I open all the mail General Aviation News receives. From time-to-time, a subscriber will write a note on their renewal notice. Most often the note is words of encouragement or appreciation. On occasion it is a complaint. We can’t please everyone. But when I read a note on Tom Wathen’s renewal notice, I was taken […]
Opinion
The upside of adversity
Something wonderful happened on Aug. 1, 2016, in the sleepy hamlet of Winter Haven, Florida. A flight instructor named Jim Porterfield rifled through pages in his student’s logbook, affixed his signature beneath the exact wording of a required endorsement, then climbed out of the C-150 he’d been instructing his student in. He set his 17-year-old […]
How to get the best technical help for your engine…and beyond
I trust by this time everyone is enjoying the summer weather and getting the opportunity to do as much flying as possible. I thought this might be a good time to focus on a subject that everyone should keep in mind when it comes to seeking technical assistance on their aircraft engine. However, what I’m […]
Reckless behavior
I went to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl one January night in 1995. I remember several things about that night. First, I recall offering my jacket to my date, as it was unseasonably cold. Normally in January in the LA basin, summer temperatures prevail because of strong easterly Santa Ana winds scouring hot air […]
What about Military Eagles?
Chad Manning flies 737s for Alaska Airlines and C-17s for the 446th Reserve Wing at McChord Field in Washington state. He hadn’t flown in a J-3 Cub. Ever. “When was the last time you flew in a small plane?” I asked Chad as we drove to the airport. “16 years ago in a 172,” he […]
Make the most of your airport’s bragging rights
Ocala, Florida, is the horse capital of the world. It says so on the Ocala/Marion County website. It’s what the place is famous for. If you like horses, low-rolling hills, wide open spaces, and fields of green grass, Ocala is the place for you. General aviation pilots rolling up to the FBO in Ocala know […]
Remos GXiS: A Mercedes of LSA
Although I’m a longtime regular at Oshkosh, this year I did something I’ve never done. I flew out of KOSH and then returned. If you’ve never flown into Oshkosh during AirVenture, you may not know what an experience such an arrival can be. This is the world’s busiest airport for one week. Airplanes arrive every […]
Life — and aviation — is better with help from friends
There is precious little we can accomplish in life entirely on our own. We need help, or encouragement, or correction from others. And thank goodness. Life would be awfully lonely if we all went around all the time being entirely self-sufficient and self-contained. I’ve written a number of books over the course of my career, […]
What’s in it for you?
In the inimitable words of Ray Kinsella, the main character in, Field of Dreams, “What’s in it for me?” The question is potentially offensive, totally ego driven, and as common as waves on water. Asking, “What’s in it for me?” is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, especially when you’re considering doing something as weird […]