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Monthly Archives: May 2011
Flying Offshore
For whatever reason, as a pilot flies farther away from land over the water or other inhospitable terrain, the engine(s) run rough. There is no factual or statistical evidence of this phenomenon, but there is plenty of emotional, anecdotal information. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged "min sink", airplanes, airspeed, altitude, away from the sight of land, best glide, calm sea, cumulus clouds, do not deviate from the approved approach procedure, drug runners, drug wars, engine failures, Florida, fly as high as possible, flying, Flying Offshore, Flying over water, friends, IFR flight plan for flying after sunset, inexperienced pilots, inhospitable terrain, instrument flying, instrument skills and experience, island checkpoints, judgment, keep security in mind, minimum sink, navigation, no night VFR, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Pirates of the Caribbean, tune and identify all navaids, VFR navigation, visual navigation, water survival
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Comments Off on Flying Offshore
Memorial Day
Today is a day set aside for remembering and giving thanks to the women and men who have served and died in our military so that we may live the lives we live. I could have been one of those, … Continue reading →
Posted in History, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a lucky one, a new generation, a three-day weekend, Air Force, Army, ask yourself serious questions, Coast Guardsmen, discipline, doing the job, independence, keeping the faith, Korea, Marines, Memorial Day, memories, military service, Navy, paid the ultimate price for the freedom, paying homage to squadron mates not as lucky, Pearl Harbor, questioning why, remembering and giving thanks to those who served and died in our military, sailors, soldiers, standing guard for us, that we may sleep peacefully this night and every night, the force protecting America, the pointy end of the spear, Veterans Day, Vietnam, World War I, World War II
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2 Comments
The Luscombe
After the war, another little airplane that had quite the following was the Luscombe. It came in a variety of flavors; the 8A and 8F were very popular. When the airplane came out, it was powered by the typical engine … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, flight training, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft, World War II
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3 Comments
Getting Up on the Right Side
I have often said to my friends and students that every morning they get up, they have a choice as to which side of the bed they can use to get out. Some of them get it and some do … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal
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Tagged appointments, attracting positive people, better business opportunities, business ventures, every day comes with promise, flying or fishing, Getting Up on the Right Side, greater sales, increased income, more fun, new books for publishing, people to meet, projects I am working on, projects to finish, which side of the bed, “What new possibilities might exist today?”
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3 Comments
Misconceptions About Landing
Wednesday, I wrote about a pilot flying a light twin who made a hot approach and floated down the runway. I think there are many pilots who carry misconceptions about flying into the cockpit with them when they learn how … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged aerodynamic control, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, crosswind landing, fast approach, final approach, flight training, floating down the runway, flying, flying landing approaches too fast, flying the approach and landing too fast, groundloops, gusty winds, inexperienced pilots, judgment, landings require precise speed control, learning to fly, Misconceptions About Landing, pilots, Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), professional pilots, runway excursions, scraping fingernails on a blackboard, short field landing, soft field landing, static control, student pilots, taildraggers, the secret to landing, training aircraft, transition from flying to rolling, “whiteboards”
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1 Comment
100,000 Airplanes
Which aircraft manufacturing company first reached the milestone of 100,000 aircraft manufactured? What company was most likely to do this? Boeing, perhaps? Mooney? Lockheed? Piper? No. The company was Clyde’s. Clyde Cessna. Cessna was a Kansas farmer who was the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History
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Tagged 100000 Airplanes, airplanes, Boeing, Cessna 140, Cessna 150, Cessna 170, Cessna 172, Cessna 180, Cessna 182, Cessna 185, Cessna 210, Cessna 320, Cessna 340, Cessna 402, Cessna 421, Cessna Model A, Cessnas, Clyde Cessna, first aircraft company to reach 100000 delivered, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, learning to fly, Lockheed, memories, Mooney, pilots, Piper, professional pilots, Sky King!, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft, US Flight Instructors Association, Wichita KS
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2 Comments
Crosswind Landings
We were leaving school about 6:30 in the evening. I was with my wife and one of our authors—they had been working on a book while I was teaching school and we agreed to give him a lift home afterward. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, bad landings, Cessnas, crosswind landings, crosswinds, discipline, drift, excessive speed, first solo, flight training, float, flying, incorrect crosswind landing technique, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, landings and takeoffs, learning to fly, light twin on final, non-flyers, opposite rudder, pilots, Pilots’ Operating Handbook (POH), professional pilots, runway behind you, student pilots, taildraggers, the approach end of Runway 34, training aircraft, Trim the airplane, “aero-rudeness”
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3 Comments
When Reality Comes into the Classroom
As it turns out this week, the subject matter in my commercial class is meteorology. There are some things I like to focus on, the most important of which is learning how to recognize in-flight aviation weather hazards. The tornadoes … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Life in General
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Tagged aviation weather hazards, Canadian County OK sheriff, CNN News, commercial class, cyclonic wind, distraught homeowners, Fox News, friends, Joplin MO, memories, meteorology, monetary damage at $9 billion, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Oklahoma City, Piedmont OK, storm damage, When Reality Comes into the Classroom
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1 Comment
Writer’s NATOPS
In the days of flying tactical jets, I spent time reading the NATOPS manual and pocket checklist (PCL). Carrying the PCL in the lower pocket of your G-suit could sometimes keep you out of trouble and if you found yourself … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal, Writing
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Tagged "writer's NATOPS/PCL", a Skyhawk or a Corsair screaming through the air at .9 Mach, commas inside or outside of quotation marks, discipline, editors, flying tactical jets, G-suits, grammar, judgment, logical thought, memories, NATOPS manuals, parentheses, pocket checklists (PCL), publishers, spelling, syntax, the Internet, Writer's NATOPS, writers, “friends who can function as editors”, “word-emergency”, “writer’s NATOPS Manuals”
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2 Comments
The Cessna 180
One of the best planes Cessna developed was the Cessna 180. Powered by a 230 horsepower Continental engine, the 180 could carry four at speeds of about 135 knots. At the same time, she could carry a load of luggage … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying
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Tagged 230 horsepower Continental engine, 80-gallon long-range tanks, airplanes, airspeed, Alaska, altitude, bush pilots, Canada, Cessna 182, Cessnas, flight training, floats, flying, Geraldine “Jerri” Mock, gross weight, low-end flying characteristics, normal tires, oversized tundra tires, pilots, professional pilots, ranchers, skis, standard tanks, taildraggers, the airplane of choice, The Cessna 180, the first solo woman aviator around the world, the high-wing Cessnas, “para-lift” flaps
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6 Comments
