I’d be the last person to defend Michael Jackson (or his music). But he went free because those who testified against him had serious credibility problems that the prosecutor couldn’t overcome. Jackson has plenty of credibility issues of his own, which is more than enough to convict him at the office watercooler. But in American courtrooms, the onus is on… Read more →
Borrego MiniFest
It’s hard to believe that nearly a month has passed since I flew my first aerobatic competition. But alas, that’s what the calendar tells me. In fact, I’m getting ready to leave for another one — this time at Apple Valley — on Thursday morning. I’m stepping up to the Sportsman category because I did pretty well at Borrego —… Read more →
Goodbye TSA!
Break out the champaign. It’s party time! The Transportation Security Administration, once the flagship agency in the nation’s $20 billion effort to protect air travelers, is now slated for dismantling. Boy, I didn’t see this one coming. Hopefully, the reports of the TSA’s demise will not prove premature. I’d always assumed that once a government agency was given that much… Read more →
Aviation Safer Than Ever
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 →
Forget Milk. Got Fuel?
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
‘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 →
Airshow Pilot for a Day!
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 →
Forfeiting Our Rights
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 →
More Socal Airport Closures
Continuing on the airport closure theme, the Low Pressure System That Will Not Die has brought so much rain to Southern California that it’s shut down a couple of major general aviation airports, possibly for quite some time. To wit: Corona Airport is once again under water. They just got done cleaning up the mud, repainting the taxiway and runway… Read more →
Airport Closures
Over the past few years, I’ve had discussions with various people — many of them pilots — on the subject of airport closures. I see these closures as the biggest threat to general aviation. Even worse, they’re a sign of an ever more homogenized society in which anyone who has the temerity to want to fly must be either a… Read more →