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I'm 70 and am on my 4th plane now. The first 3 were in partnerships and I enjoyed both the planes and the partners. All started amicably and stayed that way. A big part of a successful partnership is to clearly define the rules of the road before it is formed and a plane is bought. My current...

If you are interested in the Pilot Communications headset, but want an easily replaceable battery, just buy the Pilot PA-1771T headset. It has the same electronics as the rechargable unit, but uses an off-the-shelf 9V battery. I used this headset for years and was happy with it. It does remove a...

I with you Rich. There is a huge, WWII blimp hangar in Tillamook, Orgeon that would be perfect for an operation like this. I would think that a custom mylar balloon would reduce the diffusion of air into the envelope and keep the helium "clean" longer. The fact that the gas envelopes are not...

Sullivan Lake in the Selkirk Mountains of Washington State

This gem of a grass runway on a mountain lake is in the Selkirk Mountains of NE Washington State. It is an absolute joy to fly to, camp and and enjoy the stars since there are no big city lights anywhere in the vicinity. The runway is adjacent to a state campground and there is fresh, potable...

A Maule would fit your mission perfectly. I fly a 180 Hp Maule MX7-180C all over the mountain west and it takes me in and out of everyplace I want to go. If tail draggers aren't your cup of tea, Maule also makes a trike (the MXT-7). Parts and maintenance for Maules is cheaper than either Cessna...

Here's the shot someone asked for of Scrappy with nobody else around. This was taken on the Firday before the show started. A few other shots are thrown in for good measure.

Yeah, there are headaches with airplane ownership, but the severity of those headaches varies considerably with where you live. Before retiring from the DC area of northern Virginia and moving to Washington State, I had to drive 90 minutes to the closest available hangar in West Virginia to fly...

My room at KOSH was only $30/night, but it lacked some amenities...

I too was missing in action for a number of years, but got the kids through college and it was time to spend money on myself again. I bought a Maule and I've been extremely happy with it. Purchase price was less than a C-180/185, and I really like the cavernous baggage barn doors on the side of...

Here's my route from Oshkosh back to Washington State a week ago. The fuel prices along the way are shown from my app. Lots of airports charged more than the price quoted on my app, and other airports just didn't have any fuel at any price. Supply chain problems hit every market. Gas got more...

I built a tug for my Maule taildragger. I tried a 24V 300 watt motor first, but it wasn't powerful enough even with a 3:1 reduction chain drive. When I looked at the detailed specs, the 300 Watt power output was at 3000 rpm. The static power was a lot less. I wound up going with a 48 volt, 1 kW...

My first was in 1967 when it was held in Rockville, Illinois! I've only been 6 times, because I wait for something really new before I return. I've become a bit jaded and the airshow acts all seem repetitive to me. Even the night shows. I do like hanging out with other pilots for a week though...

I flew from a small town about 30 miles north of Seattle to the big show this year. My first stop was a bit of a detour so I could take in a touch of backcountry heaven. I stayed at Ryan Field, just outside the western entrance to Glacier National Park in Montana. That is a spectacular location...

I saw your flag flying not too far from me (I was in row 521 in the N40). I didn't see this post until after I got back. Shucks.

I got myself a new Lightspeed headset with the $85 Oshkosh discount. I don't think that offsets flying my plane from the Seattle area, but I was going to do that even without the discount. I had a blast!

The problem with bikes at KOSH is finding yours again when you leave the grounds. Bikes are not allowed inside the event and they pile up big time in the parking area. This is one bike parking area at this year's AirVenture:

I arrived on Friday, the 22nd and the line was more manageable. The sky was busy, but everyone was following the NOTAM and maintaining 90 knots. The big problem was the wind from 200 degrees at 17 knots, gusting to 24 and I was given runway 27 in a taildragger! The pucker factor was high, but I...

Maule did not certify an M9. If you order one, you get an M7 with some STC'd mods and a new name. Since the M9 is basically an M7 with a few mods to increase the gross weight, you might want to just buy an M7 unless the couple hundred pounds increase in gross is worth the cost difference to you.

I've been flying my Maule for 8 years now and am very happy with it. Having a steel tube fuselage is like flying with a roll cage around you. I know one pilot that put his Maule in the trees in the Pacific Northwest and walked away from the accident without a scratch. That roll cage was the main...