Surveys have shown that cost isn’t the number one impediment that prevents folks from learning to fly. But it is a significant consideration for almost anyone who puts serious thought into getting their wings. Other industries that sell high dollar products or services face similar challenges. And so they engage in something called exceptional customer […]
Politics for Pilots
Every journey starts with a single step
You’ve heard this old bromide many times. We all have. There’s probably a bumper sticker with it printed between images of a map of the world and a cuddly puppy. There are certainly similarly worded inspirational posters slapped up in classrooms and office spaces all over the country. But have you really thought about it? […]
On fathers and sons and being afraid
True story: I’m afraid of heights. But I’ve got a sense of humor about it. This is probably best illustrated by a visit to the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center I enjoyed a few years ago. The ground floor exhibits really caught my attention. On the second level, I enjoyed the view. By the time I got […]
At the confluence of ignorance and fear
Bad judgment lives at the confluence of ignorance and fear. Not that most folks notice. I direct you to an astoundingly popular activity that involves a carnie strapping you and a friend into a device intended to shoot you into the sky. It then allows you to drop at the speed of gravity, before boinging […]
Delving one layer deeper
It comes as no surprise to anyone involved in the aviation industry that cost is a factor when it comes to bringing new blood into our ranks. Learning to fly isn’t cheap. It doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive either, but let’s face it, flight time is generally perceived as being out of reach for […]
Of WINGS and bling
In the more than quarter century I’ve been a Certificated Flight Instructor, I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve had people ask about the FAA WINGS program. My take-away from all those conversations is this: Most of us don’t really understand what the WINGS program is. That stinging rebuke applies to […]
Hardware is not the issue
Like pretty much everyone else involved in aviation, I frequently engage with people who say things like, “Oh, I could never fly an airplane. They’re too dangerous.” These same people limit the scope of their lives with similar comments about motorcycles and other pieces of hardware that are widely perceived as too dangerous for the […]
Opportunity is knocking…hard
It’s a well-worn bromide of our society: “Children are our future.” Yet, in real life we tend not to conduct ourselves as if we believe that to be true. Another more specifically instructive aphorism suggests, “When opportunity knocks…open the door.” Let’s consider that second quote for a moment. Two weeks from this moment, opportunity will […]
R.E.S.P.O.N.S.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y.
Not long ago, I did something stupid in an airplane. Gulp. The scenario looked like this: I departed a non-towered airport that lies under Class B airspace. As my flight home was a short one, I didn’t use Flight Following, as I normally would. Instead I simply took off, climbed to 2,000 feet, and settled in […]