Author Archives: Colin Summers

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About Colin Summers

I am an architect, programmer, private pilot, husband and father. A couple of those I am good at.

Approach to Minimums

Friday was a gorgeous day in the middle. There was a fog bank that hovered off of the shore for the whole day and occasionally drifted inland for half a mile, but it was warm and clear above the fog. … Continue reading

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Death, Taxes, and Trying to Avoid

Well, there’s no way around it. Some of the services I use when I am flying are provided by the Federal Government. The government appears to be controlled these days by larger interests than just the common citizen, so the … Continue reading

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Angels

Jaime O. was unlucky. He was born with trouble with his small bowel and liver. But he was lucky, he was born in the state of California, so the state will help him. He’s on a list to get a … Continue reading

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Niece and Nephews Aloft

On February 15th, a Thursday, I flew my newest niece (Eleanor Electra Lehman) up to Santa Barbara so that she could have lunch with her dad (Sharalyn, her mom, rode in back with her). Ellie is already a veteran of … Continue reading

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In-law Charter

Would you fly with this man? My father-in-law, Mel, and his wife, Lilla, were in town for the month of January and wanted to spend a couple days in the Bay area. I offered to fly them up and, even … Continue reading

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The Virtual World in the Sky

Most of what thrills me about being up in a plane is visual. There’s a perspective, which I often have in my mind when I am on the ground, that I finally get to see in reality when I fly. … Continue reading

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You Sleep While I Fly

When I was small, younger than five, my family went to my grandparents’ house for dinner every Sunday evening. In the autumn and winter months, even though it was an early evening meal, we drove home in the dark.

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Traffic Cop

The proper way to manage risks is to look at the larger risks and eliminate those first. Eventually, you get far enough down the list that you get to negligible risks. That is not the way typical Americans handle risks. … Continue reading

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Ticket to Learn

Yesterday I was in the family room while the boys were finishing up their reading before lights out. I had my laptop open and a soft voice was droning along. I struggled to remain focused. Nell walked by and said, … Continue reading

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A Dream

The night I returned from Las Vegas I had a dream about flying. I woke up from it sad (it was like that). It took me a while to fall back to sleep and while lying there I remembered the … Continue reading

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