As I parked my car at the San Carlos Airport and walked towards Diamond Aviation, the memories flooded back.

It was a beautiful January day nine years ago.  I had finally gathered the courage – and resources – to walk into a flight school and sign-up for lessons.

KSQL presented many great challenges for a new student: lots of traffic, plenty of airspace issues, a tower, short runway, and notoriously gusty cross-winds.

But my instructor’s steady hand kept me on track.  John was always there.  Eager to teach.  More passionate about flying than adding stripes.

Within 5 months I was a private pilot.

And after building a hundred hours in the Bay Area, job demands took me to Honolulu.  Nope, not a bad place to fly, but quite far from from everything, and somewhat limiting in a Cessna 172.

Then work in Los Angeles came calling, and along with it, an opportunity to rent planes at one of America’s finest fields, the Van Nuys Airport.  Landing on the storied 16-Right was a blast.

But for some reason, it felt like my flying skills had hit a plateau.  Yes, I challenged myself.  So did the LA airspace.  But something was missing.

That’s why another job transfer last month came with a major perk: the chance to fly again where it all began.  And the best bonus: John was still teaching.  What are the odds?

And so, as I walked into Diamond Aviation on this January day, I felt like I was home again.  John stood up from the lounge couch and greeted me like time had stood still.

Out on the ramp, a row of beautiful new airplanes sat glowing in the low winter sun.

Taxing out to Runway 30, it all felt normal again.  A familiar place.  A familiar instructor.  And a glassy flight with an amazing sunset off of Half Moon Bay.

And now, the perfect time to finally get that instrument ticket.

Yep, I feel the passion again.  And yes, I’m sure those gusty winds will return soon.  I can’t wait.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer diamond aviation, half moon bay, instrument rating, John Bell, ksql

Ever look at your logbook and see something that brings-back an entire flight’s worth of memories?  As we chock the tires on 2011, our debrief includes 5 major takeaways from the last year…

5.  International Travel is No Longer Better

As domestic airlines cut their costs, raise our costs, merge with each other, and make us merge our personal space with fellow passengers, we’ve noticed international routes have also lost their luster.  If you don’t believe me…

We snapped this picture on a recent 12-hour flight from Europe to Los Angeles.  Hope she washed her hair that morning!

Sure, the food is still free but the drinks sometimes aren’t.  And unless you’re in First or Business, or on a new A380, several of your senses will quickly remind you that most fleets are long overdue for an upgrade.

If only a Cessna 172 could quickly take us between continents.

Yes, we will concede that the flight crews on international routes are the best in the business, as we witnessed first hand when an emergency forced a diversion and landing recently aboard our 747.

4.  Automation Can Kill Us

How is it possible for 3 airline pilots to fly a perfectly airworthy wide-body aircraft into the ocean?  Just read the transcript from Air France flight 447 and you’ll find out.

Thanks to an all-out effort to recover the black boxes in 2011 from this fatal flight, we now know the cockpit crew aboard the Airbus was doing everything possible… to stall the plane.

Much of the blame now lies in the training process, and how over-reliance on technology can leave a crew suddenly overwhelmed and confused, so much so that they forget the basics of flying.

And while we love glass cockpits, we’ve also caught ourselves looking down, not outside, more often than not.  Never a good thing when cruising the skies of the bustling Los Angeles Basin.

3.  Time to Get with the Digital Program, Or Else…

Did you get a tablet or SmartPhone for Christmas?  You’re not alone if you did.  And as we start to convert our aviation magazine subscriptions to the iPad, we’re finding that some publishers get it, and others just don’t.

Take Flying Magazine, for example.  They want to charge us an additional fee for downloading their digital version.  Huh?

We’ve taken this up with their editor, and we’re not alone.  Just read Flying’s terrible reviews in the App Store.

Hey, magazine people, it’s simple: yes, we’ll pay to read something on a computer, but don’t pretend the digital version commands a premium.

2.  Airshows Are Hurting General Aviation

We hate to write about this because we love them.  But air shows are working against us.  The Reno tragedy is the latest, and absolute worst example of how they’re hurting the perception of small planes.

The mainstream media will latch-on to any crash that’s caught on camera.  Unfortunately, there are too many crashes and even more cameras at these events, as we saw during a particularly deadly weekend in 2011.

Don’t cancel air shows.  Just don’t market them as a way to promote general aviation to the general public.

1.  General Aviation Is Quietly Surviving

We fly out of Van Nuys Airport near Los Angeles.  And while we’re sure it used to be busier, our senses tell us that general aviation remains strong.

Just listen to the constant chop of props cutting the Saturday morning air from the various flight schools sprinkled around the field.

