Trinkets, Tokens, Memories, and Dreams…

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Little things motivate us in aviation sometimes. Sometimes they motivate us to stay engaged when we might not otherwise do so. It is these little things that sometimes keep people from giving up on dreams, leaving a reminder for us that our love for aviation needs kindling, or just giving us the little bit of extra motivation to go back out to the airport one more day.

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine was helping a family of a friend who had passed away of the ripe old age of 94 clean through his home. Among the many things they found, was a coin he had saved for an unknown number of years. The coin was a promotional coin from Piper intended to get someone to take a first flight lesson. Continue reading →

United States – Former Pilot Training Provider to the World?

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The United States has been the world leader in training pilots for many years, but the words “has been” might be more applicable in the near future than we might desire. As airlines expand in international markets, a strong desire to employ domestically trained and resident pilots is spurring growth of in-country training infrastructure outside the United States. This is going to have an effect on the amount of training that is conducted in the United States for non-US citizens over the upcoming decades along with providing opportunities overseas for skilled training providers or instructors seeking to help develop infrastructure outside the United States. Some are already taking advantage of this opportunity. More should consider doing so. Continue reading →

Two Pilot Training Paths – Professional Pilots and Pleasure and Business Pilots

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In our first century of aviation, many professional pilots got their training at local airports. A few went away to “schools” that offered promise of jobs and career prospects, and during times of war, many were trained in the military, but overall most learned at local airports. I don’t think this will hold true in our second century of aviation. The paths to career and personal flying are diverging, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does have effects. Continue reading →

Wanted: The Perfect Training Airplane for the Next 50 Years

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The last twenty years or so aviation training has seen aircraft used that, well, worked. They haven’t been ideal. We have used old airplanes, airplanes that cost a lot, airplanes that are too big, and in some cases aircraft that are too complicated. But we have had to use what we have.

These old airplanes such as Cessna 150s and 152s, old Cessna 172s, Piper Warriors, and a number of others are wearing out. They are getting old and they aren’t going to last for another generation. Which means we need to come up with some aircraft that will meet these needs.

In my last couple of posts I have poked at the problems, and I believe if you are going to poke a problem, you should propose a solution or shut up. I propose that we develop an airplane that will meet the needs of the training industry (not just in the United States, but around the world) and give us the equipment that will allow us to train the next generation of pilots. Continue reading →