Aircraft ownership – taking the plunge

I tell people that I have learned more about flying in the time I have owned an aircraft than all the years before. Do your homework, and the day you become an aircraft owner will likely be one of the happiest of your life without another being the day you sell it!

Friday photo: Burning Man 2015

For one week each year, the desolate Black Rock desert in Nevada becomes a swirling city of parties and new friendships - Burning Man. It even has its own airstrip, which pilot Jim Salters used to capture this aerial view of the temporary city.

HPN: a bird’s eye view, past and present

Airports are homes for planes. But of course they can be quite a bit more. My plane is based at Westchester County Airport (aka White Plains Airport). The airport was built in 1942 as a base for the Air National Guard, but is now one of the most active general aviation airports in the US.

Defensive glider flying – remember the big picture

I had to make a decision within seconds, so I turned base. To my right I still saw him continuing before I focused on the airstrip. After a well-sectored pattern and a smooth touchdown, I suddenly heard the voice of my instructor over the radio: “35, retract your speed brakes!”

The curtain call – seeing the Northern Lights from the cockpit

All was normal at the top of descent until we both spotted what looked like an undulating patch of orange mist ahead and slightly below us. There was a sort of velvety sheen appearance to it. My captain and I looked at each other with the most unflattering miens, I’m sure, and exclaimed simultaneously: “Northern lights…!!”

Friday photo: Mt. Rainier from a Flybaby

Flying an open cockpit airplane versus a cabin airplane is like the difference between a car and a motorcycle, but without the traffic. There is a sense of oneness with the machine and the environment. A small, single-place, open cockpit airplane accentuates that even more.
Santa Ana winds

The helicopter does not know the wind is blowing!

I did not like the wind, and I let the chief pilot (not my instructor) know about it. He seemed confused. “The helicopter does not know the wind is blowing,” he would say. What?!? “The next time the wind is howling, I want to take you out.” Great, I thought. Suicide by helicopter.

Stop the drone panic – pilots should take their own advice

For an industry that's usually obsessed with "risk management," aviation sure isn't using much of it when it comes to drones. The constant drumbeat of stories about close encounters between airplanes and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can be described as nothing short of a panic. Enough already.

Friday photo: a 6-year old’s first air-to-air shot

After a long summer day at the FBO the boys and I decided to go for a late evening airplane ride. Sullivan (6 years old) was very excited about the view out his window and I gave him my iPhone to take a picture. The result is an uncropped picture that to me that shows the joy of flying old airplanes, flying with friends and family.
Hurricane

Into the eye of the storm

My destination that day was New Orleans, and they were expecting a tropical storm, maybe a hurricane, to make landfall somewhere around there that day. New Orleans was where, in the early to mid-1950s, Cessna delivered planes destined for overseas customers – to places like Australia, Africa, Europe, South Asia, and even South America.

Gear down… or is it?

Recently my memories of earlier days were rekindled during a chat with a friend regarding wheels-up landings. It emphasised to me again, no matter how often you fly and how long you have been doing it, there is always something to learn, particularly in a demanding aircraft, as was the Gnat in an engine-out forced landing.

Safety crisis – what’s going on?

The airlines have been able to parlay advances in technology and training to their near-perfect safety record. We have available every bit (and possibly more) in the way of high-tech stuff and yet the safety record doesn’t improve and has now apparently gotten worse. There is no question that something is badly out of place.

Friday photo: Montana mountains

In our latest Friday Photo, aviation writer Amy Laboda shares a great shot of Bozeman Pass from their RV-10. It represented the end of a 1000 mile VFR flight, and a perfect summer vacation.

Practical tips for family flying – how to keep everyone happy

If you are a flying family, or want to be one, you will quickly realize that there is very little information online about flying with kids. I can tell you how much flying with your family is great, amazing, rewarding etc., but you probably don’t need too much convincing - you need the HOW. So here is my HOW.

It’s all about the journey – a father/son flight for the ages

The purpose of the trip was to see the prize that waits at the end of a hard journey. To show my son how all the work and effort will pay off. At school. With flying. In life. And, to spend some time alone, just the two of us, before competing pressures and the passage of time naturally pull us physically apart.
Cessna 152

Business or pleasure – does one attract more pilots than the other?

Some pilots fly for the fun of it, to get out and see the world and forget about daily life. Others fly for the utility it provides, allowing them to travel efficiently in support of their business or family commitments. Is one more important than the other? Join our latest debate.

Friday photo: Chicago skyline

This week's Friday Photo shares the view from an annual aviation pilgrimage - the flight to Oshkosh in mid-summer. From many parts of the US, this flight means the chance to fly past the Chicago skyline, which offers a stunning view.
Pilot error

Pilot error or fumble?

It has long been standard to use the term “pilot error,” as in 86-percent of fatal GA accidents are caused by pilot error. But that it were so simple. To me it really starts with a pilot fumble. The ball is dropped, but the option is still there to recover. The error comes when the pilot fails to recover.

Look beyond the hype – ICON just might help aviation

It’s been nearly impossible to miss ICON for the last five years. The sexy design of the company’s amphibian light sport airplane has been matched only by the company’s sexy marketing. But now that ICON has finally delivered the first A5, it’s worth revisiting the project with an open mind. I see reasons for both hope and skepticism, but maybe more of the former.

“What’s this button do?” Why you need to watch your passengers

Flying with passengers is a lot of fun, but you need to be on guard whenever someone is in the right seat - even if they're a pilot. A wary eye and a good pre-flight briefing is a start. But as this story proves, sometimes it's the little things you have to watch.