Category: Flying

It started when RNews called me after some guy crashed near the airport. Evidently they got my name from the Rochester Flying Club web site. I tried very hard to say positive things about aviation and not to speculate on what the guy might have done wrong, and I figured they’d probably hate me.

Then they called me after Bill Law crashed and died. I did the same thing – except for the fact that I heard about his death from the RNews reporter, which is pretty shocking, and because I knew and liked Bill I could say more about what a great guy he was and how important he was to aviation in Rochester.

Well, it’s continuing on. Today I got a call from a local reporter who wanted to know if I’m following Steve Fossett in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer. I told him that I’ve been watching the
Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer : Flight Tracker for every waking hour since before he took off until now. He asked me some background stuff, and asked me if I’d like to be doing what Fossett is doing. I said I wouldn’t mind being able to spend all my time doing aviation adventures, but I don’t think I’d want to spend 80 hours in a noisy cockpit. He then said that if Steve makes it they’ll probably want some reactions from local pilots.

Ok, I guess I’m up to 10 minutes of fame.

I’m posting this mostly for Tina Marie’s benefit, since her checkride just got postponed.
Continue reading “My first checkride”

I don’t know why, but I very suddenly have been hit with a strong desire to go to EAA Airventure 2005 (yes, I wrote 2004 the first time, sue me), or “Oshkosh” as everybody who has ever been calls it. I can think of very little else these days. I looked at the club’s schedule, and sure enough 3 planes are already booked for that week, but the Lance wasn’t. So I’ve booked the Lance for just sort of “on spec”, but I will be looking for others to go with me. Or I might decide no to fly myself and go in the “airlift” – the local EAA chapter charters an airliner and one fee gets you the flights there and back, and dorm accomodation.
Continue reading “Oshkosh, b’gosh”

Last night’s commercial flight from Chicago to Rochester, there were a few strange things:

• When they said we were over Buffalo, I looked out the window and I swear we were only about 8,000 feet up. I didn’t know jets got such gradual descents.
• A few seconds before landing, we did a fairly abrupt left turn, about 30 degrees. It looked like it was well inside the outer marker, so I don’t think it was a turn to join the ILS. We landed on 4 and it seemed like we got to the 10-28 runway crossing pretty quickly. I wonder if they accidentally lined up on 7 and realized the mistake and turned to 4 as they crossed it? I hope not, because that would lose them about 3,000 feet of landing room.
• And as I mentioned earlier, our baggage went missing. It showed up about 9:30 this morning. The agent in Rochester mentioned that over 10 bags missed the flight. Since there were two later direct flights, I’m not sure why our bags didn’t arrive later that night though.

I hate flying commercial.