In the great pantheon of mottos there may be none more pertinent than this: Don’t reinvent the wheel. It’s short. It’s pithy. It’s easy to remember. Maybe best of all, it’s true. So with that in mind, I will make this suggestion: If you are a fan of general aviation, if you believe human beings […]
Politics for Pilots
Happenstance — Go get some
I was having lunch last week with a woman who works in the tourism industry. Here in Florida, tourism is a big deal, and so we have folks in the private sector, and the public sector, who are dedicated to making sure travelers know there is plenty to do when they get here. The list […]
GAN’s own Jamie Beckett wins AOPA’s Let’s Go Flying Award
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has named Jamie Beckett, our Politics for Pilots blogger, recipient of its 2012 Let’s Go Flying Award, for his efforts in promoting and defending general aviation. The award was presented Thursday during the AOPA Aviation Summit in Palm Springs, Calif. Beckett’s love of aviation began early as the […]
The race to euthanasia
I received an email over the weekend that stunned me. I don’t use that term lightly, either. I was truly shocked. The opening sentence read, “The fact is GA is just about done for.” That got my attention. Not only is that a sentiment I disagree with entirely, it is a position that I cannot […]
Stand back, Jack
It goes without saying, of course, but every now and then it’s a good idea to stand down, relax, maybe even take a nap. No matter what you’re working on, or how important you perceive it to be, there is a point of diminishing returns if you push too hard. You’re only human after all. […]
Be persistent, but be there
Someone asked me recently what I would say if asked for advice about how to be a good advocate for general aviation. The answer is simple — and it doesn’t matter if the advocacy you intend to do is on behalf of general aviation, a local bowling league, or anything else. The advice is the […]
Wait your turn (or don’t)
The vast majority of us were raised by civilized mothers and fathers. That’s a good thing. We belonged to the Boy Scouts, or the Girl Scouts, or a sports team of some kind. And of course all of us had some sort of educational experience, which almost always consisted of at least one adult who […]
The lunch summit
Believe it or not, I am not universally loved and admired. None of us are, really, so I’m sure you’re not exactly bowled over by this admission. But once you step into the political arena, you more or less guarantee that you’re going to become a target to at least a few folks. Know that […]
Building a bigger tent
With the Republican convention only days behind us, and the Democratic convention going on this week, this is the obvious opportunity to take a lesson from their play books. Because whether you subscribe to this one or that one, you have to admit the elephants and donkeys have been exceptionally successful for many years at […]