My Flight Blog

Flying Towards the Tailwheel Endorsement

2012-04-28T22:17:17-05:00

I learned about Andover Flight Academy in the December issue of AOPA Pilot, where it was positioned as the premier place to earn a tailwheel endorsement. I have always loved the idea of bush flying and flying a taildragger into...

Springtime Signals My Return to Aviation

2012-04-23T19:17:42-05:00

As much as I try not to be a hibernating pilot, each winter I see a significant decline in my flight time. This winter was no different. I believe a large contributor to the winter slowdown is the lack of...

Claire Bear Flies to Oshkosh

2011-12-05T21:32:24-05:00

I am constantly looking for ways to share my love for aviation with my kids. We started by making planespotting a daily activity whenever we are outside. Then I added a few trips to the airport to sit in a...

Broaden Your Horizons

2011-10-18T22:04:00-05:00

One definition of the phrase "Broaden Your Horizons" is To gather more experience from place, jobs or people far removed from your current situation. I started this blog while learning to fly to share my experiences working towards a private...

An Out-of-Plane Experience with the U.S. Army Golden Knights

2011-08-28T20:06:55-05:00

My body is quickly accelerating to nearly 120MPH as I fall away from the de Havilland Twin Otter that I occupied at 13,500 feet just a few moments before. On most days a pilot would be extremely concerned by this...

Golden Knights Dive into Chicago Air & Water Show

2011-08-20T17:22:00-05:00

The Golden Knights were one of the few Chicago Air & Water Show demonstration teams to perform on Saturday morning before strong storms delayed the show for several hours. I had the pleasure to ride with them in their Fokker...

Chicago Air & Water Show Performers Roar into Town

2011-08-18T18:15:36-05:00

The performers and aircraft that will thrill million all the lakefront this weekend have arrived. Tomorrow they will put on a dry run of their performances in advance of the official 53 Chicago Air & Water Show that will take...

2011 Chicago Air & Water Show Guide

2011-08-07T11:25:27-05:00

In just under two weeks approximately, 2.2 million people will flock to the shoreline of Chicago with the bulk of that crowd converging on North Center Beach, the epicenter for the 2011 Chicago Air & Water Show. The annual show,...

Instrument Flight Rules Flight Spurs Interest in Instrument Rating

2011-06-15T06:11:42-05:00

Flying by visual flight references (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) often results in an accident and sadly these preventable accidents usually result in the loss of life. The 2010 Nall Report states that 62% of weather related accidents...

San Francisco Bay Aerial Tour

2011-05-25T01:57:24-05:00

Virgin America is starting service between San Francisco (SFO) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) this week and I have the opportunity to fly on the inaugural flight to Chicago. While in the Bay Area I decide it would be fun to...

Airplane Geeks Podcast: Guest Appearance

2011-05-18T06:54:10-05:00

I was honored to be the featured guest for Episode 147 of the Airplane Geeks Podcast. I joined show hosts Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Dan Webb and Rob Mark to talk airplanes and general aviation. During the episode I shared...

Aeronautical Decision Making Skills Put to the Test

2011-04-20T22:07:39-05:00

As part of the FAA Wings program I recently took and completed the "Art of Aeronautical Decision Making" online course. The FAA defines Aeronautical Decision-Making as a "Systematic approach to the mental process of evaluating a given set of circumstance...

L-39 Albatros Flight Training Experience

2011-04-08T06:50:41-05:00

"Watch for the secondary stall. You've got a 10,000 pound airplane here, your flying it" I am severely behind this 5 ton jet as we move from a secondary stall into a the onset of a spin, and my CFI...

Best $100 Hamburgers of 2011

2011-04-05T06:59:02-05:00

John Purner, author of The $100 Hamburger, released a list of the top 17 $100 Hamburgers as voted by his subscribers in 2011. His book highlights nearly 1,700 Fly-In Restaurants nationwide. Last month he reached out to his 50,000 subscribers...

Garmin Store Offers Free G1000 Instruction

2011-03-09T20:24:20-05:00

Did you know that the Garmin Store in Chicago will offer pilots an hour of instruction on the G1000 with a Certified Flight Instructor for free? When Rod Rakic, of MyTransponder, shared this with me I thought he had spent...