After a long, hard, sun-soaked week in Lakeland, Florida, at the SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo, thousands of aeronautically minded folks fled the field with their aviation jones fully satisfied, headed in the general direction of home. I joined that group, too. With a smile on my face and a song in my heart, […]
Politics for Pilots
AOPA gets serious about flying clubs
Believing in a concept can be a noble thing. Seeing the benefits, sharing ideas, and gathering information to prove your point are all valuable steps that most of us take at one time or another, on some topic. Actually doing something is an altogether different thing. The point at which a belief transitions from a […]
A long trip to a big impact
After playing around at a handful of local flight schools, FBO run operations, and with a plethora of flight instructors, some of whom were good, some not so much, I made the decision to commit to a more structured arrangement with a big-time flight school. That was in 1990, two years into my flight training […]
A little rain must fall
Precipitation is on my mind, as my friends in Texas, Louisiana, and yes, even California have recently been dealing with moisture from the sky. Some of them have been struggling with rain coming down in large quantities. It happens, thank goodness. After all, rain gives life. But rain also causes calamity and mayhem. Like so much […]
Authentically, actually you
Because I often deal with the non-flying public in venues where my affection for aviation becomes a topic of conversation, I’ve become fascinated by the limits people put on themselves. I often talk to people who profess to want to fly. They wish they could. They dream they can. They imagine the wonder of it […]
I searched for excellence — and I found it
In many ways I’m a creature of habit. Of course, some habits are more obvious than others. For instance, I eat every day. More than I need to, in fact. That’s a habit. Not a particularly good one, and not one that I am proud of, but it is a habit, so I include it […]
The great equalizer in the sky
In this political season, like every political season, we see divisions forming. In many cases those cracks in the American facade happen between people who would be better served by a united force. Each candidate has their followers. Every point of view has an advocate. Parties square off for battle, often over problems that will […]
Stoking the fire within
Deep within the hearts and souls of those who fly is a desire to repeat the experience. Whether our last flight was three days ago, three years ago, or three decades ago, the flame still burns. We want to fly. We occasionally dream of flying. And we plan to one day, someday, fly again. That’s […]
When I grow up, I want to be a….
Last week I attended a Focus on Education Breakfast held in the student center at Polk State College’s main campus in Winter Haven, Florida. On hand were members of the school board, administrators from the county’s school system, teachers, principals, politicians, community activists, and a smattering of students. The whole crew was gathered for a dual […]