One of the truly unique facets of aviation that increasingly appeals to me is the expectation that pilots will perform as professionals in the cockpit. They can joke, or not. They can talk about their favorite movie, or song, or fashion trend — or they can just stick to the requirements of the flight. The job […]
Opinion
A wide world of aviators
In many ways, the Earth is a large place. Yet in other ways, not so much. When it comes to aviation, the world shrinks. You either look skyward longingly, or you don’t. Those of us who do share a bond and joy the vast majority of our fellow earthbound neighbors don’t, and won’t. That’s sad. […]
Buy, buy, buy
A commodity is an object, a food product, or a raw material that is bought and sold on the open market. Commodities have value — a value that shifts constantly as a result of the vagaries of supply and demand. If there’s a hard freeze in Florida, orange juice prices rise. If OPEC floods the market with […]
Lounging around
By JEB BURNSIDE. There are three basic types of people you meet in the typical FBO’s pilot lounge. If you’ve read many of my columns for General Aviation News, it will not surprise you to learn I like hanging around FBOs and pilot lounges. My enjoyment of this pastime stems from working as a lineboy at […]
NORDO Ops: I had no idea I was an ‘idiot’
I have to admit, I’ve had a sneaking suspicion I was an idiot for some time now. Maybe I should join IA (Idiots Anonymous). “Hi. My name is Ben and I’m an idiot.” What would make me admit such a thing? The comment section of this very website, of course. The NTSB Accident Reports we republish […]
Brace for impact
For those of us who fly, the appeal of being airborne energizes us and primes the pump that pushes us through ground school, flight training, and testing. Should you make a career out of what most people think of as a rich man’s hobby, that education and testing never stops. My interest in aviation started […]
What’s your story?
Stories are all around us. All we have to do is look. Sometimes it is as simple as opening an envelope. You remember what an envelope is, don’t you? I open all the mail General Aviation News receives. Makes sense, since I’m the only one who picks up the mail. On the back of a […]
Sonex B, now available in red!
Pardon a little fun in the title. I recalled the line long ago attributed to Henry Ford, “You can have any color Model T you want, as long as it’s black.” Sonex Aircraft had so regularly brought bright yellow airplanes to airshows, folks could be excused for thinking that was the only color available. Of […]
Peeling back the layers of an aeronautical onion
Last week one of my kids jumped on a transport category aircraft and flew more than a thousand miles north, to New York City. She ate dinner in central Florida, but found herself on the island of Manhattan before midnight. While she was en route, I monitored her flight using an app on my phone. […]