Features

I‘ve long promised myself I’d never get in this argument again. I have resisted manfully (is that sexist?) Every time I start to say something on this subject, I cover my ears and start the usual mantra, “Pink elephants, pink elephants…” trying to avoid even thinking about it. It’s a little like the time we […]

The pilot’s lounge relocated a bit to the south, while I spent some time doing volunteer flying in a Cessna 206 for LightHawk, the airborne conservation organization. LightHawk does most of its work in the U.S., but assists in efforts in Central America during the winter. My rotation was in the country of Belize. I’ve […]

Robert L. Buck was born January29, 1914, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. At age 15 — inspired by Lindbergh’strans-Atlantic flight — he and a friend built a glider and Bob taught himselfto fly — sort of. His first flight in the glider ended shortly after takeoffwhen he mushed into the ground from 50 feet. He refreshed […]

The elevator dinged its announcement that I had arrived safely in the hotel lobby. Does it really matter where I was this layover? Whether I am in Newark or Paris, all hotels have the same qualities – clean, yet unimaginative rooms with inexpensive copies of art on the walls. Toilets sanitized for my protection and […]

Some time ago I wrote a column in which I stated that I’d rather be lucky than skillful any day, but in reality the skillful pilot makes his or her own luck. In all the years I’ve been flying I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been lucky – I’m no great shakes as […]

Let me make this clear right up front. I hate thunderstorms. I loathe them. I despise them. I’d rather work 10 years of wintertime IFR- icing, bad rides and all – than work one more season of thunderstorms in Atlanta Center. I’d rather take a beating and get it over with. After a day of […]

No, I’m not telling you where to go. Or perhaps I am, you figure it out. “SIAP” is FAA-speak for “Standard Instrument Approach Procedure,” and frankly, they’re not very well understood. I don’t profess to understand them fully, myself. Yeah, you heard that right. I certainly don’t begin to understand all the “stuff” that makes […]

A while ago one of my instrument students and I flew nearly six hours in a day. Not surprisingly, his last landing was probably measurable on the Richter scale. Earning our eternal enmity, someone then made a crude, derogatory remark about the landing over the CTAF/Unicom frequency. Neither of us responded, but over the next […]

John L. Baker was born July 8, 1928, in O’Neil, Neb. He started flying at 15 and went into the Air Force five years later. He flew fighters in Korea then taught fighter gunnery at Nellis, Pine Castle and Luke. After his military career, Baker went to law school in Omaha, and graduated with honors. […]

While the self-righteous denigrate those who mess up, we shout our barbaric yawp in praise of folly.