General Aviation News

A serious question of mortality

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I’m troubled this week and I’d like to talk about it. Please comment below if you wish. I’d be interested in your thoughts.

It comes as no surprise that one day in the future there will be absolute proof of my mortality. That’s not a great worry, frankly. It’s an inevitability. And I’ve had a good life. Very good. There’s no point in fretting over it ending one day.

But there is a good reason to make an effort to remain healthy, active, vibrant, and functional for as long as I can. Especially so if I wish to continue flying into my golden years, which I do. [Read more…]

There is joy in doing nothing

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Every now and then I get to do something I really enjoy. I ride along in the right seat of an airplane. More often than not it’s not even my airplane.

I fly with old friends for the most part, although sometimes a new friend sits to my left. I make a suggestion here and there, but I don’t fly the airplane myself. Not unless I have to.

I get to be a CFI. [Read more…]

Buyer beware

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My wife and I recently bought a house. It’s an old, wood-frame place that sags a bit, has more than a few cracks in the elderly plaster walls, and creaks louder than my own knees. But we love it.

One of the early changes we knew we’d have to make was to the windows. They’re at least 60 years old. Single pane, aluminum frame windows were all the rage in Florida during the middle of the last century.

But that was a long time ago. Before the glass was cracked. Back when the mechanisms actually allowed our windows to open and close. A few of ours are slightly open now and can’t be closed no matter how hard I try. That’s not the ideal condition when trying to contain air-conditioning costs in the sub-tropics.

The window provider we chose sent a salesman. His pitch was ruled by tunnel vision, as he only showed us a single window replacement. I would have liked a wider range of options, but the window he recommended is undeniably of better quality and more efficient than those we have now. We signed on the dotted line and prepared for our first major upgrade to the new/old place.

A gentleman showed up a few weeks later to measure the windows. They’re all custom sizes. He pulled into the driveway and I stepped out onto the porch to greet him. Before we made it to the front door he announced with a grimace, “This is going to cost more.” [Read more…]

Just between you and me

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After reviewing my first log book I can tell you with complete confidence that my first instructional flight took place on Aug. 2, 1988. My instructor and I flew out of MacArthur Airport in Islip, Long Island.

Our chariot was a PA-28-151. N32559. We had to get a Special VFR clearance to take off. Yeah, that’s how my journey began. In Special VFR. It was a bumpy start. [Read more…]

Internet famous, locally cool

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In conversation I’ve often referred to my Dad as “The Captain.”

Rank mattered to him and he worked hard for much of his life to attain that status. As a young guy he flew F-86s for the US Air Force. They said he was a captain and all the rest of us agreed.

Later he transitioned to the C-119, the so-called Flying Boxcar. In 1964 Pan American picked him up as a new engineer. Six months later he was flying right seat. It wasn’t long until he moved a few feet to the left and once again earned the title “Captain.”

I assumed this is how everyone saw my Dad. My siblings did. My Mom did. Pretty much all our friends and extended family members thought of him as a pilot first and foremost. That’s what he did. It’s who he was. [Read more…]

Kid stuff

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With a plate full of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and hash browns, I’m a happy boy. A Styrofoam cup of coffee completes my All American Breakfast. The space around me buzzes with activity. Every seat is filled, every table occupied. The low clamor made by dozens of conversations going on simultaneously takes nothing away from my enjoyment of casual chatter with my tablemates.

There is nothing subtle or retiring about the monthly pancake breakfast at EAA Chapter 1240, in Sebring, Florida. A dedicated team of volunteers have food and beverages ready to go by 8 a.m. The hangar fills quickly, tables turn over at an impressive rate and, as if by magic, the hangar is nearly empty again by 11 a.m.

Regardless of the weather or the time of year, each gathering is a winner, by design.

Held in the chapter’s 60’ x 70’ hangar on the southern end of the airport’s expansive ramp area, space is not a problem. Or at least it wasn’t.

Now plans are afoot to expand and the need for a larger hangar isn’t because the pancakes are so big or the kitchen staff requires more elbow room. The chapter’s needs are spreading out because kids are taking over the place. [Read more…]

Be a team player

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Every person walking the earth today is totally unique and different. All of us. Even my wife, who is a twin, is an individual, not a mere carbon copy of someone who preceded her into the world by three minutes.

Yet we all function as members of a team, too. Multiple teams, in fact. Or at least we should.

One of the great keys to success is recognizing that you are part of a team. If you do, and you play by the same rules as your teammates, you have the opportunity to help achieve the team’s goals in whatever endeavor you’re engaged in and at the same time show your stuff by excelling at whatever it is you do best. [Read more…]

Learn is a verb

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Recently, after much consideration, I decided to take on a task that was new to me.

I studied up on the subject by watching videos and reading a fair amount. There are some unusual but specific tools required to do the job well, so I hunted them down and bought them. With my workday done and my responsibilities complete for the day, I launched off on a new challenge.

It’s important, at least to my mind, that I get underway with a clear head. Rather than being intellectually distracted by a mish-mash of incomplete or lingering issues, I find I do much better if I can get into something new with the ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand, not the myriad things on my calendar that will come later, or a smattering of follow-up business still nagging at me.

With time and tools available, I sat down, arranged my work area in a well-organized manner that would allow me to work efficiently, and got to work tuning the family piano.

Tuning a piano! What’s that got to do with aviation? [Read more…]

Because the impossible became practical

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To the average general aviation enthusiast, there is nothing all that remarkable about jumping into a single-engine aircraft and pointing it over the horizon for a trip from here to there and back again. Maybe it’s a day-trip. A simple out-and-back. Or maybe it’s a bit more ambitious. A trip of a hundred miles is enjoyable, but not exactly earth-shattering. Extend that cross-country by twice as many miles, or 10 times as many, and it merely becomes a series of hops that add up to the full distance. [Read more…]

Stand up

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Earlier today my wife took her car into the shop for a new battery. This was necessary as the prior battery had gone dead. Not so dead that it wouldn’t power a few lights or the radio. The various warning lights still lit up on the dash. Turning the key resulted in nothing, however. Not even a noticeable click from the starter relay.

Maintenance was required.

She took it to the same garage where I get my oil changes done. They replaced the battery. They vacuumed the car. They tossed out the trash in the little plastic bag she keeps on the shift lever. In short, they took great care of her, charged her a reasonable rate for work well done, and told her to come on back if she ever needed anything taken care of in the future.

That’s customer service. Good customer service. That’s the kind of place I’m happy to spend my money, because I get something I value in return.

It’s just a casual observation, but I don’t get the impression car repair shops that provide this level of service are having much trouble these days.

General aviation is an entirely different story. It breaks my heart to see the level of non-service so many outfits offer. [Read more…]

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