Passion for Flight

Flight above clouds Our Zenith 601HDS plane, N314LB, is not equipped for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR). Nor do we have the appropriate rating for that kind of flight. Hence, we are restricted to visual flight rules (VFR). They demand that we cannot fly into clouds, let alone fly while embedded in clouds. Want to learn more about flying?    My book Lessons from Piloting for 45 Years  covers close shaves over more than four decades involving thunderstorms, mountain weather, faulty runways, equipment failures, and more. Learn key strategies for coping with these dangerous situations.  They include two tools called Sully's Rule and Forecast Evaluation. VFR Cloud Conditions Below 10,000 ft MSL, VFR flight must be at least 500 ft below clouds or 1,000 ft above clouds, and horizontally must be at least 2,000 ft away from clouds. Above 10,000 ft MSL, two of the conditions are stricter: The 500 ft condition for flight below clouds is increased ...

Shoshone Falls of Snake River near Twin Falls, ID At 1,078 miles, the Snake River of the Pacific Northwest is one of the longest rivers of the US. Snake River (By USGS and modified by Shannon1 - Terrain data from DEMIS Mapserver , CC BY-SA 3.0) The river starts in western Wyoming. Southbound, the river flows along the eastern part of the Teton mountain range, swings around the southern edge of that range, and then proceeds northwest into Idaho. From there, it flows westerly in a long arc through that state. Finally, the river turns north, forming the border of Idaho and Oregon, and  empties into the Columbia River at Pasco, WA. Over the years, we have seen parts of the river on various trips. This year, we decided to fly along all of it save a small portion at the beginning and end.  This was a solo flight, since we have found that long flights over difficult terrain with a passenger entail too much distraction and thus impinge on safety. Getting There Sol...

Blue Angels taxiing after airshow in Pensacola, FL. A stop in Pensacola, FL, on a road trip in October 2016 from Dallas, TX, to Tampa, FL, turned out to be far more exciting than planned. Wife Ute and I had scheduled a visit at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola , FL. National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL, viewed from nearby lighthouse. We arrived at the museum on a Tuesday shortly after 10 am, anticipating a visit of several hours. A surprising number of people parked at the same time, then proceeded to walk toward the adjacent runway of the Navy base. "They must know where to go," we thought, and just moved along with them. Shortly we joined a queue. Asking a neighbor in the queue, we found out that there was to be an airshow. "Oh well, why not take the time and watch it," we said. "There will be plenty of time to visit the museum afterwards." Listening to announcements of volunteers managing the queue, it finally dawned ...