D. Patrick Caldwell on The Joys of Flight

Recommended Terrorist Threat Level for the Department of Homeland Security

2010-11-18T13:31:00.008-05:00

I've been doing some traveling this week to go to the Visual Studio Live conference in Orlando (for the programmer side of life). The TSA was in full force because the current Department of Homeland Security threat level is orange!

Based on the number of people complaining about the minor nuisance of standing in line for over an hour trying to get through screening and having some stranger in a booth look at a little bit of millimeter scanner porn of you, your spouse, or your daughter (which the TSA says isn't being stored, and then says it is being stored), I figured there just aren't enough people out there who understand just what it means to be at a threat level as high as orange.

I mean, if you knew what orange really means, you wouldn't care if your terrified and screaming 3 year old girl gets a pat-down by a TSA agent, because it's for the good of the employment of thousands of undereducated TSA agents who otherwise would be relegated to not pretending to have authority over upstanding and law abiding citizens?

Frankly, if we're being honest, I never can remember where orange fits either (and I've even written a blog post about it which makes me something of an expert on the subject). I think that red is the highest, but I never can remember what's between orange and the highest or where orange goes between the middle and the high. I just don't know. Even if I did, I never can figure out why "significant risk" is lower than "high risk." I mean, it seems to me that a high risk may not necessarily even be significant.

In any case, I set out to devise a better threat level system for the Department of Homeland Security, to make them immediately recognizable, even by the colorblind. We could name our threat levels after animals! Here's the new and improved Terrorist Threat Level System I recommend for the DHS:

Threat Level: Otter

Awwww, I can't be scared of you!

Threat Level: Puppy

Terrorists have threatened to chew your shoes and pee on your carpet but will also love and adore you for many years to come (unless you are Michael Vick)

Threat Level: Wolf

Terrorists have threatened to come here and consume our small prey!

Threat Level: Tyson

Terrorists have threatened to eat our children.

Threat Level: Tiger

Recent communications intercepted by American intelligence indicates that the terrorists are planning on attacking Vegas magicians!

Threat Level: Bear

So, we're pretty much screwed. Based on information we don't have from an organization we can't trust, it turns out our best bet is to turn over any last rights we have and put our destiny in the hands of the federal government. Let's all just lie down and play dead.

Threat Level: The Transportation Safety Administration

All your privacy and human dignity are belong to the TSA! We are pretty much effing effed. The only real option we have now is to stop flying altogether, but if we did that, the TSA would stop tricking the DHS into thinking bad things are happening on airplanes and will start calling in threats on trains, busses, and cars. Next thing you know, we'll have to get probed by TSA before we back out of our driveways. These terrorists are already living among us.

Flight Simulator Rudder Pedals by CH Products Pro

2009-09-15T19:50:00.002-04:00

There's very little recourse for a pilot who just can't get into a plane. Sometimes it's too expensive, sometimes the weather's too bad, or sometimes you just wanna see what you (or the plane) can handle. When I can't fly, I'll fire up my projector and play a little Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

Some people don't care much for flight simulators, but to be honest, it helps me keep fresh on instrument approaches, aerobatics, and the exciting planes I'll get to fly someday :). Problem was, all I had was a joystick . . . it was a nice (but cheap) Saitek Cyborg Evo Joystick. You can rotate the joystick for yaw, but climbing requires right rudder (even in flight sim) and I was getting tired of killing my wrist trying to crab for landing.

I picked up the CH Products Pro Flight Pedals and started having a lot more fun. They move like you'd expect rudder pedals to move: when the right goes back the left comes forward. If you're into driving games, the pedals can be fixed so that they behave like car pedals . . . but what would I know about that? I just like the sensitivity, control, comfort, and toe brakes.

These pedals are definitely worth it and Flight Simulator X is a lot of fun including free flight to a number of great missions. You can even play as an air traffic controller in online multi-player gaming. It's a great reprieve for the frustrated pilot. Check it out.

Stick and Rudder

2009-09-11T22:47:00.003-04:00

I've been lucky in my life that I have a healthy curiosity for learning and figuring out how things work. I've spent a lot of time around a lot of pilots since I learned to fly and I've observed that there are two ways people learn (and indeed, learn to fly).

When people learn some new skill, most people learn just a series of actions; this kind of learning is easy to do and produces repeatable results under similar circumstances. Other people learn why things work the way they do and they can apply this knowledge to understanding why you take each step to achieve a result; this kind of learning is difficult and time consuming but when you learn on a conceptual level, you're better prepared to apply your knowledge and understanding to novel situations.

For me and my piloting, Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche is the first step to having a true understanding of the art of flying! As I understand, in the 1940's Wolfgang published a series of articles on the physics of flight and pilot behavior. These articles were compiled into Stick and Rudder.

This book explains the physics of flight in very simple terms. It's fun to read and easy to understand. More importantly, the concepts you learn in Stick and Rudder will teach you to understand the aerodynamics of the control inputs you make. You won't be just a pilot anymore; you'll be an artist and a craftsman.

Pedco UltraClamp

2009-09-11T21:48:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, I posted a few videos I took doing aerobatics in the Super Decathlon. Before I successfully took these videos, I tried several unsuccessful attempts to mount the camera inside the plane. That's when my flight instructor told me about the Pedco UltraClamp.

I am extremely impressed with this device. It took me 30 seconds to attach the Pedco UltraClamp to the camera and to clamp the camera to the internal frame of the cockpit. This kept the camera up and out of the way which allowed me to safely concentrate on flying the airplane while the UltraClamp took care of the camera.

At first, I was a little concerned about the safety and stability of the Pedco UltraClamp, so I picked up a little airspeed and pulled about 4.5 Gs. The camera didn't even budge. I went through a set of basic aerobatic maneuvers and everything held on great. Then, I threw everything I could at it and still . . . the Pedco UltraClamp held fast.

Next, I wanna clamp it to my Motorcycle and see how the ride to work looks from 6 inches off the freeway :).

Aerial Photography

2009-09-02T09:09:00.003-04:00

My fiancée and I are a little into photography (our picasa album). I'm a lot into flying and she is a little as well, so I figured we could try our hand at some aerial photography sometime.

We decided to go out and buy ourselves a nice digital SLR so I started researching to find the best bang for our buck. We ended up getting the Canon Rebel XSi and we couldn't be happier.

Now, rest assured, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "but Pat . . . how could I possibly justify spending hard earned flyin' money on a camera when I have a point n' shoot that takes fine pictures."

