Monthly Archives: April 2011

Pipers and Cessnas

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Joe Clark

It is an age-old aeronautical debate, that of the low wing versus the high winged airplane. Both types have their advantages and each performs equally well, with almost the same performance statistics. So, which holds more positives than negatives? That … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying | Tagged Cessnas, ease of servicing, glare inside the airplane, low wing versus high wing, Pipers, Pipers and Cessnas, refueling steps, student pilots, the age-old aeronautical debate, The Cessna 172, the Piper Cherokee, traffic avoidance, whichever one you like the best | 5 Comments

Late Night Thoughts

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Joe Clark

It is a little before 2:30 in the morning. I awake to the storm passing overhead. I lie in bed thinking about the weather. Specifically, I think about the photos I took of the hail in the backyard during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged Alabama, awaking to the storm, canceling final exams, Florida, Georgia, Hail, helping the cleanup and search efforts, Lakeland Airport, Late Night Thoughts, listening to the storm, Mississippi, North Florida, on the edge of disasters, postponing graduation, Sun ’N Fun, Tennessee, thankful for being alive, thanking God, the Carolinas, The South, The University of Alabama, thinking about the weather, tornadoes, Virginia | Comments Off

A Lesson in Ricochets

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Joe Clark

One day, the weapons instructors introduced us to the technique of firing live rounds. Now this is a little different from going down to the rifle range and learning to shoot; what we were going to do was learn how … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged A Lesson in Ricochets, airspeed, altitude, Cuba, discipline, experienced instructors, firing live rounds, flight training, flying, friends, Guantanamo, guns pattern, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, learning to shoot, live fire exercises, Marines, memories, military service, Navy, never overfly the target, pilots, professional pilots, pushing 540 knots, sailors, salty lieutenants and lieutenant commanders, student pilots, TA-4J Skyhawk, the weapons instructors, tracer rounds, tracers ricocheting in all directions | 4 Comments

Florida Authors

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Joe Clark

Last evening, we enjoyed a delightful dinner with co-workers and friends. The surprise of the evening was talk about Florida authors. In “the olden days,” the foremost Florida novelist was John D. MacDonald. He lived in Sarasota and completed many … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Reading | Tagged a delightful dinner, a graduate of the University of Florida, a prolific writer, A Purple Place for Dying, Auburn, Captiva, Carl Hiaassen, co-workers and friends, Coleman, crime stories, Doc Ford, Double Whammy, editors, Florida authors, Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch Motel, his sailboat No Mas, Hoot, John D. MacDonald, Killing Mister Watson, La Florida, Marion “Doc” Ford, memories, Miami, Miami Herald, modern-day writers, mysteries, Naples, Newbery Honor, Nightmare in Pink, North of Havana, Orange Crush, Peter Matthiessen, Ponce de Leon, publishers, Quick Red Fox, Randy Wayne White, real-life Florida fishing information, Sanibel Flats, Sanibel Island, Sarasota, Serge A. Storms, Skin Tight, South Florida, Tampa Tribune, Team Rodent, The Deep Blue Good-by, the Everglades, the Land of Flowers falling in love with Florida…, the New York Times bestseller list, the sugar industry, the Sunshine State, Tim Dorsey, Tomlinson, Tourist Season, Travis McGee, Triggerfish Twist | 3 Comments

Almost the End

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Joe Clark

This is the last week of classes and as always, it comes too fast, and moves too slow. “Time is a funny thing,” to quote the character, “Hap,” from Steven Spielberg’s movie, Always. During the last week of classes, there … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General | Tagged a day at the beach, a lot of tomorrows, a pickup game of softball, Almost the End, anyone aged 12 or less, closer to the end, going swimming, grade calculations, grading, internships, learning how to organize your time, packing and planning, posting grades, presentations, Professors, projects, summer jobs, term papers, the last week of classes, time flies by, When you are 12 time is not really so important | 1 Comment

The Cessna 120 and 140

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Joe Clark

One of the best airplanes Clyde Cessna’s company put out was the little 140. The 140 also has a little twin, the Cessna 120. Both airframes are very similar, with only slight differences. The most notable difference is the 120 … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying | Tagged a stall speed of 39 knots, a wing area of 159.3 square feet, airplanes, Cessna 150, Cessnas, Clyde Cessna, Continental C-85 engine, conventional landing gear, flight training, flying, gross weight of only 1450 pounds, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, monocoque fuselage, pilots, professional pilots, seeing over the nose, student pilots, taildraggers, The Cessna 120, The Cessna 140, the Cessna 140A, the Cessna taildraggers, three-point landings, training aircraft, tricycle landing gear, wing loading of only 9.1 pounds per square foot, “metalized” wings, “S-turning” during the taxi | 2 Comments

Easter and the Decorah Eagles

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Joe Clark

Today’s post is a short one. I really shouldn’t be working at all, but had to share this. This is my favorite time of year, spring, Easter, and the promise of new life in more ways than one. If you … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General | 2 Comments

OK, My Turn

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Joe Clark

It’s my turn now, to talk about the napping controllers. This is mainly for the benefit of the non-flying public; most of us who fly realize pilots and passengers face little danger in the case of sleeping controllers at 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged Air Traffic Controllers, airplanes, Cessnas, controllers, discipline, Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), flight training, flying, high-density traffic operations, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, J. Mac McClellan, judgment, learning to fly, napping controllers, natural circadian rhythm, newspapers, non-flying public, OK My Turn, pilots, pilots in command, professional pilots, publicizing a problem that is not really a problem, punitive action, sleeping controllers, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft, wimps, “Are We Pilots Or Wimps?” | 6 Comments

Flying at (Density) Altitude

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Joe Clark

I am a Florida boy who learned to fly at mean sea level. As such, I do not care for a couple of things. The first is cold, the second is high density altitude. Many pilots do not understand the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal | Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, discipline, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, military service, mountains, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft | 9 Comments

More Books About Flying

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Joe Clark

After finishing yesterday’s blog about books on the subject of the Doolittle Raid, I began thinking of other books written of flying that all serious pilots should read. There are so many great novels and historical accounts written of flying that once … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, History, Life in General, Personal, Reading | Tagged a very unconventional life, Beryl Markham, British East Africa, England, Ernest Hemingway, flight training, flying, friends, great novels and historical accounts about flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, Kenya, learning to fly, memories, More Books About Flying, mountains, Mt. Kilimanjaro, one of the most talented writers ever, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, West with the Night, writers | 3 Comments

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Monthly Archives: April 2011

Pipers and Cessnas

Late Night Thoughts

A Lesson in Ricochets

Florida Authors

Almost the End

The Cessna 120 and 140

Easter and the Decorah Eagles

OK, My Turn

Flying at (Density) Altitude

More Books About Flying

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