Tag Archives: judgment

Flying, Learning, and Thunderstorms

The FSS flight specialist reported weather along our route with ceilings of 1,000 broken to overcast with tops about 12,000 feet. There was a chance of imbedded thunderstorms. It appeared as though the front was in the process of becoming stationary … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday Southwest!

Today is Southwest Airlines’ 40th birthday. The airline traces its first lineage all the way back to the 1967 incorporation of Air Southwest Co., by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. However, the name change and first flight of Southwest Airlines … Continue reading

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The Blue Angels First Performance

On this day in 1946 at NAS Jacksonville, LCDR Butch Voris pushed the throttle forward on his blue and gold Grumman F-6 Hellcat to start his takeoff roll.  The other pilots on his team, in their individual Hellcats, also pushed … Continue reading

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Sad Day for the Bomber Boys

Monday, June 13, 2011, will remain a sad day for the warbird community.  A vintage warrior made her final landing in a cornfield near Chicago.  After the landing, all seven aboard the airplane were able to make good their escapes, … Continue reading

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Cedar Key

One of my favorite places to fly for an afternoon or evening visit is a place in the crook of Florida’s Big Bend region. Where the coast turns more southerly, there is a sleepy little town called Cedar Key. I like … Continue reading

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Learning How to Land

This one is for all the students trying to master the technique of bringing an airplane back to earth.  This is from the notes I kept when I was trying to learn how to land. ———————– Now, how does one … Continue reading

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Takeoffs and Climbs

Yesterday I touched on the theory of the different kinds of climbs.  I discussed the best-rate of climb (Vy) and the best-angle of climb (Vx).  Today, let’s talk about how we use the appropriate climb speed for given situations. Most … Continue reading

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Low Levels

This week, one of the subjects for my commercial class was airspace and as always, I made mention of the military training routes on the sectional charts.  When I was flying in the Navy, we routinely referred to the routes … Continue reading

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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

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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

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