Author Archives: David Megginson
In praise of flying a trainer
From a news story about a new U.S.-run military flight training school in Iraq: The mission shift is particularly acute for [Lt. Col. Mark] Bennett, who flew 15-hour combat missions over Iraq in 2003 and now finds himself forming steadfast … Continue reading
In praise of flight attendants
Like pilots, flight attendants are highly-trained professionals; remember that next time you’re tempted to treat one like a waiter or bellhop (though you shouldn’t treat waiters or bellhops that way, either). To see just how important they are, check out … Continue reading
Now what?
In about 650 hours of flying — most of it in my Warrior — I’ve seen and done just about everything I can see and do at this level and live to tell about it. I’ve flown into busy international … Continue reading
Tagged aviating
12 Comments
Unintended consequences
In the U.S., in an attempt to avoid user fees for general aviation, AOPA (the main G.A. advocacy group) worked with the FAA to outsource flight services (briefings, VFR flight plans, etc.) to Lockheed-Martin. AOPA didn’t realize that they were … Continue reading
Tagged canada-us, news, system, tips
3 Comments
Some French aviation terms
Novelist Hugh MacLennan referred to the English and French in Canada as Two Solitudes, but that’s not a great working model for aviation. In eastern Canada, we do have to deal with both languages on the radio; I’ve developed an … Continue reading
Cuba
Cuba has a nice selection of small-town/rural airports, including many with good, paved runways, judging from the satellite views. When I zoom in, though, they are mostly sadly deserted, with sometimes a single piston twin parked in the middle of … Continue reading
Forced landing near Rockcliffe
About three hours ago, a homebuilt Zenith 250 lost power after takeoff from Ottawa/Rockcliffe (my home airport) and made a forced landing in a wooded area a couple of miles east of the airport (CBC News story). It’s a big … Continue reading
Tagged news
8 Comments
"Crash" redefined (again)
For pilots, the word “crash” generally means an high-speed, uncontrolled descent into the ground or similar collision with terrain (such as hitting a mountain in level flight), followed by total destruction of the aircraft and everyone in it. For the … Continue reading
OurAirports map on your blog or web page
Just like Google Maps, OurAirports now has a couple of easy ways to include your personal airport map in a blog posting or web page, YouTube-style: (easy) Click on the “Share this map” link at the top right of the … Continue reading
Tagged OurAirports, web
3 Comments
Chicago Meigs now on OurAirports
By loud request, I’ve added Chicago Meigs, closed a few years ago by Mayor Daley, to OurAirports. As a special honour to the mayor, I’ve also arranged for Meigs to appear when you type “Daley” into the site search box … Continue reading
Tagged OurAirports, places
5 Comments
Land and Hold Short 