A fairly bright man from the ancient world said something to the effect of give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum to place it on, and I can move the world. Admittedly, it’s been at least 2,200 years since Archimedes supposedly uttered these words. So allowing for transcription errors and smudged copies, I’ve […]
Politics for Pilots
General aviation in the marketplace
Last week the news broke that Fantasy of Flight, the aviation-themed attraction in the heart of central Florida, was closing. That was the message most people got, even if it is slightly skewed from the announcement the company intended. Those who read the full story (included the one by Drew Steketee right here in General […]
Can LSAs go commercial?
It’s a regulatory certainty that Light-Sport Aircraft cannot be used in commercial operations. Sure, the LSA category is fast growing. Yes, it’s permeated the marketplace well enough that LSAs can be found on fields across the land. Admittedly, the aircraft are designed and built to a standard that is as high — if not higher […]
When the obvious is not obvious
What’s obvious and beneficial to one person may be a total mystery to another. Put another way, you have to have a frame of reference if you’re going to make use of the tools available to you. That’s true whether the tools you’re working with are tangible or intangible. They may be physical items or […]
Clearing obstacles
Making great progress isn’t worth much if you don’t know where that progress will lead. There’s an old joke about travel that ends with the subject proclaiming, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m making good time.” It’s funny because the listener knows innately that traveling quickly in an unknown direction is pointless. For […]
A distraction for the species
A debate of epic proportions took place last week. Streamed live via the Internet, the audience was massive and motivated. Each debater was bolstered by their respective armies of supporters and intellectual warriors. The concepts being addressed were critical to all humanity — or so the hype would have us believe. Evolution or creationism, which […]
The elephant in the room
Superbowl Sunday was anything but super. Not only was the game a huge disappointment to anyone who enjoys competitive sports, but earlier in the day news broke that Philip Seymour Hoffman had been found dead in his Greenwich Village apartment. Aviation shares something in common with sports and show business, whether we choose to believe […]
Searching for that last straw
Long, long ago I was fortunate enough to hear a joke that’s stuck with me for all these years. What I hadn’t anticipated was that a single joke would help inform my political sensibilities forevermore. That’s right, a joke has become a guiding light to my method of dealing with others. Emo Philips, the comedian, […]
Courting the cross-over effect
While out and about recently I saw something that left an impression on me. It was a line of sports cars and a Formula racer parked right there on the ramp in Sebring, Florida. They were bright red and carried names like Porsche and Mazda. Their engines had the ability to put out significantly more […]