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Tag Archives: Florida
Back in the Old Days
The old days. What is the definition of “the old days?” It depends on your point of view, that point of view being age. If you are young, the old days were back in kindergarten, perhaps. If you are in … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged accidently scraping the tail, aerobatic pilots, Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, AOPA’s weekend FIRC in Jacksonville, Back in the Old Days, barnstormers, Cessnas, charter pilots, Colonel Ernie Moser, drinking coffee, Flight instructors, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, Great Lakes 2T-1A, inexperienced pilots, Jim Holland, Jim Moser, Jim Moser’s Aerosport, judgment, learning to fly, memories, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, sitting around the FBO, student pilots, taildraggers, talking airplanes, the good old days, the St. Augustine airport, training aircraft, weekend airshow
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Why Should You Teach?
Why is it important for new pilots to teach younger pilots? Many young pilots question why they should teach others how to fly. For whatever reason, they fail to understand the concept that in teaching others, what you are really … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a hard job, airplanes, Cessnas, current or former flight instructors, demonstrating maneuvers, discipline, engage the autopilot, engine failures, first solo, flight training, Florida, flying, flying night cargo, flying skills, flying with finesse, friends, hy Should You Teach?, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, memories, pilots, professional pilots, reinforcing your knowledge, serious pilots, stick-and-rudder pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, teaching younger pilots, the very best pilots, training aircraft, using CRM techniques, why they should teach
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4 Comments
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
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
Late Night Thoughts
It is a little before 2:30 in the morning. I awake to the storm passing overhead. I lie in bed thinking about the weather. Specifically, I think about the photos I took of the hail in the backyard during the … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal
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Tagged Alabama, awaking to the storm, canceling final exams, Florida, Georgia, Hail, helping the cleanup and search efforts, Lakeland Airport, Late Night Thoughts, listening to the storm, Mississippi, North Florida, on the edge of disasters, postponing graduation, Sun ’N Fun, Tennessee, thankful for being alive, thanking God, the Carolinas, The South, The University of Alabama, thinking about the weather, tornadoes, Virginia
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Flying at (Density) Altitude
I am a Florida boy who learned to fly at mean sea level. As such, I do not care for a couple of things. The first is cold, the second is high density altitude. Many pilots do not understand the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, discipline, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, military service, mountains, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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9 Comments
Books About the Men and the Mission
Over the last couple of days of writing about General Doolittle and his raid, many who know me have stopped and talked specifically about the men and the mission. To each, I have recommended a couple of books. The first … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History, Reading
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Tagged Air Force, airplanes, aviation in America, Bob Considine, Books About the Men and the Mission, Carroll V. Glines, discipline, Doolittle’s Raid, Florida, flying, friends, General Doolittle, I Could Never Be So Lucky Again, instrument flying, Jimmy Doolittle’s autobiography, judgment, memories, military service, Navy, Pearl Harbor, Phyllis Thaxter, pilots, professional pilots, Spencer Tracy, Ted W. Lawson, the first raid against Japan, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Van Johnson, World War II
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3 Comments
The Doolittle Goblets
Few know the story of the Doolittle Goblets. In 1959, the city of Tucson, AZ gave a wonderful gift to the men who flew the first mission against the Japanese mainland on April 18, 1942. The gift? A set of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged A set of 80 sterling silver goblets, Air Force, airplanes, Colonel Richard E. Cole, discipline, Florida, flying, friends, gunner of aircraft No. 7., inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Hite, Major Edward Joseph Saylor, Major Thomas C. Griffin, military service, Navy, Pearl Harbor, pilots, professional pilots, Staff Sergeant David J. Thatcher, the Air Force Academy, The Doolittle Goblets, the “Goblet Ceremony”, Tucson AZ, World War II, “Hennessey Very Special”
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4 Comments
The Doolittle Raiders
Sixty-nine years ago this morning, 80 very brave men in 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier, USS Hornet. They and their leaders planned the mission well, but as they steamed toward their targets, they … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, discipline, flight training, Florida, flying, judgment, military service, Navy, Pearl Harbor, pilots, World War II
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11 Comments