Just watch the stream of multi-million dollar jets shooting down Runway 16-Left, ushering celebrities and corporate folks to their private destinations.

Just smell the coffee brewing in the Clay Lacy hangar, full of AOPA members gathering to listen to president Craig Fuller tell us what he and 600,000 members are doing to keep small airports thriving.

Our New Year’s Resolution is to put in a few more hours in 2012, and stop talking about what it used to be like.  That won’t revitalize aviation.  Flying will.

Thank you for being part of Archer Bravo Aviation, and let us know if there’s anything we can do better in 2012 to make aviation more affordable and fun.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer 2011 top list, air france 447, air show, any, aopa, digital magazine, flying, flying magazine, iPad, learn to fly, lufthansa

Our mission was simple when we started Archerbravo.com: save pilots money and keep flight schools busy.  So this holiday season, we’re giving you $5 OFF (every dollar counts, right?) your next rental flight, and entering you to win ONE HOUR of flight time.

Nope.  There’s no catch.  Here’s all you need to do to redeem this exclusive offer:

1. Be sure you’ve LIKED our Facebook page here
2. Be sure you’re an Archer Bravo Aviation member here
3. Email us at holiday@archerbravo.com with the following:
• The name of the flight school and airport where you’ll be flying
• The flight school phone number
• The name of someone we can talk to at the flight school
• Your name and email address

Once verified, we will make sure $5 gets credited to your account within 60 days.  Now GO FLY!

Happy Holidays from Archer Bravo Aviation, Inc.

We don’t like legalese, but in case you’re curious…

• Deal will end at 5pm on Thursday 12/22/11 or after first 50 submissions, whichever comes first
• Aircraft must be rented at a Part 61 or Part 141 flight school
• Limited to one per person
• The winner of the free hour of flight will be selected at random, per these contest rules

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer cessna discount, flight rental discount, flight school discount, free flight

We know flight training isn’t getting any cheaper.  But we’ve recently found a bargain when it comes to logging landings.

How good is this deal?  How about 8 touch & goes in just 0.8 hours on the Hobbs!  That includes a long taxi to and from the ramp.  Can you beat it?

No, this isn’t in a simulator.  It’s available smack-dab in the middle of some of America’s busiest air space, and mostly likely at an airport near you, too.

Here’s how it works: we depart the Van Nuys Airport (VNY) on the famed runway 16R north of Los Angeles.  But rather than staying in the pattern, we head just 8 miles to the east, exiting the VNY Delta, under the LAX Bravo shelf, and into the Class C airspace boarding the bustling Bob Hope Burbank Airport (BUR).

Approaching from the west, the Burbank tower will usually put us on a straight-in to Runway 8.

Then at some point before short final, we’ll request closed traffic, and ask for figure 8s using the crossing runway 15.

No sooner than we’ve touched down, taken-off, and turned left after departure from Runway 8, we’re already established on a left downwind for Runway 15.

Land on 1-5, push in the throttle, and this time it’s back on the right downwind for Runway 8 after a lift-off.  Now repeat the process.

Don’t think your local airport with crossing runways will allow this?

If they’ll do it at Burbank, where we’re constantly sandwiched between Southwest737s, JetBlue A320s, and American MD-80s, they’ll most certainly do it near you.

You just have to ask.

And before you assume the controllers don’t like it, consider this: the more landings and takeoffs your local airport logs, the more relevant it becomes, and the more funding it might get.

It’s a win-win-win.  You save money, log a lot of landings, and keep your airport open.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer burbank, cessna, hobbs, most landings, van nuys

The flight started routinely enough.  Stuck in coach on a 12 hour trek home after a glorious vacation throughout France and Italy.

Our older-model Lufthansa Boeing 747 launched westward from Frankfurt on the polar route to Los Angeles, and as the passengers settled-in, the pilot in me passed the time watching the moving map display on the cabin monitors.

About an hour into the trip somewhere to the north of London, I looked over at my wife who was suddenly jolted forward by a stern kick to her seat from the passenger behind her.  I glanced back and was equally as stunned by what I saw.

A young boy, no older than 13, was slumped in his seat, shaking violently, and quickly turning blue.  As foam began coming out of his mouth, his mother sitting next to him jumped up and bolted to the back of the plane seeking help.

As a slew of “dings” rang through the cabin, a flight attendant walked up and quickly realized this was more than a routine call for coffee.

I had seen it before, though never on a plane.  The boy was suffering from a grand mal seizure at 34,000 feet.

What happened next was unreal.  Within 15-seconds, the cabin crew had gathered around him, straightening his head, opening his airway, and somehow alerting the cockpit about the emergency.

