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Tag Archives: professional pilots
A Near Miss
My students look at me with great incredulity. “No way!” one says. “Six inches?” “Yep. At least we think it was six inches. It might have been closer.” “How could you measure a miss that close?” another asks. “Simple. We … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A Near Miss, airplanes, Cessna 170, Cessnas, dark night, debriefing, Ercoupe, Florida, flying, flying the airplane by feel, gopher hole, inexperienced pilots, judgment, lucky, manual flaps, moving airplanes in the dark, nav lights, nosewheel, Paul Harvey, pilots, professional pilots, runway incursions, taildraggers, the airspeed indicator, the rest of the story
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3 Comments
Is the End Near? I Hope So!
Well, it is almost mid-February, which means spring is right around the corner. For me, it cannot get here fast enough. I am really tired of the cold. I am over feeling as if I am cooped up inside because … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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1 Comment
Hail
One of the most dangerous weather conditions anyone can encounter beyond tornadoes and hurricanes is hail. According to the National Weather Service, hail causes $1 billion in damages to crops and property each year. Oh, the “b” was not a … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged airplanes, Atlanta GA, dangerous weather conditions, DC-9, flying, flying into a hail shaft, Hail, Huntsville AL, hurricanes, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, instrument flying without radar, judgment, learning to fly, National Weather Service, New Hope GA, pilots, professional pilots, Rome GA, Southern Airways Flight 242, tornadoes
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1 Comment
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 →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, Cessna 172, Cessna 182, Cessna 182 Skylane, Cessnas, Continental O-470, extra shoulder space and legroom, flying, fuel flow of 11 gallons per hour, greater cabin room, headroom, judgment, learning to fly, Lycoming IO-360, pilots, professional pilots, propeller control, Skyhawk, Skylane, The Cessna 172 on Steroids, training aircraft
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1 Comment
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 →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airlines, airplanes, Cessna 150, Cessnas, checkride, computers, discipline, final cost for earning a private pilot certificate, Flight instructors, flying, getting rich, ground instruction, how can young kids afford flight training, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, minimum wage, navigation plotters, pilots, private pilot, professional pilots, rental and instructional fees, renting airplanes, solo students, student pilots, testing fees, textbooks, the aviation industry, The High Cost of Renting, training aircraft
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3 Comments
The 1940s
My friend, Mike, sent me an email featuring a PowerPoint presentation about the 1940s. Coincidentally, I spent time earlier in the day researching some of the great airplanes of the period. I came away thinking about the airplanes and the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged Air Force, airliners, airplanes, altitude, Chuck Yeager, discipline, Douglas DC-7, flying, humanitarian roles, judgment, Lockheed Constellation, Mach, military service, offensive and defensive weapons of war, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, Royal Air Force, The 1940s, the airline industry, the Korean conflict, The World's Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw, United States Air Force, World War II
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5 Comments
The First Casualty
Today, 20 years ago on January 17, 1991, Operation Desert Storm began. Onboard the USS Saratoga, men prepared to go to war and they would be some of the first warriors over the beach. VFA-81, the Sunliners, was one of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged airplanes, CAPT Joseph Mobley, discipline, flying, friends, judgment, LCDR Michael Scott “Spike” Speicher, military service, Navy, North Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, pilots, prisoner of war, professional pilots, The First Casualty, the first loss of the war, the Rampagers, the Sunliners, USS Saratoga, VFA-81, VFA-83
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6 Comments
Why Fly?
Why fly? There are many motivating factors compelling many to fly. Everyone has personal reasons as to why they fly. Some have verbalized those reasons, some not. Some reasons for flying include a deep and resounding desire to soar like … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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6 Comments
The North American P-51D Mustang
One airplane which has always mesmerized me was the North American P-51D Mustang. Truly, the airplane and the pilots who flew her into combat were in a class of their own. When I started flying in 1971, I came across … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged .50 caliber Browning machine guns, Air Force, air shows, airplanes, Eighth Air Force, flying, grueling missions, incredibly higher return than Wall Street, inexperienced pilots, judgment, long range bomber escort, military service, Mustangs for sale, Packard V-1650-7, pilots, professional pilots, race pilots, taildraggers, the National Championship Air Races in Reno, The North American P-51D Mustang, torque rolls, Trade A Plane, World War II
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3 Comments
Eternal Suicide by FB
One of the classes I teach is a career and interviewing class. I enjoy teaching that class because it really helps some of the students. What amazes me about some young people, however, is that some have chosen to commit … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General
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Tagged a profound effect on the rest of your life, bad information, career and interviewing class, commit professional suicide by Facebook, discipline, Eternal Suicide by FB, Facebook, friends, identity thieves, incriminating information, incriminating photographs, judgment, professional pilots, professionalism, social media, the interview process
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4 Comments
