When Things Go Bump In The Night  Howard Deevers  Is it true that when you are flying at night your airplane makes strange noises? When in IMC you hear things that you didn’t hear only a few minutes ago when in the clear. The airplane is probably just fine, but our senses are in a higher state, so we do think we hear things that we didn’t...  Read more...When Things Go Bump in the Night

Winter Flying  Howard Deevers  The Private Pilot check ride is the final glorious moment in our basic training. You have just finished your check ride, and the examiner hands you your Temporary Certificate. Wow! What a feeling! Now I can take my family members or friends for a flight and demonstrate my newly acquired skills and knowledge. I am a Pilot!...  Read more...After the Check Ride

Winter Flying  Howard Deevers  While Arizona was enjoying exceptional flying weather in January, much of the rest of the country was experiencing harsh winter conditions. We saw sub-zero temperatures, snow, ice, and the "windchill" we all hate. My nephew, John, has come from Minneapolis to Tucson several times for a week of relief from the cold....  Read more...Winter Flying

Looking Both Ways  Howard Deevers  Do you make New Year Resolutions? Almost all of us do, but many of us fail to follow through. The usual resolutions, such as losing a few pounds, eating healthier, exercising more, earning a new rating, or attending more safety seminars, may not materialize, even though we have the best of intentions. But the...  Read more...Looking Both Ways

Thank you card from Girl Scout Troop No. 275    During our Pleasant Valley Fly-in, Recreation staff Gary Lollman found Girl Scout Troop No 275 camped out a mile or two up the road and managed to get them and their leaders over to the airport for their very first airplane rides! Man, what a blessing it was to share aviation with these Girl Scouts and what a...  Read more...Thank you card from Girl Scout Troop No. 275

Understanding Airports  Howard Deevers  Airports are as important to pilots as highways are to drivers. We need places to land, to keep our airplanes, and to get services. Preferably the airport would be near a city or a location that we would like to visit, just as roads and highways will lead to places we need, or want, to go. The bigger the city, the...  Read more...Understanding Airports

Teaching the Teachers  Howard Deevers  Learning to fly was wonderful, getting an Instrument Rating was stressful, training for the Commercial Pilot’s License was eye opening, and then my instructor/mentor suggested that I become an instructor. This had not been my goal in aviation, but he kept encouraging me to do so. His comment was, “If you...  Read more...Teaching the Teachers

Dear Pilots,  Well, how did your morning end? Mine? Not so well.  I was on left downwind for runway six left at KRYN, after having performed a requested left 360 to allow traffic to clear. I received the transmission - N966EZ cleared to land on runway six left, following a Cessna on final. I had not yet turned left base when I looked up and saw the underbelly of...  Read more...KRYN Mid-Air Collision Letter by Marc

Desert Flyers  by Cathy Paradee  The Scottsdale Breakfast Club has been putting together interesting monthly events for the past 23 years. Every November, the committee has met to put together an itinerary for the following year. The most recent committee members have been Austin Erwin, Paul Fortune, and Richard Azimov, all faithfully led by Warren...  Read more...Desert Flyers

High in Desert Skies: Tucson's Red-Letter Day  by William Kalt  Blueish-gray smoke billows from large metal drums surrounding Tucson’s newly prepared landing grounds for airplanes in early December 1918. A small crew of men and animals works applying the finishing touches on the clearing, grading, and leveling of land east of the road from...  Read more...High in Desert Skies: Tucson’s Red-Letter Day