Let’s be honest, cost is the single most prohibitive attribute of becoming a pilot. Sure there are other reasons like fear, air sickness, and lack of interest, but for the vast majority of people I talk to, cost is the biggest issue, me included. So how on earth can we make flying cheaper? It is…
Want to go to the airport…but wx sucks. Now what? Hold on. Today might be a perfect day to enjoy aviation for a fraction of the regular cost. Consider calling ahead and asking either your flight school or fbo shop to see if you can stop by. You may not have had the opportunity before,…
False Start You might have read in a previous entry <link here> about how I replaced the spark plugs due to a bad magneto check. Last Saturday was my first opportunity to test fly it since then and I was excited to go. Arriving at the airport with temps in the mid 30s I plugged…
New Spark Plugs In troubleshooting a bad magneto check, I have found at least one thing that certainly needed to be addressed – my spark plugs. After watching a webinar on the subject over at EAA.org – link here, I learned some interested things about spark plug and their health. After a couple of easy tests,…
Living with your airplane part 2: Residential airparks Last installment we talked about having a private airstrip. This post we are discussing living at an airpark community. Honestly, this is a deeper level of immersion than most of us are accustomed to. Friends of mine report that it’s an amazing experience to live at the…
Living with your airplane part 1: Home strip I have often dreamt of living with my airplane; being able to launch into a beautiful sky by merely walking out my back door is as romantic as it gets. First, only a very small group of us get to experience aviation this way. Most of use…
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…
Buying a used homebuilt In this economy there is no question it’s a buyers market. This is the same for the used homebuilt market, there are plenty of good deals out there. But do you really know what you’re buying? Lets examine some key questions and provide some answers from my point of view.
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…