cirrus sr-22

Close, but no Cigar

We were passed from Miami Center to Havana Center as we approached Cuban airspace and the Cuban controllers were both professional and helpful as we went wheels dry only 40 minutes after leaving KMTH. From 8,000 feet (minimum to cross over Cuba), we saw lots of land under agriculture and a large road bisecting the island east to west but only one car on the road. We also saw several airfields of great length, like one might use for large military aircraft?
cub enroute

An A-Maze-ing Day of Flying!

Instead of a “Sunday Drive”, we elected to do some exploring from the sky—a “Sunday Flight”.  The mission was to go up and see the beginning of the season change from lush green leaves of summer to the multitude of oranges autumn has to bring. On top of the list were some corn mazes to circle, ending with landing at one of the local grass strips for a picnic lunch. We wanted to break free from the hustle and bustle and just enjoy the freedom that flying has to offer.
dee

I’m still scared of flying

,
When the Decathalon arrived, he provided dual aerobatic instruction in it and we formed a very small air charter business wherein he served as the PIC of a light twin which we leased locally. I was chief cook and bottle washer and kept the books.
enroute

Soaring Over the Rainbow Nation: A Journey as a South African Pilot

The smaller airports and airstrips scattered across the country have their own charm. The controllers and managers at these smaller fields often share invaluable local knowledge and tips. During one flight to a remote airstrip in the Free State, the local controller not only guided me through unexpected weather changes but also shared some fascinating local lore.
wing

A fun fuel run

The summer sun is filtered through the scattered clouds, and rays of light stream across the hazy sky. This evening’s mission is a simple one—fly. Oh, yes, I need to get fuel, but the real mission is a flight in an aircraft I built—pure and simple. The grin on my face seems permanent these days.
commander en route

Flying to Sun ‘n Fun 2024

During the trip I put 18.1 hours into my logbook, met up with my buddies, made new friends, took a bunch of pictures, had great food and added new life experiences. Why not plan a flying adventure with your friends or flying club, enjoying all that the freedom to fly offers. Keep the blue side up!
new england coast

My first and last flying road trip

The plan was for a mid-October trip from Virginia up the coast to northern Maine with a first stopover in Newport, Rhode Island and then Nantucket, Massachusetts. We would complete the remainder of the planning the day by day. Getting to the adventure involved passing by Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland and the busy airspace around Newark, Kennedy, and La Guardia Airports.

My First Oshkosh

Before we knew it, the traffic alterts started: “Traffic one o’clock, same altitude”. All six eyes in the cockpit suddenly became laser focused.  “The guy behind is going to overpass us”, “That guy just cut us off!” were just some of the things yelled in the cockpit that day.
puget sound

SoCal to Alaska – Flying beyond the Comfort Zone

As we approached the halfway/decision point, we checked in with Flight Service and sure enough, Bella Bella was now reporting marginal VFR and the clouds below us weren’t as dense as we were able to start seeing the rugged Canadian coast below. We continued with more confidence. After two and a half hours of flight, we made it to a blue skies and puffy cloud Bella Bella.
pilots on flight deck

Cheetah running across Canada

On this leg the visibility started rapidly dropping in the smoke haze and we were getting worried.  The ceilings were lower than forecast too. We were basically out of flight following range and hoped we didn't meet a huge yellow CL-215 water bomber.

North to Alaska

Our goals included beach and gravel bar landings, flying over glaciers and icebergs, seeing gold mining history, flying Denali, camping beside the planes, and seeing the wildlife.  After adding things like Watson Lake's Signpost Forest, Kennecott Copper Mine, and historic Dawson City, the itinerary lengthened very quickly.

The friends I do not know

I glance off to my left at the area along the south end of runway 18. He’s there. The friend I don’t know, yet we have become friends because I fly to OC8 often. He and his dog are always there. The dog never runs onto the runway, yet races around happily. I envision him as a Border Collie, though in truth I have no idea.

Cross-country to T25 in my Sonex

I climbed to 5,500’ after leaving Rolla and, as I crossed the Mark Twain National Forest, I saw a groundspeed rise to more than 160 mph. KARG was one of my original planned stops and my planning paid off well. The FBO let me rent an old hangar to house the Sonex and invited me to use the  courtesy car. The camaraderie in aviation never ceases to amaze me.

Lost Over the Mediterranean: A Pilot’s Tale of Lessons Learned

A seemingly trivial error in tuning in to the right frequency left us cut off from the Greek control tower and without any responses from the Cypriots. Modern electronics surrounded us, but their benefits remained elusive, mainly due to our unfamiliarity with Garmin’s intricacies. The vast blue of the Mediterranean below and the open skies above became our only constants.

Aviation is the universal language

The pilot indicated with hand gestures that I should taxi out. I held the brakes while we ran a pre-takeoff checklist. Checklist completed, the pilot indicated that I should proceed with the takeoff. After checking for traffic I rolled out on the runway centerline and applied full power and soon we were airborne.

Making peace with a very bad day

Right at dusk, what I believed to be a tornado hit the airport and collapsed six hangars. My airplane was in one of them. What would officially be called a straight-line wind event ended up becoming the worst day of my life. All the dreams and all the hours of hard work gone in an instant. I cried like a baby.

Flying the central coast of California

San Luis Obispo Airport (KSBP) is really a nice stop. There is usually parking by the Spirit restaurant. On final approach in small aircraft, there is sometimes a bit of a sink or ballooning on short final above the roadway just prior to the runway. Tower and Ground Control are sometimes the same person.

The straight tale of buying my first airplane

He had a Cessna 172 to sell for $25,000. I slammed my fist on the desk and exclaimed, “Sold!” without hesitation. I assumed it likely wasn’t airworthy but if it was anywhere near flying condition, it was probably worth it. She put me in direct contact with her husband.

From my love of aviation comes the Freedom Aviation Network

All I heard was, “It’s too dangerous, you don’t want to do that, it’s too expensive, you would need to go to the military to get enough hours, women aren’t pilots, and you would never get hired at an airline.”  So, I started to believe that maybe flying wasn’t for me. But I saw an ad for a free ground school class in aviation, so I signed up.

My checkout in the Waco

There was no activity in the front seat and the airport was in sight. It was becoming clear that I would have to land the airplane with no advice or coaching from the front cockpit. Of course I had made a number of landings under supervision but this was a bit tricky.