These last few weeks, there’s been something weighing on my mind. More than my thoughts on ArkanSTOL, more than my most recent sunburn thanks to a lower latitude. Lately, I’ve been being reminded of a lacking number of entries in my logbook across the many backcountry airstrips across southern Utah. Thanks to a springtime of […]
In my quest to understand where backcountry flying sits within my personal risk versus reward balance, I’ve learned volumes through the shared experiences of others who’ve gone before me in my chosen field. Revered backcountry aviators, willingly or not, have become not only my mentors, but confidants as I have worked to find a community […]
Last month I spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on the balance between risk versus reward having completed the last leg of my journey home from Montana in less than favorable conditions. What drove me to reflecting on those tense moments when the smoke obscured my visibility beyond expectations was an airplane that took […]
I’ve been writing a series of articles about the airplane purchasing process. This one, on the first steps is the second in the series. To read the first article, titled “Caveat Emptor,” click here. So you want to buy your first airplane? From those who’ve accomplished that mission ahead of you, the sentiment is universal: […]
In talking with a few friends about the aircraft purchase process, I’ve started to take notes on how to make the most of the transaction, how to structure your research on what an airplane’s true market value is, and the first step in the whole process…learning what the mission the airplane is attempting to fulfill […]
I’ve been writing in my journal about the balance between risk and reward and having read the harrowing tale of three people who were recently killed flying into a canyon minutes from their home airport, the struggle to find the balance between the two is even more on my mind. Airplane accidents in today’s likes […]
Gracefully she standsyearning for the skies once moreon her mother’s lap. Under the age of two, Oakli is legal to be the cutest third passenger in our Cub. And a great passenger she is. Much like her father, itching for those moments to be aloft, staring out towards infinity, gazing into the miniaturized world below, […]
The heat of the summer makes flying vintage, “underpowered” airplanes in the high desert a challenge. Record highs across the west make you wonder if the designers of these flying machines even fathomed their operation in such an unforgiving environment. Oil temperatures that dance the ragged edge on what is comfortable force you to reconsider […]
Repeatedly die-hard EAA attendees will point out that the week long celebration of all things aviation related isn’t about the airplanes. The people, they’ll say, are the reason they keep coming. While I share that same sentiment in my various experiences at EAA’s AirVenture event, from an EAA employee, to an exhibitor, and now an […]
Concrete floors. Steel structural beams. Corrugated sides and roof. The hangar that once held our Cub never felt like home. Hangars adjacent to it rarely opened, and even if they did, file cabinets, old refrigerators, and parts of what was once an experimental Super Cub that learned the lesson about landing on the Great Salt […]