ToddM, March 22nd, 2012
Those who lived through it know where they were when they first heard the Beatles, when man first stepped on the moon or, sadly, when planes crashed into the World Trade Center. On a more personal level there are life events that are elevated to the same status such as a wedding day or the birth of a child. For pilots, there are several occasions that meet these standards. Every pilot remembers their first solo, earning their private pilot’s license and probably even the tail number of the airplanes those feats were accomplished in (for me it was a Cessna 152 N5493L).
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Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Ariel Talen-Keller, February 29th, 2012
My name is Ariel Talen-Keller and I am the reigning Mrs. Alaska U.S. All World Beauties pageant winner. My platform is called ‘GirlsFlyToo’ – a project to encourage and educate women to be a part of aviation. I grew up on an airfield and my parents are pilots. My father is one of the few people in the nation that restores antique airplanes for a living. His passion and love for aviation inspired me to share that same passion. I attended flight school after college and as a pilot myself, I understand the importance of teaching and encouraging our youth to get involved in aviation. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 10 Comments »
Kristen Seaman, January 23rd, 2012
It was a cold morning at 8 am when my coworker, who is also a CFI, and I headed out to the Piper Archer we were going to fly to breakfast. Our destination was Kitty Hawk Restaurant in York, PA.
Our first step was to defrost the plane, which had developed a thin coating on every surface. The nozzle on our glycol tank was broken, so my coworker ended up pouring the glycol onto the wings and tail and we used cloths to spread it along the leading edges and as many surfaces as we could. Unglamorous as it sounds, I knew how important this was to do, especially with my aviation weather background (although at school in Florida, frost was not a common issue). As my coworker described it, the plane looked like an orange slushy, but she deemed it safe to fly and we began the pre-flight inspection. She showed me her process, which involves starting at one wing, checking the fuel, and making her way toward the propeller, other wing, tail, and back to where we started. Everything looked good and I hopped into the left seat, while she climbed into the right. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Certification, Private, Training | 9 Comments »
Evan Krueger, December 5th, 2011
Now that the Thanksgiving break has come to a close, it’s time to get back to business. With a mere three weeks left in the semester, there is a lot of flying to be had with little time to have it. Although the break was meant for relaxation, I managed to get some flying in (not to say that it wasn’t relaxing!). It occurred to me earlier this year that in the two years I’ve had my pilot’s certificate, my family had never flown with me. I felt sort of guilty since they had provided me so much support during my initial training. I asked my sister, Jessica, if she would like to get lunch with me on Black Friday. We set a departure time of 10:00 am so we could both participate in the crazy Black Friday crowds. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Steve Tupper, April 11th, 2011
As North America gradually becomes warmer and greener, it’s time to start thinking in earnest about the upcoming flying season. Not that flying stops when the landscape gets white. In fact, some of the very best flying weather happens in the middle of winter. Want to know what it feels like to be at pattern altitude before you turn downwind? Go fly on a cold, clear day!
But flying is a much more reliable proposition in the summer. I live in Michigan, so I never completely discount the possibility of a blizzard in April, but you have a much better chance of getting to fly when you plan to fly. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 2 Comments »
FrancoisD, March 14th, 2011
Flying the Misty Fjords, Alaska
By François A. ‘Navman’ Dumas
Owner, publisher and photographer
Silver Cloud Publishing
I think it doesn’t happen often to us; dreams coming true. Once in awhile you get lucky though. I know I did, on our recent trip to the US. And as is often the case in such situations, a few wonderful people were instrumental in making things happen.
Let me start right off with mentioning them by name, because that’s the least they deserve!
First of all there’s Barry Copeland, Sr. Captain at Alaska Airlines, a good friend since 2007 and just a wonderful person in so many respects! And let’s not forget his understanding and equally kind wife, our friend Della! Nina and I met Della and Barry 3 years ago in Seattle and it was as if we’d known each other for ever. That hasn’t changed. On the contrary, that feeling has only been reinforced during our subsequent reciprocal visits. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 2 Comments »
Steve Tupper, February 15th, 2011
The Let’s Go Flying website is, among other things, designed to appeal to those thinking about flying but who need that last bit of information or inspiration to get them down to the local airport and behind the controls of an aircraft.
But it probably comes as no surprise that many of the visitors to the site are already head-over-heels in love with aviation and would be student pilots in a heartbeat, but the magic circumstances simply haven’t come together yet to allow them to initiate or complete flight training. This post is for them. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 6 Comments »
Arty Trost, September 20th, 2010
I lasted posted to this blog the end of January, 2010. A lot has kept me away since then – both external events and internal. My husband was seriously injured in a car accident in October, 2009; his surgeries didn’t begin until January 2010. As you can imagine, I cleared the decks and focused on him. By May, after the last of his surgeries, I began trying to catch up with other parts of my life. I had a big note on my desk that just said “BLOG” ; but there were so many other things that needed my attention that soon I didn’t really see it.
In the past few weeks I’ve had two people e-mail me, saying they’d read my Jan. 27 post and wanted to know “the rest of the story”…did I ever buy a new ultralight, and if so, what was it?” I still put off writing, feeling embarrassed that I had failed to keep my commitment to AOPA and Let’s Go Flying. A third e-mail this morning caused me to say “Enough’s enough! Stop procrastinating and sit down and write!” So, I’m back, and — here’s the rest of the story! Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle | 2 Comments »
FrancoisD, August 4th, 2010
Armchair pilot?
By Francois A. ‘Navman’ Dumas – August 2010
Dear AOPA members, I know I have been AWOL for some time. The reason being a very hectic and sometimes even dramatic life over the past year. But I'm back and blogging again, in various places! One such place is right HERE at Let's Go Flying, and another one is Why Fly Inc., of which I am co-owner and the tech wizard now, as well as contributor.
And we need READERS! So come and have a look when you have a passion for flying, or just want to know why OTHERS have a passion for it. It is totally FREE!
That's what Why Fly is all about. And in that sense it is really complementary to organizations such as AOPA and EAA, aiming for the exact same goal: getting people to love flying!
Back to flight simming.........
So what’s an armchair pilot?
Or, come to think of it, why would I want to write about that?
‘Armchair Pilots’ are what many flightsimmers call themselves. They ‘fly’ on a monitor (TV screen) attached to a desktop computer. Using, predominantly, Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, they can mimic real flight, learn manoeuvres, practice, or just fantasize about being a pilot … from the chair at their desk … and, sometimes, from a more-than-real, home-built-cockpit!! Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Flight Simulators | 9 Comments »
Jason Schappert, August 4th, 2010
Let’s face it. Pilots learn to fly because they want to fly. That’s all there is to it. The desire to learn flying stems from a dream to touch the skies and live amongst them even for just a short time. However, as time passes, some of these aspiring aviators do realize that their hobby has a potential to earn them some cash. Quite a bit of cash actually.
That’s the reason why some people who initially just dreamed of flying are now leading fruitful lives that are giving them serious earnings from something that they just initially took into as a hobby. You, too, can earn money from your passion for aviation and can turn your hobby into a business. What are the options an aviator can have on a career in aviation?
Commercial Pilot
One road that private pilots opt to take after flying as a private pilot for awhile is to become a commercial pilot. Specifically, you won't be flying for the big names like just yet. You can get other small jobs to build hours. My first job flying was "traffic watch" we simply flew a 172 and spotted traffic accidents. This is a common path pilots take while working up the time to fly for a major carrier. Read More >>
Posted in Aviation Lifestyle, Careers | No Comments »
