Grassroots

Browse Grassroots, a collection of flying-related articles by Budd Davisson. An accomplished aviation journalist, Budd shares his perspective on  all kinds of flight-related subjects.

Fear & Preparedness Being concerned is only logical, but we can’t let that rule our lives As he sat in my office and we prepared to leave for the airport after three hours of ground school, he hesitated for a moment, locked eyes with me and said, “Look, I have to tell you something.”

The Science, The Art, The Realities Perfect airplanes usually exist only in the eye of the beholder Anyone who has flown for more than 10 minutes has developed an idea of what defines the perfect airplane.

The Grandfather They Only Thought They Knew If you don’t ask questions, you won’t get answers A few minutes ago, I finished reading an official document in which a gentleman I knew, a lawyer, had put himself up for questioning by another lawyer.

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.

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.

Listen Up! Bull sessions can sometimes impart valuable lessons All of us will reach a stage in life when we’ve lost or are losing friends (as they slip away physically, mentally or both).

What Recession? Oshkosh shows that passion trumps depression every time Is Oshkosh ever really over? It’ll be weeks, maybe months, before my mind catches up with my body.

Life Begins At 40 A lot of words have flowed across this page in the past four decades As of June of this year, I’ve been cranking out this column for 40 years! These are words I never thought I’d hear coming out of my mouth.

Remembering Aviation We often have to see through the eyes of an outsider to appreciate what we have It’s interesting how we can become so close to aviation that, even though it’s fueled by passion, it takes a “civilian” to point out what a great privilege and joy it is to fly. A lot of us instructor types spend four or more hours a day in a cockpit, but we really don’t do much flying—mostly we’re riding and talking.

Harry Some characters we simply remember; others leave an indelible mark At the risk of making this page an obituary for passing friends, let me say this: There’s absolutely no way we can let the passing of Harry Shepard go without saying something, if not profound, at least irreverent. Because that was Harry—a little profound, a lot irreverent and massively talented.

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