A Successful Flight School Understands Its Responsibility to Educate and Inspire Young People

A possible future 'Girl With Wings' scans the ramp at KHIO

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

Ask anyone in the flight training business and they'll talk at length about the need to reach out to children and young people as a means to "light fires" for aviation, as we often say. Kids are the next generation of pilots, and everyone in the aviation family knows the future health of GA depends on these "young people" growing up to eventually earn their Private Pilot's license and replace a senior aviator who has lost their medical, and thus their flying privileges. We need to keep the ratio of new tickets to lost medical certificates at 1-to-1, or do the math...GA's pilot population continues to shrink year after year.

But all the talk about "lighting fires" and "reaching out" can end at the front door when a flight school's management and instructor staff fails to truly understand their role in developing prospective students. Even while the kids are still in elementary school - or even earlier as you will see below - a trip to the airport should be a rewarding, happy experience for any child old enough to express even a passing interest in airplanes.

Recently, I was treated to a clear example of how Flight Training schools should operate when approached by non-pilots interested in our aviation world. It might also shine a light on the core philosophy of Hillsboro Aviation in Oregon, and explain why the school has grown into one of the country's largest combined fixed-wing and rotorcraft training facilities, with a fleet of over 80 airplanes and helicopters flying 63,000+ hours annually. The story starts here:

I was up in the Portland metro area visiting family, and was tasked with watching our 4-year-old granddaughter for a few hours. We were in the middle of the "what do you want to do today, Caitlin" discussion when she looked up and saw an Alaska Airlines Dash 8 coming over the houses on short final, inbound to KPDX. As a girl who has already expressed an interest in airplanes, it was no surprise when she immediately said she wanted to go "watch the planes land." But the very next thing she said was "are there any helicopters around here, DooDah? I've never seen a real helicopter before, they're SO cool!" So with an opening like that, you can be assured my mind went racing off to think of how we could satisfy her obvious appetite for flying machines. Because I can tell you this...when a future "Girl With Wings" wants to see airplanes, I was not about to take her to the Mall.

I knew we were only 30 minutes away from KHIO, where Hillsboro Aviation had a whole ramp full of helicopters. But would they let us just show up and waltz across their ramp? Would they allow a curious 4-year-old to get close to real rotorcraft...close enough to maybe touch one? It never hurts to ask...

I made a quick call to the school and was handed off to dispatch, where Zack Robinson, a friendly young pilot, was working that post. Zack is a helicopter student with 95 hours and a Private Pilot Certificate, and is working on his Commercial Pilot Certificate and Instrument Rating. I explained my situation as honestly as possible, that my granddaughter - who is curious about helicopters - wanted to come see one, for reals. I sort of expected a "sorry, they are all out," or "we are slammed with flights today, no can do," or some other lame excuse. But after meeting Zack, who is truly a born Airplanista, it was understandable how he warmly invited us out to KHIO, and offered to show Caitlin around, including maybe letting her sit in one of their 21 Robinson R-22s. And as I was giving her the news, you could see the smile forming even before the words had departed my head.

We made it to Hillsboro, and as promised, Zack walked us through their gigantic maintenance shop (remember, they have over 80 aircraft in the fleet) and out to the ramp. In seconds, Caitlin was next to a real chopper, and she was either stunned, or groggy from the nap on the drive over, we are not sure which. She got to sit in the left seat and feel the controls, all while watching a busy airport in action.

After her time learning about the Robinson, we spent 30 minutes in their upstairs Student Lounge which overlooks the very busy ramp and the TDZ of runway 31. As planes came and went below us on the ramp, Caitlin was non-stop asking questions, all which I was more that happy to try and answer. She was spotting little things, like "why did he do THAT?" when watching a low timer bounce a 152 an extra time down the runway. Or "what's HE doing?" when watching a student climb up to visually check fuel in a high wing plane.

As we left the airport, I think she said "that was SO cool" maybe 150 times. While only an hour in a young girl's life, I truly believe that if she grows up and becomes a pilot, the people at Hillsboro Aviation will get credit for at least lighting part of her fire.

I am not at all surprised by the treatment we received at this highly-successful flight school. Curious about how this facility has grown so big while some other schools limp along scraping for students, Airplanista took a closer look at Hillsboro Aviation, and spoke to the school's General Manager, Jon Hay.

"The company was founded in 1980 as Hillsboro Helicopters and began as a one-helicopter flight school in Hillsboro, Oregon," Hay said. "As the city of Hillsboro’s landscape changed with the introduction of several large technology companies, Hillsboro Helicopters steadily built its helicopter and airplane business. "In 1996, the company’s name was changed to Hillsboro Aviation, Inc. and today, we employ over 240 people and is made up of three core business groups which consist of 14 separate profit centers. Hillsboro Aviation has established its position as a U.S. leader in helicopter sales and one of the largest combined helicopter and airplane flight training schools in the U.S. Its charter division operates a fleet of Bell helicopters and Hawker Beechcraft King Airs throughout the U.S. Hillsboro Aviation is a dealer for Bell Helicopter, Cessna and the Robinson Helicopter Company and also provides aircraft maintenance and avionics services, FBO fueling, aircraft parts and pilot supplies.

Hillsboro Aviation's Rotorcraft fleet

When you step onto their ramp, it is heaven for anyone who loves watching air traffic come and go. The Hillsboro Aviation fleet includes several models of Bell 205 A1, Bell 407, Bell 206 B3, L3 and L4 LongRangers, Robinson R22 (both VFR and Instrument), Robinson R44 (Instrument), King Air C90, Piper Seminole, Cessna 172RG, Cessna 172SP, Cessna 172P, Cessna 162, Cessna 152 and even a Lockwood AirCam. The fleet has a total of 33 rotorcraft and 48 fixed wing airplanes used for both training and charter.

This school is a perfect example of how everyone in the flight training industry needs to stay true to the core responsibility of inspiration and education. "For those of us who fell in love with aviation at a young age," Hay explains, "we understand how crucial it is for people in the industry to reach out to the next generation of potential pilots and encourage their interest in aviation. Since we are in the business of education, we feel it’s extremely important to nurture an interest in aviation and provide learning opportunities to every individual regardless of age. This is why we participate in events where we can educate people about aviation, including air shows, school career days and offer tours of our facility. At Hillsboro Aviation, we believe it is our responsibility to share our passion for aviation, especially with young people." 

Trying an Robinson R22 on for size

It is not uncommon to see students from all over the world training in Hillsboro, including females. And, says Hay, the future is bright for these women. "The number of female pilots is growing every day and the job opportunities are great for a qualified pilot regardless of gender. Companies are simply looking for the most proficient and professional pilot with the necessary experience. We are seeing an increase in the enrollment of female students and have female CFIs and charter pilots who fly some of our most demanding missions, including aerial firefighting and search and rescue."

As someone who loves seeing a flight school be successful, it is a majestic thing to tour Hillsboro Aviation and see such incredible GA training action taking place. The school is filled with students who represent the future of aviation, and it is my hope that this culture of welcoming the non-flying public in to glimpse the aviation world we all embrace will continue to light fires, inspire kids, and build a solid future for aviation.

Blogging in Formation: My Most Memorable Flight(s)

Casey Odegaard flying Duggy on the
"Warbird Island Arrival" into the 2010 AirVenture show

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

Just one? You want me to pick...just one?

After the group of six "Formation Bloggers" gently debated the topic for the second month of "Blogging in Formation," we settled on "Most Memorable Flight," and with that, the task of deciding on ONE "memorable" flight began.

Would I write about my last flight? It was memorable, a wonderful jaunt over to the beautiful Oregon Coast in "clear + 1,000,000" weather. We were greeted on the ramp at 6S2 by Brian and Teresa, who flew in from Grants Pass, OR in a clean RV-6. They shared the crew car and drove us into Old Town Florence...it was perfect aviation camaraderie, just like you'd expect.

Or would I write about this coming Saturday, when I fly my first-ever EAA Young Eagles flights? Nothing screams "memorable" like loading up the Cherokee with impressionable young kids and lofting them skyward to hopefully light their fires for aviation.

Truth is, when you feel the way I do about flying...every flight is memorable. Flying is such a special privilege that I believe each time you defy gravity and blast off to treat your soul to a few minutes above the crust of this increasingly weird planet is a very memorable experience.

