Projects
Flying has been a big part of my life for over 40 years from Props to Jets, Military, Commercial, Private, Recreational and Sport. My licenses include:
- FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP): Type Rated in B-747, DC-9, and Airbus 320
- FAA Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII)
- FAA Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI)
- FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS
Below is a chronological account of my time up in the air.
C-150 Commuter
This was the airplane I trained on to earn my Private Pilot License in the late 1970s. I trained at Capitol City Airport (KCXY) near Middletown, Pennsylvania as I was finishing my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. It was a two-seat, economical airplane.
And, on my long solo cross country, I landed at the wrong airport. My instructor was not impressed when I returned. Read about how it happened here. The airplane cost $20.00 an hour and $10.00 an hour for an instructor. Pretty good bargain considering today’s costs.
Photo credit: Arpingstone at English Wikipedia / Public Domain
C-172K Skyhawk
After obtaining my Private License, I wanted to take more than one passenger, so I got checked out in the four-seat Skyhawk at CXY (I believe it was either the K or L model). I took my first load of passengers to the Reading Air Show.
It was a nerve-racking flight into a busy pattern with three passengers on board. Pressed my limits for sure!
Over my flying career, I flew subsequent variants of the C-172 several times and always enjoyed this simple well-made airplane.
Photo Credit: By FlugKerl2 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,