Category Archives: General

Less noise in the cockpit

Posted on January 10, 2013 by

I took this morning off and went for my first flight of 2013. Something was wrong with my Bose headset or its batteries, so I had to do without noise cancellation, but it was a wonderfully-quiet flight in a different … Continue reading →

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10 years as a pilot

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Ten years ago today, I passed a flight test and received my Private Pilot’s License (PPL) in a rented Cessna 172 (C-GPMR) at the Ottawa Flying Club. I’d been worried about turbulence — I didn’t quite have my flying stomach … Continue reading →

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Control feedback

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

Control feedback is important to pilots. Through the yoke or stick, we can feel what’s happening with the plane; for example, are we pulling or pushing too hard on the stick? Are the controls mushy, indicating that we’re close to … Continue reading →

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The complicated finances of flying

Posted on September 18, 2011 by

The original news story was simple: pampered general uses private government jet for personal trip(s) at total cost of more than $1M to taxpayers over three years. The Prime Minister smelled a scandal and tried to nip it in the … Continue reading →

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What happens after you get your private pilot license?

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Yesterday was the 9th anniversary of the day I passed my flight test and got my private pilot’s license (PPL). It was also, coincidentally, the longest straight-line distance I’ve flown in a day, 930 nautical miles (1,722 km) from Winnipeg … Continue reading →

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My new autopilot in instrument conditions

Posted on August 20, 2011 by

This week, I gave my new autopilot its first workout in instrument conditions, climbing out through a low cloud layer in Ottawa, bumping through heavy rain clouds over Vermont and New Hampshire, and flying a localizer approach into Beverly Airport … Continue reading →

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Adding an autopilot

Posted on July 27, 2011 by

Today I flew my plane home from Waterloo to Ottawa with a brand-new autopilot installed. I’ve flown over 850 hours, about 120 of them in actual instrument conditions, and all by hand. I’m proud that I can do that, but … Continue reading →

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Hiatus and Return

Posted on April 10, 2011 by

I took a six month break from flying — basically, work, a long wait for new fuel caps at my annual, and a family vacation in London (UK) got in the way. I also managed to prove the third rule … Continue reading →

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Calls for violence

Posted on March 2, 2011 by

At OurAirports, an anonymous visitor has left the same comment for six different Vietnamese airports (including an air force base), encouraging a Libyan-style uprising in Vietnam (the comments should be gone by the time you read this, for reasons that … Continue reading →

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6th anniversary of Land and Hold Short

Posted on October 1, 2010 by

I started this blog on 1 October 2004, with a typical welcome-to-my-blog posting. Thanks to everyone who’s been reading over the past six years.

Posted in General | 4 Comments