When I came of age, I was only nineteen. The federal government bullied the states into raising the drinking age to 21. Fortunately, for me, I slid under the grandfather wire. Turning nineteen didn’t mean that I instantly became a…
Ice, Ice, Baby
Tag: flight school
Lazy Pilot is a Good Pilot
When I first attempted driving, I was surprised how difficult it was to maintain speed. It was my grandmother who finally imparted her wisdom. “Ease up on the accelerator before you get to the speed you want.” She said, probably…
Seat of Your Pants
I am what you would call a seat of the pants pilot. What does that mean? It means that you feel, more than you see what the aircraft is doing. This phenomenon can translate to any type of vehicle, such…
Big Ass Elk
In the post, 50 Feet, 90 Knots, I suggest that my relationship with my instructor was a good one. We spoke the same language, both smoked, and he appreciated my flying skills along with my deep respect for safety. He…
Hovering II
In a couple of other stories about flight school, I brag about how I could hover a TH-55 so well, that you would think it was sitting on a pedestal. I loved hovering, and took great pride in keeping the…
Fifty Feet, 90 Knots!
One of the best parts of flying an Army helicopter was that almost all flying was done fifty feet above the highest obstacle. For the vast majority of my flying in Ft. Rucker, Alabama, I was cruising at 90 knots,…
Out of Ground Effect
I don’t remember exactly when I fell in love with the prospect of flying. I didn’t know any pilots growing up. My first stepfather worked for the now long defunct airline Braniff, and because of that, there was some trips…
Life is Fragile
My dream of being a writer has had its fits and starts. When I all but finished my first book, I wrote a couple more short stories, and then didn’t write a word for ten years. I was done with…
Hovering
The greatest part about flying a helicopter is hovering. Okay, maybe flying NoE (Nap of Earth), but you can’t really do that in a civilian aircraft. We also didn’t do that kind of flying until we got into advance tactics…
First Flight
Myself, and a fellow helicopter pilot want to be, was sitting in a little restaurant outside the Daleville gates of Ft. Rucker, AL. I would bet I wasn’t a resident of that Fort more than three days at this point.…