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In Flight USA Articles
What's Up: It’s Pucker Month so? The month of love and Valentines!
By Larry Shapiro
I love each month that has a theme. Some are good, and some aren’t. It seems that most have a food theme, and then I remember I write an aviation column, and I’m suppose to write about things that are suppose to make aviators happy.
It was at that point I remembered that making an aviator happy might be above my pay grade. Then I remembered how much alike we all are… but we are polite except for a few rude ones that sneak in. I know we all appreciate the kindness and help offered to us almost everywhere when we’re trying to survive a cross-country flight.
This reminds me how few pilots ever leave their zip codes or time zones after they are sitting on their private tickets. I’m serious! I have this discussion more often than I do about ice cream. Any new aviator that works with me gets the same suggestion: When you have 100 hours, beg, borrow, or even rent an appropriate airplane, and now the “kicker,” I beg, plead, and whatever it takes to get them to do the following trip, and… to do it solo.
Contrails: The Dream
By Steve Weaver
Most people dream. Scientists say that in fact everyone dreams, just not everyone remembers dreaming.
Of the ones who do remember, a small percentage will tell you that they have reoccurring dreams. These are the same or similar dreams that return to us, unbidden and seemingly without a waking connection, hijacking our regular nighttime programming.
I’m not sure what opens the door to our subconscious and lets out reoccurring dreams, but no doubt something from our waking hours has touched us. A hope or a fear that we’ve given thought to, or perhaps a reminder from our past has sent an unseen signal that calls for a rerun of the dream.
Flying Into Writing
By Eric McCarthy
Hello world! Welcome to my first column in In Flight USA magazine. I’m excited to share my experiences of the past, present, and future with you. I look forward to bringing you along as I explore my new home in the southwest, present “lessons learned,” and advance my aviation knowledge and skills. This should be fun!
Allow me to provide a little background: I earned my Private Pilot License in 1980, fresh out of college – I’m a long-time flyer, if not a high-timer. My father, an MIT-trained aeronautical engineer, had introduced me to flying at a young age. He earned his PPL and took me up in a rented Cessna 172 when I was in third or fourth grade. It was a short hop from Hanscom Field (KBED), just west of Boston, to Norwood Airport (KOWD), just south of Boston, but that was all it took. To see the world from a few thousand feet was just magical to a young boy! I was hooked! I couldn’t get enough of it! I loved the maps and figuring out the “secret” codes they contained about the airports, terrain, and obstacles. I’d read and cut out pictures of airplanes from his Aviation Week and Flying magazines, often before he’d had a chance to see them – drove him crazy!
What's Up: It’s Pucker Month so? The month of love and Valentine's!
Opportunity to Meet Legislators
Pilots Get a Chance to Meet with State Legislators
By Alyssa J. Miller
AOPA members have the opportunity to meet with state legislators in New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa to discuss aviation issues and initiatives in their states and to explain how general aviation fosters job growth, safe transportation, tourism opportunities, and revenue streams.
Each of the states will host an aviation day during which the public can attend events at its capitol to talk to legislators and their staff.
Flying Musicians
Flying Musicians Fleeing Cold for Sebring Sun
The Flying Musicians Association will feature FMA Solo Scholarship recipient, Drew Medina, on Saturday, Jan. 23, in Sebring, Fla., at the annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo being held Jan. 20-23, 2016.
“U.S. Sport Aviation Expo is proud to support FMA and the passion they bring to the blending of music with aviation. This nonprofit group offers tremendous enthusiasm and inspiration for the sport of music and flying,” said Jana Filip, Expo Director. Music by members and friends of the Flying Musicians Association will fill the skies and the ramp at the Sebring Regional Airport. Visit the FMA daily from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. by the stage in the Aviators Hot Line Show Center Tent, to learn about our organization and our programs; join us for hangar flying and jamming. Bring your lunch and an appreciation for music daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m..
