Tag Archives: sailors

A Terrible Week

This was a terrible week. It just goes to show we are only along for the ride. None of us knows what life will bring. Spiritually, the only thing we have is today. We have all our yesterdays, some more than … Continue reading

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VJ Day + 70

Today, seventy years ago, Japan surrendered. There followed a cosmic sigh in the universe and peace enveloped world for the first time in many years. Photographers around the world shot photographs, which would later become iconic; my favorite is of … Continue reading

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The First Lady Lex

Eighty-six years ago today, the first aircraft carrier to bear the name Lexington was commissioned. The USS Lexington was the first of her kind and consequently she became the lead ship of her type, the Lexington-class. Of the class, there … Continue reading

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The Safety of “Little Airplanes”

Many question the safety of “little airplanes.” By the way, they are only “little” until you have to wash and wax them; then the smallest airplane suddenly appears similar in size to a Boeing 747. General aviation aircraft have always … Continue reading

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Praise and Insults by Hemingway

I am writing again about writing pilots or flying writers. Sometimes it is difficult to decide which are adjectives and nouns when it comes to describing writers who are capable of flying, or pilots who can actually write. On my … Continue reading

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A Quiet, Nerdy Engineer

Neil Armstrong has passed at the age of 82. Yesterday, Fox News reported Armstrong regarded himself as, “a quiet, nerdy engineer.” Well, he may have considered himself in those terms, but for many of us, he was the nation’s hero, … Continue reading

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Seeing the Sun

We were driving across Florida through the Ocala National Forest. It was one of those afternoons good for driving, not so much for flying, unless you held an instrument rating and had filed. We were passing near R-2910 and I … Continue reading

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Sleep, Food, Water, and Performance

I have taught about the relationship between a pilot’s need for proper rest and flying for a long time. Corollary to having the proper rest is eating right and proper hydration. It is a complex equation, and I was pleased when … Continue reading

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“CHRISTMAS AT SEA”

The sheets were frozen hard, and they cut the naked hand; The decks were like a slide, where a seamen scarce could stand; The wind was a nor’wester, blowing squally off the sea; And cliffs and spouting breakers were the … Continue reading

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General Quarters

“General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands man your battle stations!” I don’t hear this call over the 5MC anymore, but yesterday morning felt as if I was back in the stress of GQ. It was 0530 when I woke, and … Continue reading

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