Adam thinks that the plane has been in the shop more than it should, given that it is a new plane. I’ll admit that a few of the times I would like to have taken Nell and the boys on a weekend trip we haven’t been able to go because the plane was having some work done, but here’s a list so far of the time it has spent in the shop: Click to continue »

I stopped writing on this blog because it was made crashingly clear to me that not only was it a public forum, but that some people regarded it as non-fiction. I was appalled at first, indignant that a writing exercise could be read as an unbiased view of events. I wrote here to satisfy an inner drive to organise strong feelings and a desire to broaden the mental playground I share with my brother. Click to continue »

Traffic

The LA basin is a wonderful place to fly.  Losing an engine more than 10 miles from an airport is really hard to do and the low level flying provides striking images.  What I like best about it (aside from being in the air) is the radio chatter. The controllers in LA are the best in the country.  They routinely handle a mind boggling number of calls from heavy iron but are still happy to provide flight following for two jokers headed to Catalina for lunch.  On my last trip out to Catalina – to write a grant on the restaurant deck – there were three small planes being released from flight following over Two Harbors while a steady stream of arriving Long Beach traffic kept the controller busy.  A side benefit is that flying here completely removes any fear of the radio you might have.  The fourth or fifth time you hear a commercial airline pilot screw up a call you lose the stage fright and start to talk like a pro.  It’s amazing to hear how clipped, direct and clear Colin has become in asking for altitudes, weather and traffic.  The controllers have no idea how low time we are as we speed to Vegas and back.

Oh, I wish I were a better student. Here are the things I need to do before I take my Instrument Rating check ride with an FAA examiner, and my progress on them as of March 17 2006.
Click to continue »

N181 EB at Ryan Field, AZ

I haven’t flown that many planes. In fact, my online logbook says that I’ve only flown nine different types and only three of those are more than four hours. One is less than an hour. But having spent over sixty hours in the DiamondStar DA40, it is everything I want a small plane to be.

It is small enough that when I am in the plane alone it is close to strapping on a pair of wings and being hurled into the sky. It is big enough that Nell, Rudy and Dexter have hummed along over the desert with me, with our luggage, for an overnight in Las Vegas.

Click to continue »