Where Is My Plane?

With the search to buy a plane, I thought it would be nostalgic to find my plane. I searched the N-number... N40386... and found its home. Oshkosh of all places! 

Tom Weigt, president of Basler Turbo Conversions, LLC, owns my plane. I contacted Tom, introduced myself and asked him if I could buy back my plane. 

This was his reply:

Morning Karlene:

I have some good news and some not so good for you. The good news is that N40386 was remanufactured into one of our new turbines in 2000.

It was used initially to flight test our fire retardand drop system and soon after that spent 3 years with the USAF Special Operations group at Hurlrburt Field in Florida. Following the USAF tour it was sold to the group Antarctic Logistics, a group that carry people and goods around Antarctica for a 14 nation consortium. It's still doing that today.

So now for the not so good news for you. It's obviously not for sale, and even if it was, it would bring about $4 million, probably a little more than you want to spend. I've attached some photos of it's life as a turbine that will have to suffice for now.

Thanks for asking and good luck to you.........regards.
Tom Weigt 

 $4 Million Dollars?

For an 

AZTEC!

I opened the photos and soon learned why 

my Aztec is now worth $4 million. 

I wrote to Tom and said, "I think my plane had a sex change, as it started life as an Aztec."

He responded with, "I think it's on steroids." 

Either way... my plane is still missing. 

Does anyone know the whereabouts of a Piper Aztec PA 23 250, that once had the tail number N40386?

Now the next question... What airplane should I buy?

I would like 6 seats to carry family. I need a high useful payload to carry books. I would like de-icing, for the occasions in the Pacific Northwest that I need to clear the mountains. The multi-engine would be nice to help future pilots build multi-engine time. And this plane is going to be the star in my children's series. Painted just like the plane in my book... she will fly Aviation Joy to all the children of the US. What do you think I should buy?

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene 

Aviation in the USA

Happy Birthday America! 

What will your Aviation future bring?

 

In honor of the 4th of July this week, Blogging In Formation is all about the future of Aviation in the USA. But so close to the 4th of July I drifted on course to the independence and freedom of our country. Today is about the opportunities we have in America that we sometimes take for granted. 

Aviation is a gift. 

I decided to shift the discussion from what the future is, to what we have in the US.  Sometimes when we take something for granted, it goes away. We also can see a pattern of where we could end up one day. There is no time like today to make a difference, pay attention to and love what you have.

We are the Aviation Nation. Our roots run deep in the sky as the love of flight grew with the American dream. We spread our wings. We flew our colors. And like all things we love, sometimes we forget how special they are.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet several aviators from around the world who have come to the US to train, or have dreamed about it. So I had to ask them why we have it so good.

Cecilie Larsen From Norway:

Cecilie tells me that a C172 in Norway costs $300 per hour, verses $100 in the US. Did you know that in Norway, not only do you pay for your 1st class medical but they get a bill from the Civil Aviation Authority (The FAA of Europe) annually. They pay to reinstate their license! We don’t. 

In Norway they have to apply for slot times and landing fees. Imagine the expense of doing touch and goes during training. 

Cecilie says, “The US is the ultimate General Aviation country. It is organized in a way that I think attracts foreign pilots to fly there.” 

Jun Nishioka From Kobe Bay Japan  

Tells me that in the US the airspace is not as congested, which eliminates the frustration for the students. Renting a Cessna 150 in Japan costs $400 per hour! In the US there are more areas to land in the event of an emergency—In Japan the cities are vast and landing on a skyscraper would not be a good option.

Jun says, “In Japan, flying is a hobby for the rich. I haven't felt this way when I was trained in USA. So this means USA provides more freedoms to the people…. I won't give up chasing my dream to be a pilot.”

Ryan Lock from the UK

Tells me the benefit of training in the US that it’s significantly cheaper than in Europe. This appears to be a central theme. Speaking of cost, we do have areas of exceptional weather all year around. We have flight schools in the sunniest states of the USA…Florida, Arizona etc, and training can be conducted year round. He say’s, “Training expense would be reduced by a quarter of the average duration per pilots' license…. Remember, in this industry time is money.”

