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Category Archives: Flying
We Choose to Go to the Moon
(Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g25G1M4EXrQ.) When I was a child, I heard these words spoken by a President who dared to dream; by a man who said we would be on the moon by the end of the decade. Many thought he … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation History, Flying, History, Life in General
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Tagged a President who dared to dream, Apollo 1, Apollo 11, Apollo missions, Ed White, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Gus Grissom, January 27 1967, July 20 1969, Lunar Module (LM), Mars is waiting..., Michael Collins, NASA, Neil Armstrong, Roger Chaffee, The Eagle, the Sea of Tranquility, the summer of 1969, We Choose to Go to the Moon
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2 Comments
The Thing About Flying
My friend, Holly, sent in this account of one of his latest adventures. He wrote it so well and supplied great photos, I had to have him debut as my first guest colmnist. ——————— The thing about flying, the adventures … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Atlanta, Epps Aviation, Florida, flying, friends, instrument flying, judgment, Larry King, memories, PDK, pilots, Pipers, training aircraft, Yaks
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Heat
Here in the southeast, the temperatures are unusually high. The same is true of other areas of the south and southwest. This past week, the forecasters predicted highs in the realm of 107 to 110. Of course, as aviators, we know the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a loss of consciousness episode, airplane performance, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, aviators, flight training, Florida, flying, forecasters predicted highs in the realm of 107 to 110, functioning as an aviator, Heat, high temperatures, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, mental and physical performance, Oklahoma City, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), The National Weather Service (NWS), The South, the southeast, the southwest
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2 Comments
Miracle at Lake Clark Pass
Over the weekend, a legitimate miracle took place at the Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. In the designated pass, a Piper Navajo and Cessna 206 floatplane came together in the crunching of metal and no one died. In fact, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged Air Traffic Control (ATC), airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 206 floatplane, Cessnas, dependency on technology, discipline, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), flying, judgment, maintaining a vigilant lookout for other aircraft, midair collisions, Miracle at Lake Clark Pass, mountainous areas, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Piper Navajo, professional pilots, radar coverage, rviving a midair collision, see and avoid, Self-Confidence, sophisticated electronics, visual profiles
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God Speed Atlantis
Yesterday was one that truly passed the litmus test for being a day of historical proportions. While the nation watched from all over the land via television, perhaps one million Americans traveled to Florida to witness the last flight of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, History, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a very low rumble, an event of historical magnitude, flying with students, God Speed Atlantis, last, launch, New Smyrna FL, Orlando, seven million pounds of thrust, the Arthur Dunn Airpark, the event of a lifetime, the Gulf of Mexico, the launch of the Challenger, the Orlando airspace, the Shuttle launch, this one, Titusville, to hear the roar of the rockets, watching from along US-1 and the beaches, watching the Shuttle launch, yapping dogs
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Being There
Sometimes inspiration comes from the oddest places and in the strangest ways. Following the Fourth of July weekend and the tiring drive home, I found myself dozing at the computer. And in the middle of my dozing, I found myself … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Personal
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Tagged "crack back a couple", a thumbs-up, A-4 Skyhawk, airshows, be smooth and perfectly in sync, Being There, discipline, dozing at the computer, F/A Hornet, finesse, flying, formation takeoff, inspiration, judgment, memories, military service, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, refusal speed, rotation speed, section go, the Fourth of July, the lead pilot, the real magic, the training command, wingman, You had to be there
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2 Comments
Apples and Oranges
Remember all the times someone told you to keep the apples and oranges correctly separated? There is probably some math teacher somewhere in your past who said you have to keep the apples with the apples and the oranges with … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, an accurate estimate of the fuel weight, Apples and Oranges, Cessna 170, flight training, flying, judgment, learning to fly, student pilots, taildraggers, the advantage of using pounds over gallons, The Cessna 170, training aircraft, weight and balance problems
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More on G and the Envelope
Yesterday, in G-Loads and the Envelope, I explained the basics of the Vgn diagram and the limits of the operational categories. Today we’ll discuss more about what it means to operate within the envelope. First, its all about what the wing … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged accidently “falling” out of a maneuver, acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, g-meter limits, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, More on G and the Envelope, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, power available, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, the accelerated stall curve, trading altitude for energy, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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G-Loads and the Envelope
When I learned how to fly in 1971, I was a kid who really did not know much about anything, but thought I knew everything. When it came to airplanes and flying, I knew even less than I realized. When … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, student pilots, the accelerated stall curve, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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2 Comments
Air Dancing II
The subject of yesterday’s blog was unique. The things the human mind can come up with to entertain itself amaze me. Even more amazing is the control the human mind has over the physical body. The cliché about being able … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a 20-something year-old brain trapped in a 50-something year-old body, a mighty blast of wind, aeronautical engineers, Air Dancing, air pressure, angle-of-attack, athletics, born too early, born too late, choreography, dance, engineering, fighter pilots, lift, mathematics, mechanics, music, sky diving, sticking our hand outside the window of the car, the concept of “q”, the human mind, to fly, “airspeed”, “dynamic pressure”, “relative wind”, “relative work” (RW), “Whoa! That ain’t right!”
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