Retinal stabilization…

Maintaining your position in relation to the center of the earth is something we all take for granted each day as we move about the earth.  We are able to do so only because of an extremely complex and Divinely designed system in our bodies called the Vestibular System which contains, in part, the Otolith…

Formal training…go for the rating…

I get to go to Oahu, Hawaii each year for about a month duration because my military unit is located there.  I know…I know…but someone’s got to do it!  I lose all sympathy when people hear of my unit’s location, but that’s not my problem…I’m just following orders from Uncle Sam;)  I love Hawaii and…

Grounding the hand…

Try taking a pen, stand up next to a table, and write your name in cursive as neatly as possible on a piece of paper without allowing any part of your body to touch the paper or table. Now, take the same pen and write your name in cursive as neatly as possible, but bend…

Exhaust leaks…

On a really clear, perfect day for flying without a cloud in the sky, I had a flight from Cherokee County (KJSO) up to Auburn, IN (KGWB), which is about a 4 hour flight in the Malibu. I’ve flown this flight literally hundreds of times, but this day I would not get out of Texas.…

Yuko and Hana Hou Air…

One of my favorite airports in the world is Dillingham Field (HDH) on the North Shore of Oahu. One of my favorite persons at Dillingham is Yuko Matsumoto. She is a very unlikely person in an unlikely place. As I considered where to receive Glider flight training, my options were many because Dillingham is a…

Wave lift on Oahu…

All of the glider flying I have been doing lately has been done with use of orographic lifting which is lifting due to horizontally moving air being forced upwards by terrain. I’ve been training at Dillingham Airport on Oahu, Hawaii, a beautiful airport on the North Shore with the Waianae Mountains right next to the…

3 green in frigid temps…

Each year, when I go from a warm climate to a cold climate in the Malibu, especially when the temperatures at altitude are extremely cold, there have been flights when I have not been able to get 3 green lights when I put the landing gear down. My usual flight that meets this description is…

Landing pitch and power…

When flying at different regimes of flight, there should be certain flight controls that control certain aspects of flying. For example, during an approach to landing, no matter which aircraft you are flying, pitch should always control airspeed and power should always control the approach angle. With this in mind, the approach becomes quite easy…

Pulling the trigger on landing…

Being in the military in a Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit, I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of shooting and hung around high-speed soldiers (Green Beret’s, SEAL’s, snipers, etc.) who are the best of the best with a weapon. All are in agreement, if you want to hit the target which you are…