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Category Archives: Aviation
Look Ma! No Propellers!
Today, the jet age truly turns 65 years old. It was born when the prototype XP-84 Thunderjet flew for the first time at Muroc Army Airfield on this day in 1946. Current jets are far more powerful than the first … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Life in General
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Tagged aerial refueling, Air Force, airplanes, Alexander Kartveli, control reversal, Edwards Air Force Base, escort, flying, ground support, interdiction, J-35-GE-15 engines, jet age, Korea, Korean War, Look Ma! No Propellers!, military service, Muroc Army Airfield, National Security Act of 1947, P-47 Thunderbolt, Republic Aviation Corporation, the Air Force demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, the United States Air Force, World War II, wrinkling fuselage skins, XP-84 Thunderjet
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The World’s First Supersonic Ejection
In 1955, George Smith was 31 years old, unmarried, stood 6’1” and weighed 220 pounds. It was a Saturday morning just like today. He was off work and on his way to the grocery store, but he stopped by his … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying
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Tagged 675 knots, 777 miles per hour, 8000 pounds of aerodynamic force, aeromedical doctors, Air Force, deceleration of 40g, F-100A, first supersonic ejection, FL 350, hospitalized for months, Los Angeles International, Mach 1, Mach 1.05, Mach 1.05 Ejection, North American Aviation Inc., rate of descent was 1140 feet per second, Super Sabre, surviving a supersonic ejection, The World's First Supersonic Ejection, wrong position for an ejection
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The DC-9
Forty-six years ago today, the DC-9 flew for the very first time. Douglas Aircraft began researching the need for short- to medium-range airliners in the late 1950s. The original thought was to design a smaller version of their popular DC-8, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History
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Tagged airplanes, aviation history, Caravelle aircraft, DC-3, DC-8, Douglas Aircraft, flying, integral boarding stairs, low ground clearance, maximum range, McDonnell Douglas, Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines, professional pilots, revenue operation, short field capabilities, smaller operators, Sud Aviation, The DC-9, the Long Beach Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes
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Brothers to the Rescue, Hermanos Al Rescate
Geographically, Cuba is a wonderful place, truly a paradise. Politically, however, it is a mess. Some of the recent news about Cuban politics includes Castro finally admitting socialism does not work and that the Cuban economic situation is broken. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Brothers to the Rescue, Carlos Costa, Cessna 337 Skymaster, Cessnas, Cuba, Cuban politics, Cuban refugees, Cubans risk their lives trying to escape, dreamed of flying, Fidel Castro, Florida, flying, flying career, free Cubans, Hermanos Al Roscate, humanitarian, judgment, Michael Moore's movie, paradise, pilots, professional pilots, quiet confidence, rafting to freedom, shootdown, socialism, the Cuban economic situation, the Florida Straits, volunteer pilots and observers
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3 Comments
A Change of Seasons
Well, we have finally moved from the “cold” season to the “warm.” Many new to the Sunshine State bemoan the fact that we have “no seasons” down here. Some have gone on to say they miss the turning of the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A Change of Seasons, aches, airplanes, Cessnas, cracking joints, crankiness, engine pre-heats, flying, friends, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, lke a bear in hibernation, more creakiness, northern visitors, oshkosh, set the thermostats from heat to a/c, Southerners, the color green, the colors of spring, the EAA Convention, the Sunshine State, the “cold” season, the “warm” season, variation, Wisconsin, “Feed the Fish”, “no seasons” the cold of winter
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2 Comments
The Perfect Storm
We are facing a situation in the aviation industry, which many may very well describe as an approaching “Perfect Storm.” For years, we have heard people in and out of the industry say there will be a pilot shortage. Current … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged aviation industry, discipline, extreme dedication, flight instruction, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, Korean era pilots, learning to fly, perseverance, pilot shortage, pilots, professional pilots, remaining ready, student pilots, the little boy crying wolf, The Perfect Storm, too late, training aircraft, Vietnam vets, World War II pilots, world’s population, young pilots, “Perfect Storm”
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The Citabria
One of the finest airplanes produced is the Citabria, which, spelled backward, is “Airbatic.” That was one of the things this little two-place airplane specialized in—aerobatics—going upside down, turning loops, and flying Cuban Eights. Champion Aircraft originally designed the plane … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged 7ECA Citabria, 7GCAA Citabria, 7GCBC Citabria, 7KCAB, 8KCAB Decathlon, aerobatics, airplanes, basic acrobatic trainer, Champion Aircraft, Cuban Eights, flight training, flying, inverted fuel and oil systems, learning to fly, Lycoming O-235, Lycoming O-320, Lycoming O-360, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, the Champ, The Citabria, turning loops, upside down, “Airbatic”
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A Near Miss
My students look at me with great incredulity. “No way!” one says. “Six inches?” “Yep. At least we think it was six inches. It might have been closer.” “How could you measure a miss that close?” another asks. “Simple. We … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A Near Miss, airplanes, Cessna 170, Cessnas, dark night, debriefing, Ercoupe, Florida, flying, flying the airplane by feel, gopher hole, inexperienced pilots, judgment, lucky, manual flaps, moving airplanes in the dark, nav lights, nosewheel, Paul Harvey, pilots, professional pilots, runway incursions, taildraggers, the airspeed indicator, the rest of the story
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3 Comments
Is the End Near? I Hope So!
Well, it is almost mid-February, which means spring is right around the corner. For me, it cannot get here fast enough. I am really tired of the cold. I am over feeling as if I am cooped up inside because … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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1 Comment
Hail
One of the most dangerous weather conditions anyone can encounter beyond tornadoes and hurricanes is hail. According to the National Weather Service, hail causes $1 billion in damages to crops and property each year. Oh, the “b” was not a … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged airplanes, Atlanta GA, dangerous weather conditions, DC-9, flying, flying into a hail shaft, Hail, Huntsville AL, hurricanes, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, instrument flying without radar, judgment, learning to fly, National Weather Service, New Hope GA, pilots, professional pilots, Rome GA, Southern Airways Flight 242, tornadoes
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1 Comment
