In daily life, I tend to be positive and optimistic. My life’s not perfect. Far from it, in fact. But on the whole, my family and I are blessed.
And yet, there are often bumps in the road…or maybe turbulence is a better way to say it.
On May 28, 2019, the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation released a pretty damning statement.
[Read more…]According to the FAA, my flight instructor, and FAR Part 61.56, I completed my Flight Review early last month. That means I can “act as pilot in command of an aircraft” for the next 24 months.
Ryan, my instructor, and I flew an Aviat Husky for the flight portion of the Flight Review. What a kick that was. The Cub I usually fly is wonderful, but has only 75 hp up front. The Husky has 180.
Officially, it’s called the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering and is organized by the Alaska Airmens Association.
But it’s really just a family reunion. A really big family reunion.
[Read more…]When pushing a huge boulder up a large hill, the work is made much easier when loads of people show up to help.
Oh, and it is usually a lot more fun.
Everyone gets to celebrate as new plateaus are reached. [Read more…]
I learned of the passing of SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In founder Billy Henderson on April 12.
I saw Billy at the April 4 ceremony for the 2019 class of inductees into the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame during SUN ‘n FUN. He had been delivered to the festivities by long-time friend Dale Faux. While Billy looked more frail, he still had his ever-present twinkle in his eyes. [Read more…]
I’m frequently amazed at the connections that come as a result of having a simple conversation with someone.
While walking around chatting up fellow exhibitors at the recent Northwest Aviation Conference in Puyallup, Washington, I had the pleasure of meeting Shawn Christman. He was dutifully standing in his display at JetProp Partnerships.
In short, he owns a beautiful JetProp DLX and is looking for partners. But as we chatted, the conversation meandered among his back story, his career, our mutual flying experiences, and things we find interesting.
Among that wandering conversation, he told me about the podcast “99% Invisible” in general and the “Children of the Magenta” episode specifically. Shawn’s an architect, so his following a podcast that focuses on design makes sense. Being a pilot/owner of a rather sophisticated airplane, he found the topic of cockpit automation interesting and suggested I give it a listen. I pulled out my reporter’s notebook and jotted it down for later reference. [Read more…]
The grunt work of government is not terribly exciting. But for those of you who have met Chuck Wiplinger, president of Wipaire, Inc., I bet you’ll join me in wishing he’d make his way to Washington D.C. more often to make our case for funding.
The 36th Annual Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show took place in Puyallup, Washington, on Feb. 23 and 24, 2019. I call it a family reunion. I get to sleep in my own bed each night (the show grounds are just 21 miles from my home). Ahh.
It is fun to catch up with old friends (and meet a few new ones). [Read more…]
A lot can happen in 80 years. Indeed, a lot has happened since the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) was founded in 1939.
Events large and not-so-large dot the calendar. Putting those events into the larger context of the development of general aviation can be a challenge for anyone who has a busy life. [Read more…]
Do you want to go flying?
Is that a trick question? The sky out the window looked clear and inviting. [Read more…]