That's a good question dear reader who was kind enough to be thinking what I said you were thinking. The SLR allows you to buy lenses that suit each need you have. For example, the IS line of Canon lenses supports gyroscopic image stabilization. The gyroscope in the lens uses rigidity in space (just like your directional gyro) to optically dampen the vibration and bounces you get in a small airplane.

So, pop that IS zoom lens onto your SLR body and you've got yourself some great air-to-ground and air-to-air shooting. The best part though, is that when you get to where you're going (say, an airshow or a flight museum), you can put your general purpose lens back on and get all of the great shots you're looking for.

The Canon Rebel XSi will also give you more control over your photo. You can set exposure times, you can change the size of your aperture, you can take rabid fire pictures (as many as 3.5 / second if I remember correctly). The XSi has been a great camera for both my fiancée (the artistic one) and me (the geeky one).

Oh, ancillary benefit! Put an external flash on it and maybe even a battery grip and people will start thinking you work for a newspaper or magazine or something. You'll be surprised how many ropes you can cross when you say, "I'm an event photographer."

Best Flying Movies

2009-09-01T18:00:00.017-04:00

As a pilot, of course I love all things aviation. Assuming you do too, I decided to compile a complete list of the best aviation movies I've found. Originally, it was going to be "Top 10 Flying Movies," but there are just too many.

So, once I compiled my list of best aviation movies, I set out trying to rank them. This proved to be an utterly impossible task so, here is my unordered list of movies about flying. To learn more about each movie, read reviews, or even buy the movies, just click the image. It'll take you to Amazon where you can learn all about each of them.

SkyLinked Airport Data Service

2009-07-30T18:00:00.009-04:00

A few months ago, I had the very good fortune to hear from some of the guys over at Flight Schedule Pro about a new product they were introducing. They asked me if I'd be interested in working on the mobile portion of the project (you know, being a pilot and a .net developer). I jumped at the opportunity and the application has since gone live.

The service is an online logbook called SkyLinked. To be sure, I'll be writing about the logbook and its many wonderful features, but for now I'd like to write about the Airport Data service. Earlier this month, a friend of mine and I jumped into the Super Decathlon and cruised up to the lake to do some aerobatics. Just north of the lake, Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport (KGVL) was hosting the Cracker Flyin, so we decided to take a quick visit.

The only problem was, we didn't have our charts on us and we needed frequencies and runway data to get in safely. We descended to cellphone range and he pulled SkyLinked Mobile up on his iPhone. Sure enough, using the airport data service, we were able to get all of the airport data we needed including communication frequencies and runway information.

To get to the airport data section, go to the SkyLinked Mobile Homepage and click Airport Search. That'll bring up a page that looks like this one:

Put the ICAO airport code in the search box and hit the Search button. If you search for KPDK, you'll get this screen:

From this menu, you can get to just about any airport data you need. There's an information page for communications and there's an information page for each runway or helipad on the field. Here are a few screenshots of these pages:

How Aviation Ruined Shopping

2009-07-10T10:36:00.005-04:00

I'm not really all that frugal. I put a little money into savings from time to time, but I don't save a whole lot; yet, I somehow never seem to accrue any possessions. I think I've figured out why this is. It's because Aviation Ruined my Life.

Similar to the widespread adoption of the Euro (formerly European Currency Unit or ECU) throughout the European Union, many pilots have adopted the GACU or General Aviation Currency Unit commonly known as the Pilot (pronounced pahy-loh). Exchange rates vary widely, but generally fall between .6 Pilots per US Dollar and .3 Pilots per US Dollar; however, I have made exchanges as low as .24 Pilots per US Dollar.

Although generally accepted by the pilot community as a recognizable currency unit, most people are yet unaware of the Pilot so many aviation enthusiasts refer to the Pilot in UFT or Units of Flight Time. For example, someone who usually flies a Cessna 172 may be expected to pay $125 per hour of flight time (1 hour = 60 Pilots). When his fiancée says, "honey, I really like this purse and it's only 75 dollars," he will think to himself, "but that's 30 Pilots!" though he will tell her, "but babe, that's 30 minutes of flight time."

Another common example is when the A/C breaks on your car and costs 1,250 dollars to fix. As you sorrowfully pay the bill, you think to yourself, "there goes another 600 Pilots;" however, your fiancée is unaware of the GACU so when you get home you'll sit on your couch and pout until your fiancée asks whats wrong at which time you'll tell her, "I'd much rather have spent 10 hours in a plane."

The problem comes in when you take into account that most aviators would rather spend a Pilot than a dollar. Therefore, like many aviators, I squirrel away my money until I can afford to exchange it for a useful chunk of Pilots and I forgo many of life's little luxuries like that xbox 360 I wanted to buy for 120 Pilots or the final season of wings for 15 Pilots.

Solo Aerobatics in the Super Decathalon

2009-07-06T13:35:00.007-04:00

As you may know, I recently made my first solo in the Super Decathlon. Since then, I've had a few opportunities to go up and do some solo aerobatics. It's very neat to be able to take a tailwheel aerobatic airplane out all by my lonesome and try my hand at loops, rolls, and other basic techniques.

On my second trip, I found a cool way to mount my camera to the support rods in the cockpit. Well, I didn't find it. My instructor told me about the Pedco UltraClamp so I ran out and bought one. I took a few videos and here they are:

How Aviation Ruined the Theme Park

2009-06-19T17:27:00.017-04:00

Shortly after I got my first taste of aerobatics, I found a Super Decathlon I could solo after 25 hours dual. Now, I'm checked out in the Decathlon and I've got about 10 hours of aerobatic time under my belt. In fact, this weekend, I'm going to go get my first solo loops and rolls in.

So, when I went to Six Flags over Georgia with my fiancée and her church group not long ago, I realized once again that Aviation Ruined my Life. You see, we got in line for the new Superman Ultimate Flight ride which is where we stood for longer than two hours. We got on the ride and for 3 minutes we were thrilled with 60 mile per hour rolls and loops as tall as 11.5 stories.

Well, some of us were thrilled; others were somewhat disappointed. You see, if I had never become a pilot and had never starting flying aerobatics, I wouldn't have known that for about the same price as a trip to Six Flags, I could've spent an hour out doing aerobatics, that I could have done loops and rolls at 140 MPH instead of 60, that when the weather got too hot I could just climb a few thousand feet and cool off, and that the longest line I would have to wait in would be a 4 minute wait watching jets take off and land.

