Category Archives: Flying for Fun

The Good, and the Bad in 2011

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Mac

I’ve been writing this Left Seat blog for EAA with the generous sponsorship of Aspen Avionics for a year. I don’t think it’s my fault, but 2011 has not been the most memorable year in aviation, but there was some … Continue reading →

Posted in Aircraft, Airmanship, Flying for Fun, Industry & Government, Safety, Technology | 11 Comments

Too Old to Fly?

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Mac

How old is too old to fly? The question is in the news again because the pilot flying the Piper Cherokee 180 that crashed in Arkansas last week killing two popular women’s basketball coaches from Oklahoma State University was 82 … Continue reading →

Posted in Airmanship, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog, Safety | 42 Comments

For Young Eagles Which Wins, New or Old?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Mac

We have a lot of data on the more than 1.6 million young people who have taken an airplane ride in the hugely successful EAA Young Eagles program. We know the Young Eagle’s age, gender, and where they live. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Aircraft, EAA, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog | 14 Comments

AirVenture Is America’s National Air Show

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Mac

Every year a new and important segment of aviation—no make that the broader term of aerospace—learns what we AirVenture veterans have known for years. This really is America’s national air show, and it’s the best in the world. This time … Continue reading →

Posted in Aircraft, Airmanship, EAA, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog | 1 Comment

Flying For Fun Professionally

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Mac

I have always stumbled a little over the concept of recreational flying, or sport flying. Somehow those words—even though I know the intended meaning—don’t quite go together with the absolutely serious task of flying. The problem is that flying, any … Continue reading →

Posted in Airmanship, Flying for Fun, Industry & Government, Safety | 16 Comments

What Do Control Towers Control?

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Mac

Minneapolis Center controllers handed Stancie and me off to the temporary control tower at Tarkio, Missouri, with a clearance to fly a visual approach. We, and many dozens of other pilots, were arriving at Tarkio for the annual EAA Chapter … Continue reading →

Posted in Airmanship, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog, Safety | 16 Comments

The Free Lift of Spring

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Mac

I was flying home to Michigan after all the thunderstorm and tornado excitement of Sun ’n Fun. If there has ever been a major air show with worse and more severe weather than Sun ’n Fun this year, I can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Airmanship, Flying for Fun | 10 Comments

Sun ’n Fun and the Confederate Front

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Mac

No GA pilot has spent more time studying the weather than Richard Collins. And Richard’s meteorological research and observation didn’t happen in a classroom – unless you, as I do, know that 20,000 hours of cross-country flying in a GA … Continue reading →

Posted in Airmanship, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog | 11 Comments

Don’t Let eAPIS Scare You

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Mac

Stancie and I have been visiting Hope Town in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas for years and have gotten to know many people who also visit here at the same time. As you can imagine, many of the people … Continue reading →

Posted in Airmanship, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog, Technology | 9 Comments

We Need Shared Wisdom

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Mac

I was in a meeting at Oshkosh not long ago and the group included EAA Founder Paul Poberezny. The weather was another one of those way-below-average cold days of which we had too many. A pilot there told Paul he … Continue reading →

Posted in Aircraft, EAA, Flying for Fun, Mac Clellan's Left Seat Blog | 20 Comments