Monthly Archives: January 2011

Fun and Reckless Abandon

It was a beautiful moment. Yesterday, the humans came home and it was time for them to allow the dogs out. Luke was out like a shot–and running around with reckless abandon. Watching Luke run around the quadrangle from house … Continue reading

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The Cessna 172 on Steroids

A Cessna 172 on steroids? No not really. Something like that would have another name. Most in the aviation business know it as a Cessna 182 Skylane. The two airplanes look very similar with tricycle landing gear, four seats, and … Continue reading

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Death of the 9 to 5 Job?

Advances in technology influence all fields of industries from education to transportation and some even believe the days of the 9 to 5 job might be numbered.  As companies realize they can lower overhead costs, many have opted to allow … Continue reading

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Remember Today?

Twenty-five years ago today, I was learning to fly the A-7 Corsair. My base was NAS Cecil Field in Jacksonville, FL on this particular day in 1986 and I would finally have a chance to watch one of the Shuttles … Continue reading

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Writers Eloquently Insulting Each Other

In order to sell books or magazine articles with regularity, writers should write simply.  In using Microsoft Word, one feature the software has is a spelling and grammar check, which reports the reading level of a document.  I have often … Continue reading

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The Speed of a Sneeze

One of the things we will do before turning in for the evening is watch a little bit of TV before going to bed, usually the evening news.  As is her habit, Gracie the cat will settle in between the … Continue reading

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Identity Theft Lesson No. 1 for High School Grads

I am working on a book for young people to help them acclimate to life after high school. This is an excerpt from that project. If you have a son, daughter, niece, or nephew in this age group, this may … Continue reading

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The High Cost of Renting

In 1971, the cost of renting airplanes was expensive.  The sad truth about aircraft rental today is that it still remains too expensive.  Relatively speaking, it is more expensive than 35 years ago.  In 1971, a Cessna 150 cost $15 … Continue reading

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Range Safety

During my years as a Navy pilot, the closest anyone came to shooting me was on the small arms range—by a Navy nurse. The lesson learned that morning was again, never take anything for granted—especially safety. In the process of … Continue reading

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Solo! (Part 4)

This is the final installment of the story of soloing, originally published in Eagles Tales, a collection of essays by my colleagues in the Aeronautical Science Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Eagle Tales is available for sale at 20 percent … Continue reading

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