Pilot's Blog

It seems that many airlines are having trouble these days. My In-laws were booked to go to Hawaii on Aloha and found themselves scrambling to get new flights. Then the latest was the grounding by the FAA of a large number of commercial aircraft because of an emergency airworthiness directive (AD). As annoying as this may have been for some passengers, it is actually a good thing to ensure that the fleet is safe to fly. I myself have been grounded by an AD until I could get the proper inspection or repair. Some of the ADs do seem silly, but the FAA can't and shouldn't take chances with the flying public.

I keep waiting for the cost of airline tickets to go up, not just a little but a lot. The airlines seem to compete themselves right out of business. Thirty or more years ago, middle class people would have to scrimp and save before booking a trip to Hawaii, or Europe, or even Las Vegas. And when you travelled like that you planned to stay a while to make the most of those dollars used just to get there. It was such a big deal to take a trip, and it felt like a great, hard earned luxury. More recently people have thought nothing of flying across country for the weekend and then back again, even on a regular basis. I recognize that this represents more commerce and some economic benefit, but still it seems that something has been lost.

Posted by Tom Knowles at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Posted by Tom Knowles at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The idea of flying in a single engine aircraft makes more than a few people anxious. It is not uncommon for me to have to try to calm the nerves of a passenger. I usually try to have the talk before getting into the aircraft. The most important thing for me to do is to find out what exactly is the fear based upon. Most people feel safer in a large jet than a small plane, and statistically the larger planes have fewer accidents because of better trained pilots and more reliable engines. The nice thing about small planes is that if they do lose power, the chances of a survivable forced landing are excellent. I would rather contact rough ground in a 3000 lb plane at 50 mph than in a 20 ton bullet going 200 mph. Either scenario is extremely rare. I guess thats why it always makes headlines when it happens.

This past week I flew an entire family, plus the mother in law, down to Palm Springs. I knew that I had at least one worried passenger when the husband asked me when is the smoothest time of day to fly. I told him in the morning, but that it could vary. He said he had had to do some "convincing" with his wife. It turns out her biggest fear was motion sickness. The route to Palm Springs has some notoriously bumpy air as you cross the Tehachapi, Cajon and Hemet Passes, so I was bit worried myself. I assured her that I would take every precaution to keep the bumpy air to a minimum, but I could not guarantee that there would be no turbulence. As it turned out the bumps were pretty mild as we slowly descended into the Coachella Valley, and no barf bags were needed. After dropping them off and having lunch, I headed back alone. The wind had picked up, and I was glad to be alone as I climbed because this time through the pass it was rockin' and rollin'.

Posted by Tom Knowles at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The least expensive airplane fuel around is $4.63 per gallon. My airplane averages about 15 gallons per hour, so it adds up pretty fast. The cost of the fuel is only a fraction of the total costs of flying your own airplane, although that fraction has grown a bit lately. One way to save fuel is to lean out the air to fuel mixture, which burns the fuel more efficiently, but hotter. My mechanic says that this is foolish as a little extra fuel burnt is much cheaper than a burnt valve or melted piston. Everyone is talking these days about the high cost of transportation fuels and how it affecting their lives. It is definitely making people think about the choices they make, and I think that it is about time we all did, but that doesn't make it any less painful. I don't know where it will all lead in the coming years, but I doubt it will be good for my fledgling aircraft charter business.

Today is my little girl's 4th birthday and she is in seventh heaven. Zoe is amazingly smart. I think her brain is soaking up the world so fast that it sometimes makes her head spin. Having a girl has been such a joyous experience in our lives, it makes you wonder why anyone would ever choose not to. Happy birthday, little one!

Posted by Tom Knowles at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)