We all have limits. Each of us has only so much time, so much money, so much patience to put into a given pursuit. Whether that’s a marriage, a business venture, or the quest to becoming a pilot, there is a point where we will give up if we don’t find a sufficient level of success. That’s why it’s so important to set a series of specific goals for your flight training.
Politics for Pilots
Here comes the night
For a pilot the early sunset is a gift. Or at least it can be. Especially for flight students and CFIs who need to log a specific amount of night flying to qualify for a certificate.
Wheels up the wrong way
Pilots should make a serious effort to keep the wheels downward on a regular basis. From takeoff to landing and even to temporarily storing the airplane on the ramp, that goal should be included in our mission plan. If nothing else, the successful execution of that plan will prevent us from having a humbling conversation with our insurance carrier.
Inspiration, motivation, and a resource rich environment
Could we be on the cusp of a whole new wave of productive, effective, inspirational educational opportunities that use aviation as a tool to engage students? I think so. I truly do.
Touching base with the brain trust
The very first NAFI Summit was a gathering of flight instructors, flight school owners, writers, content producers, and managers who all have at least one thing in common — a desire to improve the state of flight instruction for the throngs of students who are flocking to airports across the land.
The noise that is music to our ears
The cumulative effects of the noise I’ve encountered over the course of my life has been damaging, without a doubt. But aircraft are significantly quieter today than they were when I was a boy.
Nostalgia lost and found
When you take your next vacation, whether you’re going to the beach, the mountains, the desert, or the prairie, consider doing a search for nostalgic aviation opportunities in the area. The odds are good you’ll find something of interest, as I did on Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona.
The downside of convenience
What the Cub pilot thinks of as a long runway the B-737 pilot sees as entirely inadequate. To say it another way: In aviation, size matters. In fact, it matters a lot.
Maybe we should follow in this teen’s footsteps
If a 16-year-old kid can plan out the basics of an Aero Club, seek out the professional assistance necessary to confidently set it up in a way that will pass muster with the authorities he’ll have to deal with, and build a membership that actively wants to help pull the wagon — well, the rest of us can probably do it too.