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If you don’t get in that plane and learn how to fly, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. – paraphrasing Rick Blaine, from the movie Casablanca It is not the things that you do in life that you regret, but the things that […]

It don’t come easy, you know it don’t come easy. Got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues And you know it don’t come easy — Richard Starkey In the best of circumstances, becoming a pilot isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Not only are we presented with novel […]

FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS Sec. 61.35 Knowledge test: Prerequisites and passing grades. (a) An applicant for a knowledge test must have: (1) Received an endorsement, if required by this part, from an authorizedinstructor certifying that the applicant accomplished the appropriate ground-training or a home-study course required by this part for the certificate orrating sought and is […]

What a wondrous feeling it must be to to fly alone. To have earned a flight instructor’s confidence and to have achieved the skill level necessary for solo flight. And I was there; I was ready to go. I had the skills for solo flight. It was the solo landing that had my instructor in […]

After what felt like an eternity, I finally soloed. I then completed my three supervised solos, flights where I stay in the pattern and John my instructor watches from the ground rather than from the seat beside me. I say that I flew all by myself, but of course I had my imaginary instructor in […]

I have heard that flying at night can be something extraordinary, but I didn’t fully understand the experience until I did it for myself. Like most things beautiful, night flight has more inherent dangers and potential problems, but my goodness it is lovely. Last night was my introduction to flying at night, as I completed […]

During my primary training, I had a fascinating experience. I was allowed to shadow an Air Traffic Controller for an evening. I sidled up, plugged in, watched and listened for over four hours. This may lead some to believe that there is something seriously wrong with me, and they may be right, but that’s not […]

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 […]