So after sifting through 17 years of flights, I came up with two trips that rose above the others, and shall become my "most memorable." Enjoy...

Flying the Warbird Island approach
into AirVenture...inside Duggy!!

Yes, technically, Duggy is a C-47...at least that's
what it says on his data plates

In early 2010, I read about an event being planned in Rock Falls, IL called the "Last Time DC-3/C-47 Reunion" and it sounded like a must-see. Plans called for as many of those models as could be rustled up to fly into KSQI (Whiteside County Airport) for a bash, and then fly in formation up to AirVenture the next day.

On some sort of lark, I decided to contact Bob and Casey Odegaard, who are part owners of Duggy, the big yellow "Smile in the Sky" DC-3* and see if they wanted to haul a blogger on their flight into Rock Falls and Oshkosh. It is a testament to the Odegaard family's generosity towards other pilots that they said yes without hesitation.

So after flying commercial up to Kindred, ND where Duggy is based, I soon found myself with a cabin full of new BFFs loping along over the Midwest southeast bound for KSQI. To say flying in this cherished airplane was awesome would not adequately define how I felt on this flight. I believe all airplanes have souls, and this big smiling guy has a great one. I'm not talking voodoo here to say that inside this ship, on this flight, with these people, there was magic happening that day. The late Bob Odegaard sat cross-legged on the floor strumming his 1964 Fender Mustang electric guitar, and his Buddy Holly riffs coming from a small amplifier became the soundtrack to a flying experience I will never, ever forget.

After two days at Rock Falls helping to "crew" for the Odegaards, we aimed Duggy north towards Wisconsin, and you know what was waiting there. As if they had flown it 1,000 times (because they HAVE), the Odegaards gently brought Duggy into Airventure via the "Warbird Arrival" which comes in over tiny Warbird Island in Lake Winnebago on left base before sliding onto the green dot on runway 27. As we taxied in towards show center, you could see faces literally light up, people began smiling wide...Duggy was on the field! Even when you are in complete elation mode at Oshkosh, seeing the "Smile in the Sky" just makes everything better.

And when we all deplaned out of Duggy into a sea of waiting devotees welcoming the famous plane to the show, it became an "over the top" experience. I adore Duggy, he is without question my favorite of ALL airplanes, period. So to arrive at show center in him was simply magnificent. I had spent four days floating aimless around the country with some of aviation's friendliest people, inside the coolest plane in the sky. To arrive this way at AirVenture will forever be, without question, the pinnacle of my many trips to Oshkosh.

Bob Odegaard at the controls of Duggy

And yes, it still hurts to look at the photo gallery (found here) and see pics of Bob Odegaard, who was killed when his F2G Super Corsair crashed at Barnes County Airport in Valley City, North Dakota in 2012. I only knew him these few short days, but he defined the meaning of "aviation family" like no other aviator I have ever, or will ever, meet. So to get to know Bob in this situation – flying Duggy around and talking DC-3s for a few days – was golden. It made this flight far more than simply memorable...it is forever etched inside my soul for all time.

There is a full blog post describing this entire flight here (read from the bottom up)

(*technically, Duggy served the country as a C-47, but most people refer to him as a "DC-3." He's cool with that.)

Taking my Granddaughter up for
her first airplane ride

Caitlin was only 18 months old when I strapped her Recaro car seat into the back of Katy, my Cherokee 235, and introduced her to the sky. We didn't quite know how she'd react, but we did procure a set of these small children's ear protectors to try and soften the wonderful sound of a Lycoming 0-540 reverberating through the cabin.

My first hint that this young girl might end up as a "Girl with Wings" later in life was when she refused to wear the ear protectors, preferring to listen to the airplane noise symphony instead. Yeah, I get that way too, usually when in the presence of round airplane engines. The trip was short, but it provided me with a plethora of material to write about...the result being a six-chapter short story Through Eager Eyes, which I published and can be downloaded as a PDF e-book here.

Yes that was a joy ride for sure. I am really looking forward to the day when she is old enough to sit up front on a pillow and operate the controls. After seeing how well she flies my X-Plane sim - at 4-years-old she is rock solid for straight and level or in turns - I can only assume she and Katy are going to get along just fine.

If you wish to check out the writing of the other five "Formation Bloggers"...

Karlene Petitt - Flight to Success - karlenepetitt.blogspot.com
Eric Auxier - The Adventures of Cap'n Aux - capnaux.blogspot.com
Ron Rapp - House of Rapp - www.rapp.org
Andrew Hartley - Smart Flight Training  - smartflighttraining.com
Brent Owens - Iflyblog - iflyblog.com

Guest Blogger: The World’s Best Aviation Museums

Wright Brothers flight path. Photo: nps.gov

Editor's note: This guest post begins a new ongoing series presenting the writing of Airplanistas who regularly read this blog. If you love to write about airplanes and aviation, email me here - Av8rdan

By Angie Picardo,
Airplanista Guest Blogger

Few things beat the experience of flying, but aviation museums could come close as they let you explore the origins of aviation, live air shows, and even wartime history. The next time you’re planning a trip, consider a destination near one of these great museums.

Hiller Aviation Museum – San Carlos, California, USA
In San Carlos, California (Silicon Valley), the Hiller Aviation Museum is located right in the seat of America’s innovation. It was founded in 1998 by helicopter pioneer Stanley Hiller. Covering aviation history as far back as 1869, it includes over 40 actual aircraft, as well as many model aircraft.

With great educational programs for children, and a Flight Simulation Zone open in the evenings and on weekends, Hiller is a great place for both aviation enthusiasts and for family outings. Open 10am to 5pm, 7 days a week; tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors/youths, and free for children under 4. For more information about Hiller, go here.

Wright Brothers National Memorial – Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA
This memorial and its visitor center are must-sees for a one-of-a-kind, full-scale reproduction of the original Wright Brothers flying machines. Though commonly referred to as the Kitty Hawk Memorial, the Wright brothers actually conducted test flights four miles south of Kitty Hawk, on the sands of the Kill Devil Hills. This is the location of the world’s first passenger flight, which occurred on May 14, 1908, flown by Wilbur Wright, with mechanic Charles Furnas as passenger.

The visitor center houses a full-scale reproduction of the brothers’ 1902 glider and their 1903 flying machine, a reproduction of their first wind tunnel, and an engine block from their original 1903 flyer. While visiting the memorial, you can also climb Big Kill Devil Hill, where you’ll find the 60-foot pylon from which the brothers conducted their experiments. The most exciting way to explore this memorial is to visit the park via plane and land at the First Flight Airstrip.

The visitor center and centennial pavilion are open 9am to 5pm daily, 7 days a week, year round. But be sure to make the most of your visit by planning ahead. Go here for detailed information about the memorial and its exhibits.

Flying Tigers Memorial – Kunming, Yunnan, China
“Flying Tigers” is the nickname for the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Airforce. The 1st AVG was composed of U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots. Recruited under presidential authority and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault, their mission was to defend China against Japanese forces during World War II. The Flying Tigers had three fighter squadrons of twenty aircraft each, with highly recognizable shark-faced fighters. Some would consider the Flying Tigers to be a private military contractor, since they were technically mercenaries and earned more money than they would have as U.S. forces. The Flying Tigers achieved innovative tactical victories between 1941 and 1942. They were replaced in 1942 by the U.S. Army’s 23rd Fighter Group, which retained the group’s nickname and their aircraft’s nose art. They initially trained in Burma, and flew over and around the Burma Hump, located near Yunnan, China.

In Yunnan’s capital city of Kunming, you’ll find an exhibit called the Flying Tigers Memorial within the Kunming City Museum. Recently opened in December 2012, it has over 2,000 historical relics and photos on display to help tell this little-known story of cooperation and assistance between the Chinese and the Americans.

If you are in China, take a trip to the Kunming City Museum and check out this unique exhibit! It is open year-round from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets are 5 RMB per person. To learn more about the Flying Tigers Memorial, go here.

Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford – Duxford, U.K.
Located on the grounds of the former First and Second World War Airfields, the IWM Duxford is home to over 200 iconic aircraft, as well as tanks, military vehicles, and boats. With multiple exhibits on different topics and the space to wander under and around all kinds of planes, this museum is an aviation lover’s dream. One exhibit, called “Flying Aircraft,” gives visitors a peek into how privately owned aircraft are maintained and prepared for flight.

As the museum is also an active airfield, you’ll get a close-up view of its inner workings. This exhibit also includes the iconic flying fortress Sally B from the movie Memphis Belle. Then there’s “Airspace,” an exhibit that profiles the history of aviation in Britain and its Commonwealth, and houses over thirty aircraft, including the Concorde and the Spitfire. A third exhibit is properly called the American Air Museum, because it is just that big: it’s home to the largest collection of American ‘warbirds’ on display outside of the United States, and is dedicated to American airmen who have given their lives in wars since World War II.

Finally, the can’t-miss features at Duxford are its amazing air shows, which are usually held in the afternoon. Upcoming shows include “Flying Legends,” which displays historic aircraft, the “Duxford Air Show,” which includes a mix of contemporary and historic aircraft, and finally the “Autumn Airshow,” which features historic planes operated by flying partners who are based at the museum. Discover more about Duxford by going here.

National Air and Space Museum – Washington, DC, USA
With the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, the National Air and Space Museum is a must-see. With two display facilities at different locations, it houses many treasures of American aviation. If you’re especially interested in the Wright Brothers, check out The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age exhibit at the main location in the National Mall building, and see their original 1903 flyer.

Or if you want to see an amazing collection of planes, make the trip to the lesser-known Udvar-Hazy Center, near Dulles Airport. This larger facility has the space to house three different hangars full of planes on the ground floor, as well as suspended from the ceiling and walls. Though the space shuttle Discovery is probably Udvar-Hazy’s most famous attraction, there’s a lot more to see. There is even a special observation tower from which you can watch Dulles’ air traffic live.

The National Air and Space Museum has multiple locations, so go here to find more detailed info.

Angie Picardo is a 2012 graduate of UC Berkeley, where she studied English Literature. A museum enthusiast, she loves flying and aspires to get her pilot license. She currently works as staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance site dedicated to helping people make informed decisions and achieve their financial goals.

Blogging in Formation Set to Takeoff Again This Week

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

During the first part of May, a group of six experienced aviation bloggers got together to "Blog in Formation" and presented six different reads on the same topic of "How I was Brought into Flying."

The concept of formation blogging was suggested by Brent Owens who writes and publishes the iFLYblog.  Between the tweets, retweets, Facebook posts, and plenty of cross-promotion on a wide variety of other social networks, the first week of formation blogging was well received in the blogosphere, with all six blogs seeing significant increases in traffic.

This week, we embark on week two of Blogging in Formation, with the subject of "Most Memorable Flight," which, to me, is proving to me a very tough assignment. How in the world am I going to pick just one? Was it the one yesterday, or the one tomorrow? When you're as in love with something as I am with flying, every flight is memorable. So you'll have to wait until this coming Friday to see what I come up with.

Go ahead, bookmark the blogs below, and check them out starting this coming Tuesday. Here is the complete week's schedule and a quick thought on each blogger and what you might expect:

Tuesday, 06.04.13 Karlene Petitt - Flight to Success
The week of formation blogging begins as always with Karlene's wonderfully positive and always well-written blog. Since she is a long-time veteran international airline pilot who has flown some mighty large flying machines into what can surely be harrowing arrivals, this has to be considered a must-read. But she also loves GA airplanes too, so this one's a "toss-up"...just visit her blog Tuesday to see what she writes.

Wednesday, 06.05.13 Eric Auxier - Adventures of Cap’n Aux
"Aux" is a Phoenix-based Captain for a major airline but also has a large amount of logbook time flying bush planes in Alaska. If 'memorable' is staring down a gigantic Brown Bear during a pre-flight, or slipping an airline full of souls into Midway International Airport in Chicago in the middle of the night in a snowstorm, then Cap'n Aux is the dude you want telling the tale.

Thursday, 06.06.13 Ron Rapp - House of Rapp
Ron flies a Gulfstream IV jet for his "day job" but I'm betting his "Most Memorable" flight will come from his work as a busy flight instructor life teaching tailwheel, aerobatic, glass panel, experimental, and formation flight training. Nothing says "memorable" like teaching a rookie to fly upside down in an experimental, glass cockpit tailwheel ship. Rapp's been at this aviation blogging thing for many, many years, and his writing is always worth your time.
 
Friday, 06.07.13 Dan Pimentel - Airplanista Aviation Blog
'Nuf said about Airplanista...you're here now, just keep coming back.

Saturday, 06.08.13 Andrew Hartley - Smart Flight Training
I honestly have not read enough of Andrew's work to be able to predict with any sort of certainly what he's going to come up with this week for his Formation blog post. I will just tell you his blog is very interesting and worth a look.

Sunday, 06.09.13 Brent Owens - iFLYblog
Brent is the instigator of this whole formation blogging thing, and flies a goregous RV-8. He also flies a Falcon 2000, and has flown many airplanes in between the two ends of that spectrum. But if you have ever flown in or been lucky enough to FLY an RV-8, I'm going to take the safe bet here that Brent's "Most Memorable" flight was at the controls of his RV.

So, start reading with Karlene on Tuesday and keep the fun going all week. Just watch the hashtag #blogformation on Twitter to stay involved and informed.

Disney's Planes: Can One Movie Really Save GA?

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

This is part one of an ongoing series building up to the worldwide premiere of this movie at AirVenture on Aug. 2.

We know the aviation world will gather in Wisconsin this summer to see Disney's new animated full-length movie, Planes, a week before the public. As that day approaches, maybe now is the time to start thinking about what this cartoon movie could do to help the GA community's efforts to get young kids more interested in airplanes. And everyone in the aviation family knows that in our efforts to excite the public about GA, we need every tool we can find, especially fun, watchable and super cool animated ones if the target demo is the 3-12 year-old crowd.

And we know it doesn't take much to get young children excited about anything with wings. There must be some sort of hard-wired DNA in children because, with rare exception, kids just dig planes. I was reminded of this a few months ago:

As I babysat my four-year-old granddaughter, it seemed groovy that she wanted to watch Air Mater...again. Apparently she had already watched it a few times that day. So we enjoyed this aviation spin-off from the movie Cars and when it was finished, she had only one question. "Can we watch it again?" Yes, this girl LOVES watching cartoon characters based on airplanes. I had no choice but to watch Air Mater again...and again...and again.

Yesterday I received the Media Kit for Planes, and as a pilot, it raised my attention level to high. I've always loved the current state of digital animation, and the Cars franchise has always been well-produced. The quality of animation coming out of Disney and Pixar is as good as it gets, and both the voices and scripts keep young and old interested.

So when I began researching Planes I knew right away this movie was going to be a great thing for aviation. While airplanes have always been "cool" for kids, now these flying machines will have names, faces, and a story to tell. I can easily see the day when kids want to go out to the airport at the edge of town to see Dusty Crophopper in person, as if he was actually going to be there. Imagine the way any kid's fire for aviation will be stoked after seeing this movie and then seeing Dusty in person...a real airplane...that flies. If only that were possible.

Oh wait...what's that I spied on the AirVenture site:

"An Air Tractor AT-301 that has been transformed into "Dusty" - the cropduster and hero of Disney's Planes animated feature movie - will appear at AirVenture 2013. The airplane, owned by veteran ag pilot Rusty Lindeman, was upgraded to a turbine-powered model AT-400A, given a sparkling new paint scheme, even eyes on the windscreen, so that it now looks just like Dusty. AirVenture is among the 11 air shows Dusty will visit across the U.S. and Canada. Along with the appearances, Lindeman will perform flying demonstrations. In addition to an Interactive Disney Display Hangar offering a variety of activities, Air Tractor will provide kids and parents with puzzles, other giveaways, and information."

