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Tag Archives: professional pilots
Off to School
Every two years flight instructors must renew their credentials in order to continue teaching. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides three ways to accomplish this task. The easiest way is by providing documentation of flight activity showing at least an … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Personal
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Tagged 80 percent success rate, Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Avon park bombing and gunnery, Cessna 150, Cessnas, CFI endorsements, discipline, documentation of flight activity, F-16 Falcons, FAA check ride, first solo, Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic (FIRC), Flight instructors, flight training, flying, friends, Guantanamo, gun sights, judgment, learning to fly, memories, Off to School, pilots, professional pilots, rolling in “hot”, student pilots, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), training aircraft
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1 Comment
Miracle at Lake Clark Pass
Over the weekend, a legitimate miracle took place at the Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. In the designated pass, a Piper Navajo and Cessna 206 floatplane came together in the crunching of metal and no one died. In fact, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged Air Traffic Control (ATC), airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 206 floatplane, Cessnas, dependency on technology, discipline, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), flying, judgment, maintaining a vigilant lookout for other aircraft, midair collisions, Miracle at Lake Clark Pass, mountainous areas, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Piper Navajo, professional pilots, radar coverage, rviving a midair collision, see and avoid, Self-Confidence, sophisticated electronics, visual profiles
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Being There
Sometimes inspiration comes from the oddest places and in the strangest ways. Following the Fourth of July weekend and the tiring drive home, I found myself dozing at the computer. And in the middle of my dozing, I found myself … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Personal
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Tagged "crack back a couple", a thumbs-up, A-4 Skyhawk, airshows, be smooth and perfectly in sync, Being There, discipline, dozing at the computer, F/A Hornet, finesse, flying, formation takeoff, inspiration, judgment, memories, military service, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, refusal speed, rotation speed, section go, the Fourth of July, the lead pilot, the real magic, the training command, wingman, You had to be there
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2 Comments
More on G and the Envelope
Yesterday, in G-Loads and the Envelope, I explained the basics of the Vgn diagram and the limits of the operational categories. Today we’ll discuss more about what it means to operate within the envelope. First, its all about what the wing … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged accidently “falling” out of a maneuver, acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, g-meter limits, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, More on G and the Envelope, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, power available, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, the accelerated stall curve, trading altitude for energy, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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G-Loads and the Envelope
When I learned how to fly in 1971, I was a kid who really did not know much about anything, but thought I knew everything. When it came to airplanes and flying, I knew even less than I realized. When … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, student pilots, the accelerated stall curve, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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2 Comments
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 →
Posted in Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a fatal aircraft accident, a sense of relief, actual instrument time in my log, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, breaking out into brilliant sunlight, canceling instruments, Cessna 182, Cessnas, cleared as filed, discipline, flight specialists, Florida, flying, Flying Learning and Thunderstorms, IFR operations, imbedded thunderstorms, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, Lake Okeechobee, learning to fly, lived by the rule of always being able to see thunderstorms, Pahokee, Palm Beach Approach, pilots, professional flying career, professional pilots, Tampa, Tampa Departure, the FAA called, the Pahokee VOR, too many pilots die by breaking that rule, “VFR is not recommended”
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2 Comments
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 →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying
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Tagged Air Force the Thunderbirds, airspeed, altitude, and LCDR Lloyd Barnard, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz, combat veterans of the Pacific war, discipline, F/A-18 Hornets, Florida, flying, Grumman F-6 Hellcat, judgment, LCDR Butch Voris, low-flying maneuvers in tight formations, LT Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, LT Mel Cassidy, memories, NAS Jacksonville, professional pilots, sailors, taildraggers, the Army Air Corps, The Blue Angels, The Blue Angels First Performance, the team’s first airshow at NAS Jacksonville, the United States Navy, World War II
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1 Comment
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 →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged a $3.5 million restoration, a loss of a national treasure, a sad day for the warbird community, Air Force, airplanes, airshows in Canada transatlantic crossing to visit England, airspeed, altitude, an engine fire, Aurora Municipal Airport, B-17G, discipline, Don Brooks, engine failures, England, flying, Framlingham England, judgment, last landing in an Illinois cornfield, Liberty Belle, military service, Monday June 13 2011, Pratt & Whitney, professional pilots, Sad Day for the Bomber Boys, Sugar Grove Illinois, taildraggers, the 390th Bomb Group, the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association, The Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum Kissimmee Florida, the Liberty Foundation, The United States Army Air Corps, World War II
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3 Comments
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 →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Personal
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Tagged 910 feet per second, a couple of guys on a boat fishing, airspace, airspeed, almost as fast as a speeding bullet, altitude, Cedar Key, changing elevations, Corsair, discipline, Florida, flying, flying in the Navy, flying on VR-1002, Flying the routes at 150 to 200 feet, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, looked like deer staring into headlights, Low Levels, memories, military airplanes, military service, military training routes, mountains, Navy, nine miles a minute, out West, pilots, professional pilots, rock outcroppings, roll the jet upside down, sailors, speeds of 540 knots, Star Wars, the Gulf of Mexico, Weapons School
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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 →
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
