Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: MGY-TVC Weather - MGY: Clear, 90 degrees, wind 170 degrees at 6 knots Weather - TVC: Few clouds, 93 degrees, wind 200 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 28 We're taking a short family vacation between now and the 4th of July; the first stop is Traverse City for two nights. It's hard to believe but it's already been eight years since we last flew there! Our friends Rob, Abby and their daughter Charlotte are joining me, Gina, and Mariella up there. As it was disgustingly hot and humid in Dayton this afternoon, I went down a few hours before we departed t ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: MGY-LBE-MGY Weather - MGY: Clear, 81 degrees, wind light and variable Weather - LBE: Scattered clouds, 80 degrees, wind 260 degrees at 8 knots Weather - MGY: Scattered clouds, 91 degrees, wind light and variable Today was Father's Day, which meant I had more sway than usual in deciding what to do. What better way to spend some time with the family than a $100 hamburger run? Even better, the increased speed and range of the new plane meant we had many more options to choose from. Pilot friend Chris and I were talking last week and me a superb r ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: MGY, Local  Weather: Clear, 80 degrees, wind 340 degrees at 5 knots Time moves quickly. After a couple busy weeks that included my little sister's wedding and a work trip to San Antonio, I was itching to get back in the air. We're planning a nice little day trip for Father's Day this coming weekend but I wanted to get in a little air time first. Especially so I could have an opportunity to give the new avionics a trial run. The club just installed a nice Appareo ESG transponder so the plane meets the ADS-B mandate. It includes a hard-wired Str ..read more

Plane: Cub, 65 hp Route: 40I, Local  Weather: Few clouds, 87 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 5 knots I've known Roberto for a little while now; through a nice little small-world coincidence, his wife took Gina's amazing maternity and newborn photos and then I realized he worked at the same company I joined back in December. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take much chatting to realize he's a fellow aviation nut. So much so he's even started his own flying lessons at Stewart! It's not often I end up with a photo of myself fueling a Cub Even without his student pilot status, we've ..read more

Plane: Cub, 65 hp  Route: 40I, Local  Weather: Clear, 79 degrees, wind 060 degrees at 4 knots Compared to the past couple years, I've been on a downright tear in 2018. Less than six months in, my hours are already more than double what I flew last year! And I'm actually on track to fly more than I did in 2016, 2015, or 2014. Life isn't much less crazy for me these days, but I think I've finally managed to strike a balance that ensures I get to spend enough time in the cockpit. Prior Years: 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |&nbs ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: BFA-MGY Weather - BFA: Broken clouds, 47 degrees, wind variable at 5 knots Weather - MGY: Few clouds, 77 degrees, wind variable at 3 knots Today was one of those days in the sky where you make some tough decisions and learn a few things. After a great weekend in Boyne golfing with my future brother-in-law, it was time to head home. I'd been checking the forecasts all weekend and I knew the weather wouldn't be perfect. The question was whether it would be good enough to get out and get home. It was overcast when I woke up, so obviously I wasn't goin ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: OZW-BFA  Weather - OZW: Clear, 63 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 14 Weather - BFA: Clear, 60 degrees, wind 110 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 17 After getting out of Dayton ahead of some weather last night, I awoke to a beautiful morning in Michigan. I had breakfast and talked with my dad for a bit, took a shower, and then he drove me down the road to the airport. Once the plane was loaded and I completed my pre-flight, we said goodbye and I taxied over to the fuel pumps. First learning of the day. It's seemingly obvious, but ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: MGY-OZW Weather - MGY: Broken clouds, 80 degrees, wind 070 degrees at 8 knots Weather - OZW: Clear, 70 degrees, wind 040 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 16 I'm heading up to Boyne Mountain, MI this weekend for my future brother-in-law's bachelor party. The plan had been to fly up tomorrow in one simple straight shot. But I made the very last-minute call to bug out this afternoon, and I'm glad I did. All week I've been watching the weather remain strange and somewhat uncooperative - a weak front has hung in the region for days, with regular scattered storm ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: MGY, Local  Weather: Broken clouds, 82 degrees, wind 270 degrees at 6 knots After spending much of the day enjoying the warm, almost-summer weather (and weeding and mowing the lawn) it appeared the forecast scattered storms were scattering away from the area. So I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to take the whole family up in the new plane for the first time! It was the first time we all flew together since Mariella's first flight last August. She was happy before we even left the ground One additional perk of the new club airplane is its ..read more

Plane: Cessna 182 RG  Route: MGY-USW-HTW-LUK-MGY  Instructor: Matt Weather - MGY: Clear, 68-79 degrees, wind variable at 5-8 knots Weather - HTW: Clear, 78 degrees, wind light and variable Weather - LUK: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 250 degrees at 5 knots Today started with one goal - fly enough hours to complete my checkout in the club Skylane RG. At this point, it's all about making the insurance company happy, as Matt has said he's confident I can fly the airplane. I'm happy to report we did just that today; I'm now signed off to fly the plane whenever and where ..read more