And so it begins. See, my flying friends, this is how it's going to work:

Thousands - maybe even millions - of children are going to see the movie Planes, and fall madly in love with airplanes. Some of the lucky ones will get to come to AirVenture or one of those other air shows, and see Dusty fly for real. The seed will be planted. The kid will see airplanes at the movies, at air shows, on their Happy Meals, on their underwear, and they will want to be Dusty for Halloween. Every time they see ANY small airplane fly overhead, they will shout out "is that Dusty?" Then, as the years go by, these kids will grow into their teens, and realize that while Dusty was a character in a movie, there are many, many real airplanes waiting to visit out at the local airport. The spark that started at birth will be flamed by the movie Planes and ignited further by trips to hang on airport fences. A Discovery flight will pour some AvGas on that fire, and an explosion of interest will lead to their first flight lesson. Soon, the little boy or girl who at one time thought every plane in the sky was "Dusty" or "Ripslinger" or "Ishani" right out of his or her favorite movie in the whole wide world...will be graduating from Embry Riddle with a degree and a pilot's license, or accepting a FO job at a regional airline.

Can one movie do that? Yes, I believe it can. Kids these days demand their DVDs be shown not only in the den, but also on a handheld device, and in the back seat of the family SUV. In most young families, it is not an option. This movie is going to be a huge success just like "Cars" was, and it should lead to sequels. Box Office numbers will be the only way to determine if we ever see a Planes 2 or Planes 3, but if this franchise follows the same business model of Cars, we should be seeing Planes in theaters, at Redbox and on home Blu-Ray machines for many years.

And each time the visuals of these lovable animated airplanes get soaked up by one more impressionable child's mind, GA will take a tiny step forward towards a brighter future. O.K., sure, that might be a tall order for one movie, but my imagination gets paid to go crazy with this stuff. It is, in my opinion, hard to make the argument that somehow, somewhere, a few kids won't fall in love with aviation after seeing this movie.

Will Planes save GA? No. But as we go about building up aviation's tomorrow, I would rather take that task on with this movie as one more thing to excite kids about flying.

Oh, and there's also this:

Soon, I will pick up my granddaughter - who is already showing signs of infatuation with flying machines (especially Katy, my Cherokee 235) - and we'll go see Planes in a theater. Her eyes will be wide as she grins and laughs through every scene. We'll eat popcorn, make jokes about the characters, and have a blast, with her falling more in love with airplanes, and me enjoying watching that happen. And when the final credits are rolling, if I know this young girl, she'll turn to her DooDah and ask... 

"Can we watch it again?"

Subscribe to this blog (upper right corner) to stay notified of the next parts of this series when I start looking at the very cool characters in Planes.

EAA's Aluminum Overcast: This Flying Fortress Still Has a Very Important Mission

This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one here.

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

As I write this post over the Memorial Day weekend, it seems fitting to re-visit last weekend, when EAA's immaculate B-17G-VE Aluminum Overcast visited my home field of Mahlon Sweet Field in Eugene, Oregon. Even though this airplane was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945 - too late to see action in World War II - the airplane still serves the memory of those courageous veterans who gave their life so I could sit here enjoying the freedoms we Americans often take for granted.

Even though Aluminum Overcast never actually "saw action," it certainly plays a key role today in preserving a significant part of aviation history. EAA has chosen to restore this ship as a flying tribute to the 398th Bomb Group of World War II, which flew hundreds of missions over Nazi-held territory during WWII. In particular, Aluminum Overcast commemorates B-17G #42-102515 which was shot down on its 34th combat mission over Le Manior, France, on August 13, 1944.

Before I get to a report on what it was like to actually fly in an airplane this important, let's visit the history of N5017N, from EAA's B17.org:

Scenic low flight over the Coburg Hills east of Eugene

EAA's B-17G Aluminum Overcast was purchased as surplus from the military inventory for a mere $750 in 1946, and since then, the airplane has flown more than 1 million miles. It has served as a cargo hauler, an aerial mapping platform and in pest control and forest dusting applications. The airplane returned to its military roots in 1978, when it was purchased by a group of investors who wished to preserve the heritage of the magnificent B-17. The group, "B-17s Around the World," was headed by Dr. Bill Harrison. Their goal was to return the B-17 to its former glory. But the economic reality of simply maintaining a vintage bomber, let alone the cost of restoration, prompted the group to donate the B-17 to the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1983. Since that time, an extensive program of restoration and preservation was undertaken to insure Aluminum Overcast would be a living reminder of World War II aviation for many years to come. The restoration has taken more than 10 years and thousands of hours by dedicated staff and volunteers at EAA Oshkosh, Wisconsin, headquarters.

There is no doubt when you look at Aluminum Overcast that EAA has done a spectacular job of restoring and maintaining this B-17. I was lucky enough to spend four glorious hours acting as "Aft Security" during the public ground tour portion of the tour stop on Sunday, May 19, and while my job - among other obvious things - was to make sure people didn't use the exposed control cables for handrails, the post provided me with plenty of time to just sit in a flying museum and gawk at the craftsmanship EAA has put into this restoration:

As I sat in a seat just forward of the tail wheel enclosure, I had full view of the right and left waist gunner positions. Between answering questions about bullets, and where the crew went to the bathroom, I really studied the way this airplane has been brought back to life. Every inch of Aluminum Overcast has been overhauled and restored to "better than new" condition, and the EAA crews that fly her around the country take immense pride in maintaining this ship to museum quality. It is literally a flying work of art. Gone is any sign of wear and/or tear, and it is impossible to find places where shoddy work was thrown down just to get this Flying Fortress out on tour.

On the first day of Aluminum Overcast's Eugene tour stop, I had organized and participated in a Media flight for local TV, radio, social media and print personalities. When the departure time arrived, and after we strapped in the Giant Duck (read part one of this story here), it was time to coax those four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone Model R-1820-97 engines to life. Anyone who worships round engines knows you do not "start" them, so much as convince the moving parts inside to somehow get along and convert fossilized dinosaurs into altitude and noise. Oh yeah, that sweet symphony made from gigantic radial engines just gets better when a couple of them are hanging off each wing:

1,200 of Aluminum Overcast's
4,800 horsepower

The duck was cinched down, and everyone was in a seat as we heard the first hint of engine start. It was the inboard left engine, which erupted to life in a planned series of explosions that produced a signature white cloud of smoke passing swiftly by outside the left waist gunner's window just forward of my seat. When the twelve hundred horsepower round engine came to life, it sounded like the world's largest Harley-Davidson was kicking over somewhere up in the front of the airplane. When the left side outboard engine came alive, the rumble and reverberations of this great round engine sound only intensified. Soon, the right side inboard engine erupted and coughed itself to a rough idle, and again the sound of raw power came up a notch. And finally, when the fourth and final right side outboard engine sparked, the stereo note of 4,800 horsepower shook the airframe, and I swear each power stroke of each cylinder could be felt clear through the seat of my pants to wonderfully rattle every bone in my body. That was SO cool.

From the left seat, Pilot Sam Bass - a volunteer pilot who has been flying Aluminum Overcast for nearly 20 years - nudges the collection of red power levers forward and the four Wrights tug on the bomber's squishy tires hard enough to get the B-17 rolling. Sitting directly over the tail wheel, it is a weird sensation as the back end of the airplane tries to follow the nose towards a runway. We eventually found our way out to the numbers in a "line up and wait position" when this trip's awesome factor went straight up off the charts:

With the oil warm in all 27 cylinders, Bass and fellow volunteer pilot Dan Bowlin firewall the throttles and four gigantic three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers of 11 feet, 7 inches in diameter attack the cool Oregon air. That low rumbling from out there on the wings now becomes a growling, almost deafening sonic explosion as the Wrights dig into the sky, spitting smoke out the back while shoving massive amounts of horsepower out the front. With a wartime gross takeoff weight of 65,500 lbs., the Fortress was built to carry as much as 17,600 pounds of bombs, so the few pounds of media people, cameras and even a Giant Duck was a very, very light load. Aluminum Overcast jumped off the runway quickly but gracefully, and began a leisurely tour above the Willamette Valley at 2,000' MSL.

