It’s been decades since I took that first flight lesson, but my desire to test myself, to better myself, to experience something new and exciting has not dwindled one bit. There’s a new add-on rating in my future. There’s a new challenge to accept and a standard to meet.
Politics for Pilots
Turnabout is fair play
The unintended consequence of providing sufficient facilities to one group naturally limited the availability of those facilities to another. This is how a woman entering aviation at any level may have found the industry treating her in the past. To some extent, they may find this lack of accommodation happening today, as well.
I’ll never make the front page
I’m not the best pilot in the world. Nobody who flies with me comes away thinking I’ll challenge the memory of Bob Hoover.
It’s not about the cookies
Can you imagine what would happen if every member of every Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter threw a few bucks into a pot to start a scholarship for a local kid who wants to fly but can’t afford it? What if every local pilot’s association member did the same? Imagine if the businesses we worked for did something similar.
In celebration of those who stir the pot
The electrically powered airplane is as poorly regarded by the wider society today as the gasoline powered airplane was in the early 20th Century or the electrically powered motorcycle today. Yet, electric airplanes are flying all over the world with great success.
Reality can be inconvenient
Accepting reality is not always convenient, but it is a worthy goal. The savings can be considerable in terms of cash — and life itself.
The battle continues: Education vs degree programs
Education is the key to success. There’s no doubt about it. But, does that mean a college degree is an essential component of that success? Does the lack of a B.A., or a B.S., or an MBA behind our name mean we’ll live in a state of lesser potential forevermore? Poppycock, I say.
Ugly and slow, but airworthy
There is one piece of advice I pass along to almost everyone who asks me about flight training. It’s as counter-intuitive today as it was when a CFI gave this same advice to me nearly 40 years ago. It’s also every bit as true as it ever was. It is this: Buy an airplane.
In consideration of the Do point
This is the Do point, not to be confused with the Dew point, which pertains to the weather. It relates to a pilot’s ability, even responsibility, to do something. To make a decision that’s rooted in safety. An action that is based on solid, conservative thought processes designed to keep ourselves, our passengers, and the aircraft safe from harm.