Here’s an unsettling statistic. Of the thousands upon thousands of prospective pilots who begin flight training each year, approximately 80% give up before reaching their goal. Yep, eight in 10 flight students throw in the towel, give up on their dream, and settle for living something less than the life they’d dreamed. Now imagine that you run […]
The torch will be passed…Who will pick it up?
Tom Davis is a force of nature. If you are fortunate enough to ever wander through the doors of the FBO at Crystal River Airport-Tom Davis Field (yes, the airport is named for the man who runs it), you’ll see a bright, clean, well appointed facility that’s festooned with model airplanes. They are everywhere. Plastic […]
An open door is all it takes
On one end of the general aviation spectrum, we have the business jet. A multi-million dollar piece of equipment that represents years of research and design work, many thousands of man hours dedicated to construction, and perhaps an equivalent amount in maintenance over the life of the aircraft. And during that lifetime these sleek machines […]
Packing it in
With deference to Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who seems to be built of sterner stuff than the average human being, the rest of us will have to one day face the grim reality of packing it in. The greatest pitchers, hitters, passers, and receivers will all have to walk off the field of […]
On a scale of 1 to 10…
General aviation airports are my happy place. There’s no denying that. Often I stop into my hangar just to sit peacefully in the usually quiet confines of the non-towered airport environment I call home. Sometimes a friend drops by to pass the time of day, or share an interesting tidbit of information, or ask for […]
An excellent depiction of when the everyman went to war
Today, as has been the case since the birth of aviation, there are a fair number of celebrity pilots. It’s only natural I suppose. At their core, celebrities are ordinary people, driven by many of the same dreams as anyone else. For actors, they make it their profession to represent the rest of us in […]
Getting the word out in a big way
This past week my Sunday paper included a story you would have enjoyed. The photos were of three young women, each standing proudly beside an airplane. Two were beside a Piper Cub, while the third leaned casually against a Cessna 150. One is a CFI, the other two are high school students who just happen […]
Finding safety, longevity, and diversity in numbers
Living beings have a strong tendency to travel in packs, schools, prides, pods, or convocations. Whether they find a home in the sea, on the land, or in the air, living in a congregation is the norm more often than not. Even early humans lived and travelled in tribes for very good reason. This propensity […]
Are you experienced?
It’s been said for many years the private pilot certificate is a license to learn. The underlying intent of the statement holds that with a private pilot certificate we have the freedom to get out and fly, to gain experience, and through that experience we might become better pilots. That was the idea, anyway. In […]