The plane suddenly banked to the right and set a course due north – in case we had to turn around – as the crew evaluated the situation.  The flight attendants carried the boy to the galley, laid him down, and summoned doctors on board.

After about 5 minutes, the captain came across the PA, first speaking in French and then in English explaining there was a sick passenger on board, and maybe strangely, apologizing that the meal service had been postponed.

Given how violent the boy’s seizure seemed, I was certain we were either headed to London or back to Frankfurt.  But to my surprise, the 747 soon turned on-course to LAX, and the boy eventually emerged from the galley clearly shaken, but on his feet.

Dinner was eventually served and the young passenger settled back into his seat next to his worried mom.  I put my head back and closed my eyes, thankful that all had ended relatively well.

Or had it.  I woke to new commotion behind my wife, and lifted the blanket covering my eyes to see a team of flight attendants again carrying the boy to the galley.  It had happened again.  This time over Hudson Bay.

And this time, after 30 hushed minutes in the cabin, the captain came back on the PA, giving a two-minute message, first again in French, but frequently repeating the unmistakable word: Winnipeg.

Sure enough, the captain’s English version confirmed we would be diverting to the Canadian city.

Flight attendants hustled to secure the cabin and the 747 started down prematurely.  My thoughts drifted between the young boy in the galley, and what was surely a very busy cockpit as the pilots familiarized themselves with all-things “YWG.”

The touch down was smooth and the plane stopped on the ramp away from any terminal, greeted by emergency personnel and a very efficient ground crew.

In less than an hour, the sick child and his family were headed to the hospital, their bags were located among hundreds of pieces of luggage in the Boeing’s belly, and enough fuel was pumped into the wings to complete our journey to Los Angeles.

And in those 3 final hours to LAX, I couldn’t help but be frightened for the family, wondering if perhaps a landing in London would have been the better decision.

But at the same time, I had new found trust and respect for the fast-acting flight crew, clearly trained to do more than deliver dinner.  They had just helped divert a giant 747.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer 747, flight attendant, frankfurt, los angeles, lufthansa, medical emergency, winnipeg

I know.  It’s a sacrilegious statement.  Especially coming from a pilot who loves a fold-out chair and a good view of the sky all weekend long.

But let’s stop kidding ourselves.  Air shows are hurting our cause, not helping it.

This became very clear recently after three pilots died performing at three separate airshows.  In just a single weekend.

Of course, everything is captured on video these days, so local and national news organizations almost instantly had plenty of material to run with.  And they sprinted.

The Monday morning quarterbacking started early on Good Morning America and other network shows, conveying “tragedy in the skies” after a “deadly weekend” in front of “horrified crowds.”

Air show organizers claim these events are ambassadors of aviation, drawing 12 million people each year.

But here’s the problem.  If you look at the overnight television ratings, more than 12 million viewers who don’t share our passion, and probably already think “those small planes” are dangerous, had their assumptions reinforced through these reports.  In just a single day.

And that doesn’t even include the YouTube audience, and the hundreds of damaging comments from people, including one I just can’t forget: “If you want to see a plane crash, go to an air show.”

Yes, there is no doubt the NASCAR-effect and the allure of a daredevil.  But when cars crash, drivers usually walk away.  Pilots don’t.

If we want air shows to attract wanna-be pilots, the main attraction should be a Cessna 172 demonstrating a low and slow fly-by and a soft-field landing, not an Extra 300 Unlimited tumbling through the sky seemingly out of control.

As pilots, we already understand the joy and risk involved in flying and aerobatics.  But to non-pilots, the people we need to bolster our dwindling population, it’s frightening.  Especially when one of these skilled pilots makes a mistake.

Of course, no one would go to an air show if the top act maxed out at 120 knots.  And that’s fine.

As long as we stop trying to convince non-pilots, and ourselves, that air shows actually promote the public perception of aviation.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer air show, crash, danger, nascar, youtube

Although by no means usual for me, my day at this year’s Paris Air Show probably started like most. An air of excitement. Long, but giddy lines. And yes, plenty of planes.

It was my first experience at Le Bourget, a last-minute diversion from our vacation itinerary conceived only after stepping off a red-eye from Dulles to Charles de Gaulle.

As crowds poured into the world’s largest air show, I really only wanted to see one thing: the world’s largest passenger jet.

Of course, I knew this might not be possible after the A380 scheduled to make an appearance clipped its right-wing on a hangar just two days earlier.

And adding to that uncertainty, if you’ve been to the Paris Air Show, you know even the Super Jumbo’s tail wouldn’t immediately make its presence known among the rows and rows of buildings and heavy iron parked quite far from the main gates.

