People have a tendency to discourage friends and family from seeking great adventures in aviation. The belief is often expressed that we aren’t prepared, or funded, or that we’re operating machines that were never meant to fly such a distance. Poppycock, I say.
Politics for Pilots
It’s all about the blades
Propellers are a mystery to most. Even to pilots they are little more than an afterthought. They seem simple enough. They are little more than a fixed form attached to a spinning shaft that produces thrust when run up to enough RPMs. How it works, why it works, and what can be done to make it work more efficiently rarely comes up in conversation.
One size does not fit all
With approximately 18% of the pilot population holding a CFI ticket, it would seem obvious that scheduling a flight with a CFI would be easy. It should be a cake walk. So why isn’t it?
It’s always a good time to be proud
There is an old joke that virtually every pilot has heard and agreed with immediately. “How do you know there’s a pilot at your party? They’ll tell you.”
What will they think of next?
The communication systems available to us today are amazing. We can listen to music via Bluetooth through our noise cancelling headsets, call home to let our family know we’re just half an hour out, and monitor two ATC frequencies simultaneously. But does that make us better pilots?
Community spirit to the rescue
It has been said that no man is an island. Clearly, that is true. General aviation is, indeed, a community in the best sense of the term. We care for each other. We go to bat for people we don’t even know, just because we see a glimmer of ourselves in them.
The Other Guy Syndrome
Believing a bad thing will happen to the other guy, but not to us, is folly. The bad thing is ever present. It occurs because of insufficient planning, rushed procedures, ignoring warning signs, or just plain laziness. Worst of all, it can happen to any of us — including you and me.
Carb heat for better or worse
Carburetor heat is a gift from the engineers who created it. Without carb heat I would have disappeared into the woodlands of New England, or Florida, or somewhere in between long ago. That simple knob on the panel of my Cessna has revived my ailing engine on more than one occasion.
Taking the zealous perspective
Of all the amazing, memorable, soul-enriching experiences I’ve had in the general aviation industry, none has come close to the satisfaction I have gotten from helping someone get started. Those smiling faces fill my memory and tug at my heartstrings.