GAMA Tax Extensions
GAMA Praises U.S. Congress for Funding Important Aviation Priorities and Tax Extensions
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today thanked the U.S. Congress for passing an omnibus measure that includes key funding priorities for general aviation manufacturers in safety, certification, and alternative fuels for piston-engine aircraft, makes permanent the Research & Development (R&D) tax credit, and extends bonus depreciation for five years. The bill, which now heads to President Obama for his signature, will fund the U.S. government through September 30, 2016.
Floatplane Heaven
By David Brown
A Beaver takes off noisily from Lake Union, the pilot having to contend with sailboats and assorted water craft. The paddle steamer beyond the Beaver just adds to the atmosphere. (David Brown)Many years ago, I gained my seaplane ticket at the Salton Sea in California, flying a Piper Cub on floats. In two days, I learned the art of operating from water, coming ashore on beaches and ramps, reading the water, assessing the wind, sailing without the engine, and the ins and outs of operating from rivers and lakes.
Fast forward through a number of years of landplane flying, interspersed with a couple of delightful flights in a Twin Otter on floats out of Ketchikan, landing on Lake Wilson, and a scenic tour of the Great Lakes with Chuck Greenhill in his twin-engine Mallard flying boat from his base at Kenosha.
Recently, I was offered the chance of a right-seat ride in a floatplane Turbo-Otter from Lake Union to Victoria Inner Harbor in British Columbia, Canada.
Adam Makos's Devotion is an Inspirational Work Ideal for the Holidays
By Mark Rhodes
Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship and Sacrifice (Ballantine Books) is the riveting account of one of the most fascinating episodes of the Korean War; a war that is too often overlooked and is mostly known about from the popular film and subsequent television series M*A*S*H.
The heart of the book is the relationships between Ensign Jesse Brown, the first African-American aviator in the U.S. Navy and the well-known Naval Aviator Captain Thomas Hudner Jr. who was assigned to the same Fighter Squadron as Ensign Brown and whose heroism in The Battle of Chosin Reservoir (particularly as it related to his bravery with regard to Ensign Brown) earned him The Medal of Honor.
With Devotion, NY Times bestselling author Adam Makos (A Higher Call), has put together a meticulously researched work that is intimate and epic–poignant and rousing. Mr. Makos was nice enough to conduct an email interview with In Flight’s Mark Rhodes about his work, the relationship between Brown and Hudner as well as the dangers of having a “forgotten” war.
(Editor’s note: Spoilers ahead)
No Second Chances: AFE Airmen Ensure Pilot Safety
By Senior Airman Michael Cossaboom
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Airman 1st Class Kyle Denzine, a 20th Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment specialist, checks the seal of his gas mask. (US Air Force Photo)Pilots rush into the locker room, preparing for another day of flying. Laughing and joking, they throw on their gear and grab their helmets. To them, it is just another day, but the Airmen that serviced their equipment look on slightly anxiously as they see the pilots walk out the door to their aircraft.
Confident yet tense, thoughts of the pilot’s safety linger in their heads as they continue to work. All they can do now is wait.
Aircrew flight equipment Airmen assigned to the 20th Operations Support Squadron are responsible for the maintenance, inspections, and servicing of all equipment that aircrew personnel require while performing their duties.
Aviation Gifts
NAHA, Partners Schedule First Flight Anniversary Events
Podcast 1
What's Up: Service
By Larry Shapiro
I’ve had so much fun thinking about how many times and places we see and use the word: “service.” Here are a few of my thoughts on this important word. (Please feel free to share some of your favorites and not so favorites).
I know I’ll miss some, but for starters, I was in the Service … and I’m very proud of it. How many times have you heard the word used when there is a uniform involved?
I couldn’t guess the amount of service stations I’ve used, and how I evaluated each of them. I still do. Ever wonder why they’re called “Service Stations?”
A great meal at your favorite restaurant with bad service becomes a least favorite place. On the other hand, great service at your favorite greasy spoon or drive through becomes a regular. I’ve always loved this: A good meal served badly ends up being a bad meal. Bad food coupled with good service is what you remember and will go back to.
In conversations about retail stores, hotels, and other places of pleasure, the questions of service always comes up. We can’t help ourselves; we all are aware of the “service” provided.
