This week marks the beginning of the traditional national tendency to reflect on the year gone by. It all starts at Thanksgiving, when we identify specific moments, events, objects, and relationships we appreciate most. Then we transition into Christmastime when we tend to recognize how good we’ve got it, no matter how many material things […]
Politics for Pilots
Desperadoes on the loose
It’s been more than a year since one of the most attention getting moments in the history of aviation and law enforcement took place. John and Martha King famously ended up in handcuffs and were stuffed into the back of police cars for the devious criminal exploit of landing a privately owned airplane at a […]
How’s your elevator speech?
In my position as a city commissioner I often find myself being lobbied by a resident or a developer who has a position they want me to adopt. That’s fair. In fact, it’s the basis of our system of government. We are, after all, a representative republic. Periodically we elect someone from our midst to […]
Occupy General Aviation
You’ve seen them on the news. They’re mostly young, but a broad spectrum of age brackets is evident in the full group. Often angry, frequently lacking focus, they have successfully done something the general aviation market has been loathe to do — attract massive media attention. On that score they’re winning the battle. First it […]
A campaign begins
Readers write to me from time to time. I’m glad they do. The wonders of the computer age allow us to communicate with each other more easily and productively than ever before. Email doesn’t cost a thing, and with the ability to attach photos, as well as links to videos or other content, means that […]
The ups and downs of scorched earth
When dealing with political issues, there are multiple methods of making your voice heard. Few are as productive in the short term as the scorched earth method. Ironically, few are as detrimental in the long term too. The problem is that you are willingly making the choice to play with fire and, as we all […]
Raising Cain
Last week I went to a dinner where Herman Cain, one of the Republican presidential candidates, was speaking. He spoke well, clearly articulating ideas that were far outside the mainstream of Republican politics, and making them palatable in the process. He was well received, and warmly applauded by the end of the evening. Still some […]
The power of lasting impressions
Over this past weekend I saw a young man named Zachary Drum stand at the front of a packed room and command the attention of every person in it. At 21 years old, Zachary is not tall or physically imposing. He doesn’t have the booming voice of an evangelical preacher and he never gestures wildly […]
Arguments, discussions, and finding peace
Arguments, discussions and peace: These are not incompatible terms, even if they may appear to be at first glance. Keep that thought in mind. Several weeks ago a reader sent me a book. The title is, I assume, intentionally incendiary, “How Safe is Your Pilot?” If that doesn’t grab your attention, the subtitle certainly will. […]