Category Archives: Aviation History

The Day of the One’s

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Joe Clark

Today is a unique day. In the purest form the date is 1-11-11. That is a lot of one’s. This year, there is only day better than this in context of dates – Veterans Day. Can you imagine that? 11-11-11! … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation History, Life in General | Tagged 1-11-11, a unique day, Amelia Earhart, Atlanta, Auburn-Oregon game, Bill Cosby, Billy Martin, Bobby Knight, Denver Broncos, Dorothy Hamill, Green Bay Packers, Howard stern, Kansas City Chiefs, Kristi Yamaguchi, Los Angeles, Minnesota Vikings, New York Yankees, Paul Simon, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco, Seinfeld, Smoking may be hazardous to your health, Space Shuttle STS–72, Superbowl IV, The Day of the One’s, the Endeavor, the first discotheque, Tim Allen, Veterans Day, Washington DC, Watergate burglars, Whisky-a-go-go | 2 Comments

Carrots and Night Flying

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Joe Clark

When I talk with my commercial pilot classes about radar, one of my favorite “extra point” test questions deals with carrots. None knew the story of British ace, John Cunningham. Cunningham was a Royal Air Force officer who went from … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General | Tagged beta-carotene, British ace John Cunningham, carrots, Carrots and Night Flying, fighter pilot, flying, military service, pilots, Royal Air Force, the British High Command, The Germans, the invention of radar, the most dangerous night fighter pilot of the RAF, World War II, “extra point” test questions | 1 Comment

A Guy Named Joe

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Joe Clark

Here in Central Florida, there once was a guy named Joe. Joe was a fairly well known aviator, antiquer, and homebuilder. His day job was flying Lears and DH-125s for a bank; his passion was flying antiques and homebuilts. Timing … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged 1929 Command-Aire biplane, A Guy Named Joe, airplanes, antiquer, aviator, barnstormers, Central Florida, Cessnas, Drane Field, flying, homebuilder, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, open cockpit biplanes, Piper Cubs, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft, Waco cabin biplanes | 1 Comment

Mankind’s Greatest Navigational Achievement

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Joe Clark

Traveling from one place on the earth to another is a phenomenal accomplishment. To get from one place on the globe, precisely to a predetermined destination against incredible odds is, in a word, amazing. How were we able to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General | Tagged Apollo 13, Apollo spacecraft, Christopher Columbus, flying, Fred W. Haise, Hawaii, Houston, James A. Lovell, judgment, Mankind’s Greatest Navigation Achievement, Marquesas Islands, modern navigational instruments, navigators, October 12 1492, Palos de la Frontera, slide rules, the Niña, the Pinta, the Polynesians, the Santa Maria, trans-Pacific crossings, “hand-flying” | 1 Comment

Old Airports, New Names

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Joe Clark

We took my mother-in-law over to see her sister-in-law who has a winter residence in Haines City. On the way home, we took a route that brought us near the Lakeland Airport. I started thinking about the Lakeland and Orlando … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Life in General | 2 Comments

Flying Tired

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Joe Clark

It is time for the blog to go up, it is time to write the blog, and I am only at the beginning of the post. Unfortunately, I am really tired. I am not complaining, and I am sure many … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General | Tagged a lethal situation, accidents, airplanes, commercial fishing, crew duty and rest requirements, Cuba, degraded performance, Douglas DC-8 freighter, driving trucks, fighting fires, flying, flying airplanes, Flying Tired, Guantanamo Bay Cuba, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, Kalitta International Flight 808, Leeward Point, Navy, pilot-in-command’s judgment, pilots, professional pilots, running an operating room, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), tired aircrew, walking a police beat, working tired | 1 Comment

Hey – what’s happening here?

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Joe Clark

Those were the last words of Captain Robert Loft, 38 years ago tonight. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 departed New York’s JFK airport at 9:20 in the evening enroute to Miami International Airport. The flight progressed normally until about 11:30. On … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General | Tagged airplanes, autopilot, Captain Robert Loft, cockpit voice recorder (CVR), Eastern Airlines, Eastern Airlines Flight 401, famous last words, First Officer Albert Stockstill, Flight 401, flying, Hey - what's happening here?, indication on the nose wheel, judgment, Lockheed Tristar, Miami International Airport, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), New York’s JFK, pilots, professional pilots, Ray Dickinsin, Robert “Bud” Marquis, sawgrass, the Everglades, water | 1 Comment

Hey – what’s happening here?

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Joe Clark

Modern Day Heroes

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Joe Clark

When people might ask about heroes, a few names always come to mind. They are names from the era of naval aviation just preceding my time. A couple of those names somewhat go together; James Bond Stockdale and Douglas Hegdahl. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged A Couple of My Heroes, Air Force, airplanes, captivity, commitment to God, discipline, Douglas Hegdahl, flying, Hanoi Hilton, Hornet pilots, In Love and War, James Bond Stockdale, judgment, military service, Navy, Navy attack pilot, Navy North Island, required reading, Richard A. Stratton, SERE School, Sybil Stockdale, the North Vietnamese, USS Canberra | Comments Off

Heroes

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Joe Clark

My student and I finished our flight a little early and when we returned to the ramp, I saw an early model Cessna 210 sitting in front of the flight dispatch building. From afar, the airplane looked good. As I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a true American hero, aeronautical engineering, airplanes, an older gentleman, Cessna 210, Cessnas, Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket, Eastern Airlines, Edwards Air Force Base, flying, Hawker Siddeley, heroes, just another Cessna pilot, military service, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' (NACA), Navy, North American Aviation, pilots, professional pilots, Scott Crossfield, test pilot, the fastest human alive, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee for Science and Technology, the X-15, World War II | 4 Comments

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Category Archives: Aviation History

The Day of the One’s

Carrots and Night Flying

A Guy Named Joe

Mankind’s Greatest Navigational Achievement

Old Airports, New Names

Flying Tired

Hey – what’s happening here?

Hey – what’s happening here?

Modern Day Heroes

Heroes

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