It should go without saying that aviation means a little (or a lot) more in Alaska. But it’s so much fun to talk about. My wife, Deb, and I just returned from Anchorage and the 19th annual Great Alaska Aviation Gathering. Once again, the FedEx Maintenence Hangar at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport was packed to the […]
Opinion
United we stand, divided we … you know the rest
The difference between a mob and a group is subtle, but it’s there Often the distinction rests on the organization of the gathering and the leadership that officiates over it. Even with the best of intentions, a peaceful, seemingly docile group of people can be stirred into near hysterics with little more than a rumor […]
The assistant principal
By JEB BURNSIDE. Most people have what it takes to become a pilot — some don’t Several people in my southern hometown’s high school were interested in learning to fly. Either the local Civil Air Patrol’s composite squadron — my chosen path for primary training — or the Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) provided relatively inexpensive […]
Can I use these cylinders?
Q: I have several wide deck cylinders (for a Lycoming) 360 but the deck is a little bit thinner than normal and the deck looks like it is milled or radiused around the attach nuts area on the deck. I’m not sure where I got them from, but are they early style wide deck? Can I mix […]
A farewell to Bob Lock
Bob Lock was a good ol’ boy, in the best sense of the word. You may have known him. If not, you almost certainly know someone who did. Aviation is a tight-knit, fairly small community of individuals who somehow manage to cross paths with one another somewhere or other as they walk along the road […]
Why do we lie?
We pilots of a certain age were taught in school that George Washington never told a lie. Teachers drove the point home with a story about America’s first president and a certain felled cherry tree. I’m not sure why a lesson about being honest had to involve George Washington. Maybe it was to make the […]
Live your life
In recent months the general population of the western world has been on the receiving end of a series of body blows that have left many of us leaning on the ropes, too weakened to stand fully upright under the onslaught. Death has come to the celebrities we love, and it’s shaken us to our […]
Building a Super Seawind: From arms to wings
By STEVE WIGHTMAN I blame my flight addiction on Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous quote: “For once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk with your head turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return.” Beginning with flying model airplanes in my teens, my eyes were often turned skyward. I’d […]
A notebook’s view of SUN ‘n FUN
It is hard to see the bigger event that is SUN ‘n FUN while also producing the daily newspaper for the show. A 40-page newspaper requires feeding and attention, just like a baby. So as I look back on the show, it’s all a blur. Thankfully I had a reporter’s notebook in my pocket to […]