Flight simulator

Flying Expo 2015

Palm Springs, California. Under partly cloudy skies on Friday morning, October 15, 2015, I attended the 2nd annual Flying Magazine Expo. While it was ok overall, the attendance seemed smaller this year, and the number of exhibitors was down, as well. There were fewer than 100 exhibitors. Some of the biggest players in the industry were not there, including Textron (Beechcraft/Cessna), King Schools, and Piper, to name three.

Plane display at Flying Expo 2015The speaker line-up was generally good, but again some of the big names in the business were not there. In the morning I attended two, one-hour seminars. Both were excellent. The first addressed ‘The Fundamentals of Flight Control Maximum Confidence/Minimum Workload”, which was all about basic flying skills (pitch & power) and aircraft control. The second was “iPad Basics”, and covered the gamut of the many operational considerations when using an iPad. In the afternoon, I attended a one-hour presentation on thunderstorm hazards, presented by a meteorologist from Jeppesen, which was very interesting.

Checking out the aircraft on display outside the convention center, there seemed to be fewer on display this year. Of course, with Textron being absent, Beechcraft and Cessna were not there displaying any aircraft.

This event is really a ‘mini’ expo, and runs Thursday through Saturday afternoon. It is a regional affair. Many of the exhibitors have a smaller display for this show, as a result. It was worth attending, for one day, for myself, but not for all of it. I will have to see what happens with this next year, before deciding whether to attend again.

AOPA’s You Can Fly Program’ and Yellowbird

It was great to see Kay Sundaram last week. She made the trip to Long Beach Airport to meet with our fabulous AOPA volunteers and FAA Safety Team representatives. AOPA is the largest aviation association in the world. It has been protecting your freedom to fly for 75 years.

To further our Advanced Pilot Training programs we discussed #‎YouCanFly and ways to bring down cost of flight training.

No surprise that I fell in love with the Reimagined Aircraft, aka Yellowbird! ‪#‎FlywithAOPA

 

 

 

Flying Circus photos at Falbob airport

Annual ‘Flying Circus’

On Saturday, June 6, 2015, I flew myself and 3 friends to Flabob Airport (KRIR), which is a privately owned airport located in Riverside, California, 38 NM east of Long Beach, as the crow flies. The occasion was the 3rd annual ‘Flying Circus’, which is really an open house, and many antique and vintage aircraft were on display.

This is not an airshow. There are some ‘unofficial’ low fly-bys’, and the traffic pattern was full most of the morning with a variety of aircraft. Officially, all of the aircraft are on ‘static display’. The airports ‘diner’, Flabob Café had a steady flow of diners’ as there was a really good turnout for this. Also, EAA Chapter 1, which calls Flabob Airport home, also hosted its’ own pancake breakfast for the occasion.

It was a fun morning spent with the camaraderie of fellow aviators, as well as being a brief step back to the roots of aviation…as many of the aircraft on display were built during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

john Mahany aerial photo above 15/91 interchange

Flying to Breakfast

On Saturday morning, May 23, 2015, I flew to the Riverside, CA, airport (KRAL) for breakfast in my Cessna 180, with several other friends, who also have airplanes based at Long Beach, CA. (KLGB). It is a short, 20 minute flight east of Long Beach.

On this particular Saturday morning, the weather was marginal VFR, with ceilings 2,500’ to 3,500’ and visibilities were typically 5 miles or greater. This photo was taken at about 2,000’ as I was just northeast of the 15/91 interchange. It was a smooth ride with little turbulence, as might be expected under these conditions.

Breakfast at Dee’s Restaurant was good…as was the camaraderie. A good time was had by all.

Photos from planes of fame air museum airshow 2015

Planes of Fame Air Museum – 2015

During the first weekend in May, 2015, the Planes of Fame Air Museum, in Chino, California, held its’ annual airshow. This year the crowd was estimated at 30,000 on Saturday and Sunday. I attended this year, after not attending for a few years. The day started out with the typical southern California coastal overcast, but by mid-morning the skies had cleared and we had an airshow! There were nearly 50 aircraft flying throughout the day, ranging from WWII aircraft to the F-22 Raptor, the newest tactical fighter in the Air Forces arsenal. Also performing was Clay Lacy’s Learjet Demonstration as well as Sean D. Tucker-Team Oracle Aerobatics. Many aircraft were on static display as well. When aircraft were not flying their aerial demonstrations, many of the veterans were recounting their courageous stories of war-time service to our country.

Mural of most influential aviators inducted to hall of fame inductees by Ms. Michelle Rouch

Honoring California’s Most Influential Aviators

On Saturday evening, April 25, 2015, I attended a Black Tie Optional dinner at the Santa Monica Airport, hosted by the Aero Club of Southern California (ACSC). The occasion was the 2nd Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner Honoring California’s Most Influential Aviators, into the California Aviation Hall of Fame. It was a privilege to attend. There were probably 250 of us in attendance.

The four aviators who were inducted are; Mrs. Iris Critchell, Lt. Col. Fitzhugh “Fitz” Fulton, Jr., Robert J. Gilliland, and Burt Rutan. Each of these individuals has made significant contributions to aviation over the course of their long and illustrious careers.
Mrs. Iris Critchell is still going strong and is a spritely 95, and she is still a current pilot! She has the energy of someone much younger, a firm handshake and a sparkle in her eye! I had the distinct honor of meeting her after the dinner was over, but she has so many fans that I had to wait about 15 minutes before I had a chance to introduce myself.

Also, for this event, the Aero Club had commissioned a highly regarded aviation artist, Ms. Michelle Rouch, of Tucson, Arizona, an aviation enthusiast herself, to paint a mural of the inductees along with some of the aircraft they have flown. The painting was auctioned off during a silent auction during the dinner for $3,000.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and conversing with aviation legend and inductee Mr. Burt Rutan, along with his older brother Dick, both of whom are legendary and highly regarded among aviators.

It was an evening to remember. I am thrilled that I was able to attend.