From the category archives:

Stories

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode #22) “Bach’s Invitational Cross Country Adventure – Part Two”

by Glenn Norman - August 30, 2010
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In Episode #22: Glenn & Michelle have joined Richard Bach’s “Invitational Cross Country Adventure” and arrived safely in Sussex, New Jersey. But before the trip gets underway, Glenn will have to deal with his bias against “Hippies.”

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode #21) Bach’s Invitational Cross Country Adventure – Part One

by Glenn Norman - August 29, 2010
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A re-post of the Episode lost during the “Hack-Attack.”
In Episode #21: Richard Bach writes with an invitation Glenn & Michelle can’t refuse; a trip halfway across America (to straighten out a pair of hippies???)

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Goodwood Revival Atmosphere

by Francois Dumas - August 25, 2010
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Francois has been visiting Goodwood since 2003, together with his good friend and pilot Didier Keller, and has collected thousands of pictures over time. In the Photo Essay below he aims to provide a taste of the unique atmosphere that is so typical for the autumn flying at Goodwood. Enjoy !

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Ep. #20) “Barnstorming”

by Glenn Norman - August 9, 2010
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In Episode #20: Glenn & Michelle fly their “new” 1940 Luscombe to an Antique Airplane Fly-In and accidentally become “the stars of the show!”

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Ep.#19)“Enter Richard Bach”

by Glenn Norman - August 1, 2010
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In Episode #19: An article by Richard Bach (reprinted in Why Fly) had triggered Glenn’s passion for flight and he finally got to meet Bach in the spring of ’71. And, as with most of the events in Glenn’s life, their first meeting was anything but “normal.”

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Dirty Hands and Broken Backs

by Paul Tomascik - July 27, 2010
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It started with a puff of smoke.  The port engine was failing.  The pilot noticed its oil pressure dropping, temperature rising and rpm fluctuating.   The engine was in danger of destroying itself and taking the aircraft down with it; the plane rolled violently to the left. It was a textbook display of asymmetric thrust, a [...]

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode #18) “The Jans”

by Glenn Norman - July 25, 2010
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In Episode #18: Glenn & Michelle were now the proud owners of a 1940 Luscombe 8C Silvaire, but there was still the small problem of learning how to fly it. The previous owner suggested Glenn get checked out by one of “The Jans” who ran the little airport at Markham, Ontario.

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 17) “Sexy Silvaire”

by Glenn Norman - July 19, 2010
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In Episode #17: After their first brush with Barnstorming – albeit during a Canadian winter – Glenn & Michelle began to search in earnest for their own antique airplane. But as Glenn had just turned 22, and Michelle was still in her teens, their choice was somewhat limited.

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 16) “The Winter Wonderland Flying Circus”

by Glenn Norman - July 11, 2010
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In Episode #16: Originally planned as “Enter Richard Bach,” Glenn changed the title to “The Winter Wonderland Flying Circus” for reasons which will soon become obvious. The original title will now apply to a later Episode, when Richard really did enter Glenn & Michelle’s lives in a most unusual way. But right now – let’s go Barnstorming … in the Canadian winter!

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Childhood

by Robert Bach - July 9, 2010
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When I was a kid, back when my dearest wish was to be tall enough to reach the rudder pedals, I hung around the old Navy hangar at Ottumwa, Iowa. Yep, the Navy had a facility deep in the waves of corn once upon the time of the Greatest Generation.

[click on the title to read the entire story]

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 15) “Getting The Widgie Air Born”

by Glenn Norman - July 4, 2010
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In Episode #15: Now Glenn had found “his soul mate,” there was the small problem of winning her over. However, a golden opportunity soon presented itself…
Michelle had never flown.

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The Goodwood Revival

by Didier Keller - June 30, 2010
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Didier Keller and François Dumas visit the Goodwood Estate and its ‘Revival’ in England almost every year. Many great events are organized there and although the main focus is on classic racing cars, there always is great air display too. In 2009 Didier attended with his Chinese Nanchang fighter trainer and wrote this report about it.

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 14) “Enter The Widget”

by Glenn Norman - June 27, 2010
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In Episode #14: After an embezzler stole all the money for Bee Vee Air, Glenn returns home, convinced that his life is over. He has no way of knowing that his airline’s demise is the luckiest thing that ever happened to him and that his life is about to change forever!

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 13) “Bee Vee Air”

by Glenn Norman - June 20, 2010
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In Episode 13: 19-year-old Glenn Norman, along with several high school buddies, heads back to the Caribbean to start his Airline, Bee Vee Air. But things don’t go exactly the way he planned…

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The Best Taildragger I Ever Flew

by Glenn Norman - June 18, 2010
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About as close to a “pilot report” as you’re likely to read on Why Fly. Our Editor waxes euphoric on his three personal choices for best taildragger.

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 12) “Dawn Patrol”

by Glenn Norman - June 13, 2010
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In Episode #12: While 19-year-old Glenn Norman waits for financing to come together for his British Virgin Islands’ Airline, he finally gets an opportunity to realize his dream of flying a taildragger. The only problem? A very early launch time…

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Pilot Down

by Paul Tomascik - June 12, 2010
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Paul V. Tomascik is one of our new contributors and debuts with a wonderful fiction story; Pilot Down.

Twenty minutes into the flight and all was green. The needles were sitting comfortably in their right-of-centre positions indicating good oil pressure and temperature. Michael’s scanning habit was spontaneous, characteristic of all seasoned bush pilots. When airborne, he would repeatedly check his cockpit environment as he did his flight path.

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Why DO I Fly

by Glenn Norman - June 9, 2010
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When we Launched Why Fly, I wrote an article titled, “Under the ‘B’.” And while that piece certainly tells the tale of how I learned to fly, I still don’t feel it truly answers the question, “Why?” And if I can’t elucidate that answer myself, how can I possibly ask others to come up with [...]

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Photo: “The Outer Banks Near Kitty Hawk”

by Russell Munson - June 6, 2010
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A stunning self portrait by a legendary aviation photographer. Russell Munson’s first Why Fly submission epitomizes the experience of flight. (re-print for our new readers).

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Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (Episode 11) “Iced Up and Lost over Tennessee”

by Glenn Norman - June 6, 2010
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In Episode 11: Out heroes reluctantly leave the warm Caribbean islands behind as they make their way home to Canada. But the flight turns out to be a lot tougher than any of them had expected.

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Armchair Pilot?

by Francois Dumas - May 31, 2010
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Since I am now part of the Why Fly Team, I might as well bore you, our readers, with my own little column. And please don’t expect me to turn out literary miracles like Michelle or Glenn. First, English is not my mother tongue. Second, I am not a licensed pilot. Fortunately Glenn IS a licensed pilot and also a licensed Editor. So he’ll cut my blabbering in half and present you with the remainder. Or not, as the case may be.

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