But after a long taxi on foot (with luggage in tow, by the way – a part of the story my wife loves to remind me about), there was no mistaking that I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Standing tall and proud, the extremely large vertical fin of the A380 was unmistakable. And of course magnetic for me.

I had watched the jet on television, seen it in person from a distance at LAX, and certainly admired it in pictures. But some things are more impressive up close, and while blocked by a rope, I was now just 50 yards from its chunky and no-nonsense landing gear.

And almost on cue, just as I started snapping pictures of the A380′s impossibly aerodynamic features, there was a sudden commotion around the aircraft.

Vehicles began circling the plane, and dozens of men in uniform, all with non-nonsense expressions, scrambled to surround the fuselage, almost arm-in-arm.

And with just one very familiar sound, I knew things were about to get even more interesting.

Seemingly as powerful as one of the main engines on a Boeing 737, the jet’s APU whirred to life. It was clear this beast was about to go somewhere, further confirmed when a tug that looked like a flattened monster truck fired-up and attached itself for the nose gear.

But this wasn’t just any push-back.

As if the Pope had suddenly asked to go for a stroll through St. Peter’s Square, or the President down Pennsylvania Avenue, or Brad Pitt into a women’s locker room, this Airbus was getting super-star treatment.

It was, and obviously continues to be, the pride and joy of France. The toddler every parent wants to show-off for the world. The engineering marvel that screams size does matter.

More than 75 police officers escorted it off the ramp and onto the taxiway. And those at the air show certainly gave it the red carpet treatment, lining-up six deep just to watch it do what it does every day from airport gates around the world.

And as if that wasnít enough, it was clear the right wing had already been fixed, a repair that would perhaps ground any other plane for weeks.

On that morning, I never did see it fly. But I didn’t care. With its winglet passing just 10 feet over me, and its bloated face starring straight down the lens of my camera, it didn’t matter.

This super jumbo might be impressive in the air. But it’s a celebrity on the ground.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer a380, le bourget, paris air show, superjumbo

If you haven’t heard, this weekend the State of California will close the very busy 405 Freeway between LAX and the San Fernando Valley, part of an ongoing expansion project.  Nightmare, right?

Kudos to JetBlue for this brilliant marketing move, as announced in a press release today…

LOS ANGELES (July 13, 2011) – JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announces the introduction of two special nonstop flights #OverThe405, between Los Angeles’ Long Beach Airport and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank this Saturday, July 16, 2011 during ‘Carmageddon,’ a.k.a. the 405 Freeway closure.  As an alternative to carpooling, book a ‘planepool’ between the Valley and the beach today at www.jetblue.com/overthe405 for $4 each way, including taxes and fees, or for $5 customers can also enjoy an Even More Space seat which includes early boarding and early access to overhead bin space as well as a spacious seat with extra legroom.

“We’re helping Angelenos get over the gridlock altogether and enjoy the Valley or the beach, their favorite soccer match or a food festival, without having to brave the traffic jams to get there,” said Mark Rogers, JetBlue’s L.A. marketing manager.   “Plus, you’ll receive some of the best customer service in the industry, you can check a bag free, have the benefit of ample legroom while you tune to one of more than 100 live channels of free TV or radio stations, and snack freely, all while having a birds-eye view of the road congestion you’ve given up.”                

“I congratulate JetBlue on taking their customer service to new heights by providing alternatives for travelers in the L.A. Basin during ‘Carmageddon’ weekend,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster.  “JetBlue’s solution to Carmageddon will allow everyone in the L.A. Basin to visit Long Beach this weekend and enjoy a weekend of fun on the beach just a quick flight from Burbank.”  

For locals seeking refuge farther from home, JetBlue is offering a 40.5 percent discount on the airfare portion of any JetBlue Getaways vacation package to Las Vegas from Burbank or Long Beach, as well as an additional $40.50 off their entire vacation, when using promo code CA405 at www.jetblue.com/vacations. Two-night packages to Las Vegas start as low as $205 for two people.  Vacations must be booked by Friday, July 15 for travel taking place July 16 – July 19, 2011.

JetBlue’s #OverThe405 schedule on Sat., July 16 between Long Beach and Burbank:

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer 405 freeway, alternate routes, carmageddon, jetblue

I’ll admit it.  I’m not fond of the wind.  Especially where it’s not supposed to be.

Like when you suddenly find too much of it on short final after a calm, stable approach.  Or in the cockpit.

The first time my flight instructor showed me a Cessna 172 won’t turn into a kite if you open the windows in flight, I was so startled I almost knocked my headset off.

