Let’s take a moment to consider a few of the things we know. Or more particularly, things we think we know that aren’t actually true, or valid, or helpful in any way.
Stumbling toward the stars
Make no mistake about it. We are stumbling toward the stars. Just as our ancestors experimented with wood and sail to venture further and further from land, we are taking the early critical steps to assure the continued existence of the human race — via spaceflight.
Maybe you can. Maybe you can’t.
I stayed in the game, as did my student. We flew the downwind, then base, then turned onto final. I carried a bit of power, preferring to be high and fast to low and slow. At the appropriate time I flared, and the engine gave out. Right there, five feet above the runway, my engine quit.
Similar but completely different
The iconic Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base in Florida has added a new airplane to its fleet: An ICON A5. And while it’s completely different from the J-3 Cub that launched the operation almost 60 years ago, it’s remarkably similar as well.
The perfect airplane, Part 2
I am once again thinking of an airplane that might grace my hangar. But which one? There are so many to choose from. Classics, biplanes, taildraggers, zippy quick composite machines, and the stalwart aluminum monocoque models of the mid-20th Century all take up space in my imagination from time to time. But the perfect airplane has to have the right price and fit the mission for this stage of my life.
Any old airplane will do
Here’s a bit of a secret you may not have picked up on in all the years I’ve been writing for General Aviation News. I rarely write about aircraft. Sure, it seems like I do, but I don’t. Not really. Rather, I’m far more fascinated with the people I meet, the experiences that come my way, and the happy accidents that stick in my memory so well.
From here to there, one decision at a time
There are many considerations, of course. You may have a few of your own that are worth passing on to others. The lessons you’ve learned might be the exact information some other reader will benefit from.
Mind your momma
The visual stimulation of flight coupled with the almost completely unfettered freedom the airplane gave me made me glad I zigged when others zagged. I fastidiously kept my nose clean while some of my peers went another way, to their ultimate detriment.
They didn’t teach me that
On his student pilot cross-country flight, Eric realized he needed fuel. But he was at a non-towered field where his only option was a self-serve fuel farm. Having never pumped his own fuel before, this presented a bit of an issue. It’s a question many a flight student might find themselves asking — how do you fuel an airplane?