2019-01-09 06:27
I’m always puzzled by the awe with which so many people — some of them pilots themselves — regard those of us who regularly fly to other continents.
From Day One, there was… Read More
Blog Directory > Life Blogs > My Life Blogs > The House of Rapp my-life Blog >
The House Of Rapp Blog
rapp.org
Tags:
aviation
flight
business aviation
flight attendants
bearing
thirdparty
business aviation pilots
business
industry
pilot
Pilot and musician making his way across the skies and stages of Southern California
2018-12-19 04:53
I’m often asked: why pursue a career in business aviation? Most professional pilots measure their career with two metrics: compensation and quality-of-life. If scheduled airlines p… Read More
2018-12-05 18:13
There’s a school of thought out there which tells us that the Non-Directional Beacon and it’s cockpit counterpart, the ADF, are things of the past with nothing to offer today&rsq&hell…Read More
2018-10-29 21:52
Normally, paranoia is considered unhealthy. As it pertains to flying, however, in my experience a moderate dose can keep the doctor away much like the proverbial apple. It’ll keep th… Read More
2018-08-06 17:43
The latest post from Airscape Magazine landed on my computer screen this morning. Always a welcome respite from the flood of Monday morning email, this one was a loving tribute to a Lockhee… Read More
2018-07-31 19:47
When it comes to the ease and freedom of flight, it’s hard to beat the United States. We can obtain an IFR clearance moments after filing a flight plan and operate pretty much anywhere… Read More
2018-07-26 08:28
It’s long been known that flight at high altitudes exposes flight crew and passengers alike to greater levels of radiation than they normally experience on the surface, but a recent Ha… Read More
2018-06-18 19:55
It seems to me we’re at a bit of a tipping point with the GA ecosystem. There simply aren’t enough instructors around to solve the pilot shortage. And without enough pilots, we… Read More
2018-05-30 22:04
A friend was searching far and wide for a first officer to fly an exquisite Falcon 2000EX EASy, but couldn’t fill the position despite the six-figure start… Read More
2018-05-14 23:25
I’m often surprised at the widely varying quality of domestic Standard Terminal Arrival procedures. The name makes for a good acronym (“STAR”), but from an aviator’s… Read More
2018-02-28 23:35
I’ve been writing about general aviation for… well, let’s not count the years, shall we? It would be a bit distressing, and age is just a number anyway.
(I wish.)
For t… Read More
2018-02-13 18:20
A fellow CFI recently asked my thoughts on whether instrument flying is more art or science. Long story short, I’m of the opinion that it’s a bit of both. While ruminating on o… Read More
2018-01-11 19:17
If I had to put together a “top 10” list of work-related questions fired at me by friends and family, many of the queries would be unsurprising:
“Flown anywhere exciting la… Read More
2017-11-15 08:15
I’ve been flying turbine aircraft for more than a decade now (jeez, time flies!), and with few exceptions, those with whom I’ve shared the cockpit have operated in the consistent… Read More
2017-09-21 05:14
I normally try to stay away from politics, especially on the internet. I’ve lost quite enough hair, thank you very much. Unfortunately, H.R. 2997 definitely falls into that category… Read More
2017-09-12 17:58
The debate on so-called “ATC privatization” is not a new one. A Google search of the phrase yields 171,000 results, many of them news articles going back more than a quarter cen… Read More
2017-08-24 19:45
I’ve met so many people on my journey in aviation. Some of them were ridiculously happy, thankful every day for the ability to go to work as a pilot. Others were jaded and surly, giv… Read More
2017-07-24 08:39
I can’t determine who first said it, but flying has been described as “hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror”. The phrase may have been adapted from a des… Read More
2017-05-30 18:42
Non-pilots are usually surprised to learn that the most involved and challenging part of flying sometimes takes place on the ground rather than in the air. Preflighting the aircraft, making… Read More
2017-05-22 19:53
Pilots don’t always get much of a chance to interact with passengers, but when we do there’s a good chance I can anticipate some of the questions they’ll ask. Among the mo… Read More
2017-05-15 21:56
Well, they’ve done it. A team from the National Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands has managed to solve all the aviation world’s problems with a single stroke! Air polluti… Read More
2017-04-20 04:31
“Don’t make ’em like they used to…”
I’m not sure if it was a question or a statement, but the docent who sidled up to my son and I recently at the Museum… Read More
2017-02-21 19:15
It’s counterintuitive, but statistics clearly show that you’re more likely to have an accident or incident on the ground than in the air. Think about the hangar rash, ground loop… Read More
2016-12-20 22:07
Most pilots have experienced “differences training” in one way or another. Perhaps it was making the jump from a normally-aspirated airplane like the Cessna Centurion to its tur… Read More
