I came to flying later than many. In part because I was sort of a hippie kid more attracted to the idea of playing guitar professionally than suiting up as a member of the military. And while those two paths might not seem mutually exclusive today, in the Viet Nam era they were often thought […]
Politics for Pilots
Big dreams can come true
With enough imagination, dedication, perseverance, and help it’s possible to do almost anything. If you doubt me, consider that human beings designed, built, tested, refined, rebuilt, and flew rockets that landed us on the moon – and we did all that in an amazingly tight timespan of only nine years. As I said, you can do […]
For the love of pie…
As I perused the Body Mass Index chart recently, I was aghast to find that I have slid just over the line that separated the overweight from the obese category. Yikes! Sure, I can log 25 miles on my bicycle without undue discomfort. Even at my advanced age I can still do a dozen pushups without […]
It’s beyond understanding, I tell ya
Imagine the plight of the first ancient mariner to point toward the horizon and say, “No more hugging the coastline for me, I’m going direct.” I think his name was Harpolos. For the purposes of this column, let’s say it was. The townsfolk must have thought Harpolos was mad. Crazy as a loon. The rational […]
The upside of adversity
Something wonderful happened on Aug. 1, 2016, in the sleepy hamlet of Winter Haven, Florida. A flight instructor named Jim Porterfield rifled through pages in his student’s logbook, affixed his signature beneath the exact wording of a required endorsement, then climbed out of the C-150 he’d been instructing his student in. He set his 17-year-old […]
Make the most of your airport’s bragging rights
Ocala, Florida, is the horse capital of the world. It says so on the Ocala/Marion County website. It’s what the place is famous for. If you like horses, low-rolling hills, wide open spaces, and fields of green grass, Ocala is the place for you. General aviation pilots rolling up to the FBO in Ocala know […]
Life — and aviation — is better with help from friends
There is precious little we can accomplish in life entirely on our own. We need help, or encouragement, or correction from others. And thank goodness. Life would be awfully lonely if we all went around all the time being entirely self-sufficient and self-contained. I’ve written a number of books over the course of my career, […]
What’s in it for you?
In the inimitable words of Ray Kinsella, the main character in, Field of Dreams, “What’s in it for me?” The question is potentially offensive, totally ego driven, and as common as waves on water. Asking, “What’s in it for me?” is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, especially when you’re considering doing something as weird […]
Seize the sky
On most mornings throughout the year, commuters driving along Interstate 4 through central Florida are treated to the elegantly bouyant eye candy of a low-speed airshow. Hot air balloons dot the skies for miles, drifting on light winds, and bringing joy to passengers and observers alike. It’s perfectly natural to be attracted to the sight […]