A Newbie CFI, Disco Fever, and My Inner Voice

I tried to explain that if you corner a car too hard, it may skid.  “Corner” an airplane too hard, it may stall, spin, and crash, in that order.  One day, I had him do a “high speed” (40 knots) practice abort on takeoff, and he stomped on the brakes—but mashed the left one harder than the right. We got pretty darn far left of centerline—I think I could read the words on the vending inside the FBO building—and came to a stop. 
cowling

How stress and anxiety affect pilots

"I read the news today, oh boy!" You can almost hear the drumbeat behind those lyrics by Lennon and McCartney. And yet it was! I did read the news today and in my mind the exclamation of “oh boy!” followed swiftly. An airline pilot was…
Legend Cub

The Last Pilot

On the last base to final turn, the Last Pilot will make one final radio call and touch down on the old grass strip and taxi to the barn, alone in their thoughts.  After the engine is clicked off and The Last Pilot coasts to a stop, the windshield will be dutifully wiped clean, as will the leading edges.  The plane will be pushed into the barn, and the Last Pilot will hang the key on the hook for the final time.
niagara falls

Friday photo: Niagara Falls for the solar eclipse

Flying the family to Niagara Falls to see the total solar eclipse. My fondest memory is my 7-year old son shouting, "That's amazing! Oh my gosh! How are we doing this?"
dc 10

Uncle Joe’s Last Flight

We touched down and as we taxied by the two fire trucks, the firemen unleashed an arching cascade from their water cannons. The trade winds feathered the streams of water and the morning sun gifted us with a welcoming rainbow lei. After parking, Joe was lowered into a loving crowd and was, yet again, surrounded by smiles, tears, and song. He left the airport in an ambulance and left us with memories that will be with us always.
mooney

Let George do it!

About our third trip, this time from Pontiac to Waukegan past South Bend and Gary, flying the shoreline, George told me that if he survived this experience, he’d love to learn to fly and maybe even make a living doing so.  He had fallen in love with aviation and wanted to really be part of it. My response was, "Well, hey, no time like the present, are you ready?"

Living the dream

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As college in the mid-1960s moved along, our involvement in Vietnam began to ramp up. The draft was scooping up people my age from sea to shining sea. I decided to stay in ROTC and get a commission to keep the draft at bay.
c-47

A pilot’s path begins with a father’s influence

They say that flying is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror (or what the Southeast Asia pilots called “fascinating”). Ninety-nine percent of Dad’s flying was probably long hours involving little excitement, but with a sense of responsibility to get the job done. He wasn’t a war hero, but a working class blue collar hero who kept his family together.
waco

A Long Buried Story Resurfaces

The first landing and takeoff were uneventful. The second sequence was another matter. The Robin made a good landing, taxied forward a short distance, and accelerated to take off. A Fleet biplane, one of a highly regarded line of primary trainers powered by a Kinner radial engine, stood directly in my grandfather's path facing in the same direction.
two boeings

Friday photo: two Boeings

I had been flying local ride flights from the FBO ramp with a Boeing 737 BBJ parked close by.  During a break between rides, I was admiring the two aircraft from the same manufacturer. Their vast differences in design and function, yet commonality of mission and operation at a basic level.
aero commander

From the archive: round trip to Europe in an Aero Commander

The uniqueness of our trip lay in its actual purpose, which was solely to utilize a convenient and independent mode of travel in order to visit Europe. Bob held the firm conviction  that much mountain and weather flying, daily encountered by private pilots in our own country, offered greater hazards and required greater navigation skill than this trip.
diamond da40

It’s Time To Get High

And what altitude did I fly the entire coast of Connecticut? That’s right, 1,500 feet. It gets better. Because for whatever reason, New York Approach wouldn’t negotiate with Bridgeport’s Tower (KBDR) for the transition, I was asked to avoid KBDR’s Class Delta airspace altogether. And I did. At, you guessed it, 1,500 feet. Over the water. Go me.
airplane in grass

Centerline, centerline, centerline

The gusting wind from the east returns, pushing the aircraft toward the right side of the runway. In a matter of a few seconds, the grass infield fills my windshield. I didn’t get the thumb into the wind and I didn’t immediately get on the left rudder pedal to steer us back to the centerline. Years of training ignored in an instant which means we are now headed into the infield.

A dead stick landing and a chance encouter with Hal Shevers

At about 1,500 feet hawking the wind sock to determine my landing runway. The UNICOM frequency was quiet and I saw no other planes in the pattern. I turned away to re-enter on a 45 degree downwind. As I banked back to the field came a startling assault of silence. The engine quit—politely and with no shudder—it simply stopped running. I was a glider.
md-11

One of the last in the air on 9/11

On our initial contact with Honolulu approach, we were told that we would be intercepted by Hawaiian Air National Guard F-15s and be inspected before being allowed to proceed to HNL. They relayed that only pilots in full uniform could be in the cockpit. We scanned the horizon trying to get a visual on the traffic. Soon two F-15s appeared in formation off our left wing. One inspected us up close and the other trailed behind us.
piper arrow

Friday photo: When I grow up, I want to be…

On the ramp at Charlotte Monroe Executive Airport (KEQY)the morning after the 2015 Warbirds over Monroe airshow, seeing my airplane parked next to this beautiful warbird, I could almost hear it saying, “When I grow up, I want to be …”
Flight instruction

Why learning to fly can be good for your mental health

Americans seem to be especially gloomy right now, according to a popular book and a report from the US Surgeon General. There are no miracle cures, but becoming a pilot can provide many of the positive experiences these experts recommend. No, I’m not suggesting the federal government mandate flight training to make American teenagers happy, but consider the following.

The “C” in PIC

When I first started my primary training, my CFI was mainly focused on developing my “P-Skills”–learning to actually fly the airplane. But once I got the physical act of flying down, my training slowly transitioned into developing my “C” ones. These skills included recognizing and dealing with emergencies, how to communicate on the radio effectively, and probably the most important one of all, how to see and avoid.
approach fog

Danger lurks in circling approaches

Let us not forget that the circling approach maneuver is designed as a last resort, non-precision approach. A circling approach is one that, by dwindling numbers and its inherent design, forces the pilot(s) into a seldom used and high-risk evolution–often migrating us to an unexpected and seldom visited zip code of the threat/error management neighborhood.
Glider tow

Glider Towing – How do I get out of This Mess

I continued climbing straight ahead to about 500 feet while closely monitoring the gauges before I waggled the wings in a sign to the glider that I was in trouble.  As we were now high enough, (and still within the precincts of the airfield) both of us could get back.   The instructor got off the tow promptly, turned right and headed back towards the glider landing check point.  I radioed a Pan Pan call.