Top 10 Reasons Flying is Better than Sex

2009-06-18T10:54:00.003-04:00

10) You have something to do with your feet
9) Inoperative equipment is placarded as such
8) There's no such thing as a flying transmitted disease
7) You're required to have sufficient solo time before you can fly with anyone else
6) Nobody complains about the plane being too small
5) You don't get in trouble if you're caught flying in public
4) You can fly all month
3) Pilot ISO
2) A plane doesn't mind if you want to experiment with other planes
1) It's legal to rent a plane for a few hours

How Aviation Ruined My Life

2009-06-16T12:37:00.002-04:00

I realized not too long ago that aviation has ruined my life! Unfortunately, at this point, there is no turning back. I'm going to have to live with the consequences of my actions.

I set out to become a pilot, I did become a pilot, and I cannot make amends. So, I've decided to use this venue to lament my situation and, perhaps, to meet others in the same predicament. So, this is a section introduction for my newest blog section I like to call How Aviation Ruined My Life.

Allow me to give you an example. There once was a time (about 4 years ago) when I could walk from my car to my office and I could look forward to the work day. Then, I became a pilot. Now, I get out of my car and I look to the sky and think, "Man, what a great day to fly." But, instead of flying, I dutifully and sorrowfully continue walking into the office and sit at my computer.

To make matters worse, about a year ago, I got my instrument ticket. Now, even on days with bad weather, when I step out of my car and look to the sky, I think, "Wow, about 400 foot ceilings! What a great day to fly."

So, the first way that aviation has ruined my life is that now, invariably, no matter what I'm doing (unless I'm flying), I wish I was flying.

I could be at a birthday party having a great time, but I'm still left thinking, "I should've taken him on a plane ride for his birthday." I could be on the best date with my fiancé having a great time, and I'm thinking, "I'll bet she'd love to go for a plane ride." Heck, even when I go out to dinner, I could be at the best restaurant around, but still . . . I'd rather have dinner at the Downwind.

Communication Clarity Fail

2009-06-12T13:09:00.007-04:00

So, you may or may not know that I write software for a living. Just like flying, it's always best to keep abreast of current literature and techniques so I spend a lot of time working on my software blog and reading other people's blogs about software. Sometimes, I even crack a book from time to time.

Yesterday, during the agonizing hour I waited to make my first solo in the Super Decathlon, I was reading a book called The Pragmatic Programmer. There's a section called "The Specification Trap" where I found this little jewel that truly epitomizes the communication awshit

This is a British Airways memorandum that was published in Pilot Magazine in 2006:

From British Airways Flight Operations Department notice:

There appears to be some confusion over the new pilot role titles.
This notice will hopefully clear up any misunderstandings.
The titles P1, P2, and Co-Pilot will now cease to have any meaning,
within the British Airways operational manuals. They are to be
replaced by

-Handling Pilot,
-Non-Handling Pilot,
-Handling Landing Pilot,
-Non-Handling Landing Pilot,
-Handling Non-Landing Pilot,
-Non-Handling Non-Landing Pilot.

The Landing Pilot is initially the Handling Pilot and will handle the
take-off and landing except in role reversal when he is the
Non-Handling Pilot for taxi until the Handling Non-Landing hands
the handling to the Landing Pilot at 80 knots.
The Non-Landing (Non-Handling, since the Landing Pilot is handling)
Pilot reads the checklist to the Handling Pilot until after Before
Descent Checklist completion, when the Handling Landing Pilot
hands the handling to the Non-Handling Non-Landing Pilot who
then becomes the Handling Non-Landing Pilot.
The Landing Pilot is the Non-Handling Pilot until the 'decision
altitude' call, when the Handling Non-Landing Pilot hands the
handling to the Non-Handling Landing Pilot, unless the latter call
'go-around', in which case the Handling Non-Landing Pilot
continues handling and the Non-Handling Landing Pilot continues
non-handling until the next call of 'land' or 'go-around' as appropriate.
In view of recent confusions over these rules, it was deemed
necessary to restate them clearly

Oh, thanks for clearin' that one up fellas!

First Solo in the Super Decathlon

2009-06-12T12:52:00.003-04:00

I haven't been posting much about my recent tailwheel time. Mostly because it has been going so well. Turns out, I don't tend to feel like blogging about all the good times and instead blog about the tough times.

Well, last night I soloed the 8KCAB at SkyBound Aviation and I've been approved to rent it solo from now on. The cool thing is, I also have about 20 night landings as well so I can solo at night too. I'll be going up next week to get some more dual for aerobatics, to get some more landings in, and to build a few more hours before I decide to take my friends and family for rides.

When I got back from doing my solo landings, my instructor and I had dinner with Evanthe (the lady who owns SkyBound). We were talking about what an accomplishment it is to become a proficient tailwheel pilot. It really is a lot of work and there are very few things in aviation that are more humbling. Evanthe decided that, even though I already have 200 hours and am an instrument rated pilot, my first Decathlon solo warranted another shirt cutting.

I objected of course because I was wearing a shirt I really like, but when my fiance showed up, she took Evanthte's side (and you can see the result). Anyhow, last night I got signed off to really learn tailwheel flying and I couldn't me any more excited.

Checklists vs. Do Lists

2009-05-12T10:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I read a bunch of blog posts about using in-flight checklists. I found even purported CFIs and airline pilots recommending that you treat a checklist like a checklist as opposed to a "do list." Basically, they were recommending that you configure the airplane with a mnemonic flow and then go through the checklist just to make sure you did it right.

I was starting to feel a little silly ... like maybe I missed the point completely when I wrote my blog post about always using your checklists. I was recommending that you remember as much as you can about the checklist but that you execute every step on the checklist in order and as you go through the list ... a "do list."

I started doing some research. I dug through about 50 aviation accidents from the last 30 years selected at random from the NTSB Accident Database. I found that a few of them were catastrophic failures or maintenance oversights that the pilot simply couldn't avoid; however, about 40 (80%) of the accidents could've been avoided by following the checklist. Some of them were airline accidents where checklists are required. One of which had the audio of the pilot confirming that anti-ice measures were off shortly before they crashed due to icing.

My point is that if you memorize the checklist or you treat it like a confirmation, you're likely to become complacent and quickly find yourself in an emergency situation. During my research, I found a really cool website that has a sample pre-flight checklist. Each item on the checklist links to an NTSB accident report that could've been avoided by checklist use. Some of the links are broken, but many of them still work. I'm planning on taking some of my in-flight checklists and doing the same thing with them.

