Commentary

If the Justice Department does not step in and halt the process, the U.S. domestic airline industry may soon be dominated by three mega-carriers. United may purchase US Airways, American may join forces with TWA and/or Northwest and Delta may absorb Continental or America West — at least that’s the way things stood earlier this […]

The playful bounce of a taildragger landing on a grass strip is now a sense memory for me, not just something I have read about and seen at the airport or on a video. Wood, fabric and all of 65 horsepower took to the air, and for a few moments, I was a Hurricane pilot […]

Preflight Briefing Photo Mission Prop Arc and Shutter Speeds Ground Shots Interiors Panels

Like aviation, photography can open up a new way of looking at the world around you. As in aviation, knowledge and experience are the best ingredients for a beautiful photograph. Knowing your equipment, surroundings, and techniques increases the chances for your intended results. These skills can only be acquired through practice. So be patient and […]

Twas the night before ChristmasAnd all through the landNot a creature was stirringA storm was at hand. Ol’ Santa was worriedAs he said with a frown,“The children expect me.I can’t let them down.” He checked on the weatherBut the forecast was drearyIt looked like this ChristmasMight not be so merry. So he gathered his reindeerIn […]

Ialways had enjoyed waking to find snow falling, although it had been a long time since I’d had the experience. Maybe this morning’s snow was prophetic, as a white blanket was never guaranteed in these parts this time of year. It made me feel particularly good in spite of the fact it would take while […]

At 12:26 PM on the 18th day of February 1943, the fortunes of the B-29program disastrously hit rock bottom. At that instant, Boeing research testpilot Eddie Allen, his crew and the heavily instrumented #2 XB-29 were destroyedin a crash. That story is told in “Eddie Allen and the B-29.” This is the story about the […]

The Twentieth Air Force and the B-29s it used to bomb Japan shortened the warby months, perhaps years, and saved, it has been estimated, a million or more U.S. casualties by ending the war before a planned invasion of the heavilydefended Japanese homeland was undertaken — an invasion that was scheduled tobegin November 1, 1945, […]

Problem? What Problem? Last summer, I flew 43 cross-country flights, traveling over 20,000 miles. I didn’t have one cancelled flight, I experienced no delays and my wife’s baggage never got lost. My Aerostar and the air traffic control (ATC) system performed flawlessly. The airlines and their passengers weren’t so lucky. True, I never got closer […]

If we need more participants in aviation to help share the costs and to improve our power at the ballot box, then why do we fence them out? A critical but fragile group at the ballot box are the peripheral participants who may never rise to the level of spending thousands of dollars in aviation. […]