Tag Archives: Florida

Uncle D’s Swift

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Joe Clark

D was a different kind of pilot. For one, he owned a Globe Temco Swift, powered by a 125-horse Continental. The Swift was a gorgeous airplane; she had tapered wings, a round tail, and pronounced dihedral. I will always remember … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged 125-horse Continental, a different kind of pilot, a man of action, a tinkerer, airplanes, an airline pilot, D, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, Globe Temco Swift, groundlooped, he could fly anything, he was an ATP, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, no tailwheel experience, one of the prettiest airplanes ever built, pilots, professional pilots, taildraggers, the airplane was crashed, The old codgers, the shenanigans, Uncle D’s Swift, vacation traveling by car, years of reconstruction, “Ya’ll ought not do that” | 3 Comments

Columbia

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Joe Clark

Yesterday I wrote about the Shuttle Program coming to an end and all the remaining vehicles being retired. As always, it made me think about the first Shuttle launch I ever witnessed with my own eyes. I wrote about that … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation History, History, Personal | Tagged a good safety record, Air Force, Columbia, Florida, images of the vehicle streaking across the sky, January 16 2003, landing in Florida on February 1, local law enforcement, lost communication, military personnel, military service, NASA, Navy, professional pilots, regular citizens, Saturday shortly before 9 a.m., search for debris, the Civil Air Patrol, the first Shuttle launch I witnessed, the loss of Columbia, the Shuttle Program, “anomalies” | 3 Comments

Manned Spaceflight Turns 50

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Joe Clark

Fifty years ago today, the Soviet Space Program launched Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into a singular orbit around the Earth in their spacecraft, Vostok 1. The space race was on and Russia was in the lead, having flown an orbital … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life in General | Tagged a dangerous dose of possible nuclear annihilation, advancements in artificial limbs, Air Force, airplanes, Alan Shepard, computers, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Cuba, enhanced radial tires for cars, Florida, Freedom 7, going back to the moon and on to Mars, improved baby foods, improved water purification, infrared ear thermometers, landing on the moon first, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), Manned Spaceflight Turns 50, Marines, military service, Navy, new technologies, President John F. Kennedy, Sputnik, Tang, Teflon, tempur foam (think Tempurpedic beds), the Soviet Space Program, Vostok 1 | 1 Comment

Sun ‘N Fun Photos

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Joe Clark

Photos shot at Sun’N Fun 2011. (Click on photos to enlarge for viewing, using back button to return.) Top row, the Blue Angels of course. From left to right, the two solos blowing around the area low and fast, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying | Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, flight training, Florida, flying, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, Tampa, training aircraft | 1 Comment

Unbridled Student Excitement for Flying

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Joe Clark

Nothing is better than sitting in the office and having a student drop by to talk about flying their first aerobatic flight. When they become so excited they have a hard time containing their enthusiasm, it truly is an amazing … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a combat veteran of the Middle East, aerobatic flight, Air Force, air show airplanes, airplanes, Beechcraft Bonanza, commission in the Air Force, connecting to my own youth, discipline, enthusiasm for flying, eternally grateful, F-16 Fighting Falcon, first solo, flight training, Florida, flying, flying in the military, formation flying, friends, going vertical, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, military service, pilots, professional pilots, pulling 6g’s, slow rolling, student pilots, Sun ’N Fun, taildraggers, tailwheel flying, talking about flying, training aircraft, Unbridled Student Excitement for Flying | 2 Comments

Sun ’N Fun–The Day After

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Joe Clark

Okay, this is not officially the day after Sun ’N Fun, but it is for me. Often, I have said I want my 20-year-old body back; each day I live, it becomes more evident I am now well beyond 29 … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a bunch of backyard tinkerers, airplanes, at the hangar one evening, barnstormers, camaraderie, Cessnas, Continental engines, Experimental Aircraft Association, fellowship, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, homebuilt airplanes, inexperienced pilots, learning to fly, Lycoming engines, open cockpit biplanes, people who like flying and building airplanes, pilots, professional pilots, sitting underneath the wing, student pilots, taildraggers, Tampa, training aircraft, What Sun ’N Fun Is All About, “homemade” airplanes, “store-bought” airplanes | 1 Comment

What Sun ’N Fun Is All About

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Joe Clark

Sun ’N Fun is all about camaraderie. Pure and simple, it boils down to people who like flying and building airplanes getting together in fellowship. There is not one group of people to better “hang out” with than those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a bunch of backyard tinkerers, airplanes, at the hangar one evening, barnstormers, camaraderie, Cessnas, Continental engines, controlling the finances of the project, Experimental Aircraft Association, fellowship, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, homebuilt airplanes, inexperienced pilots, learning to fly, Lycoming engines, open cockpit biplanes, people who like flying and building airplanes, pilots, professional pilots, seeing the light, sitting underneath the wing, student pilots, taildraggers, Tampa, the last of the sunset, training aircraft, What Sun ’N Fun Is All About, “homemade” airplanes, “store-bought” airplanes | 1 Comment

The Tragedy of Sun N Fun

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Joe Clark

Yesterday will long live in the memories of many of the homebuilders who flew their airplanes into Sun N Fun this week. For those who survived the devastation, they will always be grateful. For the builders who lost their planes…, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General | Tagged "spam-can" airplanes, a great deal of property loss, a treasure, aerial displays, airplanes, builder-owner pilot, Cessnas, Florida, flying, friends, homebuilders, homebuilt airplanes, horrific storms, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, Lakeland Airport, learning to fly, life must go on, memories, no one died, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, Sun N Fun, taildraggers, Tampa, The Navy's Flight Demonstration Team, The Tragedy of Sun N Fun, training aircraft, Vero Beach, Wichita | 1 Comment

Sun N Fun Gets Slammed

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Joe Clark

It is early, but late. I have slept too long. It is after 6 a.m. and I am usually up and writing by 5:45 most mornings. But last night was a late night and so I understand why I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a comforting rain, airplanes, airplanes upside down, Cessnas, double-check the weather forecasts, editors, Florida, flying, friends, get up to make coffee, go back to sleep the word processor, hangars demolished, lightning and thunder, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, radar screens, rain, student pilots, Sun N Fun, Sun N Fun Gets Slammed, taildraggers, Tampa, The Lakeland Airport, the pinging of hail, the Sunshine State, the telecommunications expert, thunder, tornadoes, training aircraft, typesetters, typewriters, up and writing by 5:45 | 1 Comment

Learning to Read

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Joe Clark

I always knew I was going to be a pilot and I also knew I would be a writer. When it came to reading and writing, there are a couple of people to whom I am very indebted. My mother … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal, Reading, Writing | Tagged baby-books, bookmobiles, books appropriate to age-level, boyhood crushes, Florida, friends, Hillsborough County, Learning to Read, Marianne, mom, new worlds, pictures in books, Pierce Junior High School, pilot, reading and writing, Saturday morning, Tampa, The world of words!, writer, writers | 3 Comments

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Tag Archives: Florida

Uncle D’s Swift

Columbia

Manned Spaceflight Turns 50

Sun ‘N Fun Photos

Unbridled Student Excitement for Flying

Sun ’N Fun–The Day After

What Sun ’N Fun Is All About

The Tragedy of Sun N Fun

Sun N Fun Gets Slammed

Learning to Read

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