Search my Blog
Subscribe
rss
-
Recent Posts
December 2025 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Archives
Recent Comments
- Marie Palachuk on My Grandfathers
- Ingrid on My Grandfathers
- Joe Clark on The Aeronca Chief
- Lindsay Barra (Knowles) on The Aeronca Chief
- Peter Brown on Gladys Ingle
Category Archives: Flying
From Cropduster to Airline Pilot – a new book
We have published a new book, a very interesting book. It is the biography of LeRoy Brown, cropduster, National Airlines pilot, and retired of Pan American World Airways. As things happen, one of my colleagues at work, Dr. Leo Murphy, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
|
Tagged checklists, CRM, cropduster, Cropduster to Airline Captain, DC-8, DC-8 Engine Failure in Mexico City, four-engine failure, LeRoy Brown, memory lane of aviation history, National Airlines pilot, no time to declare an emergency, Orlando Apopka airport, Pan American World Airways, safe landings
|
Comments Off on From Cropduster to Airline Pilot – a new book
The Safety of “Little Airplanes”
Many question the safety of “little airplanes.” By the way, they are only “little” until you have to wash and wax them; then the smallest airplane suddenly appears similar in size to a Boeing 747. General aviation aircraft have always … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
|
Tagged accident files, airplane accidents, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, discipline, first solo, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, General aviation, highways, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, little airplanes, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), pilots, poor judgment, professional pilots, sailors, student pilots, training aircraft
|
2 Comments
First Flights
When you first go flying with a new student, you should make certain everything is as perfect as possible. In other words, a new student’s first flight should occur very early in the morning when the temperatures are low and … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
|
Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, CFI, engine failures, First flights, first solo, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, new students, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
|
4 Comments
Praise and Insults by Hemingway
I am writing again about writing pilots or flying writers. Sometimes it is difficult to decide which are adjectives and nouns when it comes to describing writers who are capable of flying, or pilots who can actually write. On my … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History, Life in General, Publishing, Reading, Writing
|
Tagged airplanes, altitude, editors, England, flight training, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, publishers, sailors, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
|
4 Comments
On Buying An Airplane, Part IV
Well, it is yours! The question now becomes, how much will it really cost to operate? The price of operating an aircraft falls into two broad categories. These include “fixed” costs and “variable” costs. Pilots (and accountants) appropriately refer to … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
|
Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, first solo, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
|
Comments Off on On Buying An Airplane, Part IV
On Buying An Airplane, Part III
Okay, after discussing where to find airplanes, we now come to the question of what to look for when appraising the airplane. As with any mechanical conveyance, there are things that stand out right away when you evaluate the machine. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
|
Tagged airplanes, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, first solo, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, learning to fly, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
|
2 Comments
On Buying An Airplane, Part II
When it comes to operating your own airplane, you have to keep a few things in mind. First, airplanes are not cheap, but if you are going to do more flying than usual, which is to say more than seven … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
|
Tagged airplanes, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
|
Comments Off on On Buying An Airplane, Part II
On Buying An Airplane, Part I
Once you make the decision to buy an airplane, it is one of the most exciting times of your life. It can also be one of the most frustrating. Oh, and let me also say there is a little stress … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
|
Tagged airplanes, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
|
Comments Off on On Buying An Airplane, Part I
The Dawn Patrol
In World War I, the fighters went out at dawn. In short order, the fighter pilots and maintenance crews began referring to this early morning mission as “The Dawn Patrol.” The pilots would rise early, breakfast, and then go out … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
|
Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, fighter pilots, flying, judgment, learning to fly, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, taildraggers, The Dawn Patrol, waking before sunrise, World War I
|
4 Comments
High Flight
My last blog was about the men who saved England, no, indeed the world. The documentary I watched about the pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain moved me. Their story overwhelmingly impressed me because of my realization of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
|
Tagged airplanes, Canada, discipline, England, fighter pilots, flight training, flying, friends, High Flight, inexperienced pilots, John Gillespie Magee, Jr., judgment, learning to fly, military service, No. 9 Elementary Flying Training School, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, RAF, RCAF, student pilots, taildraggers, the Battle of Britain, the Fleet Finch, training aircraft, Winston Churchill, World War II
|
1 Comment