2016-12-12 21:12
An airplane is a lot like an onion: there are countless layers to peel back. I’ve been flying the Gulfstream IV-SP for five years now, and on every trip I learn something new. Most… Read More
2016-11-01 21:59
There are many big names in the general aviation world: King, Collins, Klapmeier, Poberezny, and so on. But Arnold Palmer was something unique, even among the giants in our industry. I thi… Read More
2016-10-23 21:41
Airplanes may have lured me into the world of aviation, but over the years I’ve come to realize that it’s the people who keep me here. They’re about as far from the homoge… Read More
2016-09-07 19:13
I don’t know if this meets the definition of an official “pilot shortage”, but if anecdotal evidence is worth anything, my company is adding pilots and airplanes at a rapid… Read More
2016-08-15 16:28
Every pilot learns about and is tested on weight & balance. By the time a checkride is scheduled, a student can not only compute the numbers but also expound on the pros and cons of for… Read More
2016-07-18 06:10
Well, the mercury reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit on the California coast a few weeks ago. I’ve lived here since the late 80s and can’t remember ever seeing the temperature hit t… Read More
2016-06-14 07:39
Before I started flying swept-wing turbojets, it seemed that they were much different than the smaller, mostly light GA, airplanes I had been operating. While they were beautiful, they also… Read More
2016-06-09 05:37
Rob Mark recently wrote a post at Jetwhine encouraging current and future students to focus on the value of a pilot certificate rather than the cost. The article is titled “Forget the… Read More
2016-04-20 22:39
Though it probably sounds a bit disingenuous coming from someone with a web site and multiple social media accounts, self-promotion is one of my least favorite activities. I’ve met pe… Read More
2016-04-11 05:57
The advent of smartphones and apps has led to a variety of creative new businesses which are reinventing how we shop, work, and communicate. They’re also changing how we travel by brin… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
No matter how dog-eared and scuffed it may get, an aviator's logbook is invariably one of his or her most prized possessions, the decimal-based journal of a life lived in the clouds. Yet in… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
General aviation desperately needs stability. Instead, we are faced with a governmental Lernaean Hydra, an organism essentially at war with itself. One part of this mythic creature offers… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
AOPA and EAA suggested a slight expansion of the sport pilot medical exemption. Congress got a hold of that idea and took it to the next level, and is considering eliminating formal medical… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
Angle-of-bank limitations have been suggested by flight instructors, alphabet groups, pundits, and most recently by Richard Collins of all people. I've touched on this subject before (see A… Read More
2016-03-14 05:18
I’ve taught aerobatic and upset recovery courses to many aviators over the years, and almost without exception am told at the conclusion of training that it represented the best invest… Read More
2016-01-10 02:17
Nearly two decades in aviation have blessed me with the opportunity to immerse myself in many corners of the industry, flying aerobatics, formation, sea planes, gliders, antiques, experiment… Read More
2015-12-21 07:09
Like many pilots, I read accident reports all the time. This may seem morbid to people outside “the biz”, but those of us on the inside know that learning what went wrong is an i… Read More
2015-12-09 08:46
I had lunch with a fellow pilot recently, an old friend from a previous job who, like me, is now flying for a California-based charter company. The difference between us is that he’s… Read More
2015-11-30 08:17
I’ve noticed that high-time pilots and instructors of light general aviation aircraft — especially those who fly a single type of airplane — sometimes become surprisingly m… Read More
2015-11-24 06:56
“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”
Since Man and Superman was written the same year the Wright brothers made that first powered flight, I’m fairly certain… Read More
2015-11-03 05:00
Over the years, I’ve willfully shimmied down the rabbit hole of aviation product liability here at The House of Rapp on a few occasions, noting the incredible damage our lawsuit-happy… Read More
2015-10-26 05:29
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” –Lin Yutang
Even before I started flying for a living… Read More
2015-10-19 03:49
As some of you — especially those who follow my Instagram feed — may be aware, my wife and I welcomed a healthy, happy little boy into the world six months ago. He’s been… Read More
2015-09-21 07:10
Well, it’s that time of year again: as summertime recedes in the rear-view mirror, I’m packing my computer bag, a few snacks to eat on the (Air)bus, and heading back to school.
