Flying is Fun

It wasn’t until Pilar Horowitz had her own business and her own family that she decided it was time for her to take on the challenge of flying. And having passed her private pilot flight test on January 27, she is ready for the next one.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Pilar attended school in Mexico and graduated with a B.A. in journalism. After her marriage, she moved to the states where she started her own business: an architecture firm. Her first chance to experience flight in a small aircraft came on a ‘Flying Doctors’ trip. “I was hooked,” says Pilar.

She began class in October 2008, and was surprised at how much studying was involved. “I love every minute of it. It is a wonderful place to be in,” said Pilar, and she added that experiencing the rush of takeoff and her first flight through the rain was worth the challenge.

She says that her husband and daughter are supportive, but says that some of her family have joked about a ‘mid-life crisis.’ But Pilar says that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

A Life’s Pursuit

Retiree Delmer Taylor recently opened up about his past, weaving a tale of small towns, blue skies and a desire to achieve a goal imprinted on the mind of a child. At 65 years old, Delmer earned his instrument rating last month after a flying career spanning nearly forty years.

Delmer grew up in Huntsville, Ohio, a quiet town of about 450 residents. As he recalled his early days, flying was an interest even before he attended school – a small school Delmer attended for twelve years. As Delmer said, “ere weren’t many planes in those days,” and whenever one chanced to appear overhead, Delmer would watch, “until it was out of sight.” Despite his insistence with his mother that he would fly one day, his mother’s reply came swift and sure: “No.”

In an attempt to fly on his own, Delmer attempted to construct his own aircraft from a lawnmower engine, but without success.

Delmer left Huntsville to study mechanical technology in college, but found he was better suited for working, and began to work as a car mechanic, building a loyal clientele. Delmer served in the military from 1966-68, and upon discharge found his G.I. benefits would enable him to fly. In October 1968 he began his training, earning his private single and multi, but not his instrument rating. It was during his training that he purchased his first, and current aircraft, the reliable Piper Arrow.

For the next forty years Delmer accumulated flight time while working as a heavy-equipment mechanic for International Harvester and Navistar until his retirement five years ago.

Retirement for Delmer was a move to a warm climate and a home on an airpark in Okeechobee, Florida. Now with more time on his hands, Delmer realized he still wanted his instrument rating and it was time. After Christmas 2008 his training began, and Delmer had his instrument rating on February 9. “It was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” beamed Delmer. With the thrill of success, Delmer is considering earning his commercial multi and is envisioning trips to the islands south of Florida. After all these years, the little boy who wanted to fly is still looking up.

Destinations

With spring on the way, there’s no better time to get your airplane and piloting skills ready for summer, and have a little fun while doing it. For a truly different dining experience, try the Elephant Bar. Located at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), the Elephant Bar is a dining adventure with a safari-themed atmosphere.

The menu is extensive. Offering entrees from around the world and around the country, the restaurant boasts an upscale yet mellow ambiance with soft lighting, stained wood and potted palm trees, and the occasional animal print décor. Their trademarks include a strictly made-from-scratch cooking style, with only the freshest ingredients possible.

At a glance the menu appears to offer the basics: fresh soups and salads, hamburgers and sandwiches, but reading further reveals the more exotic dishes like pan-Asian vegetable chicken, the teriyaki tofu or the Bangkok stir-fry, just to name a few.

For a night of exotic and adventurous dining in an eclectic, yet well-balanced décor, visit the Elephant Bar. For more information or to view the menu items, visit www.elephantbar.com.

The Taylor Aerocar

If a flying car sounds like a thing of the future, think again; it’s already here! Or was at one point. Thepredecessor to the FAA, the Civil Aeronautics Authority, certified the first flying automobile dubbed, the ‘Aerocar,’ in 1956.

The Aerocar was the invention of Moulton Taylor, an inventor and pilot. During World War II, Taylor worked for the US Navy designing aerial target drones and radio-guided missiles. In 1946 he met fellow inventor Robert E. Fulton, Jr., who had a concept vehicle called the ‘Airphibian.’ This was essentially a roadable airplane whose rear fuselage and propeller detached on the ground. Taylor was inspired by this design and sought to improve it by making a car that could be converted into an aircraft, complete with wings that could be folded and towed behind the car while driving.

The first prototype was completed in 1949 and after a successful demonstration, Taylor build four additional demonstration Aerocars.

The Aerocar was designed as a high wing, two-place aircraft with side-by-side seating and a pusher propeller. The Lycoming 0-320 engine was mounted above the rear axle of the car and supplied power to the propeller via a drive shaft whose coupling was hidden behind the rear license plate. The propeller was mounted on the end of a long, distinctive tail cone; this was to ensure adequate ground clearance for the propeller. It had a cruising speed of 100 mph and a price tag of $25,000.

On the roads the Lycoming engine drove the front wheel drive through a three-speed manual transmission and boasted a highway speed of 60 mph. The interior was typical of a 1949 car with a round steering wheel and the gearshift lever on the floor. The aircraft throttle knob was mounted in the center of the dashboard, with the aircraft instruments on the upper dash above the conventional car gauges.

Source: airventuremuseum.org, wikipedia.org

Enhance Your Standard Practice
By David Menconi, National Chief Flight Instructor

Flying near restricted airspace or rising terrain can be a challenge. With the proliferation of Temporary Flight Restrictions and Homeland Security requirements it is becoming more and more difficult to plan a flight without encountering some type of obstacle to your direct navigation. To identify and avoid these areas, pilots can establish certain procedures that will ensure that they will not inadvertently enter these areas.

Pilots, make it standard practice to use all the forms of navigation when determining the best course and heading to take your airplane from point A to point B. These same methods of navigation can be used to identify and avoid things like Class B airspace, prohibited areas, TFRs, or mountains.

Pilotage – Use landmarks and charts to identify rivers, railroad tracks, or highways that can identify borders or fences around “no-fly zones.”

Pilotage – Use landmarks and charts to identify rivers, railroad tracks, or highways that can identify borders or fences around “no-fly zones.”

Dead Reckoning – Knowing your ground speed and distance to a “no-fly zone” will give you advance warning that you are approaching it.

GPS – The benefits of the advanced technology of GPS are well known. Having a moving map with terrain and airspace information can be a valuable tool as long as it is legal and current.

Ask the Pilot Professor
By Dr. Michael Bliss

The entire nation was riveted last month to the story of US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched in the Hudson River after having lost power in both engines as a result of multiple bird strikes. Captain Sullenberger has been highly praised for handling the situation in such a way all passengers were safely evacuated.

Lost in the swirl of media attention was a comment that Captain Sullenberger made that I think has a lot to say about the need for professional flight training. He said, “One way of looking at this might be that, for 42 years, I’ve been making small regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

It’s my opinion that it was not so much technical skill that Captain Sullenberger used to save the day but his excellent judgment and decision making. Many of the correct decisions he made were things we teach in basic flight training. Don’t get so caught up in troubleshooting that you forget to fly the airplane. Don’t try to stretch a glide to a point that is unreachable. Pick a place without obstacles to touchdown.

Captain Sullenberger did what he was trained to do. I believe that training at a professional flight school begins your flying career with a large deposit into this same bank that Sully withdrew from. Regular refresher training helps keep the balance in the black.

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