The Cessna 172 has been around (in one form or another) for more than 50 years. It deserves the title VENERABLE as much as any of its fellow small aircraft. I would venture a guess that more people learned to fly in this airplane than any other.

That’s a handsome airplane up there, no doubt about it. It has excellent stability, decent fuel economy, and great visibility. These days, the instrument panel has changed dramatically. Slowly the “steam” gauges (or round dials you might have seen) are being replaced by multi-function displays like the one shown below.

The information presented is the same, only the format has changed. This is not your grandfather’s 172. Still, flying remains the same; you have to watch your airspeed, look out for other traffic, and not forget to keep an eye on where you’re going.

These days general aviation has suffered with everyone else due to high fuel prices, increasing fees, and encroachment upon airports of housing developments. However, flying remains more than a dream for many. Stop by your local airport and you’ll see people admiring the planes, trading stories, and discussing their next trip. And well they should. If you haven’t looked at the sky and wondered what it was like to fly, check for a pulse. You might have expired without knowing it.

As always, do your checklist!

In this day of the jet liner, we’ve all but forgotten the airplanes that paved the way for modern travel. Among them, perhaps none is more venerated that the Douglas DC-3. Here in Aruba, there is one parked across the highway from the Queen Beatrix airport. It’s slowly falling to pieces under the Caribbean sun, which is a sad ending of such a proud machine. Here’s a current photo:

Too bad this one will never take to the air again. I checked on some facts about the DC-3 and discovered that it was the first airplane to enable the airlines to make a profit on passenger service only. American Airlines used it on the New York to Chicago route in 1936, and the air travel business was off to the races. More than 10,500 DC-3’s were built, and according to my research, about 1000 of them are still flying. Not bad when you consider they were built between 1935 and 1947. Here are a few other tidbits: It had a cruising speed of just over 200mph, carried up to 28 passengers, had two engines developing 1,200hp each, could travel about 2,000 miles with maximum fuel, and way back when you could buy one for about $138,000.

Flying must have been a great adventure back in the days of the DC-3. You couldn’t fly above the weather. There wasn’t much in the way of electronic navigation. You had to climb up and down the stairs just to board the plane. Still, it sounds like fun. Just a few things to think about when you’re sitting aboard a modern airliner, cruising along in pressurized, air conditioned comfort at about 500mph, high above the clouds, guided by satellite navigation.

Bon dia from Aruba.

While knocking around the U.S. National Archives, I found an image of the check the United States paid Russia for Alaska. Have a look.

It was written for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents an acre. What a deal! The US definitely got the whole kit and kaboodle, everything from fishing grounds, to oil, to polar bears, not to mention 600,000 square miles of turf. And there’s a stamp on that check where it was actually paid and I’m wondering how Russia received the money. Was it greenbacks, gold, or something else. I’ll have to keep looking.

And have a look at that handwriting. Whoever wrote this check wanted the world to be able to read it. Great penmanship! Anyway, just goes to show what a little more than seven million bought back in the day.

I love cats and I love to fly but I wouldn’t expect my cat to go flying. Not in a small plane anyway. Well, check out this video:

That’s Iris the Bengal Cat on the dashboard while this fellow lands his Cessna 172. Beautiful landing and Iris provided her compliments to the pilot.

Gotta love those cats but I think the better part of safety would be to strap them in. Just saying.

The Grumman Goose was a legendary airplane. It served all types of functions, including shuffling people like Hemingway around the Caribbean. It was a rugged, sturdy design, capable of landing on land and sea, a fine example of great aeronautical engineering. Of course, history marched forward and the goose became a relic. Until… a couple of people set up shop to build them again. Here’s a photo of their Goose:

She may not be the most handsome aircraft, but she does conjure up plenty of emotion. The plane evokes the glory days of aviation, of island hopping, of finding that place that no one else has yet found. Hmmmm…. maybe I’ll write a story featuring this plane. It’s been a long time since I read Lost Horizon.

I sincerely hope this company finds great success. I’d love to see this modern version of the goose flying. Wouldn’t mind flying one myself.

Landing an airplane is one of the most challenging aspects of flying. Sure, there is the old pilot adage that, “any landing you walk away from was a good one.” I prefer nice, smooth landings. The following video shows a nice landing in crosswind conditions. Captain Randy Masters of American Airlines is at the controls.

That’s the way it’s done. Of course, conditions make it difficult at times. That’s why I’m always impressed at the abilities of most commercial pilots. It’s not easy landing a plane with a couple of hundred people on board. My hat goes off to them.