Jess Atkins grew up in Isle of Wight County in Virginia in the 1940s. Like lots of kids, when he saw an aircraft flying overhead, he looked up. He didn’t know what model airplanes were overhead — they turned out to be B-17s — but he was inspired.
Seeing those planes flying became a dream for Jess. That’s a familiar story to anyone who gazes skyward.
[Read more…]Is there any doubt that flying is cool? Whether flying a Boeing Dreamliner, a J-3 Cub or a DJI quadcopter, flying can put you in places that are impossible to reach otherwise.
“Because flying is cool” is my best explanation for why I fly. Sure I can talk about efficiency and performance, but those justify what my gut already tells me.
[Read more…]Bombardier Joseph Greco, a blind 13-year-old boy adopted from China, won the 2019 FATPNW Flour Bombing contest on Sunday Funday at the Arlington Fly-In on Aug. 18.
[Read more…]How do you brief a flight to an airport or an area you’ve never been before? Do you brief that trip at all?
Back when I learned to fly in the 1980s, a sectional chart and maybe a road atlas were all we had.
[Read more…]I enjoy watching Trent Palmer’s YouTube videos. His cinematography is top notch. As is his editing.
In the run-up to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019, Trent filmed the preparation he and his wife, Hailey, were doing for their trip to Oshkosh.
Hailey, as it turns out, is a rather nervous passenger.
[Read more…]Have you ever landed on a road? On purpose? I haven’t.
But I’ve seen videos of aircraft, mostly in Alaska, taking off or landing on roads in rural Alaska. You probably have as well.
While there are many roads that would make fine runways, especially in an emergency, I have a hard time picturing myself using them as part of “normal” operations. But that’s me, and my personal minimums.
To get a better understanding of what it is like to land on a road, I reached out to pilot and YouTuber Dmitry Kudryn. We’ve featured a number of his Crave Life videos on GeneralAviationNews.com.
Following is a lightly edited Q&A with Dmitry, who flies a Cessna 172 and a Bellanca Citabria on his many adventures.
Q: Is landing on a road in Alaska legal? Or is it better said as not illegal?
A: This is a great question and very important when considering a landing on a road.
[Read more…]Mentorship comes in all sizes, shapes, and flavors. What works for one person may not be of interest to another.
For those intrigued by military service, the Civil Air Patrol’s Youth Aviation Initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, includes the Cadet Wings program.
Cadet Wings represents a substantial path forward for CAP cadets who want to fly.
[Read more…]On opening day of last month’s Paris Air Show, Daher, Airbus, and Safran announced “a collaborative partnership for the design and development of the wing-mounted EcoPulse distributed hybrid propulsion demonstrator.”
The trio of aerospace goliaths have stated the maiden flight is scheduled for 2022.
Just look at the photo (below). It is a TBM with six additional propellers. It looks a bit like NASA’s X-57.
[Read more…]In daily life, I tend to be positive and optimistic. My life’s not perfect. Far from it, in fact. But on the whole, my family and I are blessed.
And yet, there are often bumps in the road…or maybe turbulence is a better way to say it.
On May 28, 2019, the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation released a pretty damning statement.
[Read more…]According to the FAA, my flight instructor, and FAR Part 61.56, I completed my Flight Review early last month. That means I can “act as pilot in command of an aircraft” for the next 24 months.
Ryan, my instructor, and I flew an Aviat Husky for the flight portion of the Flight Review. What a kick that was. The Cub I usually fly is wonderful, but has only 75 hp up front. The Husky has 180.
