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Tag Archives: inexperienced 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 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
Solo! (Part 4)
This is the final installment of the story of soloing, originally published in Eagles Tales, a collection of essays by my colleagues in the Aeronautical Science Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Eagle Tales is available for sale at 20 percent … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, discipline, engine failures, first solo, Florida, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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3 Comments
Solo! (Part 3)
Excepts from Eagles Tales, a collection of essays by my colleagues in the Aeronautical Science Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University continues. Eagle Tales is available for sale at 20 percent off with the coupon code ET2011 on checkout through the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, discipline, engine failures, first solo, Florida, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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2 Comments
Solo! (Part 2)
Excepts from Eagles Tales, a collection of essays by my colleagues in the Aeronautical Science Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University continues. Eagle Tales is available for sale at 20 percent off with the coupon code ET2011 on checkout through the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, discipline, engine failures, first solo, Florida, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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3 Comments
Solo! (Part 1)
Over the course of today and the following three days, I am posting the story of what it is like to solo an airplane for the first time. This account, originally published as an essay in Eagles Tales, is from … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, Cessnas, discipline, engine failures, first solo, Florida, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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3 Comments
The Aeronca Chief
She is another one of those classic airplanes. As with most airplanes coming into production after the war, the Aeronca Chief was an airplane as perfect for personal use as she was for flight training. Not as popular as some … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged adverse yaw, Aeronca 11AC, Aeronca 7AC Champ, Aeronca Chief, airplanes, Cessnas, classic airplanes, Continental A-65 engine, control sticks, cruise speed of 90 mph, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, Middleton OH, not a “nasty” taildragger, pilots, Raymond Hermes, side-by-side seating, student pilots, taildraggers, the Aeronautical Aircraft Company, The Aeronca Chief, training aircraft, World War II
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7 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