Search results

Back in the 1990s, I fell in love with a gal in Hungary that I met while traveling to see a total solar eclipse. The phone bills were so expensive it almost broke the relationship. Now we've been married for over 20 years and she video chats with her dad back in Hungary very day - and it doesn't...

On my first training flight, the instructor told me we'd done enough. It was time to fly back to the airport. I had no idea where it was! No VOR anywhere near the field, and this was LOOOOOONG before GPS. I quickly learned the fine art of terrain navigation.

Changing mechanical "points" and adjusting the valves on my VW every time I changed the oil. Ancient and not very efficient technology, but in a pinch you could jury rig mechanical systems to get where you were going. These days, if the ECU dies, your only choice is a tow to the dealership. Back...

Yeah, I can see winter flowing downslope to the flatlands below. It even looks cold.

Be careful what you wish for. Canada still doesn't recognize Basic Med, so getting rid of the 3rd Class medical would stop a LOT of pilots from being able to fly into Canada. That hasn't been a problem with the Bahamas and Mexico, but the last FAAST video I watched about flying into Mexico...

Ouch! I "cobbled together" my electric tug from stuff in the garage, the hangar and parts from an electric scooter company. It's not the kind of tug you'd use with a tri-gear twin, but it is perfect for my taildragger. I saved thousands of dollars, I got some personal satisfaction from...

If you do decide to stick with aviation as your go-to hobby, I'd suggest one of the rebuild shops rather than Lycoming. Lower cost, possibly a better build (more detail to matching weights on moving parts) and quicker turnaround. I bought a rebuilt engine from LyCon last year (a Lycoming O-360)...

My mutt joined me for lunch at Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands

As far as a coastal route in the winter, it can be great if you have a LOT of schedule flexibility. Clear, dry days in coastal Oregon and Washington are the exception during winter months, but they do occur. When the skies part in the winter and let some sun in, the flying can be spectacular, it...

Do you have a hangar lined up at 0S9? There is currently a waiting list for Port Owned hangars. Other hangars are privately owned and typically get traded via word of mouth and are seldom advertised. I don't know of any hangars available right now (I'm based at 0S9). If you are going to be...

It's the corn maze time of year.

I can't hear worth beans - especially in environments with a lot of background noise. Noise cancelling headsets are the greatest invention ever for old folks like me. Spicy food gives me heartburn. I still eat it because it tastes sooo good, but I carry antacid tablets to mitigate the effects.

With avgas costs varying my more than $1.30/gallon from airport to airport, it is worth changing course for some less expensive fuel. Having a great breakfast at a fun airport just makes the day better all around.

I had a friend that named his dog Nama - so he could say: "Nama stay". That's funny in certain neighborhoods. I wanted to name our current dog Rudder, but my wife vetoed it. She doesn't like any part of my plane and she's very fond of the dog. So it goes...

I finally got an invitation to fly into one of the nicest airparks in the area. Blue Ribbon Airpark (WN29) is in a gorgeous setting and enjoys a micro-climate that eliminates most of the rain penalty for living in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle gets about 55" of rain a year. The town of Sequim...

I designed and built my own tug using a bunch of parts from the electric scooter world. Total cost was about $300. I've been using it for about 3 years now and am still happy with the performance and thrilled with the cost. It's set up for tail draggers, but building one for a nose dragger...

Microsoft offers a free video editing program called Clipchamp. The free version has limited, but useful editing capability. If you really get interested in the process, Windows programs like Cyberlink Power Director are available. The best programs are naturally more expensive, but add lots of...

That's clear video, but it needs some editing. Most of the video clip could have been a single still image. Pretty area and great plane, but I got that in the first 20 seconds.

I flew across the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station's Class C airspace for some "cheap" avgas at $5.82/gallon. The controller was very particular that I not descend below 3500' MSL. After advising me a second time on the altimeter setting, these 2 bad boys flew under me: After filling my...

Burning man isn't for me. I just don't like crowds or excessive heat. I do like the solitude of airplane camping out in the desert. I flew in to the High Sierra fly-in in Nevada before it got too big and became Burning Man for aviators. I've also solo camped on the playa at the Alvord Desert...