A neat poem...

Just a quick post, here... found this in my files from awhile back. :) Enjoy.

----
Beyond the loss of life
Beyond the jumble of sorrow and outrage
Beyond the courage of people helping people in need
Is the now unforgettable image
The image of the airplane and the building and the fire and the shower of fragments
The airplane which is to us a work of art, and of inspiration
The airplane that symbolizes what is wonderful about human inequity
The airplane that represents what we can do when we set our minds to it
The airplane that we watched fly over as children and said, "someday"
That same airplane was used against its own will
Humans at their best created that airplane
Now humans at their worst...
Pilots, please tell your kids in the coming years that there once was a time
Before this final loss of innocence
When airports were clubs not armed camps
When air travel was a mixture of fantasy and adventure
And when the image of an airplane was only art, science, and dreams
Not the building and the fire and the shower of fragments

America and the image of the airplane will recover ---
but we will remember a different time.
----------------

Sitting and sitting...

Good Lord... another day like the rest here in Iowa. I'm about ready to go back to work at the grocery store!

New Web Site
A friend of mine, Lee Bowden, recently started a blog. You should all check it out: http://tcraftbowden.blogspot.com. He has a lot to say and is an interesting guy with some great experiences to share.

My Dream Plane
While I don't have much aerobatic experience, I do have a little and I absolutely love it. I really think I could excel doing this type of flying and I have posted a picture of my desired platform in this post. I am taking donations from anyone... all major credit cards accepted (haha). :)

Clear skies!
Casey

Maybe the sun just went away...

I really can't believe the run of bad weather we've been having. It's not terrible, but it's not the best to be training people in (private students). Low ceilings (< 1000') and poor visibility is tough. I don't know what we have done to earn this, but hey - take it and run, right?

Pretty quiet at the airport right now... everyone is at lunch. Of course, the air traffic on the radio is minimal, if existent at all. I guess everyone else is thinking the same thing I am.

A great web site
Another good web site (besides this one) was brought to my attention the other day. FlightAware.com allows people to watch live IFR traffic online for free. Yes, something is still free in this commercial world of ours! It is pretty nifty and does a good job, so check it out. Or don't... I guess I'm ok with it either way!

Time to go stare out the window some more....

Clear skies,
kc

I can't see anything!

Yes, the wonders of the weather phenomenon known as 'fog' have come to visit Iowans. We have had some real warm weather and are currently fighting low ceilings and low visibilities. I haven't flown since Friday (23rd).

Ah well - I have been catching up on some other things and I guess that is good, too. I may get some chances to fly in a brand new (yes - just painted) King Air 200 sometime in the future. I have a connection that helped me out with this - thank you. I will be following up on that shortly as well!

Well - hope everyone has a great 2006!

Happy Holidays

I know, I know... it's all about being politically correct now. But.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well, it has been a fairly quiet couple of weeks. My military student passed his check ride on December 13th and headed off to Texas. I have some more students going and one that is also just about ready for the check ride - probably after the New Year.

Not much else is new - keep watching this site as some big things are coming! Enjoy the holiday and happy new year!

Clear skies,
Casey

TGIF

Well, Friday has arrived... which doesn't really mean much for someone like a flight instructor, but still.. Friday is neat.

We got another 4-5" of snow yesterday - I have a bad feeling about this winter. We haven't had a good one in years, so I guess we're about due.

Maybe I'll do some flying today - need to get on the phone.

Clear skies,
Casey

Holy crap - it's cold!

Wow. Winter is here in Iowa. Today we're struggling to make it above zero degrees. Morning lows today were around -17.

Not a ton of flying going on at the moment... although I have flown the Archer III some - it has a great heater (heck - it's a brand new airplane) and the owner warms the airplane and hangar up very nicely before we head out.

Of course, flying when it is this cold brings another thing to mind -- what happens if you go down some where? Good question. We've been bringing along coveralls, hats, gloves, etc. just incase that would occur. I know I'd be glad to have it all along.

Too bad it's so cold... winter flying is some of the best flying there is!

Clear skies,
kc

One Six Right

If anyone is looking for a great Christmas gift, check out "One Six Right", a general-aviation documentary that has just been released. The aerial shots are EXCELLENT and the story is great, too.

The web site is located at http://www.onesixright.com (that was hard). I believe the DVD is around $30.00 USD - not too bad for something of this quality. You can also watch a trailer there.

Clear skies,
kc

Snow, sun, and cold

Well, winter in Iowa has definitely arrived. We have 5+ inches of snow on the ground and below-zero temperatures. Don't believe we've had this for some time... maybe briefly last winter. It's been fairly mild.

Of course, this means the aircraft don't fly as much - mainly because their human counter-parts don't want to freeze to death. The old heater in the C-172 does not spring to life when the temps are single-digits. Dang.

School and other stuff - not too much going on at the moment. Maybe fly tomorrow? Only time will tell.

Clear skies,
kc

The Beauty of Flight

Not much to say recently... don't forget one thing folks: aviation/flight is beautiful. Don't let people and "politics" get in the way of that.

Clear skies,
Casey