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Author Archives: Joe Clark
Running on Empty
Many have said there are three useless things in aviation. One is the altitude above you, the next is a runway behind you, and the third is the air in your fuel tanks. I am one to believe a pilot … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged a pilot can never have too much fuel, air in your fuel tanks, altitude above you, Cessnas, civilian pilot, come too close running out of gas, fuel margins, fuel reserves, fuel state, horrendous fuel consumption, military pilot, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Part 91.151, Pipers, Running on Empty, runway behind you, Section 91.161, three useless things in aviation
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1 Comment
This Doesn’t Feel Quite Right
I am sitting in the airplane with a pilot new to our FBO. He has come to get checked out to fly with us, so we are about to go up and I am going to watch him perform the … Continue reading →
Posted in Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged a slight tug to the cable, carb heat control, carb ice, carburetor heat box, carburetor icing, grass runway, hot humid day, I guess it’s OK, If it doesn’t feel right it’s not right don’t fly, learned a great lesson, sense of relief, taking control, This Doesn’t Feel Quite Right, your call
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Ah, September 1
Today has come. There is a little dread in this day. Today marks the start of the fourth month of the 2010 Hurricane Season. This is typically the most active month. It is also the month when it starts to … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General
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Tagged 2010 Hurricane Season, Ah September 1, cartwheels on your front lawn, college kids, dealing with hurricanes, dorm rooms, end of summer, Gator football, going to the dentist, grade school, gridlock on the roadways, high school, junior high, newfound freedom, start of school, tropical depressions, tropical storms
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5 Comments
Night Flight
“You want to fly at night? Well, you just go over to Tampa International or somewhere else to fly at night. I don’t let my airplanes fly at night.” Charlie looks at me like I have lost my mind. “But … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged Charles Lindbergh, engine failure at night, flying checks, flying single-engine at night, Navy, Night flight, parachute, picking a good place to land, professional pilots, Tampa International, the old man’s admonition, The Spirit of St. Louis
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1 Comment
Why I Fly?
Why do I fly? Sometimes, something like that is hard to explain, especially to those who do not fly. They say a photograph is worth a thousand words; if that is so, a video is probably worth somewhere upwards of 500,000 paragraphs. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airport bums, barnstormers, Cessna 182, Charles Lindbergh, control over my life, enthusiasm, favorite students, first solo, flying checks, flying machines, flying single-engine at night, homebuilders, I knew I could do it, IFR clearance, instrument flying, instrument pilots, it was time, late afternoon Florida skies, life lessons, little country FBO, mechanics, Navy, Night flight, open cockpit biplanes, parachute, perfecting landings, picking a good place to land, pilots, Piper J 3, predicaments, professional pilots, safe landing, Tampa International, the barnstorming era, what was there to be afraid of?, You’re on your own
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1 Comment
Cutting Teeth
I am nervous, the weather is not good. I have been contracted to fly a client in her airplane, a Cessna 182, to the Cook County Airport up in Adel, GA. The weather in Tampa is awful, below mins. And … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged Cessna 182, Cutting Teeth, Flight Watch, glideslope, IFR clearance, instrument flying, instrument pilots, localizer, minimums, new commercial pilot, outer marker, predicaments, the weather is not good, untested instrument rating, weather forecasts
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Reading & Writing
If you are going to write, you must read. Moreover, if you are a writer who reads, you are going to write – you will write more, and you will find yourself writing well. Reading and writing go hand in … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal, Reading, Writing
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Tagged driving, editors, flying airplanes, get on with life, music, On Writing by Stephen King, play a great game, practice, preparation, publishers, putting words to paper, read, Reading & Writing, sailing, teaching, typewriter, write
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2 Comments
Reading & Writing
If you are going to write, you must read. Moreover, if you are a writer who reads, you are going to write – you will write more, and you will find yourself writing well. Reading and writing go hand in … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal, Reading, Writing
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Tagged driving, editors, flying airplanes, get on with life, music, On Writing by Stephen King, play a great game, practice, preparation, publishers, putting words to paper, read, Reading & Writing, sailing, teaching, typewriter, write
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2 Comments
First Solo, New Birthday
Today, this evening at about a quarter before seven, I will celebrate the 39th anniversary of my first solo. The day I soloed, it was raining hard. I got off work at the propeller shop and headed straight for Charlie’s. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged 39th anniversary, control over my life, first solo, I knew I could do it, it was time, late afternoon Florida skies, New birthday, perfecting landings, Piper J 3, safe landing, what was there to be afraid of?, You’re on your own
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4 Comments
“Go ahead, punk, make my day!”
I am dreaming. I know I am asleep and this is only a dream. In the dream, I see Dirty Harry threatening me with his famous line, “Go ahead, punk, make my day!” Only Dirty Harry is not a cop, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged 45-degree AOB turn, bank angle, emergency, engine failure on takeoff, flying skills, inexperienced pilots, lucky, make my day!”, punk, shallow turn, stall speed increases, steep turn, turning back, turning quickly, uncoordinated turn, “Go ahead
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3 Comments