Ryan further states, “International students are required to leave the country once they have gained anything up to and including CFI/CFII --yes, I worked out that there is going to be a pilot shortage in the US in the coming few years! The GA community is aware of this and it is believed that the FAA are too, but try taking an issue like this to congress when they have so called other 'more important' issues to deal with and it will be laughed at.” 

  
Mona Nasser From Iran  
 

She had dreamed from childhood to be a pilot, but in Iran as a woman it was impossible without the right connection, like a father who was a pilot. And to her knowledge those who got through their lessons with a connection, weren't allowed to fly. Mona moved to the UK and tells me that they allow her to fly, but once again…she is flying in Europe where the expense is extremely high.

Mona is an Artist too.

 

Alex Wood From Brazil

Alex tells me there are two main elements lacking in the Brazilian aviation industry—education and infrastructure.

Only a few airports are equipped with ILS CAT-III, terminals are old and poorly built, and their airspace is not fully operational with ‘silent zones ‘ over the Amazon area. Alex tells me they have landing strips across the country, but they aren’t equipped with basic aircraft communication. They also lack universities that offer undergraduate courses in aviation.

What does Alex think of Aviation in the US?

“In the United States, the situation is completely different. Education is strong in the field. There are numerous high quality flight training facilities across the country capable of training proficient pilots, a great number of universities offering degrees in different aviation segments, all at a national level. Infrastructure was also invested wisely and we see large hubs, medium hubs, small hubs and simple landing strips fully equipped with systems corresponded to their category. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) works in a Federal basis (as the name suggests) – fully functional and flexible enough to correspond to the demand with low numbers on reported corruption cases.”

 

We have it great in the USA and I feel very fortunate to live in America with the ability to travel the world. Sometimes when we think we have it tough, but we must step back and realize that we are living in the land of opportunity....and are very lucky. This is something we must not take for granted. And think of the future.

Everyone must become involved to keep Aviation alive.

Blogging in Formation: 

Dan at Airplanista shared a powerful post with statistics of what is happening in General Aviation.
Andrew at Smart Flight Training highlighted technology with some powerful solutions for Aviation.
Brent at IFlyBlog identifies the crossroads to aviation and how to keep it alive by flying it forward.

Eric at Cap'n Aux will post on July 3rd, and Ron at the House of Rapp will post on July 4th. I'm excited to see where they go with this.

The real question is... where will you go?

We have it great. But what can we do, to 
help the future of Aviation in the USA? 

Have a safe and  Happy Holiday! 

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene 

The Power of Creation

"I become part of life's creation by being willing to contribute to it's creation as well."

Eleesha

I just returned from my trip. Manchester was beautiful, and I brought them the sunshine as promised... if only for a day. I had the opportunity to meet with my friend Ryan Lock for dinner. Short night and back to Atlanta. "4" gate changes created a wonderful diversion between flights, with excellent exercise during the three-hour wait for my flight to Seattle. And I had the opportunity to meet some fabulous people that I will keep in touch with on this journey called life.

But a promise is a promise. And today I promised to write about creativity and creation, and the power within all of us. Which took me to the meaning of life. Why are we running around this earth, or flying as the case may be? What is the purpose of life? Of our existence? Our pain, and our joy...

Perhaps the purpose is nothing other than to create. 

Everything in our lives was once the spark of someone's imagination, and someone's creation. But the stuff is not as important as the lives we touch, and relationships we create along the way. One little girl and her mother left a special imprint on mine.

Walking through a terminal of thousands I stopped a young girl and said, "You need to come and be a pilot with me." I gave her wings. This was a first for me. I chat with the kids and give wings while I hang out at the gate, but not as a practice do I stop someone on a mission to their flight. But tonight I did. 

Why her?

