Eric Rush

Friday's Fabulous Flyer

Eric Rush

Flying did not inspire him until...

"I had been up a few times in small airplanes, but flying didn't inspire me the way reading about it did until I went for a short ride in an open-cockpit biplane in 1974. Before I was back on the ground, I knew I was going to learn to fly and earn my living in airplanes."

 

Broke and Old... was there hope?

"I was perpetually broke and had no idea where I'd find the money for lessons. I was 32, too old to become an airline pilot in those days before deregulation increased demand for pilots."

For the love of flying

"I got my private license in Port Angeles WA in 1975 and my ATP in 1980. Learned in C-172 and C-402. Began instructing in 1977. Began flying commuter schedule from Port Angeles to Seattle in 1980 for Pearson Air, the Port Angeles FBO I'd learned to fly with. San Juan Airlines bought Pearson Air's airline and merged seniority lists based solely on date of hire, I think in 1981 but maybe 1982. (I'd look it up, but I packed up all logs and other reference material and stowed everything in the basement.) 

With my seniority, I went straight to the left seat when San Juan Airlines acquired Embraer Bandeirantes early in 1984. Two years later, the airline got rid of the crewed airplanes and I was back in the C-402 at that airplanes lower pay scale.

Meanwhile, pilots were leaving to fly for "real" airlines, including a man my age. I followed another friend to DHL Airways, Inc. in summer of 1986. Flew right seat in Swearingen Metroliners for a few months before becoming a B-727 SO, then FO, and, in 1995, the captain's seat. (The inset photo on my book cover was taken a few minutes after I passed my type ride.) 

In 2002, as I approached age 60, I downgraded to SO in the Airbus A-300. My birthday present was a 55% pay cut.

DHL Airways was rebranded Astar Air Cargo in 2003, but it continued to fly in DHL livery. I retired five years later. Soon after that, DHL abandoned DHL Airways/Astar Air Cargo, and the company is gone."

It's all about the Journey!

I began keeping a diary of my flying life thinking that perhaps my grandchildren might someday wonder what Grandpa's job was like back in the days before computers and automated flight systems intruded between pilots and airplanes. 

  

I got in on the last of the best years for airlines, their personnel, and passengers. Logbooks, notebooks, and computer files span thirty-three years and three marriages. 

 

The result of Eric's experiences:

His book:  Looking Out the Window, Talking to the Person Next to Me: My Life in Airplanes.

Eric says, "The title is from a pilot's joke: When I was a kid in school, teachers complained that all I wanted to do was look out the window and talk to the person next to me. So when I grew up, I got this great job where all I do is look out the window and talk to the person next to me."

You can find Eric on Facebook and Twitter
http://www.facebook.com/eric.rush 

@EricEugeneRush


His book, Looking Out the Window, Talking to the Person Next to Me:My Life in Airplanes, is available everywhere and from the rebuilt, phone/tablet friendly

www.ericrush.com

So I went on line to buy a copy of his book on Amazon, and thought I would borrow a comment from a readers. They are worth gold. Five stars in his case:

By R Nixon on March 31, 2014

"The book is a well written tale of the trials and joys that accompanied author Eric Rush's rise from student pilot and plumber apprentice to Boeing 727 Captain. The writing is free of technical jargon for the non pilot; and for the pilot will prove to be an interesting read. For the lovers out there, it is a love story of a man who spent much time torn between the love of flying and family. It reminded me of both Bach's: Stranger To The Ground and Earnest Gann's : Hostage To Fortune. If Richard Bach or Earnest Gann flew the author's flights and lived his life, this is how they'd write the story."

I'm looking forward to reading about his journeys!


Today is Eric's Birthday!
Join me in wishing him the best...

Happy Birthday Eric, 
may all your dreams come true!

Enjoy your Journey... you are writing the story called life.
XOX Karlene

Author of Flight For Control and Flight For Safety,
If you haven't read them...it's time!

Who Won The 747?

He must have had a premonition... or he put something in the air, but exactly 10 hours after he wrote inquiring who won the plane his name was drawn.

Was this the power of positive thinking, hopeful wishing, or the power of visualization knowing where he was going to place it? Not sure... but I laughed when I saw his name.

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS

Mark Lawrence!

YOU A Winner!

Email me your address and a plane is coming your way!

Enjoy the Journey!

XOX Karlene

Turbo, the Flying Dog!

Turbo wants nothing more than to leave his boring life at the pound behind.

 

Turbo is excited when he discovers his wish is coming true. He is being adopted! But when he learns he will have to take a plane to his new home he becomes scared. His fear grows worse when another dog tells him the plane is a big metal machine that makes loud noises in the sky. However, with the help of his new family, Turbo overcomes his fear and climbs aboard the plane. Faced with the noises and bumps of the airplane ride, he reaches for the control yoke and realizes he loves flying. 

