I’ve learned that big jets and light GA aircraft are more similar than it first appears. That goes for the planes themselves and the sometimes painful challenges of owning them. Read more →
The Perception of Value
Everyone in the GA world would love to see more people learning to fly. But when we encourage folks with other priorities to adopt our own perception of aviation’s value, are we doing them a favor or simply setting them up for failure? Read more →
Podcast Quartet
Yours truly has been featured in four prominent aviation podcasts; here are links to each of episodes and a little bit about the folks behind the broadcasts. Read more →
Blurred Lines
The advent of smartphones and apps has led to a variety of creative new businesses which are reinventing how we shop, work, and communicate. They’re also changing how we travel by bringing private aviation to the masses. Read more →
Manual Flying Skills: Keep ‘Em Sharp
Automation and high-tech equipment can certainly make flying safer. But it can also allow our manual flying skills to deteriorate, and –even worse — mask the deficiency altogether until the day those skills are suddenly needed. Read more →
The Ultimate Aviation Enthusiasts
Who are the aviation industry’s most ardent enthusiasts? Builders? Pilots? Aeronautical engineers? I think the answer is “none of the above”. Instead, it might very well be a group of people who are outside the airport fence. Here’s the fascinating story of one such individual. Read more →
Bedford and the Normalization of Deviance
The NTSB report on the Bedford G-IV crash has been released, and “pilot error” doesn’t even begin to describe it. How do respected, well-trained, experienced pilots screw up so badly? And could it ever happen to us? Sadly, the answer is “yes”. Read more →
“I Don’t Work for You!”: A True Story
Pilots who want to hire on with a major airline will tell you it’s not necessarily easy. But you know what’s even harder? Trying to quit! Here’s a true story about a friend who tried to do just that — and couldn’t. Read more →
Different Strokes
Many of us have encountered pilots with a militant, “my-way-or-the-highway” attitude toward flying. I prefer to be a little more open to other ways of doing things. Here’s why. Read more →
The Reluctant Instructor
The “1500 hour rule” is a well-known barrier for aspiring airline pilots. What nobody seems to be talking about is the detrimental effect it will have on the flight instructor community. Read more →