Arty Trost, November 4th, 2009
Last month a friend in Minnesota sent me an e-mail. “I saw an ad in Barnstormers last week about a Kolb MarkIII for sale in southern Oregon,” he wrote. “But now I can’t find the ad. Do you know anything about it?” I live in northwestern Oregon – hundreds of miles away. But only two weeks before, I had been part of a group of ultralighters (and ultralight-type E-LSAs) that were flying the Oregon coast. And one of them was a friend who owns a Kolb MarkIII– which he was trying to sell! I sent an affirming e-mail and got the two of them in touch. Just another example of the ultralight community – a community that enfolds you regardless of where you are. Read More >>
Posted in LSA, Ultralights | No Comments »
BillD, November 4th, 2009
The country's in the midst of the "Great Recession" and it costs $250 to fill the tanks on a light airplane. You need some time in the air for "mental heath" but the cost is daunting. What's a person to do?
As a poor college student in the fall of 1959 I faced the same problem. 
I chose to join a soaring club - the Orange County Soaring Association who based two WWII ex-military 2-seat training gliders, a Pratt Read and an LK-10A , and a single seat Schweizer 1-26 at Skylark Field at Lake Elsinore, CA. I paid OCSA $100 to join and $10 a month in dues. Instruction in the sailplanes went for $0/Hr - something I could afford. A half century of inflation has bumped the membership up to $300 and the dues to $55 but the hourly rate for OCSA's modern fleet of gliders and instruction is still $0. If you're under 22 and a full time student, the cost is about half that. That means you can start learning to fly sailplanes for the cost of a fuel stop. What a deal! See: www.ocsoaring.org
To make things even cheaper, we took camping trips to the El Mirage Dry lake in the Mojave Desert to launch the gliders with auto tows. OCSA still does this except urban sprawl has pushed the camps deeper into the desert. Here's a story from my early experiences with this type of flying. Read More >>
Posted in Sailplanes | 5 Comments »
Jason Schappert, October 29th, 2009
Sharing aviation with someone, now that's a rewarding experience! I recently had the opportunity to design and lead an after school aviation program for middle school age kids appropriately called "The Future Pilot Flight Academy."
I've always had a huge passion for aviation and try to be an ambassador wherever I go. Seeing a group of kids at this age get so excited about flying and what happens "behind the scenes" to make each flight a success was powerful to experience.
You don't have to create programs to enjoy sharing your talents and fervor with everyone. They're programs already out there. The Young Eagles is a prime example, in-fact my first flight was thanks to a Young Eagles pilot.
As an instructor I get to share my passion with a student, watch them grow, and become a positive light to show others the joy of aviation, it's a wonderful cycle.
You don't even have to be a pilot to take your loved ones flying. I take up many of my students family members on a regular basis. You'd be surprised at how carefully the airplane is preflighted and how delicately they fly it when they have family on board. "Now only if you flew that way everyday!" I usually say to them. Read More >>
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Steve Tupper, October 27th, 2009
As an aviation and aerospace podcaster, this is always a unique time of the year for me. By now, airshow season in the northern United States is over and I usually have a huge pile of content from the season that I can sit back and really think about.
It’s not that I don’t fly or go after great experiences in the winter (in fact, the Super D gets great hang-time on the hammerheads during the colder weather!), but the pace slows up a little. Year-end stuff at work is going to keep me out of the sky to some extent and I’m not actively working on any particular rating again until spring. Many of my fellow aviators and aviation enthusiasts are also scaling back a little, too. Read More >>
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A Pilot's Story movie, October 23rd, 2009
Will and I are pleased to announce our participation in the first-ever AOPA Aviation Summit "GA at the Movies" Luncheon.
AOPA President and CEO Craig L. Fuller will kick off this exciting event by presenting the Joseph B. "Doc" Hartranft Award and the Laurence P. Sharples Perpetual Award to recognize each winner's contributions to general aviation.
During the three-course lunch, attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at two aviation movies, "A Pilot's Story" and "Amelia." Will & I will talk with Mr. Fuller about why we're making the film, what's surprised us about pilots, and the highs and lows of the production process. Read More >>
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Arty Trost, October 16th, 2009
Hello, pilots and those who are exploring flying! I’m delighted to play a part in AOPA’s Lets Go Flying program. In this Blog I want to share the lessons I’ve learned through flying. I especially want to encourage you to “live out loud” — to push your boundaries, and explore new possibilities … to soar even if you never leave the ground.
A bit about me: I’ve been flying ultralights and Experimental Light Sport Aircraft for twenty years. I soloed in a Sunburst ultralight in May, 1989. That sweet bird had a five gallon gas tank, 40 foot wings with spoilerons, a 28 hp Cuyuna engine, and a cruise speed of 32 mph. I flew it happily, often pushing it to its 40 mph limit since everyone I flew with flew much faster than I could. They were the “big boys” flying CGS Hawks, Flightstars, Quicksilvers, and other ultralight types. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, LSA, Ultralights | No Comments »
BrentR, October 15th, 2009
I DID IT!
It has been a while since I last blogged my progress with my flight training. I did a lot of training in the month of July including simulated instrument training and finishing up my cross country flight requirements. Also, my CFI and I did PTS prep for about three hours.
The checkride was set for July 29, 2009. I felt very ready for it. However, I will say that I was nervous about the oral portion. As a result, the oral portion of the PTS was the most difficult part, but I managed to prove my knowledge of the flight rules according to the FAR. The in-flight portion of my checkride was easy because I knew my skill level was higher than average for a student pilot. As soon as the examiner and I landed for completion of the checkride, the examiner immediately wrote a note as I parked the airplane in big letters, “YOU PASSED!” Read More >>
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, September 22nd, 2009
Aviation is always and ever about having new experiences. And, ideally, sharing those experiences with others. At Oshkosh, I had the opportunity to fly the Remos GX, a light sport aircraft (“LSA”) manufactured by Remos Aircraft. And I did it with a group of good friends that ran the gamut of skillsets, missions, and capabilities. Read More >>
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
AndrewS, September 9th, 2009
The wild early success of the light sport aircraft industry and the excitement over the entire category as we enter year number six, belies one disturbing fact: The LSA sector still appeals mostly to older pilots who are concerned about losing their medical. Show up to any LSA event and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about-- those in the cockpits, asking the questions, and working the controls are 70 year old pilots who see an LSA as their only way to keep flying and avoid spending all their money on golf. Read More >>
Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
BillD, August 25th, 2009
The first would-be airmen tried to imitate bird flight with negligible success. When aviation took it's own independent path, speeds quickly exceeded that of birds.
Sailplanes are an exception. Their minimum airspeed is not much faster than the birds themselves. Large birds like eagles can glide in formation with us. That they often choose to do so is a matter of great delight for sailplane pilots. Silent sailplanes seem to get a aerial welcome from soaring birds that noisy airplanes don't enjoy. Read More >>
Posted in Sailplanes | No Comments »
