Neil H, December 7th, 2012
All pilots and prospective pilots remember the excitement of the first time they got to take the control of an airplane in flight. I recall my "Discovery Flight" when, passing through 1000 feet, the instructor sitting next to me said, "why don't you hold the stick and make a turn to the right." What a student does in this situation says so much about the pilot they will become, even if the whole moment happens subtly. I grabbed the stick with a tight grip, gave it a quick snap to the right, and put the plane in an instant 30 degree bank. Of course, as a novice, the Instructor gave me a, "Whoa there, no need for so much pressure on the control, try doing it gentle like this" as he demonstrated a boring slight bank angle. However, gentle was his style of flying. And not mine. When I am the pilot, I fly the way I want to fly, safely. I want to keep my blood pumping and make every moment exciting, as I'll have plenty of time to relax on the ground. Read More >>
Posted in Advanced, Aerobatics, Airplanes, Certification, LSA, Private, Recreational, Sport, Training | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, December 5th, 2011
I'm at the 2011 annual convention of the International Council of Air Shows at Paris Las Vegas. It's an annual gathering of almost everyone who matters in the airshow industry. The image above is from the welcome reception last night. ICAS is always festive. It's a reuinion of really good friends who might not see much of each other over the course of the year. Or, if they do see each other at airshows, everybody's working and there isn't time to catch up. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, November 16th, 2011
On Sunday 6 November, I rode along with The Hoppers, a four-ship team that flies the Czech-built Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatross. It was a one-day practice session that took place at various airports across northern Illinois. I shot the team’s promotional video over the course of two days at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Airshow and Balloon Festival in July. It was overcast with low visibility both days for the initial shoot. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Training | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, June 27th, 2011
I’ve written before about the fact that aviation provides challenges worthy of any level of skill. And I thought that now might be a good time to check back in from my wanderings on the frontiers and tell you that – yeah – it’s still true.
Not that I expected to find anything different. But my current explorations are of degree, not of kind. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Training | 2 Comments »
Steve Tupper, December 29th, 2010
It’s hard to believe, but there was a time just before I got my instrument rating when I wondered whether there would be enough challenges and opportunities in general aviation to keep it interesting. Yeah, I was pretty naïve to think that.
The time since then has been pretty interesting, to say the least, and you’ve seen some of that in my entries on this blog. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Training | 1 Comment »
Steve Tupper, July 6th, 2009
Ah, this summer gets better and better! First the formation photo flight with Billy Werth at the Indianapolis Air Show. And now, full-up formation aerobatics with some of the masters of the craft, the AeroShell Team. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics | No Comments »
Steve Tupper, June 15th, 2009
When you get into aviation, it creeps into your blood and every part of you is somehow influenced by it. If you’ve ever spelled your name for a restaurant reservation using the phonetic alphabet, you know what I mean. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Airplanes | 6 Comments »
Steve Tupper, June 10th, 2009
So I was out covering the Indianapolis Air Show this weekend. Friday was media day and I showed up early to roam around and meet people and generally get a whiff of freshly-mown grass and recently combusted avgas and JP-8 jet fuel. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics | 1 Comment »
A Pilot's Story movie, May 27th, 2009
First, we'd like to apologize for the infrequent blog entries. Will and I have been on the road quite a bit filming exciting content for the upcoming film, A Pilot's Story. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Airplanes | No Comments »
Steve Tupper, May 18th, 2009
For many of us, the initial thrill of aviation came from military aviation as it was portrayed in the movies and on television. Read More >>
Posted in Aerobatics, Airplanes, Careers, Training | 12 Comments »
