My first entrance into the PA-46 world was with a 1989 Mirage. I developed a love affair with the airplane because I am motivated by efficiency and performance. I loved the fact that I could take off in Texas and land in Virginia in less than 4 hours in cabin-class comfort. So…should you consider a…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
On final approach to a runway, from whenever the approach is initiated to about 100′ AGL, the aircraft should be flown in coordinated flight, meaning the inclinometer’s ball is in the center. Yes, there are times when a slip to landing can be used to kill excess altitude, but that is probably not the norm…