Aviation
High Tech Windsock
Now I’ll readily admit that I’m no expert in windsocks. I’ve seen my share but never paid ‘em much mind. I’ve certainly never delved into the technology which makes ‘em work. Obviously, I have ignored somethin’ which ought not be ignored.
I just read this NOTAM:
Trenton NJ (Trenton Mercer) [TTN]: May NOTAM #5
Aerodrome 16/34 WINDSOCK out […]
Build a Boeing 777 in Four Minutes
Here is a little bit of just “plane” fun to brighten your Monday. Watch Boeing build a new 777 in just four minutes.
Plummeting Pumpkins Pound Perimeter
The Silvercreek Glider Club returned to the battlefield on the Saturday after Halloween to make another attack on a target in the middle of a farm field. The weapon of choice: pumpkins!
You have to hear it to believe the noise a pumpkin makes when it hits the ground after falling 1,000 feet. Twenty-two intrepid […]
Flying Home from Jackson Hole
That last chapter in our vacation saga is, unsurprisingly, the trip home. I had spent much of this vacation looking for ways to extend it indefinitely and, as had happened during all such prior investigations, I failed to discover the necessary magic incantation. As a brief aside: I am available to be adopted by the […]
Amazing F-22 Raptor Video
Check out Keith Breazeal’s video of an F-22 Raptor flying in Sacramento, CA. Along with beautiful photography, he includes an interview with the pilot. Major Paul “Max” Moga explains what he and the plane are doing moment by moment through the entire airshow routine.
Awesome!
Ten Commandments of Aviation
I am the plane that brought you out of the clouds and storms. You shall have no other plane but me.
Thou shalt not idolize any plane with the “wings on top.”
Remember the EAA breakfast and keep it holy.
Honor thy flight instructor.
Thou shalt not take the FAA in vain.
Thou shalt not crash.
Thou shalt not buzz the […]
To Jackson Hole
The first chapter of this travelogue takes us from St. Louis, MO to Jackson Hole, WY. Click on through for pictures and narration.
May the Road Rise Up to Meet You
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.May you be poor […]
Second Solo Flight
I went back to the gliderport on Sunday and got the ride of my life :-) I took the 2-33 up solo again, fully expecting a sled ride back down to the field because I am such a newbie and would not be able to find any lift or capture a thermal. I released from […]
Second Solo
Whoo hoo, I soloed a glider yesterday! Gene, trusting soul and incredible instructor that he is, entrusted SWS2-33A N5751S to me for solo flight at the Silver Creek Glider Club. I got a tow up to 3,000′ AGL and actually caught a bit of a thermal. That got me up to 3,500′ where I decided […]
Woo Hoo! Soaring!!
I went for my first soaring flights today and the only reason my head is not in the clouds is because there were not any clouds. Gene, one of the instructors as the Silver Creek Glider Club, took me up in this Schweizer 2-33.
Gene handled the take-off and then let me [try to] follow the […]
Oshkosh AirVenture 2007, Part 2
I’m home from AirVenture in Oshkosh and ready to go back again. Sunburned. Tired. Sweaty. Twenty pounds heavier in the belly and $_____ lighter in the wallet. Full of memories of new friendships, long and winding conversations, glistening airplanes, cool new toys tools.
I saw more awesome airplanes than any guy has a right to see […]
“And do you fly, too?”
I did not realize it until I spent a week at AirVenture with David but the only polite response to the introduction, “and this is my son, David,” seems to be an outstretched hand and the question, “Nice to meet you. And do you fly, too?”
David started out the week with his standard answer about […]
A Few AirVenture 2007 Photos
The weather was gorgeous yesterday for the airshow and I got some good shots that I cannot wait to share. Jump over to my AirVenture 2007 Highlights photo gallery and enjoy.
Here is one of my favorites, just to whet your appetite.
AirVenture 2007, Part 1
Last year, Kevin and I flew to AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI (OSH). Being the first time that I had been to Oshkosh, since a single trip in high school, we only planned to stay for three days. On Friday afternoon, we left tired, sore, and wishing we had had a lot more time. For the […]
Airports I Have Flown To, Part 2
Candy and I ran through my logbooks this morning, entering all of the airports that I have flown to into OurAirports.com. Trips down memory lane are always good ways to spend lazy weekend mornings. I got to remember flying to places like Munchen (Munich, Germany); Hesperia Ranch, CA; Calistoga, CA; and, well, I’ll spare you […]
Airports I Have Flown To
David Megginson has created a cool Google mash-up where you can create a map of all the airports you have visited. Here is my map at OurAirports.com. I am only listing the airports that I have actually flown a plane into, not the ones that I visited while flying in commercial airliners.
So far, I have […]
Why Pilot’s Prefer Airplanes to Women
Airplanes usually kill you quickly; a woman takes her time.
Airplanes can be turned on by a flick of a switch.
Airplanes don’t get mad if you do a “touch and go.”
