Tag Archives: mountains

Alaska

Earlier, when I checked my email, I found a message from a former student who recently graduated. Like the graduates before him, it was time for him to figure out what to do with the rest of his life, starting … 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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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

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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

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More Books About Flying

After finishing yesterday’s blog about books on the subject of the Doolittle Raid, I began thinking of other books written of flying that all serious pilots should read. There are so many great novels and historical accounts written of flying that once … Continue reading

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Building Time

Today’s young pilots face the same age-old number one question as pilots in the last century: namely – how do I get a job? Of course, as it was in the Twentieth Century, so it is in the 21st. New … Continue reading

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The Front Side and the Backside!

One of the more complex concepts for students or inexperienced pilots to grasp involves flying on the “front side” or the “backside” of the power curve.  On the front side, everything seems to be working normally while on the backside, … Continue reading

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Teaching Speed – The Basics

Yesterday, I wrote about the extremes – flying high or low, fast or slow.  I like the extremes and feel as if the heart of the envelope could be, well, somewhat boring from the standpoint of flying.  The main thing … Continue reading

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Rest Easy Senator Stevens

This week, word came of former Senator Ted Stevens’ death in an airplane accident in Alaska.  He perished with the pilot and four others when the aircraft they were in collided with the side of a mountain.  Four others survived.  … Continue reading

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