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 >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | No Comments »
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 »
AndrewS, July 15th, 2009
Airports are like gardens. If you don't water the plants, clean out the weeds, and avoid walking on the tulips, they will die. Airports need care, and that means they need money to keep them running and safe. There is evidence of this as one airport after another closes. Here is the basic pattern: The airport is neglected, the runways crack, the land becomes an eyesore and the community says "let's build a mall instead." That is why the recent CBS Evening News report that cast a critical eye on stimulus money going to small, general aviation airports was off the mark. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, News Related | 3 Comments »
A Pilot's Story movie, July 6th, 2009
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting Kevin Knapp, the Mayflower Transit hot air ballon corporate pilot. I was introduced to Kevin through our good friends Col. Joe Kittinger and his lovely wife Sherry.
Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Balloons, News Related, Recreational, Sport | No Comments »
Steve Tupper, March 12th, 2009
Toward the end of 1996 or so, I was listening to WDET’s Folks Like Us show while cleaning my basement. I heard a spoken word piece by Mike Agranoff, a New Jersey -based folk musician and bard (in every sense of the word).
The piece was called The Ballad of the Sandman and it told the story of an apocryphal radio DJ on New Year’s Eve of 1969. Oppressed by the new programming director and the encroachment of the mundane on the previously glorious landscape of early FM radio, the protagonist, Paul Sandman, barricades himself in the studio and weaves his magic until they break down the door.
Over the course of Sandman’s civil disobedience, his brother and sister DJs pass along his signal across the nation and the overnight hardcore radio listeners are treated to the swansong of this hero of radio. It’s some of the best spoken-word stuff I’ve ever heard. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, February 12th, 2009
Those who know me will not be surprised to hear that I’m a huge fan of aviation podcasts.
For those not familiar with the medium, a podcast is an audio or video show delivered over a computer network on a periodic or occasional basis. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Careers | 2 Comments »
FrancoisD, January 28th, 2009
I hope you have read my previous post, titled 'A Monumental Error', about the demise of the Flight Simulator development group at Microsoft aka ACES Studio. There you can read about the 'state of shock' most veteran flightsimmers are in. And as I already alluded to, many of those people are pilots in real life as well, and quite a number of them only started thinking about flying a real aircraft after having met aviation through their PC and MS Flight Simulator. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Flight Simulators | 3 Comments »
PaulT, January 13th, 2009
Most of my posts on the Let's Go Flying blog have been, up to this point, about professional pilot paths. I want to take a pause from this theme however, to share with you a recently re-discovered reason for wanting to learn how to fly: to find your own personal favorite flight (as a pilot of course). Read More >>
Posted in Airplanes, Aviation Lifestyle | 4 Comments »
AndrewS, January 12th, 2009
While there is growing concern and evidence that the general aviation industry is falling off a cliff, there is also evidence of a significant opportunity. According to the New York Times, more and more small cities are losing airline travel. You can read the article here. The result? That small towns supported by tourists are feeling a harsh economic downtown. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Careers | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, December 16th, 2008
Greetings! I’m delighted to post this, the first of my entries for AOPA’s Let’s Go Flying blog.
This first post is a little longer than I expect the average post will be, but hey, we're getting to know each other. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 5 Comments »
