Idaho Adventure
My wife said that I needed to get my PPL and a plane as she anticipated her daughters bringing more grandkids into the world so that we could visit them. (That’s one of the reasons she gave and one that I’m going to stick with. We’ll ignore the “I have wanted to fly for as long […]
Memorial Day Weekend
Flying around, punching holes in the sky is a lot of fun, but the real reason to have a Mooney is to ‘go places.’ This Memorial Day Weekend was a chance to do just that. Previously the furthest flight I had made was to Phoenix, about 300 nm. This weekend I flew to the Salt […]
Harris Ranch, CA (3O8) Fly-In
Shortly after deciding that I ultimately wanted to buy a Mooney after getting my PPL I came across the MooneySpace forums. They are an excellent online community with a passion for aviation and Mooneys. From them I have been fortunate to make some friends and receive invaluable advice on aviation and my Mooney. Why do I bring […]
Sunsets and Steep Turns
With a free evening I took my son out to the airport and we headed to the practice area so that he could do a little more flying. It was a beautiful Southern California sunset. Now that he has his cushion and can see over the panel he wanted to try steep turns (45° bank) again. […]
Camarillo – War Birds – LA Tour
I got a text from a friend on Thursday asking “Any chance we can fly this weekend?” My schedule appeared to be open, but I thought I should double check with my wife. The beautiful Mrs. Brown confirmed that yes, the schedule was open. (I guess I’m bragging a little, but I must have the best […]
A Budding Pilot?
My youngest son loves to fly. Not only that, he actually enjoys it when you are getting bounced around. We haven’t been in what I would consider severe turbulence, and I hope to avoid it if at all possible, but we have been in moderate where I saw his bottom bouncing off the seat cushion […]
CA Poppy Preserve – 100 Total Hours of Flight
We decided to take a flight over the California Poppy Preserve near Lancaster today. At the height of the bloom a few weeks ago we weren’t able to go as there was an airshow at the Lancaster Airport and a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) that extended almost to the edge of the Preserve. I probably […]
Mooney Time Machine to Phoenix
Many people when they are thinking of purchasing a plane start by looking at the cost to own, fly, and maintain an airplane. Of course that makes sense, one must know what one is getting into. However the next step, when they start trying to justify the expense and they try to explain to themselves […]
Lake Havasu – Anza Borrego State Park
I was looking forward to today ever since that Mooney fly-in at Santa Maria got rescheduled because of bad weather forecast. It would be a chance to meet some of the other Mooney owners from MooneySpace, meet a WWII P-40 fighter pilot, and fly someplace new. All week long the forecast was looking good, that […]
Flightseeing
Not that I need an excuse to go fly, but it doesn’t hurt to have one. A friend sent me a text asking if I had plans for Saturday morning. I told him I didn’t to which he responded that he was going to be out my way and wondered if he helped pay for […]
Camarillo by Night
I love flying at night! Here in the LA/Orange County area there are so many lights on the ground that even when there is no moon there is enough light to help you keep your bearings. I have been to the airport a few times and just flown around the traffic pattern to get in […]
“As long as it’s not in that weather…”
I was looking for a title for this post. That was my son’s response to my question of “So, will you go flying with me again?” In all fairness, my answer to him was “I don’t really want to fly again in that weather either.” What kind of weather was it you ask? Well, let […]