What's Up: Service
Airman Author Brings Fictional, Real Heroes to Life
By Staff Sgt. Darren Scott, 460th Space Wing Public Affairs
(This feature is part of the “Through Airmen’s Eyes” series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)
Senior Airman, Brian McLean, an 11th Space Warning Squadron, Future Operations Flight staff instructor, is the main point of contact for HEO-3 training and operations. In his spare time, he writes fictional short stories. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Darren Scott)In stories, the hero is often called upon to accomplish a great task, to take on the weight of a burden they did not anticipate, even though they know that hardships may plague every step of their journey. For storytellers, joy often comes from seeing the hero overcome the many obstacles placed in front of them to emerge strong and victorious against the odds.
Senior Airman Brian McLean is the author of such stories. He is also, in his own way, the hero.
As an 11th Space Warning Squadron Future Operations Flight staff instructor, McLean has been handed some heavy responsibility of his own, becoming the main point of contact for all things HEO-3, the newest highly elliptical orbit satellite in the Space Based Infrared System.
Memphis Belle Gets Her Instrument Panel, 2018 Display Date
By Ron Kaplan
Officials from the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force donated the pilot’s instrument panel from the Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force during a ceremony last month.
The Memphis Belle is one of the most famous aircraft in World War II history. In May 1943, it became the first U.S. Army Air Force’s heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States.
Several decades later, in Oct. 2005, the historic aircraft arrived at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, near Dayton, Ohio, where staff began a careful, multi-year conservation and restoration effort, including corrosion treatment, the full outfitting of missing equipment, and accurate markings, to bring the aircraft back to pristine condition.
Contrails: Adventures in Vertigo
By Steve Weaver
Being unsure of your aircraft’s attitude is one of the most stressful situations that one can encounter in an airplane. Whether the occasion is due to failure of the aircraft’s instruments to accurately give situational information or due to your own false sensations, it makes short work of one’s peace of mind in the air.
I have been lucky in my flying with only two occasions when I wasn’t sure exactly what the aircraft was doing. The first time was during a night approach to a mountain airport, done very early in my instrument flying career. At a critical moment on that flight, every nerve and sensation in my body screamed that the Grumman I was flying had decided to finish the approach while lying on its right side. Only the stern words of my instrument instructor echoing in my head saved me. “This will happen, and when it does, ignore everything else and believe your instruments!” I did that and soon the airplane returned to flying with the right side up.
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou Makes Top Secret Visit to Yanks Air Museum in Chino, Calif.
By Donia Moore
(Courtesy of Yanks Air Museum)Most people love surprises. The people at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, Calif. received a double whammy of a surprise when officials recently arranged a top-secret visit of Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou to the museum. A fan of aviation history and vintage aircraft, Ma came to meet with 92-year-old retired Lieutenant Colonel Harold Javitt, USAF. Javitt is a former member of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force. Nicknamed the Flying Tigers, the group consisted of three squadrons with approximately 30 aircraft each. It was composed of pilots from the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC), recruited under presidential authority and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The fierce shark-faced nose art of the Flying Tigers remains one of the most recognizable images of any individual combat aircraft or combat unit of World War II. The Flying Tigers were responsible for defending China against Japanese forces during World War II. Javitt and his family members have been invited to participate in Taiwan’s military parade held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan.
365 Aircraft You Must Fly
Outlines the Bucket List for the Serious Aviator
By Mark Rhodes
The De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle was meant to enable “Fighting Soldiers from the Sky”A fun, educational, and definitely inspirational read, 365 Aircraft You Must Fly By Robert Dorr (Zenith Press) is well within the vein of “bucket list” works such as 1,001 Books/Movies/Places you must read/see/visit before you die. As one would expect, there is a lot of aviation exotica in this work, such as the 1909 French Bleriot XI of which two restored examples exist and are distinguished as the oldest flyable aircraft in the world at present. Also here is the De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle from the mid-50s, which was intended to be a kind of “personal helicopter” to be piloted by the everyday soldier on the front lines. A few were produced and even tested. Ultimately, they were considered too unreliable and unrealistic for real world military applications.