I can’t imagine letting any of my kids fly an ultralight at 13 years old. And yet that is exactly what my parents let me do. Granted, I grew up on an airport and had flown with my Dad for years by the time I was 13. Training in the single-seat Robert B1-RD consisted of […]
Book: Vertical Horizons dives into the history of Canada’s Okanagan Helicopters
From a humble start (aren’t they all though?) Okanagan Helicopters has a remarkable history that includes, “the first unaccompanied commercial helicopter ferry flight from Canada to the UK, monitoring polar bears in the High Arctic, providing offshore oil rig support during monsoons, and, at the company’s high point, operations in over 33 countries with 600 […]
Book: The 25 Most Influential Aircraft of All Time
If you had to pick what you believed were the 25 most influential aircraft of all time, could you do it? Could you limit it to just 25? Are there 25? For that matter, what you believe to be influential might be vastly different from a list compiled by Bill Lear or Bill Boeing. A […]
FlightsAbove.org updates website dedicated to #socialaviation
Flights Above started in 2012 with humble beginnings as a group of passionate aviators on Facebook in the Pacific Northwest. Fast forward to 2018 and Flights Above is a collection of nine regional groups with more than 12,000 members. At the Feb. 24-25, 2018, Northwest Aviation Conference, Flights Above founder Brice Van Baren proudly stated […]
Do you like oysters and airplanes?
If you like oysters and airplanes, then you might want to check out the March 24, 2018, Oyster Roast fly-in at Big South Fork Airpark in Oneida, Tenn. Starting at 12 p.m., attendees should be “ready to relax, have fun and toast the beginning of warmer weather,” according to organizers. Even if oysters aren’t […]
Are backup systems overrated?
What’s the point of carrying a handheld radio if you have one (or two) radios installed in your panel? For that matter, why carry a paper sectional chart if you have a fancy glass panel cockpit or an iPad running ForeFlight or FlyQ? Besides common sense, what’s the point in having a backup to your […]
It isn’t a pilot shortage, it’s a compensation shortage
Not long after Mark Baker joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) as president, I was at a breakfast the AOPA Foundation hosted at SUN ‘n FUN. Following a briefing from Mark, he called for questions. “What’s your opinion of the pilot shortage we’re starting to hear so much about?” asked a fellow attendee. Mark’s […]
Retiring airline pilot returns to his roots
An email from John Wade recently plopped into my inbox. It begins, “I recall enjoying an article you did about taking airline and military pilots flying in General Aviation aircraft and it resonated with me.” John has a good memory because that article was from August 2016 after I took a friend of mine, both […]
Air Scan cuts the sound of silence
I’m fortunate. I work from home and I enjoy that benefit. If there’s a downside, it would be the noise or lack thereof. It can be energizing to have the subtle din of fellow workers sending emails, making calls, thinking out loud. You know…working. As I sit in my shop, by myself, too often I’ve […]