Category Archives: Just Words

Maybe a little too much writing, right?

AOG

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Colin Summers

AOG. Dreaded triad of the alphabet for pilots. Airplane On Ground. Almost always due to a maintenance issue. Last night was our second night spent in Albuquerque. People I spoke to about being stuck at ABQ all said, “Oh, I … Continue reading →

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Mag Check

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Colin Summers

The engine in a piston-powered airplane is not like the engine in your automobile. It is much more primitive. Until fairly recently they still had carburetors. In fact, when you rent planes you are sometimes climbing into a thirty year … Continue reading →

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Cross the Whole Country

Posted on July 28, 2007 by Colin Summers

On Tuesday morning at 0800 Adam and I will leave Santa Monica Airport for Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster, Maryland. (Nell and the boys will follow on JetBlue, arriving in Boston on Saturday morning. Then we’ll be able to … Continue reading →

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Silly Little Improvement

Posted on July 23, 2007 by Colin Summers

So I have these cute little yellow chocks. They are steel, perforated with large holes to keep the weight down, and low profile. The wheel pants on the Diamondstar come down closer to the tarmac than most wheel pants. That … Continue reading →

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My Least Favorite Radio Mistake

Posted on June 11, 2007 by Colin Summers

Okay, maybe that’s not fair. Maybe I hate them all. But I particularly dislike making the mistake I made today. The radio tunes to different frequencies. There’s a knob you twist to set the frequency and then a button (the … Continue reading →

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Return to Field

Posted on June 10, 2007 by Colin Summers

So the rule I follow is that if maintenance has been done on the plane I make the first flight alone and I stay over the field for at least fifteen minutes. That way, if something goes wrong I can … Continue reading →

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Letter to Pilot

Posted on March 21, 2007 by Colin Summers

Occasionally I get a note from another pilot asking about my flying, my training, the plane, or the airport. Usually the advice is too specific for general readers, but my reply to this one was long enough that it was … Continue reading →

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Approach to Minimums

Posted on March 19, 2007 by Colin Summers

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

Posted on March 4, 2007 by Colin Summers

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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In-law Charter

Posted on February 23, 2007 by Colin Summers

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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