The point of this Media Flight was to make sure every reporter in attendance got at least a minute or two down in the best seat in the house, the bombardier’s position in the nose. As Aluminum Overcast made gentle turns over the countryside, my opportunity to visit the nose came last, but what I found once I got there made the wait worthwhile:

B-17 veteran Elton "Andy" Andrews,
Bombardier, 11 missions

Making your way from the aft waist gunner's seats to the nose of Aluminum Overcast when getting pummeled by an abundance of Oregon's notorious springtime low level wind shear and turbulence is no easy task...especially with my Canon 7D on one hand and the fuselage jammed with TV people, each carrying a large TV video production camera. After making it through the radio room and squeezing through the catwalk over the bomb bay - one built for tiny, fit airmen from the 1940s - I staged myself just aft of the flight deck and waited for this flight's Crew Chief, Terry Tucker, to signal a go for me to wiggle my way into the bombardier's kingdom. Once there, sitting where he had for 11 missions over Europe was B-17 veteran Alton "Andy" Andrews, enjoying every second of this flight. I had arranged this special treatment for Andrews, and as our faces met about a foot apart, he mouthed the words "THANK YOU" to me...and my day was complete.

The flight - and this entire B-17 tour stop weekend - made me become an even bigger fan of EAA. The whole Aluminum Overcast operation is a class act, from the beautiful restoration to the coordination of the tour stops to the devotion of the all-volunteer crews that go out on the road so we can enjoy this gorgeous piece of aviation history.

Left side Waist Gunner's position

What completely blows me away is that 68 years after it came out of Vega Aircraft Company's Burbank factory (built under license from Boeing), Aluminum Overcast is still a hard-working airplane. It regularly flies several loads of people every day, week after week, from coast-to-coast. When not flying, it has long lines of admirers wandering through, touching this, pulling that, climbing here and there. To make sure this airplane stays airworthy takes a superhuman effort from EAA's crews, and these dedicated people will tell you straight up...their work on Aluminum Overcast is nothing compared to the veterans who flew the Flying Fortress in battle...they consider it a privilege to crew this plane.

On this Memorial Day weekend, I stand and salute each and every veteran who ever flew a B-17 mission, as well as the EAA crews who keep this ship flying to honor those vets. Someday, these vets will be all gone, and left to keep their memory alive will be historically significant airplanes like Aluminum Overcast.

So if you are out somewhere this weekend and run into a WWII veteran who is still alive and kicking, thank them for their service before its too late. Look them in the eye when you tell them, these vets deserve to know you mean it.

Takeoff Aviation Weather: An App This Slick is a Rare Find in a Sea of Mediocrity

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

These days, each and every one of us has apps coming at us from all directions. So many in fact, that we must limit our downloads for fear of maxxing out our device's memory...and clogging our brains with a pool of operational data far to vast for human consumption.

All green: Nothing much happening
in the Willamette Valley

As the Editor of this blog, I get hit up for reviews all the time, and usually pass on all but the rare app that somehow attracts a morsel of my attention. And over this past weekend while on the ramp of Eugene's Airport hosting the EAA B-17 Aluminum Overcast, I received an email from "Derek J" of Real Casual Games, LLC. who had developed Takeoff Aviation Weather, yet another WX app for Android, iPhone and iPad (not first-gen, ask me how I know this...). Maybe it was the way he asked, but I decided to take him up on the freebie and give the app a test drive.

Red icon means KSFO is not a place
to try and land your Cessna 150 today.

And man, am I glad I did. It's like this:

In a world where probably 19 out of every 20 apps are complete garbage designed only to deliver casino ads to the palm of your hand, Takeoff was one that did not. While standing under a lowering ceiling at KEUG, I downloaded the app, and had it up and running in less than a minute. As soon as the app started pulling down amazingly accurate WX data, I became amused. I was watching the ceiling go up and down as the B-17 crew was deciding if they could fly the airplane, and the app was reporting these ceiling changes, almost in real-time. I am not quite sure where the app gets it's data, but I can tell you it was far quicker at reporting ceiling changes than any app I had used previously.

But it wasn't just the speed by which it pulled down the data, it's what it did with that data after it hit my phone. As far as GUI (graphic user interface) goes, Takeoff is a masterpiece:

The app displays weather information using a brilliant but simple color-coded icon system that shows ceiling, visibility, winds and crosswinds for your chosen airports. After you set your own personal minimums (or just use the apps default which were fine for me), Takeoff instantly changes the four main icons for that airport black if under your minimums, or yellow if the WX is at or above those minimums. If the WX is dangerously below your minimums, the icon becomes red. What this means, is within seconds, you can scroll through even a lengthy list of favorites and quickly glance down the screen to immediately notice which airports are clear and a million, which are getting a little "iffy", and which are in the "red, you're dead" territory.

Crosswind calculations for KSFO

This colored icon business may sound bonehead simple, because it is. That is the absolute joy of Takeoff, it does one thing very well. It does not let you plan flights or file flight plans, and it will never replace Foreflight on my flight deck. But for an app that let's you yank your phone out of your pocket and see what's up regarding the weather without a lot of thought or horseplay, this is worth every penny of the $5.99 it will cost you.

Go ahead and click here to get a better look at this fun and useful app, and then take the Airplanista Takeoff Weather Challenge:

Once you have the app on your phone or pad, configure your minimums, and save a list of your favorite airports. Then put the device away and try to forget about it. You will find that after a few minutes, you will have this app back out, and you'll be loving these colorful and extremely helpful icons. You will marvel that this app also calculates crosswinds at all airports, keeps track of the temperature/dew point spread, gives the TAF information in the same intuitive color-coded way, and provides something like 198 weather graphics from all over the world. You will try to put it away, and in seconds, it will be back out and again you'll be checking the weather. This cycle will repeat itself until you give in and admit that, like me, you are hooked. From that point on, Takeoff will most likely be your first glance at the WX before you get serious about planning your flight using your phone, computer or mobile device. Go ahead, look at it all day, I am!

Default minimums screen

Is this app perfect? No, there were a few little annoyances here and there, but they did not affect the functionality of Takeoff. I consider this a "find" and am glad to have it close by, because in the time I wrote this post, I noticed the app was reporting that crosswinds at my home field of KEUG went from "calm" to 10-14 knots from the right on my usual runway of 16L.

Color-coded icons makes it easy to
quickly see that KSFO was trouble.

Kinda spooky but also super cool how it does that. I will let someone else dig under the hood to determine where the data comes from, and how it gets digested into these pretty little colored icons. For me, I am just going to enjoy using it.

A Classy Organization Steps Up to Let The Oregon Duck Find His Wings

See the B-17 Aluminum Overcast at the Eugene Airport May 17-19. Read all about this rare visit here. 

This is part one of a two part series. See a photo gallery of this "Ducky" flight here.

By Dan Pimentel
Airplanista Blog Editor

I have been growing increasingly amazed recently by all the great things that EAA does for the aviation family, and as a fairly new member, I consider my membership in this association as valuable as my long-time membership in AOPA. Up on Capitol Hill, AOPA keeps the pressure on Congress and the FAA as they lobby in our best interests. But when it comes to grass roots promotion of GA and keeping the spirit of aviation alive...EAA has set the enthusiasm bar quite high.

The classy professionalism of EAA was on full display at the Eugene Airport today as the association brought their immaculate B-17 bomber Aluminum Overcast to the Willamette Valley for a stop on their 2013 Experience History tour. It was apparent to this writer that their devotion to keeping vintage airplanes and history alive while simultaneously exciting the public about airplanes is a thing of beauty to behold.

EAA's Young Eagles program - which has proven to be the finest tool GA has to bring kids into aviation - is clearly evident throughout the aviation community. But while 'Eagles' are flown regularly by EAA members all over this country, a first happened at KEUG during Media Day when one of the most famous "Ducks" in the land was allowed to soar with Eagles on his first-ever actual flight:

Call him Puddles, or @TheOregonDuck, but at any University of Oregon sports event, this loveable, playful and feisty mascot wins the day every time he shows his beak. As I was coordinating the media to ride along on Aluminum Overcast, one of my chapter's members, Wally Anderson of Synergy Air, said he could get "The Duck"...if EAA could work out the details. When Puddles arrived on the ramp and began clowning around, EAA's tour crew kicked it into gear to give this beloved creature his first-ever airplane ride. Once we determined he could fit in the door and get out of the airplane in case of emergency – and that the seat belt would fit – the engines were started and this Duck was soon witnessing the magic of FLYING.