Another thing I found during my checklist research is that physicians, psychologists, surgeons, and anesthesiologists are using checklists like "do-lists" and it is saving lives.

Highway Traffic: Passing on the Right Should be a Moving Violation

2009-05-11T12:43:00.004-04:00

So, the other day I had a non-aviation awshit. My fiance's air conditioning is out in her car. That's a much bigger problem for her than it is for me so I've been driving her car and she's been driving mine. Well, there was something about her car that I didn't know.

You see, in an airplane, I check my fuel level indicators as a part of my regular scan. Before every flight, I know how much time I can spend in the air and I make sure I have appropriate reserves. In a car, however, I only want one binary piece of information; do I need gas or don't I?

It seems I've gotten into the habit of not looking at the fuel gauge in my car and just waiting for the "fuel low" indicator to come on. The fuel gauge in my girlfriends gar is inoperative (now I know why the FAA requires inoperative equipment in airplanes to be placarded as such, CFR 14 Part 91.213.3.ii).

In any event, I was cruising up 400 and the engine suddenly choked out. I tried to get an indication of why and there were no warning lights at all. I checked my mirrors to find a reasonable means of escape and there was a large 18 wheeler cruising up on my right. As I popped the car into neutral and noticed the gas gauge . . . empty.

So there I am coasting up 400 in the third lane from the shoulder waiting for this truck to pass me. Naturally, I'm slowing down and a line of cars starts to form behind me. The lady immediately behind me is annoyed at first but she seemed to notice my urgency and she simmered down.

I cycled between looking for an opportunity to change lanes and looking for the emergency blinker button (by the way, that'll be one of the first things I identify when driving a new car from now on). About the time the truck cleared my path, two cars behind me peeled off and started passing me on the right.

There were a few things I knew for certain. First, I was going to run out of momentum and come to a full stop. Second, if I was stopped on 400, someone was going to get into an accident. Third, there was no way in hell I was gonna push that car off of the freeway. Fourth, as long as I didn't hit someone, I couldn't get in trouble if I caused an accident.

I decided that my best bet was to just change lanes and hope they see me before I either merge into them or get rear ended. I started over abruptly and was met with near collisions and very angry gestures. I rolled onto the shoulder and the car came to a stop without any brake input from me.

I sighed with relief, put the car in park, and turned off the ignition. Now, I know that the no passing on the right law applies to passing on the shoulder, not legitimate lanes of traffic; however, I think now that passing on the right should be a moving violation. If it were and it were also a moving violation for slower traffic to travel in the left lanes, then I could count on traffic to my right being clear.

Thus, those two cars which peeled off behind me would have peeled off to pass on the left and any cars on the right would've slowed down to keep from passing. In an emergency, you could count on being able to change lanes to the right without being hit by irritated passing drivers. Then, after only a brief upset to the flow of traffic, everyone would be able to go about their commute without incident.

A Tribute to a Fallen Soldier

2009-05-11T10:43:00.005-04:00

I was out at PDK this weekend doing some more tailwheel landings. After we finished up, one of the guys who flies biplane rides around Atlanta in a Waco came up to us (he's friends with my flight instructor) and told us a really cool story.

He was taxiing for takeoff when the controller called and asked every plane on the field to stop and hold while a jet transporting a fallen American soldier landed and taxied to ramp. I thought it was a really cool tribute and it's great to be a part of that kind of community.

I love our soldiers and the sacrifices they make for us. I love our country for all that she gives us. God bless America.

Tailwheel Landings Trial III

2009-05-06T18:10:00.004-04:00

You may have read my blog post a few weeks ago about my tailwheel landing fiasco. I got to do some more tailwheel landings this weekend and boy do I feel relieved.

We didn't get a chance to fly down to Peach State 'cause the weather was pretty bad, but we did fly and at long last, it finally clicked. I made wheel landing after wheel landing and I only had to go around once.

In the last few days, I've spent a lot of time thinking about about my last flight and trying to identify exactly what I did right. So, I have a few pointers for anyone else working on a tailwheel endorsement.

First, don't give up. Landing a tailwheel airplane can be pretty frustrating . . . especially a Super Decathlon . . . especially on a concrete runway . . . especially when it's windy. Eventually, you'll get it and it will be unbelievably satisfying.

Second, stay outside the cockpit. Your approach speed doesn't have to be exactly right. It's easier to bleed off extra airspeed than you think. Focus on the far end of the centerline and fly the plane into ground effect. When you minimize vertical speed, your airspeed will bleed off and you'll be surprised when the gear meets the runway.

Third, if your touchdown isn't as smooth as you may like, chances are your body will bounce a little even if the plane doesn't. I noticed that when I touched down just a little too hard, I didn't actually bounce even though I felt like I did, so instead of pushing the stick forward to pin her on the ground, I pulled back a little and added power. Therefore, even though I didn't bounce aerodynamically, I did bounce . . . err . . . patrickdynamically.

The GUMPS Landing Checklist

2009-05-03T16:04:00.008-04:00

GUMPS is just a quick mnemonic to use in addition to your landing checklist to help you remember some of the most essential items during descent to landing. Please, always use your printed checklists!

Gas (fullest tank)
Undercarriage (gear down and locked)
Mixture (full rich)
Propeller (high RPM)
Switches (fuel pumps, magneto check, landing lights, etc)

If you're flying a plane with a carbureted engines, you might run the C-GUMPS or Charlie GUMPS checklist. Charlie stands for Carburetor (heat on).

I'd like to reiterate that this is a basic acronym to use in addition to the standard descent, approach, and landing checklists. Mental checklists should not be used as a substitute for an actual checklist.

Always Use Your Checklists

2009-05-03T15:37:00.006-04:00

Most of us are pretty good about using our preflight checklists before we take to the air, but what about all of the other checklists? When I was working on my instrument ticket, I got a lot better about using my in-flight checklists. In fact, if I fly a plane that doesn't have manufacturer checklists and I can't find any checklists online, then I make my own.

Why am I so dogmatic about checklist use? Using checklists takes a lot of the mental load off of flying; you can spend more effort executing the steps of the checklist when you don't have to try to remember them.

To be sure, you should try to be very familiar with your checklists (especially emergency checklists), even to the point that you could perform them from memory, but you shouldn't do it unless you just don't have enough time to pull the list out to check it.

