Let It Roll

Air show pilot Patty Wagstaff won the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships three times and is a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team. She's also a flight instructor, consultant on television and movie projects, and flies an OV-10 Bronco for Cal Fire as an Air Attack Pilot during California's fire season.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Monoplane Revolution A game changer in the world of aerobatic competition In 1984, I trained with air show pilot Duane Cole at Luck Field in Burleson, Texas, for the Intermediate category of the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 Kenya Patrolling the national parks I love early mornings in Tsavo.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012 Clouds Pilots have a special relationship with the weather Recently, I came across The Cloud Appreciation Society.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012 Chasing Fires Flying For CAL FIRE Aviation Rush, Serpentine, Robbers and Mill are names of some of the fires I've flown. Fires are usually named after a geographical landmark at the origin of the fire—a road, town, river or a creek.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Being Resourceful Pilots have the ability to find a way, no matter how great the challenge If one thing serves us well in life and in aviation, it's the art of being resourceful—intelligent and creative problem solving and making the best use of time and available resources.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Pre-Aerobatics Understanding trim, rudder and angle of attack This summer, I've had the good fortune to fly OV-10 Broncos out of the Chico Air Attack Base.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks Learning to fly is about discipline, desire and skills—not age When I'm signing autographs on the flight line, people like to tell me their stories about flying.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012 Staying Healthy We need to take care of ourselves in order to be pilot in command Pilots sit on their butts a lot. We might want to stay in shape.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 Oh My God! There’s No Man In The Cockpit! Change perception through education My friend Mark Magin, Onboard Images President, recently told me a hilarious story. Sitting in first class on a commercial flight, he noticed there was an all- female flight crew.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Perception It's your perception, not always reality, that causes fear I'm constantly asked about my unique line of work as an air show pilot, "Do you get dizzy?" or, "Do you wear those earrings when you fly?" But probably the question I'm most asked is about fear—"Aren't you afraid when you're diving toward the ground?"

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