If you follow University of Oregon sports, you know the rivalry with the Beavers of nearby Oregon State University is legendary. And as Aluminum Overcast headed north from KEUG in the general direction of Corvallis, home of OSU, Puddles was seen eyeing the machine guns on board. Yes, he takes his Beaver hunting seriously, and all on the flight, especially B-17 veteran Andy Andrews - who is "Beavers" all the way - were glad the bullets on board were blanks.

You'd probably have to live in Eugene to appreciate how cool and important it was to have our special feathered guest on board this media flight. The UO handlers have to actually limit his public appearances because he usually creates a mob scene wherever he goes...and at this B-17 tour stop, it was no different:

Word spread quickly through the estimated 200 people on the ramp when we heard over the radio that "The Duck" was at the airport gate. And from the moment he stepped inside the airport, you could feel the positive energy elevate. Smiles erupted everywhere, because it is impossible to be bummed when this big white, green and yellow goofball is nearby. And he was spectacular too...clowning around, posing with everyone who wanted photos, and acting like the most rambunctious member of the Anatidae family of waterfowl. Kids love him, people flock to him, and any event he graces enjoys an increased happy factor. We were lucky to enjoy a few fun moments with this wildly popular mascot.

But while Puddles was happy to pose for endless photos, he was not at the airport for a photo op. He came here to FLY...and courtesy of EAA, fly he did:

With help from EAA's Crew Chief, Puddles was soon strapped in and ready to fly. I was seated just a few inches in front of him, and could see he was quite excited to finally take to the air. When asked if this was indeed his first flight, he left out a resounding QUACK...which was translated by his handler seated next to him as a yes. We were seated as far aft as you can get in Aluminum Overcast, and when the tail lifted for takeoff, "The Duck" grew increasingly giddy. Making wild flapping movements with his wings, his excitement escalated when we were allowed to move about the ship. He cooperated with the planeload of media who shoved various cameras in his face, and watching him move forward to the Radio Room was a hoot. Let's just say that Boeing did not design Flying Fortresses to accommodate a six-foot-tall by three-foot-wide...Duck.

The way this flight came together validates my belief that we aviators are one very special group. When you walk the Airventure grounds during show week, you feel the camaraderie that is present, and all around you, people from EAA go out of their way to make sure you know they are your pal. The traveling EAA Aluminum Overcast road show is no different. The crew didn't know any of us in Eugene, we were just a line on their schedule until this morning. But when they learned we had a giant Duck that wanted to fly, the crew from EAA made it happen.

Because that's what pilots do, we help each other.

Stay tuned over the weekend when I publish part two of this report telling my Airplanista readers what it was like to fly in such a legendary airplane rich in aviation history. The sights, the sounds, the spirits that live within this special airplane, it all came alive the moment those four gigantic radial engines cranked up to lift "The Fortress" skyward once again. To receive notifications of this next blog post and all fresh Airplanista content, add your email to the "Subscribe" field at top right and use the SHARE buttons below to pass this story along to your friends, fans, family and followers.

Transitioning to TF-X: Interview with Terrafugia's Anna Mracek Dietrich

Illustration courtesy Terrafugia

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

I have made it quite clear over the years that I'm a big fan of Team Terrafugia, that determined group of MIT grads who are working towards making a roadable airplane a reality. With each passing day, their Transition moves one day closer to certification and deliveries, and I have zero doubt the day will come when we see their creation on ramps all over the country.

Illustration courtesy Terrafugia

Recently, however, Terrafugia announced plans for the next generation of their roadable airplane, a bold vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle called the TF-X. The announcement has produced a great deal of press from both aviation and non-aviation outlets, with a mixed bag of speculation about what the TF-X project means to the future of Transition.

To find out the current status of Terrafugia and how one project relates to the other, Airplanista sat down virtually with Anna Mracek Dietrich, the company's Chief Operating Officer. What follows is a verbatim interview...enjoy:

Airplanista Blog: First, give me a quick overview of the status of Transition...what version of prototype you are flying, certification timeline, order book (and estimated date of first delivery.

Anna Mracek Dietrich: "We are currently testing our second generation Transition prototype.  We expect to have one more prototyping cycle, which will include some basic crash testing to confirm automotive safety features, before finalizing certification and beginning deliveries.  Our estimate for first delivery is between the beginning of 2015 and spring of 2016, depending on how the remaining testing goes. Interest in the Transition remains strong with over 100 orders on the books; Transition owners will be given the first opportunity to reserve a TF-X™ when that time comes."

Airplanista: Walk me through the conception of the TF-X™ idea. Was a bar napkin involved? Who came up with the idea, when was the idea conceived, and how much time has been spent on developing the project to this point of media release?

Dietrich: "Our team has been thinking at a high level about what would be next for the company for a while, taking into account feedback about the Transition, regulatory and infrastructure changes that are happening, and other work that Terrafugia has been involved with. At this time, TF-X™ is still very much a concept, but feasibility and packaging studies have been done to a level where we can be confident that the basic configuration is realistic and that the vehicle is attainable with existing technology."

Airplanista: How many people work at Terrafugia these days, how many assigned to Transition and how many to TF-X™? And what is the percentage of work being performed, how much devoted to Transition and how much to TF-X™?

Dietrich: "There are about two dozen of us currently full-time at Terrafugia and we are currently growing the team fairly rapidly. Transition remains our top focus. As Transition moves into production and engineering resources are released, they will be moved onto TF-X™ development."

Airplanista: I understand the TF-X™ "on-ground" power is all electric, but what is the proposed propulsion for flight mode? Gas or electric, or a hybrid of both?

Dietrich: "During cruise, the main engine will use conventional fuel to power the vehicle and recharge the batteries. The take-off and landing assist power comes from electric motors with a highly redundant system architecture for a higher level of safety and quieter operations." 

Airplanista: Your site says "TF-X™ vehicles will be capable of automatically avoiding other air traffic, bad weather, and restricted and tower-controlled airspace." Can you elaborate in how this vehicle will automatically avoid other traffic and accomplish these mighty tasks?

Dietrich: "This capability is key to making operating the TF-X™ simple and safe with a low barrier to entry. There are new air traffic control technologies coming online, coupled with navigation and control technologies that already exist today, will allow the TF-X™ to be an "intelligent" partner in operating the vehicle."

Airplanista: Your site says "to safely operate a TF-X™ vehicle should take an average driver no more than five hours, but that "Operators who wish to operate in tower controlled airspace (Class B, C, or D) can get additional training." You mention "Licensed TF-X™ operators" so please elaborate on these licenses and training. Are these to fall within current FAA license frameworks, training and restrictions, or do you foresee some sort of additional license or training specific to TF-X™?

Dietrich: "TF-X™ will in many ways be a completely new approach to flight. As such, it will require a fresh regulatory perspective in many areas. We are currently talking with members of the FAA about how best to approach this and other issues. We have been impressed with their willingness to consider new technologies and are looking forward to working with them to craft a mutually acceptable solution set for the TF-X™.  We do not anticipate using the existing pilot categories at this time."

Airplanista: With "Normal TF-X™ operations" conducted only in non-tower controlled airspace (Class E and G) and on the ground, are you afraid pilots will see this as a negative? And how will this airspace restriction effect operators in large cities which sit mostly under B, C or D airspace?

Dietrich: "There's no reason why an operator couldn't receive additional training and use their TF-X™ in B, C or D airspace, but we don't anticipate that this will be necessary for most owners as without the restriction of needing a runway, a lot of uncontrolled and very underutilized airspace becomes quite useful."

Airplanista: With TF-X™ able to takeoff vertically from a level clearing of at least 100ft in diameter, what is your plan for creating these landing zones in large cities? Will there be dedicated areas that are to be used only for TF-X ops, or like the electric car industry building our their charging station networks, will Terrafugia be investing in land and property to create infrastructure for these LZs?

Dietrich: "One of the most exciting things about creating a disruptive technology is seeing how it will change our daily lives and what support industries it will inspire. Look around -- where would you want to land your TF-X™?"

Airplanista: Let's jump out to 2025. Your TF-X™ has been a mega-hit, and hundreds of thousands have been sold. How exactly to you propose these vehicles will avoid each other...who provides separation services...ATC, ADS-B or the operators through see-and-avoid?

Dietrich: "The groundwork is in place for the vehicles to separate themselves."