Another benefit to using checklists is that you're less likely to lose your place in your checklist when there's a distraction. One time shortly after I got my private, I was flying into a relatively busy controlled airport and I was going through my descent checklist. Everything was going fine until someone behind me declared an emergency.

I started getting vectored all over the airspace for spacing. Things were very hectic for several minutes, but I wasn't worried; I had everything under control. When things settled down a bit, I started back through my mental descent and landing checklist. The problem was, I started back a few steps past where I stopped. I had missed the mixture.

Well everything went fine during the entire approach, but as I slowed down on rollout and with my power at idle, the mixture was just too lean and the engine sputtered out. Tower called and simply asked, "you gonna be able to get that started." I was already in the process of enriching the mixture and starting the engine so I called back embarassed, "Yessir. Sorry about that."

I was mortified by my awshit! Tower called back and said, "don't worry about it; it happens all the time." I talked to my instructor about it and he said, "don't get too down about it Patrick; people make mistakes, but I hope you learned from it." I still didn't feel very good about it and even telling it now is a little embarrassing.

Well, I did learn from it (and I hope you can learn from me); always use your checklists! Even something as simple as the GUMPS check can be confused by very simple interruptions.

What Use is a Flying Car

2009-05-02T19:48:00.004-04:00

The flying car is finally here! But, is it worth it? Well, I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to fly (or drive) one, but I'm going to hazard to guess that no, it isn't worth it.

The fact of the matter is that a so called "Roadable Plane" couldn't possibly be better than a novelty item. The fact is that in order to turn a plane into a car and vice versa, you have to make a lot of compromises in both directions until the point where the vehicle isn't a very good plane and it isn't a very good car.

In fact, for the price tag of the Terrafugia, you can get two great planes and two great cars. If you just want a portable plane, I've flown a Piper Cub that had fold-able wings and could be trailered to and fro. If you want a plane that you can take off from the freeway to avoid traffic, well . . . you may have to wait until the freeways support it.

When We'll All Be Driving Flying Cars

2009-05-02T19:47:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid (no, I mean physically), I remember everybody talking about the day when everybody would be flying around in flying cars. I said then and I say now, "impossible!" Of course, by impossible, I mean "highly improbable."

So, why does a lifetime early adopter of technology believe there won't be flying cars? Well, I do believe there will be flying cars and indeed, Terrafugia has one that functions a lot better than some of the older experimental flying cars. I just don't think everybody will be flying them.

The thing is, I drive with a pretty good representative sample of everyone and I thank my lucky stars I don't have to share the air with them. I believe that the technological infrastructure required to keep everyone from flying into each other will be cost prohibitive until the roads simply cannot support the traffic we have.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking, "but Patrick, it takes me two hours to drive the 7 miles to work in the morning." It is true that there are some places, like Atlanta, where it can take you two hours to drive 7 miles. Well, I believe that it is considerably cheaper for traffic to expand outward before it expands upward.

At the point that the surface of the earth is so covered with roads that there's simply not enough room for people to drive anymore, the Earth will probably be unlivable. But, if the planet is still life supporting, then I definitely can see that traffic will expand upward; however, I think it's more likely that they'll just build roads on top of roads.

So, the flying car is a neat novelty, but in the lifetime of our planet, I doubt it will become commonplace.

Tail Wheel Landings Trial II

2009-04-16T23:09:00.004-04:00

A few days ago, I went up for some tailwheel landings and was really happy with my progress. I couldn't wait to go up the next day and do some more landings to see if I could solidify the muscle memory. So, yesterday, I did go do some more tailwheel landings and boy did it ever suck!

I bounced it around pretty good the first few attempts and got so flustered that I couldn't even read my altimeter (let alone hold pattern altitude). It may have been the worst flying I've ever done.

Now, I know that everybody has bad days, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how it ended up that bad. Well, the fact is that flying a tailwheel airplane is tough to do. Some very good pilots have been groundlooped by a gusty wind. Everybody goes through this with conventional gear.

I also think I'm at a disadvantage because of my tricycle gear experience. Thing is, at this point, a 20 to 30 knot gusting and variable crosswind doesn't really phase me. In fact, it doesn't even make my palms sweat anymore.

So, when I showed up at my tailwheel school, my instructor asked, "are you sure you want to go? 22 knots is pretty fast." Of course, I thought, "yeah, 22 knots mostly down the runway is no big deal! Let's go."

Well, several really tough approaches and landings later, I gave up for the day. Sitting in the flight school, the owner of the plane said, "I can't believe you tried today. I usually don't fly with wind above 4 or 5 knots." My instructor said when he bought his first taildragger, he wouldn't go above 7 or 10 knots. It helped to know that 22 knots is a lot of wind in a taildragger.

So, I have two tips for the conventional gear hopeful. First, don't get discouraged! Flying a taildragger is really hard. Second, a little wind changes things a lot in a taildragger. It is good to get the high wind experience, but count on some rough times and remember how much time you had to get in your tricycle gear trainer before you were comfortable with a heavy crosswind.

Passenger Lands Twin King Air

2009-04-16T09:56:00.004-04:00

Doug White, a SEL private pilot landed a twin turbo King Air after his pilot enroute.

Doug thanked god for getting him and his family through the ordeal. The controller who talked Doug down was on the wire with a friend of his who was rated in the King Air.

The news article about Doug's tale includes two soundbytes about the event.

Attaboy Doug!

Tailwheel Landings in an 8KCAB

2009-04-15T14:42:00.003-04:00

I got to fly a little yesterday after almost 3 months without logging a single hour. I'm about 12 hours shy of being able to solo the Super Decathlon. That, of course, is not the only benefit of doing some tailwheel work.

Every time I fly a conventional gear airplane, I notice that all of my landings improve (even my tricycle gear landings). Taildraggers give you much less leeway in your landings so every landing is either a good one or it is not a landing at all. In a tricycle gear plane, however, you can bounce that thing onto the runway and walk away just hoping nobody noticed. If you screw up in a taildragger, you'll end up (as my flight instructor said), swapping ends.

So, how'd it go?

Well, I made 14 landings. I had 2 really good wheelies and 2 really good three point landings. It hasn't clicked yet. So far, it is still really cognitive. I very effortfully make each landing and I think that I may be over thinking it. I've gotten into the habit of making smaller control inputs in the hope that I won't over correct so much.

With the wheel landings, I level off a bit too high and I keep holding it off instead of letting it settle so I get too slow and my rate of descent starts increasing again and sure enough I touch down and that tail drops and I'm flyin' again.

