Preflight

A summary of reader recommendations

I spent a little time checking them out--oops, I mean, researching my column. We've all seen "information" on the Internet that wasn't worth reading, but I was impressed by both the quality and variety of aviation blogs. Take a look and see what you think. Hint: You don't have to type in these URLs by hand; go to our links page; select the April 2008 issue, scroll down to Preflight, and you'll find them all there for the clicking.

My Flight Blog

Todd McClamroch writes My Flight Blog and reads quite a few others--15 on a regular basis, he estimates--and tracks more than 40 blogs. "I usually dedicate one day a week to getting caught up on all the aviation blogs," he said.

"I hope that by sharing my experiences of learning to fly I can motivate others to make their dreams a reality, too," McClamroch says on his blog. "There are tons of FAQs about learning to fly. But, none of them really explains the ups and downs, challenges, and rewards of earning a private pilot's license."

An interesting element of this blog is the author's "Training Tracker," in which he updated the number of days, flight hours (dual and solo), ground instruction, and cost in obtaining his private pilot certificate. Now, he writes about trips he's taken, gatherings with other aviation enthusiasts, interesting aviation products--and, of course, aviation blogs (he offers a "blogroll" with links to nearly 50 other blogs).

Finally Learning to Fly

Perry Reed's blog, Finally Learning to Fly, documents his experiences in learning to fly in Florida. Reed, who is learning to fly for his fortieth birthday, recounts his lessons in detail that will be of interest to other students. Reed has lost several flight instructors to job changes (theirs, not his) and also experienced some frustration when training aircraft were not available for his lessons.

Reed was surprised by his son's reaction to a recent flight lesson. "My six-year-old son was actually riding with us in the back seat today because he was off from school and I had 'kid duty' for the day. I was worried that he'd be scared but instead he was bored! I imagine he'd have more fun on a cross-country trip."

The Flying Toga

Evan Krueger is a high school student in Illinois and author of The Flying Toga. Some posts describe the ongoing struggle of the young student pilot--no, it's not mastering the crosswind landing. Having saved some money, should he fly now, or save the money toward a sprint to first solo this spring? (My suggestion: Save the money for more intense training if you can go along on occasional flights with pilot friends, to keep your head in the game; otherwise, allow yourself the indulgence of an occasional flight. It's good to be reminded that fun is a big part of flying.)

Recently, he has been using his blog to explain a variety of terms relevant to student pilots--such as E6B, FAR, and avgas. One of Krueger's posts discusses his decision to add some unobtrusive text links to advertisements, in an effort "to pull in a little revenue," he said. "If I can earn a lesson by putting up links, it will be completely worth it."

Flight Lessons Learned

David West started his blog, Flight Lessons Learned, in 2004 just after he started training for the instrument rating. He told me he tries to post a couple times each month, generally describing his latest flights, and said his entries tend to be longer than those for many other blogs. "I try to capture the dialog between me and air traffic control," he said. "I enter the details about mistakes I've made or that I've witnessed in an effort to help myself and others learn."

A few more

Space precludes me from elaborating much on these, but I found each to be interesting:

Kent Lewis' Signal Charlie emphasizes aviation safety. At press time, he had several recent posts about runway incursions (see "President's Perspective: Curbing Incursions," p. 4).

Roger Worden's Roger's Soaring Blog details his experiences in becoming a glider pilot. It's one of only a handful of blogs about soaring.

E-mail Mike Collins, editor of AOPA Flight Training, at mike.collins@aopa.org.