Human beings are, by nature, a somewhat dull and pedestrian crowd. They tend to like the status quo and abhor change. If you know any human beings, you’ve no doubt noticed this characteristic of their personalities. Perhaps nothing illustrates this resistance to change the way the global cooling/global warming/climate change argument has. Had the earth’s […]
Politics for Pilots
Don’t fix what ain’t broke
Often, I hear from readers who wish to share insights and advice based on their perception of the state of the general aviation marketplace. Many of the suggestions they offer are good. They have merit. I suspect if implemented, they might actually work. Ideas are one thing. Gaining actual traction, though, that’s the rub. Fortunately, […]
I choose to fly
Over the course of my life I’ve had the opportunity to make a few million choices. There’s nothing unusual about that. We all make choices. Should we have red wine with dinner, or white? Should we have wine at all? Fish or chicken? You know the drill. Of those many choices I’ve made over the […]
You Can Fly — it’s more than a slogan
Just shy of a year ago I launched on a new endeavor. It was an exciting task. It was unique. It was a bit daunting, too. In all the world there was only one other person doing what I was doing on a full-time basis, and she was nearly 3,000 miles away. Kay Sundaram took the […]
Can I have your autograph?
Hanging just above the desk in my office is a lithograph called “The Dealer.” The artist’s signature is included just below his mustachioed nose. It’s a self-portrait of Kurt Vonnegut, a profoundly influential writer who did more than anyone else to push me in the direction of the literary arts. Beside it is a thank-you […]
Clique me
This past Friday I enjoyed the company of nearly a hundred close friends, most of whom I’d never met before. The event that brought us together at Gilbert Field (KGIF) in Winter Haven, Florida, was the annual meeting of the Seaplane Pilots Association. Members gather for this once-a-year event, arriving by land, sea, and air. […]
Putting customer service back in GA leads to success
Hendry County, Florida, is situated in the vast no-man’s land just north of the Everglades and west of Lake Okeechobee. Approximately equivalent in size to Rhode Island, the entire county hosts a population of barely 38,000 people. That being the case, this agricultural wonderland might not be the first place you’d think to find a […]
Beware bumper sticker politics
My wife and I were having a perfectly lovely time. We were situated in a corner booth at Egg Haven, one of my home town’s more popular eateries, as our waitress whirled through the room with an energy level that seemed impossibly high for a Sunday morning. We were engaged in an activity long time […]
Better than a sharp stick in the eye
Whatever you might think about how your airport operates, or how the local FBO sets its rates, or if it’s time to build a tower at your field or remained non-towered, eventually you’re going to disagree with the folks in charge. Alternatively, if you are one of the folks in charge, you’re going to disagree with […]