By AMELIA REIHELD. “Mooney Flight of Four, departing Runway 25, Suffolk.” With a slow nod, “Lead” advances his throttle, and begins his takeoff from the left side of the runway. A one-potato, two-potato count to five, and “Two,” on the right side of the runway, eyes fixed on Lead’s wing root, follows suit. Exactly five […]
Amelia Reiheld
Any landing you can walk away from…
By AMELIA REIHELD. Aw, Shucks (or words to that effect) … In my defense, I did not say those famous last words when the bottom fell out. I didn’t even think them. Honest. But I guess this sad story needs to start at the beginning… The Saturday after Thanksgiving was a crisp, beautiful day to […]
Having it all!
By AMELIA REIHELD. Ruth and David Taisch are the people you really want to have as next-door neighbors, because not only are they two very nice and interesting people, they have the best toys, too. For starters, there’s the big model railroad behind their traditional Florida-style stucco home, complete with what looks like miles of […]
America’s Seaplane City
By AMELIA REIHELD. And just where, you might ask, is America’s Seaplane City? Anchorage? Honolulu? Somewhere near Seattle? Nope. You’re way off course. America’s self-proclaimed Seaplane City lies nestled on lovely Lake Dora in Florida, amid a charming chain of other lakes, not very far from Orlando. Tavares, county seat of Lake County, Florida, is a former […]
Still flying the backcountry at 81
By AMELIA REIHELD. One of the best things about flying is the ability to see wondrous sights from a point of view few people ever have. It’s a rare privilege to venture to some of the most remote parts of the country so quickly, especially considering the alternative might involve cross-country travel by snowshoe or […]
Welcome to Cuba!
By AMELIA REIHELD. “Welcome to Cuba!” With those warm words, my first Cuban contact, a thoroughly competent Havana Approach controller, vectored me for the ILS at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport. He handed me off with, “Contact tower 118.1, have a good stay.” Meanwhile, airliners were holding in the clag offshore as five American single-engine […]
How can I fly to Cuba?
By AMELIA REIHELD. A recent trip to Cuba revealed that, unsurprisingly, it’s not as easy as it looks, nor as easy as it might someday become. (See story on that trip here). Here are a baker’s dozen suggestions, compiled through conversations with our exceedingly competent guides, Anthony Perea of Miami, and Galin Hernandez, of St. […]
Cuba prepares to welcome GA flights
By AMELIA REIHELD. During our visit to Havana, we were invited to meet the man whose signature graced our landing permits. Roberto Brown-Drake, Chief of Flight Planning and Flight Permits for the Cuban Civil Aviation Agency, under the auspices of the Cuban Air Force, spoke with us shortly after our arrival. The shelves in his […]
Going back to college: The view from the other side of the desk
By AMELIA REIHELD. Here’s an aviation job that might be the best of the lot: Becoming a college professor in a field you already love. At this stage of the career game, you get to sleep in your own bed, and spend long holidays with your kids. You may look forward to the kind of […]