Little did I know that her father had died in a plane crash five years ago. Mom told me they don't hang out with pilots much any more, but Elizabeth has flight suits and holds onto the dream her father once had. Her smile spoke volumes. Flying was a gift that her father had loved, and had taken him away. The amazing thing was her mother's love of life. She is teaching her daughter how to live. These two ladies are living... Not the life they had planned, but an incredible life all the same.

We had changed gates for the second time and as I walked past their gate, Elizabeth came running up to say hello again. And of course we had to take a picture together. Maybe creation is a decision to live a life of your making. Whether you paint a picture, write a book, plant a garden, have a baby, or go on living life to the fullest when tragedy strikes...

Creation is About Life.

What will you leave this world when your time is done? I know of one pilot who left a beautiful child who I am so glad to know. And Elizabeth, you will get a first edition book, "I Can, Because I Am" And this post proves one more thing, that creativity strikes with life. Get out there and live, you will have something to special to write about.

What sparks your creativity?

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Michael Combs Inspires the World

Friday's Fabulous Flyer...

Michael did not have money. He did not know how to fly. And his health was so poor that he fought for life daily. His heart stopped twice over the span of three days, and his doctors did not believe he would survive. But none of this stopped him from living his life to the fullest. 

 

Living... he broke "5 world records" in a REMOS light sport aircraft, and is getting ready for another! How did he do this? He learned the secret of finding harmony in life. 

How did he make his dream to fly come true? 

Michael said, "I am a pilot!"

Michael landed in all 50 states in his Flight For the Human Spirit. But what makes this amazing is that he did this because of his spirit. An attitude that he would live his life to the fullest by using all his God given talents to become everything he could be. He believed in himself.

"It's never too late to follow your dreams"

Michael has written several books, composes music, painted hundreds of paintings, and has inspired thousands worldwide. He has inspired me. 

He tells us that we must all create the power to say, "I am!" That statement resonated within me. I wrote a children's book called, "I Can, Because I Am."  One of my daughters is illustrating it and we'll see the results this summer. But I had no idea on the power of that message until I listened to Michale's interview (below). I had wanted to buy a plane when I retired. But why do I have to wait? If I was not committed before... I am now. 

 

I listened to Michael tell us to use our talents. He paints, creates music and writes books. For those of you who know me, I began painting this year, too. We all receive messages in our life, when it's time to hear, we will. This is my time. Could it be yours too? 

Michaels messages are so powerful, and hit home on so many levels. I needed more, so I clicked on: ForTheHumanSpirit.com and purchased his book, and a CD.

"Hope for the Human Spirit."

Michael Combs is a person living for a purpose. I think that purpose is to inspire us, and convey that we can be anything we want. We all we have that power within us, despite the limitations we think we have. He is the gift of opportunity that is knocking on your door today.

A New World Record? Coast to Coast! Believe it!

Michael joined my friend, Christina Nitschmann at Savvy Central Radio, and they discussed how he survived his heart issues. More than survival, how he is achieving his dreams. His secrets to success and survival skills are something that we can all use to make our lives profitable. Not to be confused with prosperity... An amazing analogy, and a concept that I had not thought of before listening to the interview. I will not tell any more secrets... you must listen to Michael for yourself.

"Michael is by far one of the most inspirational people I know. Showing by his life lived, that nothing is impossible if you go for it with all your heart and might"  Christina Nitschmann

 

Click: Michael Combs and become inspired!

What limitations have you placed on yourself? How will you change those to achieve your dreams? What lessons can you learn from Michael, and what can you share with the world? Today is about becoming inspired and sharing that inspiration with the world. 

Follow Michael on Twitter @Combscoach

Enjoy the Journey!
XO Karlene

BREAKING EVEN

T.H.ursday's with Tom Hill

There are a couple of things we do in the aviation business that are necessary but don't produce much reward. They also have lots of opportunity for failure. In the USAF, we say you can only "break even" in such situations. One thing that comes to mind is doing fly-bys. We've all seen them. They're common at the start of sporting events when, at the high note of the Star Spangled Banner, a flight of fighters miraculously appears overhead. It's great drama. There are cheers. People are yelling, screaming, clapping. It's awesome. Yet, hardly anyone I know who's never seen a fly-by quite understands the complexity of such a seemingly simple thing. After all, isn't it the military's bread and butter to be over a point at a certain time? You bet. 