With the three pointers, I tried to nose it over to get it to land (which is obviously wrong) and I wasn't quite in three point position so sure enough, I touched down, the tail dropped and I was airborne.

I want to make sure it becomes subconscious so I'm going to go do landings again today. Hopefully, it won't be quite so windy. That was another factor. Landings are harder with the wind and at a busy airport so I suppose with this much effort spent in unfavorable conditions, when I do have good weather, it'll be a piece of cake.

I'll keep you posted :).

Fireworks From the Air

2009-04-07T17:12:00.003-04:00

A few friends of mine and I decided to fly around and watch fireworks from the sky. It was a lot more fun than sitting there in a dirty parking lot watching it. Then we flew around looking for Lake Lanier but couldn't find it. Not because of the drought, but because all of boats with their lights on looked like cars.

This video was recorded by a passenger (not the pilot) and no regulations were violated during filming.

Flying Over Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA

2009-04-07T16:47:00.008-04:00

I was flying into Athens, GA (KAHN) for the after game day party and lucky for me, runway 9 was active. I was vectored in for a straight in final . . . right over Sanford Stadium.

This video was recorded by a passenger (not the pilot) and no regulations were violated during filming. I was vectored through the TFR by ATC for the final approach to the active runway.

Soloing a Rental Aerobatic Airplane

2009-04-07T12:08:00.003-04:00

I've flown with about 6 or 7 different flight schools since I started flying. They all have their ups and downs. Some have the best instructors, others have the best prices.

Sky Bound Aviation at PDK in Atlanta is the only one I've found where not only can you get affordable aerobatic training, but after about 25 hours of dual received, you can solo their decathlon.

I'm about 10 or 15 hours into it and I can't wait to have an opportunity to share my love of aerobatics with my friends and family.

Thanks Evanthe! I really appreciate it.

Dealing with Directional Gyro Failure

2009-04-04T20:31:00.001-04:00

When you start working on earning your private ticket, you're under the fortunate circumstance that you don't know anything. You're a clean slate. Every time you go fly, you learn something new and exciting while you build your piloting skills.

When you start working on your multi-engine, however, you focus almost exclusively on engine failures. In fact, you pretty much focus solely on the failure of the left engine (for most twin airframes . . . you'll know what I mean). When you start working on your instrument ticket, it's about 50-50.

You spend the first 20 hours learning to read new charts and approach plates. You get better at your communication and you get to talk a lot more. The next 20 hours you spend shooting approach after approach under various circumstances. Your instructor will pull breakers on you left and right. What if your GPS doesn't work? Your DME? Your AI or DG? Etc.

One of the exercises I did with my instrument instructor was to try to fly enroute and shoot an approach with a failed DG. He taught me a trick that really helped me and could help all pilots instrument rated or not.

Compass errors (oscillation, acceleration, and northerly-turning) make navigating by magnetic compass a royal P.I.T.A. Even if you fully understand compass errors and you remember your catch phrases ("overshoots north / undershoots south" and "accelerate north / decelerate south"), it still feels like navigating by trial and error.

Fortunately, there is in my opinion, a vastly better alternative. If you are making a heading change, take a look at your current magnetic bearing. Calculate the number of degrees between your current and target bearings. Divide that number by 3 and that's the number of seconds it'll take you to turn to your desired heading at standard rate.

I glazed over that so I'll go through a specific example. You're at straight and level flight heading 090. You want to turn to heading 180. That's 90 degrees to the right. A standard rate turn is 3 degrees per second so it'll take 30 seconds to make the turn.

To be sure, you'll still have to make a few course corrections here and there, but that will get you much closer than guessing what the magnetic compass should read at roll out. Also, there's a really easy way to calculate the time it takes to perform the turn. Take a look at your DG or OBS. Find your current heading on the card. If your OBS not in use, you can even turn it to indicate your current heading. Then, count the number of major divisions (30 degrees).

In the above example, there would be 3 major divisions between 90 and 180 (90-120, 120-150, 150-180). That's 30 seconds. Then, add a little more than 3 seconds for each minor division (10 degrees).

For example, if you're flying 065 degrees ENE and you want to turn to 340 degrees NNW, count 2 major divisions (060-030 and 030-360) for 20 seconds. Add to that 2 minor divisions (360-350 and 350-340) for another ~7 seconds (we can ignore the 5 degree half tick between 060 and 065 but if you're really concerned about it you can tack on another second for good measure).

Why Air Density Decreases with Increases in Humidity

2009-04-01T14:39:00.002-04:00

Most pilots understand why air density decreases with increases in temperature; however, a lot of us have a problem wrapping our brains around why increases in humidity yield decreases in air density.

The confusion probably comes from the fact that we all know that water is more dense than air (otherwise a water balloon would float around like a balloon full of helium). The first thing to understand is that water is the liquid form of H2O, ice is the solid form, and water vapor is the gaseous form. Humidity is water vapor and is a gas rather than a liquid.

You may be asking, "What difference does that make Patrick?" Well, Avagadro's Law states that equal volumes of gases, at the same temperature and pressure, contain the same number of particles, or molecules. Dry atmosphere comprises about 78% nitrogen (N2) and 21% oxygen (O2). The molecular weights of a nitrogen molecule and an oxygen molecule are 28 and 32 respectively.

Water vapor, on the other hand, has a molecular weight of 18. If you replace oxygen and nitrogen with water vapor, the total mass of a cubic foot of air must go down. Density is mass / volume. Thus, a decrease in mass reduces density. Adding water vapor to air (i.e., increasing humidity) decreases mass and therefore also decreases air density.

Captain Asoh

2009-04-01T13:41:00.003-04:00

When I was in graduate school, I read a chapter from a book named The Abilene Paradox. The chapter that was chosen for my management course was called, "Captain Asoh and the Concept of Grace." The chapter is about the November 22nd, 1968 Japan Airlines Flight 2 and Captain Kohei Asoh.

The short version of this story is that Captain Asoh, improperly trained on the new flight director, made an unintentional water landing a few hundred feet shy of the intended runway in San Francisco. I'll spare you the rest of the details because this post isn't about the accident; rather, what happened after the accident.

When news spread of the accident, reporters and lawyers flooded San Francisco: the reporters in search of a fantastic story full of finger-pointing and blame displacement and the lawyers in search of injuries and lawsuits.