Airplanista: Since Transition has yet to be certified or delivered, are you at all concerned that the public will see your work developing TF-X™ as a departure from your promise to deliver the Transition? Have their been any internal discussions to determine if TF-X™ will be a distraction from the current Transition goals?

Dietrich: "The Transition is a proof of process for the TF-X™. It is integral to our long-term vision for getting humanity off the ground and we are committed to making it a success for our customers, our stakeholders, and the aviation industry at large. So far the public reaction has been very positive; people seem to be excited to see how Terrafugia will help them do what our name means - "escape the earth".

Learn more about the TF-X™here.

Week One of "Blogging in Formation" was a GREAT Collaborative Effort

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

Last week, I participated in an awesome new aviation blog series called "Blogging in Formation," six bloggers, one topic, all week. The project was initiated by Brent Owens of iFlyblog.com, and while simple in design, the formation blogging concept was nothing short of brilliant.

These days, it is pretty obvious to everyone reading Airplanista that we all need to step up and do something extra to promote aviation. For the six "Formation Bloggers," that extra effort means using our writing skills to band together and see if we can cross-promote ourselves enough to get noticed and cause a little blogging ruckus on the Interwebs.

What is so great about this formation blogging concept is the ease by which we six bloggers can shake things up by using the normal social channels we have available. On the days when we are not the featured blogger, we were tweeting on Twitter, posting on Facebook, squawking on Flightaware and submitting to Reddit. That means when one formation blogger is featured, he or she gets five times the buzz. It is a true collaborative win, a home run for those of us who live in a digital world where it is quite possible to make our stories go somewhat viral with the click of a mouse and a bit of luck.

If you somehow missed the other five Blogging in Formation pieces from this last week (mine is here), here's a link and excerpt from each of them...enjoy:

The first writer was Karlene Petitt, who blogs frequently at her "Flight to Success" blog. Here's an excerpt of this must-read piece:

"42 years ago I was sitting on my bedroom floor playing the game Careers with my girlfriends. This was a game where we spun the wheel to land on the career of our choice. Yes... we could become a stewardess, librarian, teacher, nurse, or model! A stewardess was the career of the times. And as luck would have it, all my friends landed on the magic spot securing the job of their dreams. Not me. As hard as I spun that wheel I could not fall on the Stewardess spot."

I proclaimed, "I don't care if I can't land on that spot. I don't want to be a Stewardess anyway. I'm going to be the pilot!"
My friend said, "You can't be a pilot."
"Why not?"
"You're a girl. My Dad's a pilot, and girls can't be pilots."
"Yes they can!"
"No they can't."
"I can!"
"No you can't. You're a girl."

 And since Karlene is a professional airline pilot type-rated in about everything big and heavy flying internationally, it's a great story to see how she ended up in that left seat.

Cap'n Aux

If you're not reading Eric Auxier's "Adventures of Cap'n Aux" blog, you should be, as he was the second formation blogger to tell his story last week, and his blog has a kind of edge to it, a bit off-center, full of life, a spunky, well-written romp. Here's a taste:

"Ask any pilot how they started flying, and you will hear a love story. From age 5, I dreamed of flying. Scanned the skies. Built model airplanes.  Along with my buddy Alan, doodled WWII dogfights during math class. Thrilled at the occasional trip to the airport, and practically peed my pants to actually fly. To this day, I remember verbatim the conversation I had—at age 8—with the Hughes Airwest pilots in the magical cockpit of their Boeing 737."

A young Ron Rapp at the controls of a TWA 727

Ron Rapp writes the mature and very good House of Rapp Blog, and as one of the six "Blogging in Formation" writers, his first formation post was great. Blame this ticket on the Blue Awnings...

"It was 1998. I was driving down the street one day on the east side of John Wayne Airport for a reason I cannot recall (except to say it had absolutely nothing to do with aviation), and noticed a series of sky-blue awnings that said ‘Flight Training’. Sometime between where the awning started and where it ended, I made the decision that yes, I was going to do that. Not “that looks interesting” or “maybe I’ll check into it”. No, whatever clicked in my brain that day, by the time the car traveled the next hundred feet, it was a foregone conclusion that flying was the new focus."

Andrew Hartley of SmartFlightTraining.com added this last week as a "Formation" blogger, and it was a must-read:

"My dad passed away two years or so after the crash. He had a massive heart attack due to a blood clot, probably latent and caused by his injuries from the crash. He was 45. I was not quite 14. Needless to say, my mom was less than happy when I decided to pursue aviation as a career – I graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2000 with a B.S. in Aviation Management.  It was Mom, however, who re-sparked my passion for flight when arranged for me to fly with her boss’s husband.  He owned a homebuilt aircraft – I don’t even remember what kind – but as soon as the throttle went full for takeoff, I knew that my passion and love for aviation was still there. I got my Private Pilot Certificate in 1999 at Ann Arbor airport."

Brent Owen's RV-8, with his "day job" ship
a Falcon 2000 in the background

Brent Owens of the IFlyBlog.com wanted to be an astronaut. He ended up flying corporate jets. His contribution to the "Blogging in Formation" series last week was well worth a look.

"That proved to be a lesson in life. If we would have just hung around we would have most likely been able to sweep floors and wash airplanes for an occasional lesson or two. I guess we thought if we weren’t paying customers we couldn’t go onto the property. A couple of years later we did muster up the courage to ask if we could barter for lessons, which is how we got all of our primary training."

As upperclassmen in High School it was awesome training and getting our licenses  - we thought we were studs! I didn’t end up flying airliners, I fly corporate jets. And I didn’t end up with a Pitts Special, rather I have an RV-8 that I built. I guess my crystal ball was just a tad off. If you have seen my RV you’ll recognize that it’s my defacto fighter that I dreamed about in my youth."

This series will continue during the first week of each month, with the same six bloggers writing about the same topic. I really enjoyed reading them all, one each day, and as the week progressed, I found myself anticipating the next "formation" blog post. So look for the official series hashtag #blogformation on Twitter the first week of June as these bloggers will surely deliver more great content.

Blogging in Formation: How I was Brought Into Flying? Blame it on The Darts

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

I can remember those days as clear now as if they happened yesterday...the period of time when my love of aviation went from ember to tiny spark to glowing flame before advancing to where it is today, a full-on uncontrollable wildfire.

It was around my 10th year on this planet - that would have been 1966 - and I had finally earned the trust of my parents to be allowed to ride my Schwinn Sting Ray bike (yes it DID have those cool Ape-Hanger handlebars and a "Banana" seat) over to the Fresno Air Terminal. It was about a five-mile ride, and even in the scorching heat of a Central California summer day, my buddies and I could make the trip in what seemed like minutes. It was like this:

Racing along in 110 degree heat on a one-speed fixie was no problem, because at the end of the ride over to "FAT" was a fence. And on the other side of that fence...were airplanes. Big twin propeller-driven airplanes, sleek and modern jet airplanes, tiny little private airplanes, and the ultimate prize, the completely awesome California Air National Guard Convair F-106 "Delta Dart" interceptors. And the day one of those ANG Jet Jockeys rocked his wings coming over the fence where a group of young impressionable kids were literally "hanging out" was the precise moment when I knew I would someday fly.

"Papa Louie" Pimentel
as a rookie Fresno P.D. Officer

When I would get home, I'd spend a crazy number of hours in the garage listening to an old Zenith All-Band radio my father, Papa Louie, had kept in the family for generations. He used it to dink around the garage listening to country on KMAK 1340AM. But as soon as dad left the building, I would rush to that big round dial and swing the needle right back to the section labeled "Aviation" and listen for airplanes departing FAT right over my house.

That Old Radio has quite a story to tell - download my AOPA Pilot article about it here (PDF).  It sparked my dad's love of aviation when he was a young man living in San Francisco. During WWII, it was a daily thing for the Pimentel family to listen to military air traffic coming and going at Naval Air Station Alameda. If you know your aviation history, NAS Alameda was where 16 B-25 aircraft that would take part in the Doolittle Raid on Japan were loaded aboard the USS Hornet in April 1942. From what I was told, that old tube radio could easily pull in signals from airplanes returning from the war, burning the last few gallons of fuel as they called for landing after a long water crossing.