 

 Next time you are traveling 600 feet per second, try to be over the given point at precisely the time when the singer wants to be dramatic with their version of the song. Oh - and add in the fish bowl of national TV. A few seconds early, you drown out the ending of the song. A few seconds late, the singer is done, packed up, and gone--you look like an afterthought. You can only be there on time. You can't be any more on time than on time. The best you can do is break even.

Backyard during a partial eclipse

More often than not, fly-bys are not done at sporting events. Many times we fly at memorial services. In some ways the stress level is so much higher. You may know the grieving family and all you want to do is do your best job, playing your part in ensuring the memorial service serves the family as best as it can. Nothing may be more important.

A few days after the Columbia accident in 2003 when I was the Operations Officer of the Test Pilot School, I was asked to organize a memorial Missing Man formation at the Edwards AFB service. The local NASA Dryden Flight Research Station folks couldn't put a four-ship together for many reasons, one of which was that they wanted as many of their folks as possible on the ground attending the service. We developed a plan to have three of our T-38's with a single NASA F-18 in the #3 position do the Missing Man fly-up when overhead at the outdoor service.

I assigned the project to one of my great captains, who didn't have much experience doing such events but certainly was capable enough. I decided to fly as #4 to be out there "just in case.”

One of the challenges of fly-by's is you can't make up time. As fast as fighter-type aircraft are, there's only so much speed you can add or take off while still meeting all the rules and not breaking the laws of physics. Add on the unknown qualities of speakers and singers and these fly-bys become a lot like performing a play with no rehearsal. What helps is we cheat. First, we have a guy on the ground with the script. He keeps us updated as to how the service is progressing. Next, we plan a route that allows us to add or cut off distance at strategic points. When flying at six miles a minute, if you're late and need to cutoff a minute, you cutoff a mile. If you're early and need to add a minute, you add a mile to your route. With your spy on the ground, you note little milestones on the route to verify you're on the right point based on how the service is going. Instead of speeding up or slowing down, you have more options if you use geometry to add or subtract distance.

A perfect fly-by is when you sail overhead at the right moment, very nonchalant like. Just like a duck that looks calm on the surface of the water but is paddling like crazy underneath, we only want the crowd to see us calmly execute. Inevitably, nothing goes according to plan with these things, meaning we're paddling like crazy. This fly-by was no different.

My lead did a great job planning and briefing the mission. The NASA F-18 pilot, the guy doing the fly-up, was well known to us. We had flown together many times before. We were very comfortable with the plan, which included many contingencies we hoped would never happen--i.e., not having four aircraft, weather being a factor, the timing being completely off, yadayada. 

 

Sunrise on Midway

The absolute last “what-if” situation we briefed was when to do the fly-up: when precisely was the F-18 going to pull-up as the Missing Man into the sky, to pay tribute to the lost astronauts? You see, timing for the fly-up was important. Having it too early meant the crowd couldn't see it or was too far away. Having it too late meant it was straight over-head, or worse, behind the crowd. No matter what, we needed to have the F-18 pull-up into the sky at the right point on the ground. To make this harder, as a wingman in formation you have very little awareness of where you are on the ground. That means you need a radio call from the lead with a backup call from the others just at the right moment to tell the Missing Man to pull-up. When you’re moving at 600 ft/sec, timing is really important.

The takeoff was about the only thing that went according to plan. Just after airborne, it all went out the window. We held, waiting for the service to start. Then, the service didn't go on plan. In the middle of the route, we had to hold again. My flight lead sounded a little frustrated. I couldn't blame him. I began to worry whether we had enough gas for more holding and still do the fly-by.

