Month: March 2005

Despite the stories, photos, and video clips of aircraft crashes and high performance airshow acts I frequently post here at the House of Rapp, I’ve always maintained that aviating is a generally safe activity. Airshow flying and military aviation — two things I often highlight — are rare exceptions. They push the envelope only after highly specialized training, and the… Read more →

Some jet jockey owes me a beer. I was in the pattern with a student last week working on 180 degree power off accuracy approaches in preparation for his commercial checkride. It had started to rain fairly heavily a few minutes earlier, so it didn’t seem unusual to see a Lear 25 departing on runway 19R with a trail of… Read more →

‘Haute Voltige’ is a French phrase that roughly translates as ‘High Performance Aerobatics’. I’d never heard of this organization before today, but apparently Haute Voltige was founded by a retired French military pilot who wanted to develop “a niche for sports, technique, art and culture in the world of aviation”. They sponsor unconventional aerobatic competitions, promote flight simulation, and most… Read more →

Mike Goulian was recently featured on NBC’s Today Show. They profile non-traditional careers in a series called “Moonlighting”. For this episode, Goulian took Today correspondent Ann Curry up for a demo in an Extra 300L and had her flying a primary level sequence after only one flight. The media so often portrays general aviation in a poor light, sensationalizing even… Read more →

Vice President Cheney dropped in on us at John Wayne Airport yesterday. Air Force Two, a Boeing C-32A, arrived shortly after 1:00 p.m., and with it came an armada of police, Secret Service, and spooks that closed down the airport for the balance of the afternoon. It’s a shame, because in days past the arrival of the President or VP… Read more →