When you get right down to it, politics are not really about Republicans and Democrats, Greens and Libertarians, Socialists and Capitalists. It’s about people. Individual people and how they interact with other individual people, and how those people plan, debate, and ultimately work together as their numbers grow into an ever larger group. The study […]
Politics for Pilots
General aviation: Get evangelical about it
General aviation — get evangelical about it. This may seem unlikely, even inconceivable to some, but I have been fortunate enough to make a career out of being excited. It’s a pretty good career, too. I spend the bulk of every day doing something I really love to do. I work with people I’m glad to […]
Nostalgia for your coffee table
There was a time when aviation was an almost impossible dream. Millions, no, billions of people around the world were aware of the airplane, but most didn’t have the means to experience flight for themselves. That was the way of the world between 1945 and 1975. Then something miraculous happened. The Boeing 747 became ubiquitous […]
General aviation goes clubbing
For some time now I’ve been singing the praises of the flying club. Not any particular flying club, mind you — although there are some excellent examples out there — just flying clubs in general. They work. ‘Nuff said. Don’t believe me? Read on. Here’s the skinny on flying clubs. They provide the pilot, or the student, an […]
Aviation gets its cool back
For the past week I have been acting in a very non-Floridian fashion. While the typical Sunstate dweller seeks shade and close proximity to a pool, I have been standing beside large expanses of pavement soaking up the sun with gusto. My excuse is a good one, however. I was at SUN ‘n FUN, the […]
Have you ever considered teaching?
You may have heard somewhere that a pilot shortage is looming. Personally, I believe that rumor to be true. I also believe there will be challenges in finding qualified people to fill skilled positions as aircraft mechanics, engineers, designers, administrators, and maybe even line personnel. The future is a blank slate. However, we can affect […]
Do unto others, and all that sort of thing
You know the drill. The neighbors complain about the airport because it’s populated entirely by spoiled, rich white guys who get their kicks by flying low over the neighborhood and making lots of noise. We can disagree, we can explain, we can put thousands of hours of effort into going door to door to tell […]
Go where your heart takes you
It will come as no shock to regular readers of this column that I am on a mission. My goal, and yes I have absolutely chosen to accept it, is to shepherd as many aviation enthusiasts into the industry as full participants as I possibly can. If they learn to fly, that’s great. But if […]
Anachronism or genius?
The world of 100 years ago was quite different than the one we inhabit today. There was no central heat or air-conditioning back then. Private dwellings and places of business were drafty and cold, or insufferably hot, depending on the season. Distances were covered on foot, or on horseback, or in a wagon that bumped […]