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Tag Archives: professional pilots
The Wonder of Weather Technology
We knew the weather was coming today, and now it is here. Earlier today, Ardis was talking with her father and asked if we should spend the money to water the lawn. He told her yes, so now the lawn … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a great instrument platform, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, another night of dodging thunderstorms, building experience, Cessna 210, Cessnas, computer screen, discipline, Florida, flying, flying only on my terms, flying Part 135, heavy rain, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning experiences, learning to fly, Level 3 storms, Level 4 storms, memories, pilots, professional pilots, radar map, Tampa, The Wonder of Weather Technology, trying to stay VFR, weather, written tests, “paying my dues”
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2 Comments
The Big Hole in the Ground
Today is the first day of class and as with all first days of class, some things can be unpredictable. Like what I may use to illustrate my lessons and where my mind might go in the process. Today, it … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged a dangerous place to fly, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 170B, Cessnas, discipline, first day of class, flying, friends, Grand Canyon National Park airport, inexperienced pilots, judgment, military service, mountains, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, special air traffic rules, taildraggers, The Big Hole in the Ground, the Grand Canyon
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2 Comments
Cruising
We have the ability today to stay in contact immediately with anyone around the globe. Facebook is a case in point. As I was thinking of a topic for tonight’s blog, I stopped in on Facebook to check in and … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A-7E Corsair, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, at sea, Cruising, discipline, Facebook, flying, flying around the boat, friends, helicopter pilots, judgment, landing signal officer (LSO), memories, military service, Navy, nighttime operations, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, pilots, professional pilots, rescue swimmers, sailors, tactical jet aviators, the deck was pitching and rolling, the guy who bought the beer at the last port of call, “ball call”, “getting aboard”, “Roger ball!”, “We’re going to the ship!”
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4 Comments
Headwinds and Tailwinds
We were at the Thomasville fly-in and the weather had been okay, not great, but just okay. There was a high overcast and it was cool for October. And it was windy. As we were getting ready for the return … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, Cessna 170B, discipline, Florida, flying, friends, Headwinds, judgment, memories, pilots, professional pilots, taildraggers, tailwinds
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1 Comment
Sealord and the Atlantic
It is the day after Mother’s Day and for her treat, I take Ardis to dinner at the Reef Restaurant on the beach. As is always the case, whenever I look out to sea, my mind wanders back a couple … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged 2 v 1 Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM), ACM was much more subjective, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, bombs are better, discipline, disliked rushing or hurrying, dropping bombs, flight training, Florida, flying, I gave him the thumbs up, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, learning to fly Corsairs, memories, military service, my mind wanders back a couple of decades, NAS Cecil, NAS Cecil Field, Navy, out of the chocks, pilots, professional pilots, sailors, Sealord and the Atlantic, student pilots, the disembodied voice inside my helmet, the final knock-it-off of the day, the O-Club, training aircraft, “a hung ordinance approach”, “Sealord”
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1 Comment
Pilot-Engineer Wars
There is a thought that engineers created performance charts just to drive pilots crazy. And, as if that were not enough, they had to include “notes,” “cautions,” and “warnings.” The pilots need to heed all those, too, just to keep … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged "cautions", "notes", "warnings", airplanes, airspeed, altitude, becoming familiar with the charts and graphs, becoming very familiar with the airplane, Cessnas, engine failures, flight training, flying, grass runways, hidden in plain sight, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, performance charts, Pilot-Engineer Wars, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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6 Comments
The Aeronca Champ
The Aeronca Champ is one of the most classic of airplanes from the 1940s. As with most of the old airplanes from that era, the Champ was able to fly based on a very fine balance between large wing area … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged a near-perfect landing, a very honest-flying airplane, adverse yaw, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Continental C-65 engine, discipline, engine failures, first solo, flight training, flying, flying at very slow airspeeds, generous wing area, how to use rudders, inexperienced pilots, judgment, keep the stick back, learning to fly, Mr. Piper’s J-3 Cub, neophyte pilots, pilots, professional pilots, sitting in the backseat, slow flight, stalls, student pilots, taildraggers, the 7AC, The Aeronca Champ, the counterpart to the 11AC Chief, the most classic of airplanes from the 1940s, training aircraft, very well balanced controls, World War II, “purist pilots”
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3 Comments
Close Calls, Near Misses, and Collisions
I have been following the blogging of a new student pilot from Down Under. Dave refers to himself as a middle-aged pilot learning to fly for the first time in Sydney, Australia. As with pilots all over, he is now … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a middle-aged pilot learning to fly, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, and collisions, Cessnas, close calls, Close Calls Near Misses and Collisions, danger and fright, engine failures, first solo, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, MidLifePilot’s Flying Blog, near misses, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, Sydney Australia, taildraggers
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1 Comment
A Lesson in Ricochets
One day, the weapons instructors introduced us to the technique of firing live rounds. Now this is a little different from going down to the rifle range and learning to shoot; what we were going to do was learn how … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A Lesson in Ricochets, airspeed, altitude, Cuba, discipline, experienced instructors, firing live rounds, flight training, flying, friends, Guantanamo, guns pattern, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, learning to shoot, live fire exercises, Marines, memories, military service, Navy, never overfly the target, pilots, professional pilots, pushing 540 knots, sailors, salty lieutenants and lieutenant commanders, student pilots, TA-4J Skyhawk, the weapons instructors, tracer rounds, tracers ricocheting in all directions
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4 Comments
The Cessna 120 and 140
One of the best airplanes Clyde Cessna’s company put out was the little 140. The 140 also has a little twin, the Cessna 120. Both airframes are very similar, with only slight differences. The most notable difference is the 120 … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged a stall speed of 39 knots, a wing area of 159.3 square feet, airplanes, Cessna 150, Cessnas, Clyde Cessna, Continental C-85 engine, conventional landing gear, flight training, flying, gross weight of only 1450 pounds, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, monocoque fuselage, pilots, professional pilots, seeing over the nose, student pilots, taildraggers, The Cessna 120, The Cessna 140, the Cessna 140A, the Cessna taildraggers, three-point landings, training aircraft, tricycle landing gear, wing loading of only 9.1 pounds per square foot, “metalized” wings, “S-turning” during the taxi
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2 Comments