As soon as the NTSB and JAL were prepared, a press conference was held. The first question asked of Captain Asoh was, "how did this happen?" Cameras flashed and pencils scribbled as Captain Asoh leaned forward and responded, "Asoh fucked up."

Reporters and lawyers looked on in despair as everyone realized there were no questions left to ask and nobody to sue. Captain Asoh and the DC-8 went on to fly again and not a single passenger sued anyone.

Now, could you imagine if this was an American airline with American passengers? Our culture is to displace blame and we are unwilling to accept the consequences of our actions. I believe this is why the FAA provides certain immunities when pilots report violations to the NASA ASRS program.

Also, when was the last time you watched an hour of TV and didn't see an advertisement regarding a class action lawsuit? We are incredibly sue happy. I realize this isn't aviation specific, but it does relate to aviation and the concept of grace.

Back on topic, Captain Asoh's story is one we can learn a lot from. Everybody makes mistakes. The best thing we can do is accept our mistake and learn from it. Preferably, we can share our story with ASRS so that other pilots can learn from our stories as well. Aviation leaves no room for pride.

Obviously, landing your DC-8 in San Francisco bay is an awshit. More importantly, Captain Asoh gets an attaboy for serving as a great example of the concept of grace. So, cheers to Captain Asoh, Him, him, f**k him.

Lt. Thomas J. Hudner, Jr.

2009-03-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

I saw a story on the History Channel the other day about Lt. Thomas J. Hudner. Lt. Hudner was flying a mission over North Korea when his wingman was shot down by AA fire. Lt. Hudner made an intentional wheels up crash-landing in his F4U to save him. He was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Improper Inflight Decision to Divert Attention

2009-03-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I have a friend who does safety research for the FAA. She sends me great NTSB snippets from time to time to keep me a-breast (pun intended . . . you'll see) of developments in aviation safety. Here's the latest report she sent me.

"Some people want to die in their sleep. Others know there's a vastly better alternative."

NTSB Identification: MIA92FA051 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 46312.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 23, 1991 in RAINBOW LAKE, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/5/1993
Aircraft: PIPER PA-34-200T, registration: N47506
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

THE PRIVATE PILOT AND A PILOT RATED PASSENGER WERE GOING TO PRACTICE SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE'S RIGHT WING FAIL IN A DIVE AND CRASH. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE AND BODIES REVEALED THAT BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE PARTIALLY CLOTHED AND THE FRONT RIGHT SEAT WAS IN THE FULL AFT RECLINING POSITION. NEITHER BODY SHOWED EVIDENCE OF SEATBELTS OR SHOULDER HARNESSES BEING WORN. EXAMINATION OF THE INDIVIDUALS' CLOTHING REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF RIPPING OR DISTRESS TO THE ZIPPERS AND BELTS.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISION TO DIVERT HER ATTENTION TO OTHER ACTIVITIES NOT RELATED TO THE CONDUCT OF THE FLIGHT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE EXCEEDING OF THE DESIGN LIMITS OF THE AIRPLANE LEADING TO A WING FAILURE.

Don't believe me? See for yourself . . .

Him, Him, F**k Him

2009-03-30T11:12:00.000-04:00

This ubiquitous line ends many a toast. It's the last line of the Skydiver's Hymn, you can hear it in army chants and fighter pilot songs, and even rugby players and hash house harriers sing it in their toasts. I think it is a way to honor those among us as well as those who came before us.

I was introduced to this phrase through a few specific songs and chants, and that is what shaped my feelings about this phrase. They may be wrong, but it's what I think about when I hear it.

One song I heard it in was Dos Gringos' Has Anybody Seen My Wingman? where the flight lead looks around and can't seem to find his wingman. Imagining the worst, they say, "him, him, f**k him. What a way to go."

Another fighter pilot song is, Dear Mom, Your Son is Dead. The history of fighter pilot songs goes pretty far back; most that I've heard are from the Vietnam Era. Pilots would come back from an intense air battle and would head to the bar to cool their nerves and share their harrowing tale. Several of these tales became songs.

One such story is that of Don Gentile, one of top aces in the European Theater during WWII. One time, he found himself in a dogfight and out of ammo being chased by two FW-190s. Gentile called for help, but the rest of his squadron was above the clouds and couldn't find him. Concerned his two kills during that battle wouldn't get recorded, in the heat of battle, he called, "If I don't get back, tell 'em I got two 190s."

So, with that being said, the "Him, Him, F**k Him" search label will be dedicated to the irreverent recognition of those whom I think deserve it. Some may be the macabre roasting of in "what a way to go" fashion and others will be a dedication to the bold pilots who managed to become old pilots.

The Him, Him, F**k Him section has a Him, Him, F**k Him RSS feed.

Required Equipment for IFR Flights

2009-03-25T16:13:00.000-04:00

In addition to that which is required for VFR flight, an IFR airplane bust be equipped with GRAB CARD:

Generator or alternator
Radios
Altimeter (sensitive, with Kollsman window)
Ball

Clock
Attitude indicator
Rate of turn indicator
Directional Gyro

Required Equipment for VFR Day and VFR Night

2009-03-25T16:08:00.001-04:00

What do you have to have to be airworthy for a VFR Day flight? TOMATO FLAMES:

Tachometer
Oil pressure
Manifold pressure
Altimeter
Temperature sensor (if liquid cooled)
Oil temperature (if air cooled)

Fuel gauge
Landing gear position indicator
Airspeed indicator
Magnetic compass
ELT
Seat belts

For VFR Night? All that stuff above, plus FLAPS:

Fuses or circuit breakers (spare)
Landing light (if for hire)
Anti-collision lights
Position lights
Source of electricity

Things to Remember

2009-03-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I like to go back to review things from my private and instrument studies. Other times, I like to just try to keep track of new things I learn from various sources. I thought that this would be a cool place to store my "Things to Remember." Whenever I post an entry for something like this, I'll classify it as "Things to Remember" so that they'll all show up under the Things to Remember search label.

Also, a convenient Things to Remember RSS feed is available.

Aviation: No Room for Pride

2009-03-24T19:52:00.001-04:00

I've been flying for several years now, I've earned 2 ratings and 3 endorsements, and I've even flown the occasional loop, roll, and hammer head. I may not have as much training as a lot of pilots out there nor as much flight experience, yet I feel no reservations about telling you what I believe is the most important thing to learn to be a good pilot: humility.

