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Yeah, I miss all of the extra information those Flight Guides provided. They let you know if there was a courtesy car on the field, the distance to local hotels and their phone numbers, how far it was to restaurants and cafes and all of the businesses on the field. There is no single source for...

I was flying through Whidbey Naval Air Station Class C airspace and talking to their ATC when this bad boy flew under me. I knew it was coming, but its passage was so quick it still startled me.

I have a solar charger that I leave leaning against the plane's main gear while I'm wandering the grounds all day. I use the solar charger to recharge one of those "battery bricks". When I get back to my campsite at dusk, I use the battery brick to recharge my phone and my tablet. I'm particular...

We have several restricted areas in the Puget Sound area where I fly. They are frequently inactive, but can become active in a heartbeat. I always contact ATC to ask if they are hot just before entering that airspace in case the condition has changed since I did my flight planning at home. If...

More airplane camping. I want to land at all of the state owned grass strips up in the Cascade mountains. I also want to fly back to the Alvord Desert when Hunter Noak is playing his Steinway Grand piano out on the playa: 1 minute, 5 seconds into the video:

My first plane was my fastest. I'm on my 4th plane now and it is the slowest I've owned. My changes weren't driven by the need for speed, but by mission changes. I sold a Grumman Tiger because I was interested in aerobatics. I sold my Pitts because I had kids I wanted to fly to college. I sold...

Gliders typically land on well groomed fields and those don't present any hazards beyond what the weather throws at you. A lot of tailwheel aircraft are used for off-airport adventures and that is a lot more challenging due to possibly very rough and uneven landing surfaces. When the weather and...

I remember his posts fondly. I didn't always agree with what he wrote, but I always enjoyed reading his words. A character through and through. Not a bad way to be remembered. Most of the posts on this and other forums are imminently forgettable. Henning's posts lingered in your mind.

I retired from full-time work in 2010 and started part-time consulting. I kept that up until Dec 2022 when I stopped doing any work for money. In between, I moved from the east coast to the west coast for more open space and less crowded skies. As a retiree, I hate flying on weekends because the...

Not many healthy restaurants/cafes on the small airports we fly to. Shredded pork sandwiches with fries, a milkshake and banana pudding for desert are common fare and our bodies can't process many of those calorie bombs safely. We're so accustomed to eating this way, I'm not sure a vegan café or...

This was from a Lycoming O-360 C1F in a Maule MX7. I had been doing regular oil analysis with Blackstone and all was looking good until I found metal. Once I found metal, I stopped doing additional oil analysis since the damage was so obvious. The engine still makes static RPM, it has full oil...

Not a small plane in my eyes, or to my wallet.

I cut open my oil filters and remove the filter paper at each oil change. I wash the filter paper with solvent in a bucket and collect the debris in the bottom of the bucket. In 2300 hours of engine run time, I never found more than a few visible flakes of ferrous metal, then, suddenly, I had...

I've spent a bunch of time in both places. Reno is higher elevation (4400', vs 2600') and is therefore cooler in the summer. That's a real plus for me. Nevada is full of BLM land, so if you are interested in off airport landing and airplane camping, Nevada will be a better choice. Southern...

In addition to seeing the corona of the sun and the flaming red solar prominences around the edge of the moon, there's another spectacle that is unlike any other celestial event. If you are located on high ground with a commanding view of the surrounding terrain, you can see the shadow racing...

The O-360 in my Maule only got 1,000 hours before needing a top job because the previous owner wasn't flying it enough. After replacing the cam, the bearings (yes, the case had to be split) and other parts in the engine, I only got another 1200 hours on it before finding metal in the oil filter...

I do all of my own vehicle maintenance and oil changes are due for both of our cars. Getting on the ground (or even on my creeper) in these cold temps is miserable. My next vehicle will be electric just to avoid oil changes all together. The number of electric vehicles available expands each...

Pictures from the Puget Sound Area: Puget sound with the Olympic Mountains in the backgound: Hood Canal floating bridge: Snoqualmie Falls: Giant Rubber Ducky in Tacoma: Not aerial photography, but fun nonetheless. On the Beach at Copalis, WA

Only 96.1 hours in 2023, but my engine started making metal in August. That cancelled a bunch of planned trips. I'm still waiting on the rebuilt engine. That 6-8 month lead time is a killer. The cost wasn't pleasant either. Flying is an expensive addiction...

You don't need a C-150 specific fuel stick. Get a generic stick with a simple numbering system like this one: Generic fuel stick Run one tank down and add fuel 1-2 gallons at a time. Measure the indicated number on the generic stick result after each fuel addition and write the reading down...