of the classic American products we love best: The Harley-Davidson Flathead. A well-worn pair of Levi’s…

Antique and Classic Airplanes are GAs Best Kept Secret These are a class of airplanes that I believe are under recognized and certainly under utilized by the average GA flyer. If you are already an antique/classic enthusiast please hold the hate mail and bear with me.  This genre of airplane was primarily the product of…