I now thank him for doing that, knowing I’ll be more prepared should something suddenly pop open on rotation.

So when my wife surprised me with an open-cockpit biplane ride for my birthday, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Besides lots of wind.

But as soon as I saw the 1927 Curtiss Wright Travel Air, operated by Barnstorming Adventures out of Montgomery Field (MYF) in San Diego, an amazing calm washed over me.

A comfy canopy would have looked like a birth-defect on this gorgeous, perfectly-restored time-machine.

This airplane is was born to turn its pilots into pitot tubes.  Expose them to the elements.  Saturate them with all that nature offers.

We climbed into the front, side-by-side very cozy seats, as our pilot “Vintage Vic” sat behind us and fired up the big, round Lycoming.

The short motorcycle-style windscreen was amazingly effective at deflecting the prop wash as we lifted off towards Mission Bay, oh, in just 300 feet or so.

And as we floated into the sky, balanced on four wings and lots of fabric, I had never felt so much purity with an airplane.  A cleanly choreographed dance with the wind.  A seemingly effortless flight.  Although I’m sure Vic was working hard behind us, even treating us to a few perfectly coordinated wingovers.

As we flew over downtown San Diego, the modern architecture below clashed beautifully with our classic machine, as its prop pulled us along at just over 80 knots.

And aside from providing a damp chill from an unseasonably cool day in Southern California, the wind I had come to dislike so much, had suddenly become unnoticable.  Inherent to our flight.  Peaceful.  Beautiful.

My fear now: it will be too quiet during my next flight in the Skyhawk.

I guess I’ll just have to fly with the windows open.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer barnstorming adventures, biplane ride, curtiss travel air, montgomery field, NC3242, pilot vic, san diego

If you’re like me, getting a glossy aviation magazine in the mail still gets your flying juices flowing.  But that juice is starting to sour a bit.

The more I read magazines, the more I realize how stale they can be.

Of course, a print publication must prepare its content months in advance. And a lot can change.  It’s a media-model that essentially went unchallenged for decades.  But we now consume information instantly, and constantly.

So I was very glad to find-out Flying Magazine is now offering an iPad edition, presumably with more timely content wrapped around the shell of the magazine.

Unfortunately, this excitement quickly turned to dismay when I saw the digital editions will cost money, on top of our regular subscriptions.

Wait… a premium for content I might find on a free, constantly-updated aviation website like AvWeb.com or Aero-News.net?

Who’s idea was this?  I turned my disbelief into words for the Flying editor-in-chief…

Mr. Robert Goyer,

In the March 2011 edition of Flying, you’ve made a very shortsighted and potentially detrimental comment regarding this magazine’s availability – and future success – on the iPad.  In explaining why it will cost traditional subscribers an additional $2.99 per issue for the digital issue, you equate this to the movie theater versus on-demand entertainment model.

As a younger pilot who closely studies media-consumption research, I can tell you that your argument is flawed, and rather than build a digital subscription base, this model will likely lead to further erosion on all platforms.

First, the web – whether consumed on a computer or mobile device – is not a premium service.  Users now expect video, sound, and dynamic information to be at their fingertips for free.  If it’s not, they will seek it out, and given the various no-cost aviation newsletters and daily e-digests, they will turn to these sources rather than wait for – and pay for – your monthly digital issues.  Most already offer timelier content than Flying.

Second, your subscribers are already paying for “exclusive” content by subscribing to Flying.  Now many of them simply want to convert to a paperless model.  Given that your printing and shipping costs most certainly exceed your digital production and emailing costs, what exactly will we pay a premium for?  People generally want either version, not both.

So, to use your analogy, I’m not going to buy Avatar on-demand if I’ve already seen it in the theater, and vice-versa.

With the help of quantitative and/or qualitative research, several forward-thinking print publications have figured this out. Obviously not Flying.  And it is proof again that some traditional magazines and their publishers – desperately trying to recapture dwindling sales revenue – are hastily applying outdated theories to the real-time, quickly-evolving consumer base.

I strongly recommend converting to a subscription model that allows for the digital or paper version… before it’s too late.

Regards,

Chris A.
Flying Subscriber (for now)
Private Pilot

Mr. Goyer has yet to respond.  Maybe I should have sent it via snail mail, not email.

It’s true, some media companies have set-up a pay-model similar to what Flying is floating.  But other very successful ones – AOPA and, most recently, HBO-2Go come to mind – are now giving you the choice: traditional or digital for the same price.

We want to know which model works for you?  Tell us by leaving a comment below…

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer aopa, avweb.com; aero-news.net, Flying Magazine; Robert Goyer, hbo2go, iPad, iPad2, pay model, print publications, subscription model