Airplanes don’t object to a pre-flight inspection.
Airplanes come with a manual to explain their operation.
Airplanes have strict weight and balance limitations.
Airplanes can be flown at any […]
Celebrating Independence
I am flying northwest along the Mississippi river. A few boats are cutting curly wakes in the river below but most are just sitting still. Perhaps the people on the boats are idly wondering what the airplane is doing 1,000 feet above their heads. The ferry just north of St. Charles has a single car […]
The View From an RC Airplane
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly in an RC airplane? Watch this:
Father’s day is coming and I would gladly accept one of those.
Ignore Safety, Reduce Airline Costs
There is a tempest brewing in the Washington tea cup. Congress has to pass a bill that provides funding for the FAA by the end of September or the FAA ceases to exist.
Background
The airlines and the FAA are pushing hard to reduce the costs imposed on airlines while increasing the costs for pretty much everything […]
Turbine Toucan: One HOT Airplane
The Turbine Toucan looks to be the ultimate propeller driven toy-in-the-sky.
Target air show weight will be under 2000lbs with thrust targeted at 3300lbs. This will be close to a 1.65:1 ratio, unheard of in any GA aircraft. To put it in perspective, the F/A-18 Hornet (at fighter mission weight) is 36,700lbs@32,000lbs of thrust. This is […]
Garmin 396/496 Legal for IFR
(Unless you are a pilot, you probably do not care about this.)
Finally! Honestly, I believed Garmin when I bought my GPSMAP 396 and it said “VFR Use Only.”
We get a present today: the ability to use our Garmin 396 and Garmin 496 units for IFR en route and approaches. http://www.garminapproach.com/ has all the details.
You can […]
FAA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
Thanks to the dedicated government researchers at the Cherokee Pilot’s Association for finding this critical information.
Subject: FAA NPRM
NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING (NPRM)
Part 0, Section 000 (a) 1(c)
Preface - As for the first part of the last part, see Section V, the Administrator may be a him or a her, but shall not discriminate about an […]
Owner Assisted Annual Inspection
October brought the deadline for my airplane’s annual inspection and, having no in-depth knowledge of the process and liking to get my hands greasy, I decided to get involved as much as possible. That meant finding a shop that was willing to work with me. In the end, Jeremy at St. Charles Flying Service came […]
Reaction to Cory Lidle’s Airplane Accident
Tragically, Cory Lidle and his flight instructor died yesterday afternoon when the Cirrus SR-20 airplane that they were flying crashed into a high rise building in New York City. {Added 11/19/06} The New York Times has created a wonderfully informative, interactive graphic showing the flight path.
AVweb’s article, New York City Crash Aftermath, nicely brings together […]
Flying High, Flying Fast
I took a trip in my plane on Tuesday that was faster, more fuel efficient, and higher than ever before. Usually, I fly at about 6,000 feet and get ground speeds of about 130 knots (nautical miles per hour) which is the equivalent of about 150 MPH (statute miles per hour). The plane burns 9.5 […]
Keep B-29 Fifi Flying
Did you know that, of 3,900 B-29 Superfortress bombers built during WW-II, only one is still in flying condition? The B-29 has been called the weapon which won the war in the Pacific. It was the only bomber we had which could fly 3,700 to 4,500 miles carrying up to 20,000 pounds of bombs.
Believe […]
Aerobatics Joy Ride
Boy oh boy, this makes me want to try aerobatics :-) What impresses me most is how the pilot keeps narrating in a normal tone of voice throughout the movie.
What happens when lightning strikes an airplane?
What happens when lightening strikes an airplane?
According to Edward J Rupke, senior engineer at Lighting Technologies, Inc., not much. (Image courtesy of Edward J. Rupke and borrowed from Scientific American.com.)
Although passengers and crew may see a flash and hear a loud noise if lightning strikes their plane, nothing serious should happen because of the […]
Timeless Voices in Aviation
The EAA has collected video recordings of about 100 aviation pioneers at TimelessVoices.org. Two of my favorites are Daniel Rundstrom who talks about flying a DC-3 in Yemen and how he dealt with a load of passengers who decided to start an open fire to boil water for tea while in flight, and John Miller […]
AirVenture 2006 by the Numbers
The EAA says that AirVenture 2006 was about 10% smaller than AirVenture 2005 but it was plenty big enough for me. I walked my legs off and came home with a smile permanently embedded in my face.
Along with my plane, about 10,000 aircraft flew into Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport and the other airports in east-central […]
Oshkosh AirVenture 2006
Jack Hodgson and his friend Phil wrote, Oshkosh is like sex. I can never get all I want but sometimes I get all I can take… and you should shower afterwards. Oh, how true!
I have wanted to attend the Oshkosh AirVenture air show all of my life and I finally made it last week. OK, […]
Joie du Vol
The Today Show did a great segment on the joy of flying a small plane. Watch it here.
Flying + Camping = Fun
I have loved flying ever since I was a boy. When I got my first paper route in sixth grade, one of the first things I bought with my own money was a subscription to Flying magazine.
