February 2025 Newsletter
I hope you enjoy the nineteenth edition of the newsletter. Please click the links in the newsletter for the articles, (or the link below it) to open the attachment. Note on a phone you may not see the newsletter and need to click the download link to download the PDF and view it. Please feel […]
The Hues of Sunset
Last night as we flew to Arizona we finished listening to Fly Girls by Keith O’Brien. The closing was a beautiful letter from a mother, Louise Thaden, to her daughter. Richard’s mother passed away in December and returning to visit without her here echoes this beautiful poem in real time. She is here, in every […]
You Can Resume Normal Speed
Have you ever been looking for a reason to fly? I love to fly but will admit that there have been occasions when I had the availability to fly, but just didn’t make the effort to get down to the airport and fly. I knew that I would love it once I’m in the air, […]
Top Gun: An American Story
Top Gun: An American Story is more than just the story of how the Navy Fighter Weapons School, commonly known as “Top Gun” was formed. It is the personal journey of Dan Pedersen from his beginnings in the Navy, through the creation of Top Gun, and all the way to his retirement. From it’s humble […]
Class “G” at Catalina
I needed to get a flight in before the end of the day on Saturday to maintain my once a week for 52 weeks goal. The previous Saturday I had taken friends out to Hemet, and this was my last chance. When I looked at the weather forecast earlier in the week Saturday was promising […]
January 2025 Newsletter
I hope you enjoy the eighteenth edition of the newsletter. Please click the links in the newsletter for the articles, (or the link below it) to open the attachment. Note on a phone you may not see the newsletter and need to click the download link to download the PDF and view it. Please feel […]
Mooney Time Machine
Why do we own a Mooney? Everyone has the same amount of time in a day, the same number of days in a week, the same number of weeks in a month, and the same number of months in a year. Some of us are blessed with more years than others, and while none of […]
December 2024 Newsletter
I hope you enjoy the seventeenth edition of the newsletter. Please click the links in the newsletter for the articles, (or the link below it) to open the attachment. Note on a phone you may not see the newsletter and need to click the download link to download the PDF and view it. Please feel […]
Flying the SR-71 Blackbird: In the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission
There are many books with stories and tales of SR-71 Blackbird flights. The stories are amazing, and if you are looking for stories and history, then this isn’t the book you want. However, if you ever wondered what it was really like to fly the Blackbird, this is the book you have been searching for. […]
Idaho or Bust
This one has been sitting in the draft folder for about 18 months. At the time I couldn’t remember the last time I flew commercial. I think it was somewhere around the end of 2020, that’s been a pretty good run. It is a little ironic that as I was finishing this article, I was […]
November 2024 Newsletter
I hope you enjoy the sixteenth edition of the newsletter. Please click the links in the newsletter for the articles, (or the link below it) to open the attachment. Note on a phone you may not see the newsletter and need to click the download link to download the PDF and view it. Please feel […]
1,000 Mooney Hours
General Jimmy Doolittle’s autobiography is titled “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.” I often feel like I could steal that title for my own life. The few that know my whole story might think that is a stretch. It hasn’t all be sunshine and laughter along the way, but if it was, how would […]
