Search results

This year at Oshkosh, Mary and I seriously zoned in on the RV-8 line. Our goal, now that we've determined that this model is the one that might work for us, was to assess the seating position and flying qualities of the bird, with the intention of buying one in the next two years. To that...

One of the great things about owning and operating an aviation themed hotel is that I get to meet pilots from all walks of life, with all sorts of experiences. After ten years, I *thought* I had met and heard them all, from Blackbird pilots and astronauts to the guy who flies the restored...

http://macsblog.com/2012/06/is-ga-transportation-flying-dead/ You generally don't read stuff like this from Mac (or any of the other paid GA writer) since this is the LAST thing any aircraft manufacturer wants to publicize. In my opinion, Mac's only stating the obvious. Compared to the...

Just wrapping up the monthly agony of paying taxes. It's 12:15 AM, and all the parasites have been paid, leaving nothing left to speak of in the end. This after spending a full day hanging sheetrock, (we're remodeling another three rooms) followed by my regular shift on the desk. Ah, the...

My daughter's is dead, and Xmas is almost here! Who do you guys favor?

Our local City Council is making noise about booting the skydiving operation off of our airport. Apparently the folks who run this operation have riled some of the old money at the airport in ways and for reasons that I have not been able to discern. The upset folks are airport tenants...

A few weeks ago, someone brought up an article I had originally posted on rec.aviation called "Final Flight" -- the true tale of an old man on his last cross-country flight. This article was eventually published in a short-lived aviation magazine called "Flying Life" -- and (in all the...

Mary and I were watching one of the bazillion shows on the History Channel about the air war over Europe. After a lifetime of watching these shows, I thought I knew it all... ...Then Mary innocently dropped this bomb: "How, after twisting and turning in air combat over unfamiliar territory...

Has anyone actually seen one of these electric wonders from Gummint Motors? Maybe driven one? Any PIREPs? Now that we're getting near the end of the first model year, prices should be coming down, and all the "first year bugs" should be known. There's one on Ebay right now.

Or, worse yet, "Closed weekends". You have to ask yourself if some aviation-oriented businesses aren't their own worst enemy. Here they are, set up to cater to the bug-smashing fly-in crowd, which -- by and large -- is a weekend-only group, and they CLOSE THEIR DOORS ON SUNDAYS? WTF is...

My wife, Mary, and I (both pilots) have treated learning to fly exactly the same as learning to drive, when it came to our kids. When our son turned 17, he took flight lessons, and earned his private within 4 months. He flew into Oshkosh that same year, and is now 4th-year ROTC at the...

...that NO ONE does on-field installations at Oshkosh? I'm in the market for a new prop this year. Why doesn't Hartzell (for example) have some A&P on commission who would come out to the North 40 and install the stupid thing right then and there? I bet they would sell a LOT of props. As a...

When we got Atlas (our Cherokee 235 Pathfinder), back in '02, we had two almost-teenagers and a need for its enormous (1460 pound) useful load. It has served us well, as a load-hauling mini-van of the skies, for both business and pleasure. Now, one of our kids is out of the nest, the other...

...in 2011? http://www.journaltimes.com/news/national/us/article_06888f63-669f-5419-8f32-9ac477dbf262.html How does a university professor and former state legislator "accidentally" stray into Mexican airspace? I am far from the wealthiest pilot, but (counting the iPad) I've got THREE...

I see that the thread on "A new level of jerk-dom" is now "closed", meaning that we can no longer post or answer previous posts in that thread. I don't think I've ever seen this before. Is this a deliberate action, taken by a wizard behind a curtain somewhere, or does closure happen...

I would not have thought it possible for me to post anything surprising about motel guests. After 9 years in the business, I thought I had seen everything. The fact that this situation involves a couple of pilots has truly blown me away. I share this tale partly as catharsis, and partly as...