Turbo the Flying Dog is a light hearted adventure series focusing on family, and overcoming ones fears. Written for ages four to eight. General aviation, animal rescue, and diversity are reoccurring themes.

You may contact Turbo's writers at:
TurboTheFlyingDog@gmail.com

Sign up on the mailing list for pupdates here.

Coming the 2014 holiday season! 

Who is behind this book?
My friend Victoria Neuville.

Inspiration in the Sky!

Two Private Pilots Create Capital Air Tour...

 

 Landing in 49 States in Two Weeks!

 

Press Release:

(MEDFORD, OR) The challenge of flying a private “general aviation” airplane to all 49 state capitals in the “lower 48” plus Alaska in just two weeks is one that most private pilots would never accept. It is however, the flight plan for an inspiring journey being attempted by two veteran pilots to raise public awareness about smaller, “municipal” airports that are an important business asset for cities and can be a gateway for bringing new tourism traffic into the area.

Called the Capital Air Tour, the flight will be flown by Field Morey, an FAA-Certified Flight Instructor from Medford, Oregon, and Conrad Teitell of Greenwich, Connecticut, an attorney with the law firm, Cummings & Lockwood. The pilots will use Morey’s 2013 Cessna Corvalis TTx four-passenger airplane for the flight, departing Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 and landing in several states each day.

Along the Capital Air Tour route, Morey and Teitell plan media availabilities in cities where that day’s series of flights concludes. They will be distributing information from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to help demonstrate the value of local airports, while allowing electronic and print media reporters to get a close-up look at the airplane being used for the flight.

Morey said that their flight plan is subject to diversions caused by unsafe weather situations. “September is the heart of hurricane season and that could be the biggest influence on our route,” he said. “A major route decision will be made prior to leaving Wisconsin on September 20th as we prepare to continue east. The remaining route of our flight plan will all depend on the weather moving up through the Gulf States along the Atlantic coast at the time.”

The idea of flying the Capital Air Tour came to Teitell when he wanted to “raise the bar” after he and Morey completed Teitell’s quest to fly from the highest airport in the U.S. to the lowest airport in 2013. “It was Conrad’s idea to land at every state capital in the lower 48 and Alaska,” Morey explained, “but I thought we should do it all in two weeks to show just how capable and technologically-advanced a modern private airplane can be.”

An unexpected development occurred when Morey spoke with an elementary school teacher about the Capital Air Tour. Because the entire flight will be tracked using an on-board Spot Generation 3 GPS tracking device showing the real-time location of the Corvalis TTx, the flights offer teachers a chance to give lessons in time, distance and U.S. state capitals. A complete itinerary with tentative schedule, along with the tracking map, is available for the public to follow on the Morey’s web site at www.ifrwest.com/cat.

Morey is an expert in adventure flights, as he has instructed hundreds of instrument flight students on exciting “real world weather” flights to Alaska, the Rocky Mountains and the Idaho backcountry through his company, Morey’s West Coast Adventures One of those students, Dr. Oliver Smithies, when accepting the Nobel Prize for Genetics, said “Field taught me a lesson very important in the sciences, that you can overcome fear with knowledge.”

“The Cessna Corvalis TTx is the fastest single-engine, fixed gear production aircraft on the market,” Morey said, “and has a maximum cruising speed of 235 knots. With that level of performance, we are able to plan a mission profile for the Capital Air Tour that involves covering over 12,000 miles with stops at 57 airports in two weeks.”

The airplane to be used on the Capital Air Tour is nicknamed “The Green Hornet,” and is equipped with a Garmin G2000 “glass cockpit” panel that includes NEXRAD radar for storm avoidance, anti-ice equipment, and terrain and traffic avoidance devices, along with the latest autopilot technology essential for avoiding crew fatigue.

For more information, or to arrange media interviews at one of the Capital Air Tour’s final stops each day, contact Julie Pimentel at 541-344-2308 or julie@celestedaniels.com or visit ifrwest.com/cat.


The Capital Air Tour is an inspiring and educational flight being flown by two pilots in a general aviation airplane beginning Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 in Medford, Oregon. The planned full itinerary** is available at www.ifrwest.com/cat.


Pilots Field Morey and Conrad Teitell will be available for interviews at the conclusion of each day’s route at the arrival airports listed below. Because of the likelihood of diversions along the route to circumvent developing weather, actual arrival times may change.


PLEASE NOTE: Due to security at most airports, access to the aircraft parking areas can be limited. It is strongly recommended to call the FBOs listed on this sheet prior to arrival to arrange interviews with the flight crew of the Capital Air Tour. We have informed the FBOs that news crews may need access to cover this event.


**ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE: This current itinerary may change due to weather along the East coast and in the Gulf States. A major route change may be necessary prior to leaving Wisconsin on September 20th, and all media seeking interviews with the flight crew should monitor the flight’s daily real-time progress at: www.ifrwest.com/cat.



Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Author of Flight For Control and Flight For Safety, 

If you haven't read them...it's time!

Pietro Bisonni

Friday's Fabulous Flyer

Pietro Bisonni

A 46 year-old Italian pilot since "many years." And many years of excitement he has had. I love to know why and when the aviation bug hits and from planes to helicopters... he's giving back to our industry. 

Pietro say's...

"I've always been fond of flying since I was a child. The passion of flight is increased as a result of military service in the Army at Aviation Helicopters 5 ALE Rigel Casarza della Delizia (PN).

Over the years my passion for flying was increased and I got the commercial pilot certificate for Airplane and helicopter with Instrument rating.

"I flew on different aircraft, including Jet Ranger, AS350, R22, R44, Bell 206 Jet Ranger, Seneca I PA34, PA28,CAP10 aerobatic, C172,C152 .

Today I am a qualified instructor for both EASA and FAA. I work with several schools in Italy and foreign school, teaching flying and share the passion of flight."

"It is an immense satisfaction for me 

when a student becomes a pilot, 

it is like to return to my very first flight."

Pietro is a Flight Instructor on both helicopters and airplanes. He teaches  courses PPL / CPL/IR / ATPL RRobinson 22BII, R44, B206,AS350,C172, C152, Seneca I PA 34.

Conversion or your license... he is your guy:  FAA/EASA FROM CIVIL, MILITARY and ULTRALIGHT... min.requirements 3 Hours, average 15 Hours.

International students enrollment, English, French, Italian, Spanish are welcome!

You don't have to go to Italy to fly with Pietro! 

 

While he currently works for Butterfly helicopter in Macerata he also works with another school in Las Vegas: 702 helicopter. He teaches students in Italy and if they want FAA certificate he takes them to the USA in Nevada Las Vegas to get the FAA certificate.

For information and enrollment of students Info@American-European-Flight-School.eu

www.American-European-Flight-School.eu

Enjoy the Journey!

XOX Karlene

Author of Flight For Control and Flight For Safety,
If you haven't read them...it's time!

I Lost My Medical!

What do I do now? 

Janine

One of the greatest fears a pilots may face is the loss of a medical certificate.

We spend thousands of dollars, time, energy and effort into living a dream of becoming a pilot. When our medical is taken, our world falls apart. But it doesn't have to.

Captain Jerry Ward was paralyzed while swimming on a layover...his life changed, but by no means is over. Ian Weaver, a fighter pilot who crashed, lived to conquer life. Rick Watson shares his story of one man's struggle by finding life in Sport Aircraft... never giving up his passion. Jessica Cox was born without arms and learned to fly.  Janine Shepherd began flying because she could not walk. By clicking on each of those names you will see the power of inspiration in flight.

Jessica

This month with the Blogging In Formation team, Andrew Hartley is up. He took this month to share his story of recently losing his medical. But what is so incredible about this story, is he did not have to. While he had medical issues, they could have been dealt with. 

Andrew

Andrew, like all of us, didn't believe it could happen to him. He wrote a powerful story about what happened, what he did wrong, and what he could have done differently. 

Your good health is about being proactive. Take care of yourself. And read Andrew's story. Take with you the lessons of what you can do for your future. This goes beyond being a pilot. This is all about being proactive with your health. Click the title below to read Andrew's story.:

4  Lessons from a Deferred Medical

Enjoy the Journey and stay healthy for it!

XO Karlene 

Author of Flight For Control and Flight For Safety, If you haven't read them...it's time!

Follow Your Passion

"Dream a Dream so big that if it comes true,
it will blow your mind."

Last week I received a phone call from my friend, Charlie Hewitt. Charlie was a Friday Flyer back in December 2011, and at the time he was creating training films in his Cirrus aircraft with Dick Rutan. But music has always been the core of his passion. Somewhere along the line, that passion got buried in life. We have all been there.

When Charlie called to tell me what he was up to, he had no idea how his phone call helped me. He brought awareness to an important change I needed in my life. More on that later ... as today is about helping Charlie reach his dreams. His voice is incredible. His music spectacular. This rendition of Bob Dylan's song is amazing. Watch the video below, and you will become a believer. You can make any dream come true if you believe. 

Make a dream come true 
by downloading Charlie's music.
 

100,000 downloads this year!

 99 cents is all it takes

iTunes Store: Make you feel my Love 
(click on the song title)

What is your Breakthrough Goal?

Let's make it happen!

Happy Labor Day!!

Enjoy the Journey!
XOX Karlene

Author of Flight For Control and Flight For Safety, If you haven't read them...it's time!