Author Archives: Joe Clark

Crosswind Landings

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Joe Clark

We were leaving school about 6:30 in the evening. I was with my wife and one of our authors—they had been working on a book while I was teaching school and we agreed to give him a lift home afterward. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General | Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, bad landings, Cessnas, crosswind landings, crosswinds, discipline, drift, excessive speed, first solo, flight training, float, flying, incorrect crosswind landing technique, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, landings and takeoffs, learning to fly, light twin on final, non-flyers, opposite rudder, pilots, Pilots’ Operating Handbook (POH), professional pilots, runway behind you, student pilots, taildraggers, the approach end of Runway 34, training aircraft, Trim the airplane, “aero-rudeness” | 3 Comments

When Reality Comes into the Classroom

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Joe Clark

As it turns out this week, the subject matter in my commercial class is meteorology. There are some things I like to focus on, the most important of which is learning how to recognize in-flight aviation weather hazards. The tornadoes … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Life in General | Tagged aviation weather hazards, Canadian County OK sheriff, CNN News, commercial class, cyclonic wind, distraught homeowners, Fox News, friends, Joplin MO, memories, meteorology, monetary damage at $9 billion, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Oklahoma City, Piedmont OK, storm damage, When Reality Comes into the Classroom | 1 Comment

Writer’s NATOPS

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Joe Clark

In the days of flying tactical jets, I spent time reading the NATOPS manual and pocket checklist (PCL). Carrying the PCL in the lower pocket of your G-suit could sometimes keep you out of trouble and if you found yourself … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal, Writing | Tagged "writer's NATOPS/PCL", a Skyhawk or a Corsair screaming through the air at .9 Mach, commas inside or outside of quotation marks, discipline, editors, flying tactical jets, G-suits, grammar, judgment, logical thought, memories, NATOPS manuals, parentheses, pocket checklists (PCL), publishers, spelling, syntax, the Internet, Writer's NATOPS, writers, “friends who can function as editors”, “word-emergency”, “writer’s NATOPS Manuals” | 2 Comments

The Cessna 180

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Joe Clark

One of the best planes Cessna developed was the Cessna 180. Powered by a 230 horsepower Continental engine, the 180 could carry four at speeds of about 135 knots. At the same time, she could carry a load of luggage … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying | Tagged 230 horsepower Continental engine, 80-gallon long-range tanks, airplanes, airspeed, Alaska, altitude, bush pilots, Canada, Cessna 182, Cessnas, flight training, floats, flying, Geraldine “Jerri” Mock, gross weight, low-end flying characteristics, normal tires, oversized tundra tires, pilots, professional pilots, ranchers, skis, standard tanks, taildraggers, the airplane of choice, The Cessna 180, the first solo woman aviator around the world, the high-wing Cessnas, “para-lift” flaps | 6 Comments

Airports&Cats

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Joe Clark

Jeff and I stand at the front of the hangar. As we watch student pilots practice their approaches and landings, we revel in the wonderful evening. The weather is perfect for perfecting landings–except for the westerly winds, which forces the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a bobcat, a very pretty evening, airplanes, Airports & Cats, airspeed, altitude, cats, Cessna 170, Cessnas, Florida, flying, friends, Gracie, judgment, learning to fly, perfect weather, pilots, professional pilots, right at sunset, student pilots, sunset, taildraggers, the airport cat, the hangar, watching from the side of the taxiway, westerly winds, when I saw him | 2 Comments

Airports & Cats

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Joe Clark

Raptor Rescue-Man

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Joe Clark

I have a friend, “Holly,” who is truly an amazing person. He is very well educated with college degrees, by trade credentials, and by serious self-education. He subscribes to my blog and not one grammatical or typographical error has slipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged accolades of the onlookers, acrophobia, afraid of heights, campus security, Florida, free climbing, friends, grammatical errors, hawk lips, natural born adventurer, pilots, professional pilots, Raptor Rescue-Man, red-tailed hawks, safety gear, scratching my head, serious self-education, state wildlife officers, student pilots, typographical errors, “Holly” | 2 Comments

Back in the Old Days

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Joe Clark

The old days. What is the definition of “the old days?” It depends on your point of view, that point of view being age. If you are young, the old days were back in kindergarten, perhaps. If you are in … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged accidently scraping the tail, aerobatic pilots, Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, AOPA’s weekend FIRC in Jacksonville, Back in the Old Days, barnstormers, Cessnas, charter pilots, Colonel Ernie Moser, drinking coffee, Flight instructors, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, Great Lakes 2T-1A, inexperienced pilots, Jim Holland, Jim Moser, Jim Moser’s Aerosport, judgment, learning to fly, memories, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, sitting around the FBO, student pilots, taildraggers, talking airplanes, the good old days, the St. Augustine airport, training aircraft, weekend airshow | Comments Off

Why Should You Teach?

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Joe Clark

Why is it important for new pilots to teach younger pilots? Many young pilots question why they should teach others how to fly. For whatever reason, they fail to understand the concept that in teaching others, what you are really … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a hard job, airplanes, Cessnas, current or former flight instructors, demonstrating maneuvers, discipline, engage the autopilot, engine failures, first solo, flight training, Florida, flying, flying night cargo, flying skills, flying with finesse, friends, hy Should You Teach?, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, memories, pilots, professional pilots, reinforcing your knowledge, serious pilots, stick-and-rudder pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, teaching younger pilots, the very best pilots, training aircraft, using CRM techniques, why they should teach | 4 Comments

Ladders on the Highway

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Joe Clark

What a strange couple of days. Both yesterday and today I had to call the Florida Highway Patrol to report ladders on the highway. It is not unusual to see the ladders on the road on a rare occasion, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General | Tagged allow enough room to see and avoid, Debris in the roadway, Florida Highway Patrol, ladders in the middle of Interstate 95, Ladders on the Highway, motorcycles, pickup trucks, report ladders on the highway, roadway debris | 1 Comment

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Author Archives: Joe Clark

Crosswind Landings

When Reality Comes into the Classroom

Writer’s NATOPS

The Cessna 180

Airports&Cats

Airports & Cats

Raptor Rescue-Man

Back in the Old Days

Why Should You Teach?

Ladders on the Highway

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