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Category Archives: Flying
Mankind’s Greatest Navigational Achievement
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
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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”
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1 Comment
Flying Tired
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
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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
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1 Comment
We’re All In This Together
And, according to some of my old Navy pilot buddies, “None of us are getting out alive!” If there were a group of humans who possess an almost morbidly comedic viewpoint of death, it would be Navy carrier pilots. Only … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged all in fun, bravado, cats, deadly serious business, emergency tanker pilot, far out at sea, flying, getting out alive, Marines, military service, morbidly comedic viewpoint of death, moxie, naval aviators, Navy, Navy carrier pilots, old Navy pilot buddies, pilots, pre-destiny, professional pilots, We’re All In This Together, “checking out”
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1 Comment
Hey – what’s happening here?
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
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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
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1 Comment
Hey – what’s happening here?
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
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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
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1 Comment
Modern Day Heroes
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
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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
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Running Out of Time
This is a time when many are running out of time. At this time of year, many people are finding themselves on the short end of the stick used to measure time. Of course, there are as many methods for … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged banging out copy, consequences, Davy Jones' locker, fingers flying across the keys, lessons of Christmas, making and saving gas, managing editors, methods for measuring time, Navy pilots, news reporter-photographers, pressure, publishers, Running Out of Time, short end of the stick, stressing out, students running out of time, time management
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What Makes a Good CFI?
Some believe you must be a great pilot to be a good flight instructor. Others think you have to have great teaching skills. Then there are those who believe it all boils down to patience. For those who believe it … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, discipline, flying, good flight instructor, great pilot, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, patience, pilots, professional pilots, professional reputation, stress, student pilots, teacher, the Law of Effect, training aircraft, What Makes a Good CFI?
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Heroes
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
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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
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4 Comments
Doing the Right Thing
I read an article published in Flying Magazine that was one of the best articles I have ever read. The article started with the observation of a cropduster landing to reload his hopper and then taking off again. The pilot impressed … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged "doing the right thing", checkrides, cropdusters, fly the airplane, flying by the rules, flying magazine, flying precisely, flying professionally, following the rules, happy passengers, integrity, landing on a point, observing, professional competence, repeat business, taking care of your equipment
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