Fast-forward to 1991, when my dad, with 26.2 hours in his general aviation logbook, passed away unexpectedly of a stroke. He had wanted to fly all his life, but family finances and career always got in the way. He never got to solo, but now he gets to have coffee with Lindbergh and Doolittle each morning.

I fell into the same situation with finances after marrying my lovely wife Julie and her two sons in 1987. There was always something that kept me from that left seat, and while I made my obligations as a family man, I secretly yearned to somehow learn to fly. And in 1996, my life changed forever:

It was February, 1996, the month something big changed in my life. Through personal reflection and serious enlightenment from others, my stars became aligned and I was able to get my head in the game, focus on the prize, and start taking flying lessons. I dedicating all of my training to Papa Louie, who I know was laughing as I bounced those first few landings. And in September, 1996, I earned my Private Pilot License, which to this day remains my most prized possession.

From '96 when I first earned this privilege to today, my passion for aviation has only grown stronger. As an airplane owner, I get to actually drive 7NM to the airport, open my hangar and see my family's personal flying machine, ready and waiting to take me aloft. As a full-blown and proud "Airplanista," everything I do has some relationship to airplanes, aviation, flying or pilots. If I am at a party and someone else mentions they are a pilot, my wife knows what happens next. As is the case any time I meet another fellow aviator, I'm soon drifting off into an endless conversation about my favorite topic. Oblivious to the world around me, I'm soon lost in tales of lift, performance and drag, high wing versus low, and of course, where the perfect $100 hamburger can be found.

We pilots are all alike. We dream of flying as kids, never miss a chance to stare intently as any airplane flies off to the horizon, and we struggle to cobble together the funds to hire a CFI and earn that ticket. But when we are handed that slip of paper signed by a FAA Designated Examiner saying we can legally poke holes in the sky with our magical flying carpets, our lives change immensely. We'll never again be tethered to the crust of this planet, forced to limp through traffic at 0' AGL. As a pilot, we literally become free as a bird...that is if birds had to deal with ATC, currency and regulations.

Would I do anything different? Yes. I would have earned my ticket as a young man, and pursued a career as a professional pilot, and today would have nine years left in a career that by now would have placed a serious amount of gold braids on my epaulets as I guided a large Boeing product - O.K., maybe even an Airbus - through the sky from the left seat.

If you are reading this and are not yet a pilot, go do it before you can't. Sell the extra car, work a second job, even take out a second mortgage...just do not wait a second longer to start your quest to get your ticket. Because you never, ever know what life has in store for you.

Just ask Papa Louie.

Blogging in Formation: Aviation Social Media Seems to be Reaching 'Critical Mass'

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Blog Editor

As our aviation family faces more and more threats from all directions, it feels to me like an increasing number of Airplanistas are turning to social media as the vehicle to elevate the discussion about these issues. Whether it's blogging, Facebook, or my personal favorite social platform, Twitter, I'm seeing more pilots using their writing skills to "talk" to fellow aviators and push aviation forward.

On Twitter, the conversation is lively, with new names showing up every day to embrace this fast-paced, real-time worldwide chat room. On Facebook, my stream is filled with new friends who are passionate about giving back to a community of aviators any way they can. On both of these platforms, we learn every day how so many in aviation are stepping it up, turning their passion for flight into aggressive interactions that keeps more of us on the same page as we work towards a brighter GA future.

But the one place I see huge movement forward is in the number of bloggers that are producing exceptional content to tantalize, educate and bond this community. When you read the definition of "Critical Mass" it does feel like the aviation family is approaching that threshold:

"In social dynamics, critical mass is a sufficient number of adopters of an innovation in a social system so that the rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining and creates further growth. Social factors influencing critical mass may involve the size, interrelatedness and level of communication in a society or one of its subcultures. Another is social stigma, or the possibility of public advocacy due to such a factor."

One of the bloggers out there making it happen with his blog is Brent Owens, who came up with the idea of this six-blogger series. Each week, six seasoned bloggers will all write about a single topic, with a different blogger's post publishing each day Monday through Saturday. It is a brilliant concept because while one blogger's work is posted on a particular day, the other five will be out there on social media promoting that post and the series as a whole. So the chance for increased overall buzz is very real. Once I happily accepted Owens' invitation to join, I put on my aviation marketing hat and came up with the name..."Blogging in Formation."

When you start looking at this collection of aviation bloggers and the content they produce, it really is a talent pool that makes Owen's concept that much more rewarding. Here's my $.02 cents worth on each blog:

Brent Owens - iFLYblog
Brent is a Falcon 2000 Captain, an aircraft builder and is active in EAA. According to his bio, he's been exposed to flying over 40 types of aircraft from ultralights to corporate jets, and has just under 10,000 hours of flight time. He created iFLYblog.com "to promote, educate, and share this great gift of flight that we all enjoy!" And it doesn’t matter what we fly, because in Owens' world, we are a brotherhood. There is a long list of airplanes he's flown found here. He's completed and currently flies an RV-8 kit aircraft, and is the Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor for the Experimental Aircraft Association and Vice President of our local chapter – EAA Chapter 9. His blog is very slick, a mature, well-written work that presents well with outstanding graphics and typography. It is always worth a visit.

Karlene Petitt - Flight to Success
Karlene's blog chronicles her life as she performs a tricky balancing act between being a mother of three daughters, a grandmother of six kids, a published novelist and an international pilot for a major scheduled carrier. She's flown for eight airlines, has seven type ratings, and holds two Masters Degrees. Petitt is one of the hardest-working aviation writers out there today, her blog is always fresh and readable. Her "Friday's Fabulous Flyer" series is always enjoyable, and her novel, Flight for Control, is available here.

Eric Auxier - Adventures of Cap’n Aux
Eric is a Phoenix-based Captain for a major airline who can "order a drink in ten languages" and his blog is a treasure trove of information that any #Avgeek would love. He answers reader's questions in incredible detail, and if you've ever been curious about what it takes to fly big airliners, this is a blog you will bookmark. He is also a former Alaska Bush Pilot, and his novel The Last Bush Pilots was a finalist for Amazon's "Breakthrough Novel" of 2013. Of note is that he donates all the proceeds from his novels to charities.

Ron Rapp - House of Rapp
To say Ron's "House of Rapp" blog is mature would be a gross understatement. Says Rapp: "The House of Rapp was one of the first substantial personal web sites on the World Wide Web. The first iteration went live in early 1995 when I opened an account with a small ISP. I believe I was one of their very first customers. Actually, the history goes back even further than that. I ran a BBS called Moving & Shaking (Fidonet node 1:103/940) when I was in college. That started during my freshman year at Concordia University in 1989, and it was connected to Usenet newsgroups at that time. The Web didn’t even exist yet, but I was out there, making a mockery of something or other. Probably myself."  Rapp's blog follows his travels flying the Gulfstream IV jet for Pegasus Elite Aviation and his busy flight instructor life teaching tailwheel, aerobatic, glass panel, experimental, and formation flight training. This blog is absolutely worth a visit, in only for it's massive archive dating back to 1997.

Dan Pimentel - Airplanista Aviation Blog
If you are here reading this right now, you most likely already know about my blog. I created the term "Airplanista" to represent anyone who has devoted their lives to aviation, and work tirelessly to push aviation forward. Airplanista's tagline of "Sometimes serious. Sometimes humorous. Always unpredictable." means you never really know what to expect on the blog. As the President and Art Director of an aviation ad agency and creative studio, I stay very busy within the advertising and marketing realm. Writing the Airplanista blog is my escape...and since I have been a published writer through parts of five decades beginning in 1979, "blogging" is a perfectly natural way of expressing myself and celebrating all that is great about what I call the "aviation family." When I'm not writing or designing ad campaigns, I fly my family's 1964 Piper Cherokee 235 or can be found hiking around Western Oregon in a constant search for waterfalls and old growth Douglas Firs. The Airplanista Blog is also hosting the #Oshbash Awards at a meetup event during the upcoming EAA Airventure Oshkosh.

Andrew Hartley - Smart Flight Training
Andrew's blog delivers precisely what the name suggests...information about smart flight training. Categories include Aircraft, Aviation Terminology, CFI Training, Instrument Training, News & Opinion, Regulations and Weather, along with pinpoint data about earning all levels of pilot's licenses.