Behind The Yoke

Wow - haven’t posted in a while.  We started on the Cessna 140 restoration project on Monday. Pretty much the majority of the day was taking inventory of all the parts that need polishing and rivet cleaning etc (ailerons, elevators, trims).  I’m really excited about working on the plane as it gives me an inside [...]

Thinking about risking it all and flying for a career? Well now is the perfect time to start training and getting your ratings. The aviation industry is dead calm right now but like the stock market it will jump back. Airlines aren’t hiring, no one is traveling and the economy just plain stinks. It’s times [...]

Awesome video showing the first test of the motor on NASA’s new Ares I rocket that will soon replace the shuttle program. “Engineers will use the measurements gathered from the test to evaluate thrust, roll control, acoustics and motor vibrations.”
Read the full story and more on the Ares I rocket at NASA’s website dedicated to [...]

For all the vintage military aviation buffs out there I created a new website called AircraftNoseArt.org
“Aircraft Nose Art is an online resource and community where aviation fans can learn about the wonderful stories behind the artwork on military and civilian aircraft.
Military aircraft nose art acted as the superstitious protector during times of war. The nose [...]

Brilliant! The song was originally posted by a commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor named oregonflyboy.

James May of BBC’s show Top Gear had the amazing opportunity to cruise at 70,000ft in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane.  Where do I sign up?

Military aircraft nose art acted as the  superstitious protector during times of war.  The nose art identified the aircraft and gave its crew the mark of individuality in the even tenor of the military.  Often controversial, most of the artists who paint the aircraft remain anonymous.  Here is a great collection of nose art put [...]

The nerd in me made me post this.  I loved it.

Can’t afford your learjet anymore? Take cover.  Salon News has a great article about a man who’s responsible for stealing back big expensive aircraft from people that aren’t paying the bills . He’s the super repo-man.
“Popovich’s first rule of firearms is pretty simple: The man who tells you he’s going to shoot you will not [...]

The National Air and Space Museum has a wonderful interactive demonstration on the principles of flight called How Things Fly. Don’t forget to get your kids! For a more detailed explaination go here.
WikiHow’s take on How to Land an Airplane in an Emergency.
A huge list of aviation humor.
Fighter-Planes.com is a very informative and entertaining source [...]