The Flying Heritage Collection

Located in a 51,000 square foot hangar at the southeast corner of Paine Field in Everett, Washington State, the Flying Heritage Collection offers visitors the opportunity to view an extraordinary collection of historic aircraft. Privately owned by American billionaire and philanthropist, Paul Gardner Allen, the collection highlights an era of great advances in aviation during the 1930s and 1940s and includes combat aircraft from World War II – a time when the boundaries of technology were pushed with a sense of urgency in a battle for dominance of the skies.

It’s Healthier to Fly than Drive

I don’t like to write about airplane crashes. For one thing, they’re depressing. I also don’t like to write about them because too many people out there are already afraid of flying, and I don’t want to add to their anxiety. Flying, in my opinion, is one of the most fun things you can do. Another reason I don’t write about plane crashes is because dying in one is much less likely to happen than dying in a car crash, so again, why alarm people?

Learning to Fly

So much of our American culture revolves around flying – think of all the songs that mention it and the sayings we use– “Fly like the wind,” or “Go fly a kite”. But what if you want to actually learn to fly? How hard is it to get a pilot’s license? The answer mostly depends on how much money and effort you’re willing and able to put into it. There might be other obstacles to overcome as well. I came into flying later in life, well after my youthful fearlessness had worn off. That meant I had to overcome two fears of mine – dying and emptying my wallet.

Flying Solo for the First Time

I was terrified to take my first solo flight a few years ago. Sure, I worried about my personal safety, but mostly I was afraid of embarrassing myself. What if I bent the airplane? I thought of all the students before me who had managed to keep it in one piece. Leave it to me to make the Big Mistake. Death would have almost been preferable.

Mountain Flying

Mountain flying offers the opportunity to see some spectacular scenery, but it also presents the pilot with additional challenges. They include the possibility of increased turbulence, limited or non-existent emergency landing locations, boxed-in and narrow canyons. And just like when you’re hiking in the mountains, help may be far away or impossible to reach. For all these reasons, it’s essential to learn proper mountain flying techniques before you even take off from the airport.

Airplanes: Floatplane Season

My favorite time of the year is floatplane season. It’s when a handful of my neighbors land and take off several times a day on the river behind my Yukon cabin. They fly homebuilt aircraft as well as classics like the Piper Super Cub and Cessna 182. I’m often at the big picture window with my binoculars announcing to no one in particular, “That’s the outfitter again, coming in to load up another group of fisherman.” Or, “Must be 15 knots out there. Look at him– he’s on the step already!”

Spring Flying Begins in the Far North – Airplanes

I live at a latitude that’s north of 60 degrees. Winter held its grip on us even longer this year than usual. It’s only been in the last few weeks that the ice has melted on the lakes. Several times a day now I watch float planes pass overhead. Many of them are seasoned bush pilots who make a hard living hauling people and supplies into and out of various camps. Others are simply pilots who live for those moments of flying.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Fly Drunk

This week, a judge sentenced the 21-year old student pilot who stole an airplane while on a drinking binge to one year in prison. The man had stolen the Cessna 172 from a flight school and flown it from Connecticut to New York with two 16-year olds as his passengers.