I entered my flair and “ballooned” slightly. When I came back down from ballooning, I came down hard and, in the process, experienced prop strike, front gear collapse, and damage to my right wing before coming to a stop on the grass to the left of the runway with the help of the grass to arrest my momentum.
flying
Pilots Without Pants returns for 2022
The 2022 Pilots Without Pants calendar features pilots from the Antique Airplane Club of Greater New York posing “nude” with their airplanes. It’s all in good fun for a good cause: Raising money for a scholarship fund to help a low-income student become a pilot.
Applications open for $1 million in scholarships
The deadline to apply is Feb. 11 for the scholarships, which range from $2,500 to $14,000, and are available for flight training, aviation maintenance training, and more.
Picture of the Day: First time at the controls
Stuart Rauh submitted this photo and note: “Headed home after a weekend visit with me and her grandmother, our granddaughter Scarlett had a chance to ‘fly’ our 182. We may have a future pilot on our hands!”
Beech Party: Starship, Staggerwings and STOL
The annual Beech Party broke records in 2021, with a bumper crop of Beechcraft aircraft showing up for the fly-in in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Pacific Ocean airstrip gets new caretaker
Led by volunteers with the Recreational Aviation Foundation, 17CL has already been improved, with encroaching vegetation removed, the 900-foot airstrip graded, and amenities added, including a picnic table and grill.
New book on navigating weather released
Aviation Supplies & Academics has released a new book, “Navigating Weather: A Pilot’s Guide to Airborne and Datalink Weather Radar.”
Near miss as CFI answers student’s question
I looked back outside in the general direction that the airplane was supposed to be at (right side) and saw the airplane in a steep bank at approximately 400 feet from us with no vertical difference. As soon as I saw them, I banked the airplane to the right and kept our climb pitch attitude. I reported to Tower that I had the aircraft in sight.
Picture of the Day: First flight for future pilot
Marcel Maritneau submitted this photo and note: “She wanted to absolutely ‘fly’ the airplane.”