#136 Ground Below, Air Above
"I guess I figured that I didn’t want to advertise my occasional skud running or have to answer the question, 'Cessna Eight Four Victor, do you see the terrain ahead?' "
#132 Wrenching for Pilots
"The lack of experience should not stop anyone who’s learning to fly from learning to do a bit of maintenance."
#115 Teaching and Multi-Tasking
"So I try to load up my students when they are the busiest. Shades of Earnest Gann’s crusty Captain tossing lighted matches in his lap while he’s attempting to fly an instrument approach to minimums in a thunderstorm."
#101 Father/Daughter Arrival
"At fifteen, she’s one of the youngest students I’ve taught. Predictably, she learns fast. Couple that with a lot of natural ability and interest and you’ve got a student who is great fun for a teacher".
#77 Porpoising
"If, like me, you fly a little low-horsepower beater, you may very well want to consider porpoising."
#71 The Briar Patch and the Comfort Zone
"For an aviator, staying in your comfort zone virtually guarantees that you will not become a better pilot. Keep on doing that long drawn out 45 degree entry to the downwind. Keep practicing the stabilized approach. Keep doing only what you know how to do. Don’t fly a sailplane, don’t go upside down and, above all, never simply try to fly with more precision. That way you will guarantee that you will never leave your comfort zone."
#63 First Balloon Solo
“Yup, I think it’s time,” I said as I reached over the side of the wicker basket and brought my parachute aboard. It didn’t take more than about a millisecond for Margaret to realize what was going on.
#55 “Goofy, CFI” (or “Some teaching techniques work… some don’t”)
"From my very first day as a flight instructor, I have been consumed with inventing and trying out new teaching techniques."
#44 Travels with Hooper
"Hooper and I chortled as we closed on the biologist. We swooped right over her head. As we pulled up we turned enough to see the four wheeler behind us and below, wobbling back and forth as the terrified driver recovered from the scare of being buzzed by that little Cessna."