Time is Money
One of the first things people discover about flying is that it requires an abundance of two resources: time and money. The money part is pretty obvious. Anyone who inquires about flight instruction at...
View ArticleUpset Recovery Training vs. Aerobatics
Upset recovery training has been all the rage over the past couple of years. A Google search of that exact phrase returns more than 24,000 results. There’s a professional association dedicated to such...
View ArticleFlying Backward
“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” Aviation insurance pioneer A. G....
View ArticleHow Far is Far Enough?
There’s an old saying about fuel: unless you’re on fire, you can never have enough. I wonder, is the same thing true of an aircraft’s range? With a 7,000 nautical mile reach, Gulfstream’s G650 was...
View ArticleSpecial Mission Aircraft
My last flight assignment consisted of four days in Hawaii. It was one of those trips which make me (almost) feel guilty for associating it with the word “work.” Of course, there are plenty of journeys...
View ArticleChoosing the Express Lane…using your private aircraft for business.
Recently I was set to travel from the Central Coast of California to Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge and on into Kalispell, Mont. for a business meeting and a business consultation. Had I opted to fly...
View ArticlePerspectives on GA safety
Well, it’s that time of year again: as summertime recedes in the rear-view mirror, I’m packing my computer bag, a few snacks to eat on the (Air)bus, and heading back to school. In case you’re...
View ArticleWhat a country!
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” –Lin Yutang Even before I started flying for a living, traveling internationally...
View ArticleThe Normalization of Deviance
Like many pilots, I read accident reports all the time. This may seem morbid to people outside “the biz”, but those of us on the inside know that learning what went wrong is an important step in...
View ArticleManual Flying Skills: Keep ‘Em Sharp
I’ve taught aerobatic and upset recovery courses to many aviators over the years, and almost without exception am told at the conclusion of training that it represented the best investment of time and...
View ArticleFlying Through Life… pursue your impossibly big dreams
On a windy day at Whiteman Airport in the LA basin I had the pleasure of spending some time with Robert DeLaurentis, the “Zen Pilot” and met the Spirit of San Diego [Piper Malibu Mirage] in person....
View ArticleBlurred 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...
View ArticleLeasebacks: Doing It Right
Before I started flying swept-wing turbojets, it seemed that they were much different than the smaller, mostly light GA, airplanes I had been operating. While they were beautiful, they also seemed...
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