Eventually, we rush in on the final leg. "You're late!" Damn, we have to push it up. The three wingmen are holding on. Afterburner is selected to get up to speed. All that pre-mission planning isn’t useful. All we have is speed to arrive on time. "On time,” the throttles come back to idle. The speed brakes come out. The formation is a mess, the wingmen bouncing all over the place due to all the sudden changes in our speed. Fortunately, we're too far to be seen. The duck is paddling as hard as it can.

Amazingly, we're just arriving at the service when the formation calms down--we’re in position. Friends in the crowd tell us later we look perfect--the duck is calm. I get a quick thought: "I can't believe this is all going to work out!" Arriving at the pull-up point, the lead calls "Pull-up!" Nothing. The F-18 does nothing. It's stuck there on the wing. One or two seconds later, #2 and I mash our mics, "PULL-UP!" I'm desperate, willing it to fly away. Another second, he's gone. The F-18 flies out of view into the sky. Darn!!

Yellowstone

 

After all that, after all the changes and everything, we arrived on time at the right point only to miss the fly-up. I'm dejected. I'm thinking we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. We had it, then lost it.

Back at ops, we're all quiet. I'm thinking about how to guide my guys through this so there's a positive learning point. Eventually, people begin to trickle in from the service. I ask one of my folks who attended the service, "How did it look?" "You guys looked great. Umm..." she tapers off and thinks, "how did you do that with the moon?" "The moon?" I ask, a bit confused. "Ya, the moon. You flew right overhead, which I thought was a little late for the pull up. Then, we're looking straight up with the moon in the background when the F-18 pulls right towards it. How did you figure out when to pull right into the moon? It looked great and especially appropriate since this was a NASA memorial." I had no answer.

To this day I’m still amazed how that worked out. In flight, I went in seconds from full elation making the pull up point on time and in formation, to complete dejection from having screwed up. Then, out of the blue comes this fortunate set of circumstances where it all worked out. I could not have planned that.

I am absolutely a firm believer in saving luck for those times when needed. (See last week's article.) I am also sure that if we hadn't done the other mission planning we would have missed something else and never would have had an opportunity to "fly into the moon." Still, I will not look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say. I just feel fortunate to break even.

Cheers
Tom

www.tom-hill.biz

Lesson's Learned from the Airlines

Last week I read a great post by Brent Owens, Why Do We Suck at Being Safe? He pointed out the conflict with the pilot personality and what it takes to be safe. Yes... there is a huge disconnect between the pilot and their innate behavior. 

 

Flight Reminders:

Safety is a choice. It's the ability to focus on the task at hand and not allow your mind to wander. It means understanding the threats are everywhere and learning to mitigate them. The airlines use the term Threat and Error management. This is something that must transport to the general aviation world. 

Threats do not care if you have one person on your plane, or 300. But your family and friends care. 

THREATS: 

Fatigue

Weather 

Distraction

And now the FAA is talking about the Startle Effect.

There have been many times I have seen a pilot startle. It has nothing to do with the enormity of the situation, but everything to do with the mind wandering. I have flown with a captain who startled when the power reduced (as it should have) and she jumped, and grabbed for the thrust levers. Her mind was not in the plane prior to that. The power reduction brought her back.

A captain spent 20 minutes starting an engine with a manual start valve procedure on a 727. When we started the second engine, as the fuel increased, he startled and inadvertently shutdown the engine with the start valve failure. The FAA was on board, and obviously his head was not with the starting engine...but someplace else. 

I flew with a captain who was asleep with his eyes open on final. When he did not respond to my standard callouts, I landed his plane. When we touched down... he startled. Where was he?

This stuff is very real. The benefit that commercial aviators have over general aviation world is that we have each other for backup. You have yourself. Well... that and ATC, mechanics, FBOs...etc. The resources are there, you just have to use them. And then when the devil and angel are sitting on your shoulders... it's up to you to make the right decision. 

