If you live in the eastern half of the United States, you may have noticed that nature has turned a bit nippy lately. Even in the deep south they’ve felt the brisk embrace of winter’s furious freeze. There’s no getting around it. It’s some kind of cold out there, and frankly, I don’t care for […]
Politics for Pilots
Riding out of town on a rail
The plan was simple: I was going to hop into the trusty Cessna 152, point it to the north, and fly for just shy of 1,000 miles into the wintery wonderland known as Maryland. That was what I said I was going to do anyway. What I actually did was drive less than two miles to […]
Lure them with pancakes, hook them with adventure
EAA Chapter 1067 is based in Naples, Florida. There are worse places to be in February, I can tell you. But there are few better. What attracted me is what attracts so many to the back corner of the T-hangars at Naples, directly across from the shade hangars, right along the fence line where EAA […]
The conundrum of general aviation
It will come as no surprise to you, a general aviation enthusiast, that the United States contains a considerable number of airports. Even so, the actual number of airports may be higher than you imagine. Higher by quite a bit, frankly. Our non-aviation enthusiast counterparts may feel differently, however. They may learn that in 2004 […]
If it’s about who you know…
When I was a young man headed out into the world, trying to make a success of myself, there was an expression I heard over and over again: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” The subtext was clear. No matter how smart or capable or driven you might be, it would not […]
Airshow etiquette: Look, but don’t touch
Once, when I was a teenager manning the pumps at a full service gas station, a gentleman rolled up in a gorgeous Rolls Royce. He claimed it had previously belonged to the velvety-voiced crooner Nat “King” Cole. You can imagine my surprise when he climbed out and encouraged me to take a seat behind the […]
Prepare — winter doesn’t last forever
Recently a series of cold fronts have marched down from the region of the north pole, bringing biting winds, frigid temperatures, and enough ice to supply a wet bar that’s serving Jackie Gleason, Foster Brooks, and Dean Martin simultaneously. If you’re into ice fishing, snow machine races, or the latest cutting-edge snowshoe designs, the weather […]
Tip this…or something like that
Malcom Gladwell, the well known author who possesses both an almost cartoonishly frizzy hair-style and a razor sharp mind, first came to my attention with his blockbuster hit “The Tipping Point.” Released in 2002, Amazon still ranks it high on its best sellers ranking. It held down the position of 533 on that literary hit parade […]
It’s called Expo, y’all
As I sit down to write this morning the thermometer is nudging its way toward 80°. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the breeze is slight enough to be refreshing without mussing even the most carefully coiffed hairstyle. Welcome to central Florida. This is winter at its finest. I mention this meteorological […]