06 Aug 2024 » 5 min read
I took my first flying lesson two days before John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were killed when their plane crashed off Martha’s Vineyard. I described that first flight in my diary as follows: We got into the Cessna 152 with me in the pilot’s seat and made a flight around the local area.…
30 Jun 2021 » 3 min read
When I was six years old I imagined I wanted to be an astronomer. I was fascinated by the stars. I checked books on astronomy out of the library. But I didn’t really know what it meant to be an astronomer. I couldn’t see it, couldn’t see myself doing whatever it was astronomers do. Much…
24 Mar 2021 » 2 min read
We are scheduled to get the first dose of our COVID vaccines this week. Kelly gets hers on Thursday and I get mine on Friday. I haven’t been stressing too much about it, knowing that I’d be getting it eventually. But some interesting mental gymnastics took place once I had an appointment scheduled: part of…
04 May 2020 » 4 min read
I just finished reading Skyfaring by Mark Vanhoenacker, a wonderful book about air travel written by a 747 pilot. I came to this book via Our Towns by James and Deborah Fallows, which I read back in February. Reading books like these often make me wish I’d stuck with flying. Twenty years and a month…
03 Apr 2012 » 3 min read about Personal & Family
On April 3, 2000, I took the day off of work. It was a week past my 28th birthday and I had an appointment on my calendar to keep. I’d been working pretty hard for the previous nine months on something that I wanted to do for as long as I could remember. And on…
09 Jul 2011 » 1 min read about Personal & Family
I was digitizing some old pictures today and I came across a few that might be of general interest and/or amusement. Here are some pictures from more than a decade ago back when I first got my private pilot’s license.
20 Jun 2011 » 1 min read about Personal & Family
After being a member of Airplane Owner and Pilot’s Association for more than 12 years, today I finally got around to canceling my membership. I first joined AOPA when I started seriously considering taking flying lessons in the early summer of 1999. Of course, I began my lessons later that summer and got my license…
24 Mar 2011 » 2 min read
If you haven’t heard, last night, the sole controller at Reagan National airport was apparently asleep while two planes tried to land. As bad as that sounds, the local news here is way overdramatizing the danger to the airplanes and passengers, in my opinion. They are interviewing people at the airport who are saying they…
16 Jan 2009 » 1 min read
Pretty incredible landing yesterday by the US Airways pilot after the bird strike. It was great to see everyone get off the plane safely with only minor injuries. I’m not sure the media is getting across just how great a job the pilot, Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, did in getting the plane down and getting…
12 Jan 2007 » 1 min read
I was sad to learn this morning that William Kershner died a few days ago. For those who don’t know, Kershner was a life-long pilot and flight instructor and is famous within aviation circles. When I was 8 or 9 years old, my dad was taking ground school and as part of that ground school,…
02 Jan 2007 » 4 min read
I got my pilot’s license at Van Nuys airport back on April 3, 2000. If you like flying, have ever thought about getting a license, or just like really good film-making, you should check out this new DVD: http://www.onesixright.com One-six right refers to the long runway (8,001 feet) at Van Nuys airport–the runway from which…
22 Sep 2006 » 1 min read
One last thing before going to bed. I would be remiss in my reputation as a perveyor of date-related facts, if I didn’t point out that 7 years ago today, September 21, 1999 I did my first solo flight ever–in a Cessna 152: [From my diary, 9/21/1999]: Solo! I did it. I flew a plane…