By Guy R. Maher. The route to fulfillment of a dream took this helicopter school owner to a destination he didn’t expect. In the mid 1980s, Patrick Corr was a helicopter flight instructor with a dream of something greater. He wanted his own helicopter touring business. He would use turbine helicopters to fly outdoor adventurers […]
Just for fun
By Guy R. Maher. I suspect that most of our readers, like me, took flying lessons after the first couple of try-out flights because it was just plain fun. Who can forget the first solo, first long cross-country, private pilot check ride, and first passengers? My dad, who was learning to fly at the same […]
Bird bath
By Guy R. Maher. One of the pluses of owning your own aircraft is you have the opportunity to really get to know the machine, its characteristics, and its quirks. The operative word here is “opportunity.” Just because you own the aircraft doesn’t automatically mean you will be any more aware of its operating parameters […]
Not just for the big boys
The twin-turbine Bell 412 helicopter I fly for Baptist Hospital in North Carolina sucks a lot of Jet-A. This is why when we land at FBOs, the line crews have big smiles. And when it comes time to pay for that fuel, I just whip out the familiar white and blue Multi Service charge card […]
Cool running
Do you remember the days before digital watches or clocks? When we were asked for the time, the answer usually would be something like “It’s almost 2:30” or “About 1:15.” Then came digital timekeeping and the answers became “2:28” or “1:13.” When pilots began using Loran and ultimately GPS, the same thing happened with headings. […]
Personal Airline
For those of us who use general aviation to travel, conversations often come up comparing the use of our airplanes to the commercial airlines. This has become a major issue since Sept. 11 and the absolute mess the commercial airline system is in right now. The growth of fractional jet ownership organizations is one direct […]
George — A new autopilot makes the trip easier
In June, I flew my plane 38.4 hours, of which 37.3 were all cross-country. I was in IMC for 15.9 of those hours and shot two localizer, two ILS, and two GPS approaches — and all six were to within 100 feet of minimums. My personal airline had a 100% dispatch reliability and on time […]
In the zone
My Cardinal RG recently returned to service after a pretty extensive annual inspection. The 12 months leading up to that annual were good because not one trip was canceled due to maintenance problems and only one trip was delayed. In fact, on that particular trip, to Mt. Washington, N.H., I actually had two “mechanical” problems. […]
Canadian Connection
What better way to end another great year of traveling in my Cardinal RG than a December business trip to Canada? (Yeah, I know, a better way might have been a trip to the Bahamas.) Wheels up from my Rowan County, N.C., airport (RUQ) base at 1 p.m., with an OAT of 55°, and 3.5 […]