We bought a Coleman pop-up trailer in the summer of 2001.
It has taken me five years of travels but […]
Study - Learn - Live
I was reading “Married to the Craft” in the June 2006 issue of Popular Photography. Hanson Fong, the subject of the article, was quoted as saying,
Over the years, a few really talented artists have been gifted with the rare ability to light and pose faces and bodies to make them most attractive. I knew that, […]
Mothers Day Magic Carpet
Our plane proved itself a magic carpet today, taking us from St. Charles, MO to Kalamazoo, MI to visit Candy’s mother (and family); then on to Valparaiso, IN to visit my mother (and family); and then back home. We could not possibly have spent time on Mother’s Day with everybody using any other vehicle.
Total time […]
Spitfire Fun
Have you ever wondered how to have fun with a documentary commentator, a video camera, and a vintage Spitfire fighter plane? Watch this video to see the best way to do it.
I can imagine the scene from the commentator’s perspective. He does his spiel and hears the plane approaching from behind him. He waits patiently, […]
To Fly or Not to Fly: Aviation Weather Forecasts for Non-Pilots
When I am planning a cross country flight, friends and relatives often express concern about the weather and offer to share weather forecasts with me. Frequently, they are worried because the TV weather person said something like, “snow tonight, continuing into tomorrow.” I very much appreciate the feelings and motivations behind their concern.
Weather is one […]
Beautiful Clouds
I pulled the camera out on yesterday’s flight home from Syracuse, NY and got quite a few pictures that please me very much. Here is my favorite:
Online Aeronautical Charts
Thanks to AVweb for pointing out Skyvector.com, an incredibly useful site which has on-line versions of all the sectionals within the lower 48. Skyvector.com gets three thumbs-up from me!
AVweb also found RunwayFinder which mashes the sectionals with Google Maps. It is an interesting implementation but I find the Google Maps icons distracting since they appear […]
Why I Own My Own Aircraft
Do you wonder why I bought an airplane? There are lots of reasons but Why I Own My Own Aircraft at the Beech Aero Club’s web site offers a particularly poignant reason:
he keys the mike and says
“REBEL BASE, THIS IS RED 5. WE ARE STARTING OUR ATTACK RUN ON THE DEATH STAR”.
Good God.
Now this post […]
Traveling by Arrow
A Week in Syracuse, via Trenton and Kalamazoo
Candy and I took our first long cross country in the Arrow last week. Click the thumbnail to the right to see a larger map of where we flew. The trip went great, although the flying weather was pretty cloudy most of the time. I logged 3.1 […]
General Aviation Economics 101
If I offered to sell spare time to you for $10 per hour, would you buy?
I have a confession to make. Like most people, I used to view flying small planes as an expensive hobby and general aviation as an overpriced form of transportation. As a pilot, that’s quite a mouthful. Two things have happened […]
St. Charles to Madison — Conveniently
Yesterday, Candy, David and I flew to Madison, Wisconsin for a cousin’s bat mitzvah. Marian did great and was properly celebrated on this step into adulthood. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her and reconnecting with cousins whom I have not seen in ages.
This was one of those trips seemingly designed for a small plane. Had we […]
Flying High
We got it!
Yesterday, Candy and I picked up our new baby, 1968 Piper Arrow N7430J and flew it home to St. Charles County Smartt airport. To say that I am thrilled would be an understatement. The radios, including the GPS, worked flawlessly. The flight from Kentucky back to Missouri was a joy on a cool, […]
Two More Flights
Last Saturday was simply beautiful with blue sky, calm winds, and moderate temperatures. I reserved N6343D and took Kevin and David up again, this time to dawdle about in the sky over our house, their school, the local baseball stadium and whatever else caught our fancy.
Along the way I flew over to Spirit of St. […]
“First” Flight with My Sons
I rented 6343D again yesterday and took my sons up for the “first” time. I say “first” because neither one of them remembers being up with me before, not surprising since Kevin was three and David one at the time. David was pretty cute on that last flight. I strapped his car seat into […]
Flying Again III
I soloed again this evening! I just had to celebrate getting my medical this afternoon by heading to the airport after work. It wasn’t quite as good as my first solo but it was still way beyond wonderful. :-)
I only took N6343D (a C-172) for 0.7 hours, did a couple of touch ‘n’ goes at […]
Flying Again II
Last week, I went flying for the first time in 13 years. Today I went back up for an hour of touch ‘n’ goes with a nice crosswind. The first few were a little “off” but, by the end, I was feeling much better about my performance. The plane was on the centerline, pointed down […]
Flying Again!
Yee Hah! I flew a plane today for the first time in almost 13 years! :-) Skyhawk N6343D from St. Charles Flying Service at St. Charles Municipal Airport (3SQ). Coming back after this long was almost as good as my first solo.
It seemed an auspicious day to run across an article about Glacier Girl, the […]