I've seen a lot of pilots get themselves into trouble because they didn't have quite enough humility. There are a lot of ways this humility can save your life and make you a better pilot. For example, pretty much every year at Sun 'N' Fun or Oshkosh, someone spins in. Why? Because when the controller has them set up on base for a short final, it is an unusual feeling. The pilot wants to set her down right on the numbers, there are a million things going on, people are getting calls left and right, and the pilot, feeling overwhelmed, finds him or herself skidding around the turn to final while trying to slow down and lose altitude and . . . spin.

The pilot, too scared or too proud to admit defeat, could have called and said, "I'm sorry, I can't do it." Perhaps the controllers will give you another shot at it and they'll vector you around for a straight in approach or perhaps they'll have you land at a nearby airport and taxi to the show. In either case, you're alive.

Or, what about non instrument rated pilot who inadvertently finds himself in IMC, but is too proud to call and say, "sorry guys, I screwed up, please help me out of here" and gets chalked up under the Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) column? Or the pilots flying an empty regional jet home and decide they want to test its ability to maintain flight level 410?

These are pretty onomatopoetic though. I think the most important manifestation of pride in pilots is the refusal to ask questions because they feel they might look dumb. I may look dumb, but I have no problem walking right into my flight school and asking, "wait, do I have to have landing light for a VFR day flight? I forgot." Or, "when am I supposed to use the cooling vents in a high performance aircraft?"

Personally, I'd rather ask and look dumb than make a mistake and let the FAA rub it in. I'd rather call Center and ask for help getting out of the clouds than find myself caught in a thunderhead or CFIT. I'd rather suffer the embarrassment of telling my friends we can't make the flight than push my luck and risk all of our lives.

Be proud to be a pilot; you earned it. Just don't be so proud as to think you are infallible.

Seems like a good ending to a blog post, huh? Not quite. What does this mean to the pilot who knows everything already? When you see a pilot doing something dumb, it's your responsibility to try to make him as comfortable as possible when you tell him how to correct it. When a pilot asks you a question, you should do what you can to provide the most accurate information without making her feel bad for asking. When you make a mistake yourself, you have a responsibility to share it with your fellow pilots so they can avoid the same mistake in the future. Remember that you've been there before too and humbly share your experience and the general aviation community will be all the better for it.

Switching Squawk Codes on Analog Transponders

2009-03-24T14:44:00.003-04:00

I've spent a little time in some older airplanes. Sure, I really like all the fancy avionics in newer airplanes, but sometimes if I'm just hopping over to KAHN for one of those awesome burgers at Clocked, I don't need to spend 150 bucks on a DA-40 when I can rent an old warrior for 95. In fact, that trusty old airplane has taken me on several 100+ mile cross countries. VFR or IFR, it's a great plane and it's fun to fly.

In fact, I don't really notice much of a difference insofar as functionality is concerned. On a long IFR trip, I'm still just keeping the needle centered whether I have a Garmin 480 or an old analog radio. There is, however, one major difference that's worth mentioning. A little extra care must be taken when working with analog transponders.

As you probably recall, general aviation aircraft use the transponder codes 7500, 7600, and 7700 to indicate various emergencies. When we tune these in and the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System issues a Mode A interrogation, our transponder shoots the signal over and any scope that is covering your area will issue an alarm. As I'm sure you can imagine, controllers don't really care much for false alarms.

That's why on the newer fancier digital models, your new transponder code doesn't take effect until you enter all four digits; however, on the older analog models, if you receive an interrogation half way through setting your transponder code, you could wind up inadvertently squawking an emergency code for several minutes depending on frequency congestion.

Keeping in mind that 7500, 7600, 7700, and 7777 are reserved for emergency uses, we should do our best to avoid inadvertently squawking these codes. For example, if you're currently assigned 6777 and are told to squawk 0325, you should tune the 325 in before tuning the 0. Why? Well, if you're spinning that knob just as fast as you can from 6 to 0 and the Mode A interrogation comes in during that split second when your first digit is at 7, then you'll have a lot of explaining to do when they ask why you're involved with a military interception. Another alternative is to turn the first knob away from 7 (i.e., 6-5-4-3-2-1-0 rather than 7-0).

Tuning the last 3 digits to get out of emergency range before rotating the first knob will keep you from making some embarrassing mistakes. If, for some reason, you have to go from say 5500 to 0700, you might just consider turning the knob the long way just to avoid transitioning through the 7000 range.

It's a Small World After All

2009-03-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

So, I was in my senior year of high school about a decade ago. I was dating a girl name Jennifer. She had a friend named Brent. After high school, I moved to Alabama for college. After that I moved to North Carolina for work and more school. The day I finished graduate school, I headed back to Georgia.

I got this job working for an entertainment company (no, not adult). We rented inflatable things (again, not adult . . . get your mind out of the gutter). No, we rented like moonwalks and things. Turns out, everybody in that company was pretty loopy so after about 2 weeks of the weirdest work experience of my life, I quit and started my job search again.

I got a job with Emerald Coast Software and I ran the newly opened Alpharetta office. A few months later, my boss decided to move the whole company to Alpharetta and I took over our research and development. ECS employees started making their way to Alpharetta one by one. Ike was one of the first to make the move. Before Emerald, Ike worked for Harrison County Schools where he met James.

James is the guy they offered my position to, but James wanted to focus on programming so he passed it up; I took it. James and I have become pretty close and we hang out quite a bit. Just before James moved to Alpharetta, Ike left for another position working with a friend of his from Mississippi named Brandon. At some point after James got to Alpharetta, Brandon invited Ike to hang out, Ike invited James, and James invited me.

We've all become friends and we hang out regularly (them more regularly than me, but such is almost-married life). So, across the street from Brandon's townhouse lives Stacy who is friends with Kelly who used to date Nathan who is pretty awesome! Now, Nathan is a very fundamental part of the group.

Nathan has a friend at the Pure Taqueria (a former gas station which has become a great restaurant). Her BFF has a boyfriend named Brent who happens to be the same Brent I met through Jennifer a decade ago. Tonight, Nathan invited Brent to our weekly comedy show.

I couldn't believe what a small world! So, we got a big kick out of that, but it turns out we had a lot more in common. Same high school, similar friends, etc. But, we also drive the same motorcycle and we're both pilots. We both have really similar aviation goals and we both fly out of the same airport.

Sometimes I lament that aviation is such a small community because I often wish I had more pilot friends. On the other hand, if it wasn't such a small community, it wouldn't be nearly as remarkable when you do make a new connection with a fellow pilot.