There’s nothing unusual about seeing two guys in the early stages of middle age, looking over a fabric-covered airplane before launching off to seek out a pancake breakfast or watch the sunset over the hills. Nothing unusual at all. Yet there was something about the two guys on the ramp at Orlando Executive Airport that […]
Financing your flight training
Most of us who fly came to the decision organically. Nobody forced us to fly. We wanted to. We yearned for the opportunity. We flew in our dreams and looked up to the heavens whenever the sound of an engine passed overhead. The decision was ours and we pursued it, each in our own way. […]
There’s a bigger story behind SUN ‘n FUN than you know
Three weeks from this very moment, thousands of General Aviation News readers will be found not at home, but in Lakeland, Florida, at the annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo. Their pilgrimage will begin shortly. Much is made of the economic impact this massive event brings to the city that says of itself, “Close […]
A woman’s place is…
Thanks to a stroke of good luck and a bit of favorable geographic proximity, I got to spend some time at the Women in Aviation Conference held in Orlando, Florida, last week. If you missed it, let me tell you, you really did miss something. This is no idle gathering of vacationers disguised as convention […]
General Aviation wins a convert
The situation came to my attention thanks to a post on social media. A woman I went to high school with reached out looking for comfort. My former classmate’s post began, “Due to complicated weather conditions yesterday, flights to the northeast were all cancelled.” That happens, unfortunately, Inclement weather can cause delays and even cancellations […]
Reveling in the Field Effect
In America it began in 1793, on the day Jean Blanchard piloted a balloon from Philadelphia to Woodbury, New Jersey. That’s barely a hop, skip, and a jump today. In a time when George Washington was still alive, it was a mind-blowing achievement. It happened again in 1860 when Sam King took photographer James Black […]
A little turbulence is good for you
As a soft, bald, late middle-age, goofball who still hasn’t figured out exactly what I want to do with my life, I can say this with complete confidence: I hope for smooth sailing. It’s what I shoot for. Of all the people you’ll meet in life, I am not the one who has a penchant […]
One helping of humble pie, please
Often, the purpose of a column like this is to create an opportunity to begin a discussion. By opening the floor to a wide-ranging collection of potential readers, especially because many of those readers can share real insights and personal experiences on the topics raised, the community as a whole can benefit. That sounds good […]
Ask an expert
Last week saw the launch of the 2017 fly-in season as the gates to the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, flew open. Thousands of attendees filed through the main terminal building, where Garmin and Spencer Aircraft, and the Flying Musicians Association had taken up residence. The Florida Aviation Network broadcast interviews with notables […]