I… Read More
2015-08-18 06:58
My last flight assignment consisted of four days in Hawaii. It was one of those trips which make me (almost) feel guilty for associating it with the word “work”. Of course, the… Read More
2015-07-27 08:44
“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
–Ben Franklin
I’ve spent the last fifteen years telling anyone who would listen that the numbe… Read More
2015-07-20 05:19
One of the dirty little secrets about general aviation is that you can spend as much time preparing for a flight as you do actually flying. It’s not something we’re keen to talk… Read More
2015-07-13 09:36
“What’s in a name?” If it weren’t for the fact that Shakespeare asked the question more than four centuries ago, one might be tempted to think he was a pilot asking… Read More
2015-06-16 08:03
Nearly three months after co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed a Germanwings plane into the Alps, airlines and regulators are still debating how to prevent such a tragedy from repeat… Read More
2015-06-08 07:56
According to NTSB data, in the first decade of this century, over 40 percent of fixed-wing general aviation fatal accidents occurred because pilots lost control of their airplanes.
I find st… Read More
2015-06-01 11:00
With apologies to the folks at Boldmethod (who’ve virtually trademarked the “ten things” schtick) I don’t usually post lists. There’s nothing wrong with it, mi… Read More
2015-05-19 09:07
I’ve never been much of a gearhead. While I appreciate the craftsmanship some folks put into their automotive passion, the idea of overhauling engines and turning wrenches on cars jus… Read More
2015-04-27 09:32
The very first — and arguably most important — of Alcoholics Anonymous’s ‘Twelve Steps’ to recovery is “admitting you have a problem”. Professional… Read More
2015-04-24 06:27
If one particular component of an aircraft was determined to be the root cause of 90% of all accidents, wouldn’t we have an Airworthiness Directive out on it? Wouldn’t it be rep… Read More
2015-03-31 07:44
There’s not much one can say about the Germanwings 9525 crime (we can’t really call it an “accident”, can we?) that hasn’t already been covered in the commentar… Read More
2015-03-24 15:39
There’s an old saying about fuel: unless you’re on fire, you can never have enough. I wonder, is the same thing true of an aircraft’s range?
With a 7,000 nautical mile rea… Read More
2015-02-27 06:49
“Do you think it’s possible to fly aerobatics without knowing it?”
I frequently query students about this. I enjoy asking the question of flight review candidates almost m… Read More
2015-02-24 07:38
“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.”
Aviation insu… Read More
2015-02-18 11:17
Every now and then I am blessed with a work trip that makes my career choice seem absolutely brilliant. For example, I just got back from a five day sojourn to Honolulu. The flying was eas… Read More
2015-02-01 06:53
Many of us fly for a living, while others are either considering the airborne life or have pulled the trigger and are building their credentials toward that end. It doesn’t matter if… Read More
2015-02-01 06:53
Many of us fly for a living, while others are either considering the airborne life or have pulled the trigger and are building their credentials toward that end. It doesn’t matter if… Read More
2015-01-28 04:07
Pilots tend to be Type A personalities, dedicated and goal-oriented. That’s a useful asset for a student, but once the check ride goal has been successfully achieved, the structured l… Read More
2015-01-20 18:41
We won’t have final statistics on 2014 for quite a while, but if history is any guide, something like fifteen to eighteen thousand people achieved initial pilot certification last year… Read More
2015-01-13 05:59
One of the many iconic scenes (so much so that it recurs several times in the film) from The Right Stuff has astronaut Gordon Cooper asking his wife, “Who’s the best pilot you ev… Read More
2014-12-24 16:26
Los Angeles International has long been the Rodney Dangerfield of airports. It gets no respect — and with good reason. Dated, overcrowded, and inefficient, LAX’s primary redeem… Read More
2014-12-15 18:45
Times are tough for general aviation, and we need a solid partner and advocate in Washington now more than ever. Unfortunately, the FAA is proving to be the exact opposite — a lead we… Read More
Subscribe to The House Of Rapp
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!