Always ask yourself this... "Is it worth my life?"

What threats can you share with your flying friends? We're all in this together, and can learn from each other.

Be Safe and Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Connecting Kids to Aviators

Airpark TV Kid’s Show

The world is moving full circle for me... Perhaps it was watching the screening of Planes, or meeting all the ladies in the Air Race Classic, or the fact my middle daughter just bought a house a block from the Bend Airport.  But when Tony Pfau emailed about AirPark, that was the final straw. 

I want to buy a plane! I am going to try to find my old Aztec and paint it fun for the kids, naming it after a character from one of my children's book (coming soon), and flying it to airshows! Going back to my roots. General Aviation is too much fun to not be in the middle of it. 

 Tony Pfau

More about AirPark from Tony Pfau:

"There is no question that aviators played a huge role into the shaping of this great country. Their winning attitude, their right stuff, and the often overlooked, spirit of encouragement, have made a difference in our world and many a youth’s life.

Aviators, as a group, generously reach out to youth passing on the spirit of that inspires one to reach for new heights, and get there. That is one of the "good things life is made of…", the spirit, that award winning and seasoned producer Tony Pfau seeks to capture and get to the screen with the kids TV show all about aviation, Airpark TV.

The children’s TV show, Airpark, will consist of fun and exciting segments designed to engage and captivate youth, generate an interest in aviation, explore aviation jobs, and connect kids to the aviators. There is even a reality segment that will take the audience on the journey of youth getting to their first flight, then later, catching up with them as they continued on in aviation.

The show would be natural complement to existing youth outreach programs, guiding audiences to groups such as EAA’s Young Eagles where they get involved with aviation & activities.

The plan is for the show to be hosted by real teen pilot mentors and other kids and real aviators. The sequences are all being designed to entertain, inspire, educate and captivate youth about aviation. The producer hopes to get the show available through a variety of distribution channels including to the iPad® screens. There are seven regular segments being developed as well as special feature segments.

One of the special feature segments being developed is one to reach out to young girls. That segment would have female teen and adult pilots working with younger girls in a special workshop and their first flights. These segments are planned to help inspire girls too, showing that aviation is not just for the boys.

The idea was inspired by Tony’s desire to create good family entertainment and something cool for kids. Drawing on his experiences in motion picture aerial production and different projects about aviation a while back, the idea was born. Then, last year he read the memoirs written by Michael A. Davis about his days growing up at a local airfield. Visiting the colorful past in those memoirs, Tony decided it was time to blow the dust off the file, take some chances to try and get this kid’s show into production.

With the enthusiasm of a Buzz Lightyear, Tony seeks to start spreading some more of the aviator’s "right stuff.” Tony explains "…I really hope to offset the constant barrage of bad influence on our kids by creating good healthy entertainment that will inspire, pass on the winning attitude of aviators, foster attitudes for success, and bring something good to lives of kids and their families, and our society."

Emmy award winning producer Sheri Kaz, loved the idea so much, she offered to come on board with the pilot effort before Tony was even halfway through with the pitch. Tony & Sheri had worked together many times before including on an award winning family feature film "Moosie". They have already been out filming some material at Young Eagle's events and now working on the creative development.

Real television production is not cheap. In order to get the project produced to professional standards it takes enough money to do right. The first phase of crowd fundraising using IndieGogo started in June. The link, http://airparktvshow.com , will go to the fundraising site. The production is also seeking segment or show sponsors as well as advertisers. The goal is to get a spectacular pilot episode done that can be used rally more support, sponsors, advertisers to make a full weekly series, digital feed a reality. 

The producers hope to explore ways to get the show into production much like the way “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom" series was produced, where the show has one main sponsor.

But right off the bat, the show could immediately be made available to different aviation groups and schools as another tool to reach out to kids. To find out more, visit the project website is at AirPark."

Time to brainstorm: What can you do to help inspire children, and share the love of general aviation? Become a part of AirPark... and spread the word. 

Follow AirPark on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene