Last year I gifted my readers with stories of men and women pilots who acted heroically, and lived to tell about it. This holiday season I’m going in a different direction. The Aviation Safety Reporting System reports I chose this time come from pilots who, in their own way, shot themselves in the proverbial foot. Failure […]
Opinion
The importance of a good couch
In the back of my hangar sits the skeleton of a 1949 Piper PA-16 Clipper. It hasn’t flown in many years. That’s kind of sad. Hopefully, somebody will take on the task of restoring it to its former glory one day and it will become airborne again. I can only hope. In front of the […]
Tomahawk buyer plagued with engine contamination
Q: I bought a Tomahawk from someone I trusted. First oil change I discover very small needle-like pieces of aluminum in the filter, about a teaspoon worth. I ask the IA-rated seller about it. His reply: No big deal, still good compression. Nothing is on a strong magnet that is carefully passed along the flattened […]
Short, sweet, and oh so memorable
My wife and I were empty-nesters for a minute there. Our son is a great success, living in New York City with his own growing family. Our daughters had moved out and were sharing a house together. Then one daughter moved home. A few months later the other followed suit. We are empty-nesters no more. […]
Game-changing Fokkers served on both sides of the Atlantic
When Anthony Fokker’s team introduced the futuristic Fokker D.VII biplane fighter to Germany in 1918, its welded steel tube fuselage and wings with less external bracing and rigging were a game-changer. Clocking speeds as high as 124 miles an hour, the D.VII was bested in that regard by the contemporary British S.E.5 and French SPAD […]
‘Medicine has been my life, but flying is my passion’
I believe there are multiple paths in life. Whether the topic is spiritual, technical, flying, driving or any other matters not. There are multiple ways to accomplish nearly anything. When it comes to flying, the paths to aviation and within aviation are myriad. Victor Vogel was a medical school professor for 25 years and did […]
Welcome the unexpected opportunity
It was supposed to be an easy day. My complete list of responsibilities involved delivering a Cessna 152 to the site of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association‘s southeastern regional fly-in at Tampa’s Peter O. Knight Airport. I started early and was on the ground by 9 a.m. Done for the day. With the bulk […]
Affordable taildraggers you can fly with little fear
If you’ve shied away from taildraggers as they sound difficult or fearsome, I recommend you learn more about Kolb Aircraft as it has some very affordable taildraggers that you can fly with little fear.
General aviation, at home and away
As a participant in the American system of general aviation, no one needs to tell you how utilitarian or beneficial the smaller, quieter airports in our system are. These fields that sit serenely on the edge of town give users the ability to fly directly in to the destination they choose. They offer an efficiency that […]