Monthly Archives: September 2010

Happy Birthday

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Joe Clark

Twelve years ago, I started dating my wife. I would marry her two years later and we celebrated our 10th anniversary September 23rd. Tomorrow is another celebration – September 30 is my father-in-law’s birthday, as well as his wife’s. During … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged a natural sense of inquisitiveness, all Americans, “robbing the cradle”, dating my wife, Happy Birthday, hazelnut creamer, high school, in-laws, mom and dad, my father-in-law’s birthday, my mother-in-law’s birthday, raising daughters, The Great Depression, to live laugh and love, uncles and aunts and cousins, wife’s parents, World War II | 6 Comments

Airplanista – A New Aviation Magazine

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Joe Clark

Heads-up: a new aviation electronic magazine is set to break out on Friday, October 1 and you really should make sure to check out the first issue. Airplanista is the brain-child of Dan Pimentel, an aviator from Oregon who has … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Publishing, Reading, Writing | Tagged airplanes, Airplanista, aviation magazine, aviation photography, aviation stories, electronic magazine, flying articles | 1 Comment

Timing is Everything

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Joe Clark

Somewhere out at sea tonight, Navy pilots will finish up their mission briefs and then, just like in the movies, they will sync up their watches. What they are doing is synchronizing their wristwatches with the PLAT (pilot landing aid … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General | Tagged Angels 15, “out of the wires”, “Paddles”, ball call, bolter, bombs on target, flight discipline, Fresnel lens, holding pattern, hook skip bolter, LSO, marshal, meatball, mission briefs, Navy pilots, PLAT (pilot landing aid television), platform, push time, Somewhere out at sea, synchronizing their wristwatches, the flight deck, Timing is Everything | 1 Comment

Blog Ideas

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Joe Clark

More than a couple of readers have asked, “Where do you get ideas for your blog?” The latest person to ask was my wife. “Ideas are all around,” I explained. “All you have to do is keep your eyes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged a wonderful decade, Blog Ideas, Celtic bands, ideas, keeping your eyes and ears open, neighborhood bar, Saturday night, streaking, tenth anniversary, University of Florida | 7 Comments

Ernest K. Gann

Posted on September 26, 2010 by Joe Clark

If you are a pilot and you enjoy reading, I hope you have a chance to read some of Ernest K. Gann’s works. If you want to have a sense of aeronautical history coupled with vicarious learning about flying, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Life in General, Personal, Publishing, Reading | Tagged A Hostage To Fortune, a pilot’s pilot, a writer’s writer, airline pilot, barnstormers, DC-2, DC-3, Ernest K. Gann, Fate Is The Hunter, gypsy pilots, learning vicariously, MATS, professional pilot, professional writer, The Hump, the Taj Mahal | Leave a comment

Music

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Joe Clark

Glee! What a phenomenal show! Who knew? They take music from different eras and re-make it into wonderful renditions – sometimes much better than the original artist created. Regardless of the rendition, there is magic in the music. When you … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged “Our House”, “Stupid kid!”, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Glee!, lucky, memories, music, songs, train engineers, trains | 5 Comments

The Kite Tale

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Joe Clark

In 1959 when my mother divorced, she did not want to return to Southern Alabama. For whatever her reasons, she decided Tampa was the place to be. My uncle lived on Idelwild Street and my mom bought a house two streets … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged Cuba, flying kites, kite tails, Southern Alabama, Tampa, The Kite Tail, Uncle Buddy | 2 Comments

The Cessna 150

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Joe Clark

If you go to an airshow featuring Naval Aviators, you may see one or two of the more experienced pilots walking around with patches on their flight jackets proclaiming, “1000 hours” or “2000 hours” in a particular tactical aircraft. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying | Tagged 1000 hours, Cessna 172, cost per hour, flight schools, flying characteristics, flying fun, high cost environment, pretty good Deal, straight tail, The Cessna 150, Trade A Plane, utility | 2 Comments

Shooting and Saving Your Photos

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Joe Clark

We live in an incredible time when it comes to photography. The old photographers, Matthew Brady in the War Between the States, Ansel Adams of landscape fame, and Larry Burrows of Life magazine, to name a very few, would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal, Publishing | Tagged action shots, Ansel Adams, cameras, digital photography, film, film cameras, Larry Burrows, Life magazine, Mathew Brady, photographers, photography, Photoshop, selling photographs, Shooting and Saving Your Photos, still life, the Internet | 4 Comments

Speeding

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Joe Clark

I am cruising down the interstate at 70 mph with the cruise control doing the work for me. I’m listening to the radio while watching traffic and waiting for the sun to rise in the east. The car is running … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged A $45000 per hour risk!, court costs, cruising the interstate, fines, hurt someone, kill an innocent person, listening to the radio, over the limit, police ticketing you, possible processing fees, Speeding | 2 Comments