Pilot Stories
Enjoy pilot stories? Our Pilot Talk section is full of informative and entertaining flying tales from accomplished pilot authors.
Sweet Dreams
Don’t take for granted the importance of a good night’s rest
 If the NTSB had its way, the FAA would be gauging whether or not you’re having sweet dreams and sleeping through the night cuddled up with your teddy bear. |
Air Capital Tanker Chase
Hot-rod flight test in a TA-4 Skyhawk
 As a flight test engineer for the Boeing Company assigned to Wichita, Kans. (“the Air Capital”), I’m among the fortunate people who truly love their work. |
LSA Ownership—Condo Style!
Low down payment, affordable monthly installments, zero hassle: sound familiar?
 I love this concept of sharing ownership in an aircraft, new or used. Last month, I delved into David Kruger’s Aircraft Partnership Association (www.theapa.com), a type of online matchmaking service to bring like-minded pilots together for sharing the costs of aircraft ownership. |
The Paranoia Of Landings
Landings aren’t the most important thing, they’re the only thing—not
 I had been hired to fly a Cessna 340 from Torrance, Calif., to Glasgow, U.K., on an Atlantic tour with the owner in the right seat. The first four days of the trip had gone well. We had departed Torrance, stopped in Denver and made it to Ohio the first day, then managed to have lunch in Bangor and fly on to Goose Bay the second day. |
The Character Of Risk
No adventure is completely risk free
 It’s no news to most pilots that we recently lost Vicki Cruse, president of the International Aerobatic Club. What was almost certainly a control failure caught her in the worst possible position, and I can’t get her out of my mind. |
Air Shows As GA Rallying Point
Working together to benefit general aviation
 As much of the aviation industry suffered through the effects of the historic economic downturn during the last year, the air show industry experienced double-digit growth and, in some markets, record attendance. |
From The Editor: Spreading The Word
 While working on this month’s Guest Speaker column, Managing Editor Pam Lee suggested that the reference to Patty Wagstaff mention that the air show star performs annually in front of thousands of spectators. Hundreds of thousands, I countered. |
The Steve Fossett Accident
The NTSB’s findings on the famed aviator’s fatal crash
 The NTSB says the probable cause of the 2007 crash of adventurer Steve Fossett was an inadvertent encounter with downdrafts above mountainous terrain that exceeded the climb capability of the Bellanca Super Decathlon he was flying. Downdrafts, high-density altitude and mountainous terrain were all contributing factors. |
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People often associate memorable flights with a particular aircraft or airport. Others subscribe to the notion that the journey is more important than the destination.
Webster should put a picture of a human under its definition of “adaptability.” 
