Showing posts with label aviation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aviation. Show all posts
Saturday, February 18, 2017
My Favorite Aviation Bloggers
My Favorite Aviation Bloggers
#blog #avgeek #airline
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FA-VORITE (aviation) BLOGGERS!
You probably have noticed that most bloggers have whats called a "Blogroll." Here, the blogger lists his favorite blogs, usually closely related to his own. I have one to the right as well. See?
Nevertheless, its easy to miss some wonderful gems, so this week Id like to introduce you to a few of my favorite aviation bloggers.
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, my aim is to call attention to a few who are either 1.) just starting out, 2.) have a relatively small audience, 3.) are vastly under-appreciated, or simply... 4.) kick aviation a$$!
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| Blogging 101 |
First and foremost,
I would like to introduce you to a blogger who is the original inspiration for this post.
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| The Pilot Factor http://anthonyandnancy.com/thepilotfactor/ |
When I stumbled upon The Pilot Factor, I was delighted to find the bloggers writing insightful, relevant, and always with a great touch of humor. Blogging on serious aviation topics, he finds ways to relate them to iconic, often humorous themes, that resonate with me: Captain James T. Kirk, Capn Jack Sparrow, and samurai, to name a few . . . in short, he speaks to Capn Auxs heart!
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| LOVE the avatar, JD! Not unlike a few "zany" Capn Aux pics Ive shared of late! |
A fellow airline pilot up in Canada, Jean Marcellin has been blogging since August, 2009. Though I am still delightfully exploring more past posts, heres a few links to my favorites, so far:
Team Management: Are you a Team Leader? The Samurai Code– True service in a crew environment
http://anthonyandnancy.com/thepilotfactor/?p=706 http://anthonyandnancy.com/thepilotfactor/?p=589
Team Assessment: The Problem with the Problem. Keep Calm and Aviate, Navigate, Communicate
http://anthonyandnancy.com/thepilotfactor/?p=657 http://anthonyandnancy.com/thepilotfactor/?p=701
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Next up
is a young man who is going places, and fast.
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From Private to Professional Pilot http://martinsaviation.blogspot.com |
A high schooler in his teens, Swayne Martin blogs about his flight training experiences over at martinsaviation.blogspot.com. Photos, videos, and interviews with other pilots abound. I seriously dont know where he finds the time to do it all, and do it right!
Not satisfied with the demoralizing negativity he was finding on pilot boards, he sought out me and other bloggers, who were able to encourage him to pursue his flying dream. (As Capn Jack Sparrow says, above, "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem!" Savvy, mate?) Being one of my first blog buddies, Swayne sent me this meme that he made, with quotes from my novel, The Last Bush Pilots:
Heres a link to an older post of his, that is still very relevant to all of us today:
Dont Let Others Dissuade You
http://martinsaviation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/dont-let-others-dissuade-you.html
Several of Swaynes GoPro cockpit vids have gone viral, and his readership is quickly taking off.
Heres a vid of his first solo:
Heres a vid of his first solo:
Direct Link: http://youtu.be/9HEh6zwiJyE
You go, Swayne!
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Next is
an awesome young man who is one of my aviation heroes.
A staff Sergeant soon to be honorably discharged from the Army, Justin "JD" Campbell has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. JD blogs over at standingtall.blogspot.com, about his flight training adventures.
An amazingly successful young man in his mid-twenties, Justin is working closely with me to help mentor some of our wonderful up and coming aviation youth. Justin is on the verge of snagging his PPL (Private Pilot License.) Not satisfied with that, however, Justin plans to charge full speed ahead and bag the rest of his ratings, and join me in the airline cockpit!
I recently had the honor of meeting JD in Dallas, and made a fun vlog (video blog) about it:
Direct Link: http://youtu.be/rM1-IuSUNPg
is run by Julie "Miss TWA" Theriot, at MissTWA.blogspot.com. (because she "really misses TWA"!)
Direct Link: http://youtu.be/rM1-IuSUNPg
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One of the worlds most delightful blogs is run by Julie "Miss TWA" Theriot, at MissTWA.blogspot.com. (because she "really misses TWA"!)
Not a pilot herself, she is nevertheless one of the most enthusiastic, self-described "avgeeks" Ive ever cyber-met! Always on the lookout for nostalgic memorabilia from the Golden Age of air transport, she has a small but very active worldwide following.
Somewhat scatterbrained, somewhat irreverent and always zany, Miss T also has an uncanny ability to dig up the most amazing cockpit and airline photos.
Members are constantly commenting and ribbing each other, the greater cut-down, the better! Somehow, Capn Aux seems to consistently wind up as the butt of many a joke...
Twice-furloughed pilot Brian still finds reasons to be grateful as he celebrates his 3rd "blogiversary" at The Renewed Pilot http://renewedpilot.com.
— — — — —Finally,
Somewhat scatterbrained, somewhat irreverent and always zany, Miss T also has an uncanny ability to dig up the most amazing cockpit and airline photos.
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Several more excellent blogs
Airbus pilot Ryan OHarren has a spectacular camera eye and an enthusiastic audience over at Ryan OHarren Photography http://ryanoharrenphotography.com
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!
A whole lotta chatter goin on at . . .
At Airline Pilot Chatter, airlinepilotchatter.com, American Airlines pilot Brad blogs in excellent, professional detail on the life and times of an American airlines pilot.
"Experience is a hard teacher, first comes the test, then the lesson."
Such is the tough advice coming from airline pilot Ivans great blog, Cockpit Chatter cockpitchatter.com.
Full of the latest aviation news.
Jeremy at Captainaboard.com is a self-professed Aviator, Musician, Tennis player and World Traveler. In short, my kinda guy! Fun & to the point, his posts talk about life and how it relates to aviation— or vice versa.
At Daddy, Daddy, Come Back, comebackdaddy.blogspot.com, pilot wife Joanna blogs all-too-candidly about the realities of being a "part-time single mom."
A healthy dose of reality for any pilots spouse! (Note: Joanna firmly believes in the liberal, therapeutic application of the f-bomb!)
I would be sorely remiss if I did not include my own Blogging in Formation team, consisting of 6 excellent and seasoned aviation bloggers. They are each one big names in the aviation blogging community, and really need no introduction. We blog on a specific aviation topic the first week of every month.
Heres a list of their respective sites, along with an excellent intro post to our team by Formation Blogger Brent Owens:
http://iflyblog.com/2013/05/06/blogging-in-formation-six-aviation-bloggers-six-posts-six-days/
Hotlinks to sites:
Flight to Success - Karlene Petitt
House of Rapp - Ron Rapp
Airplanista - Dan Pimentel
Smart Flight Training - Andrew Hartley
iFLYblog - Brent Owens
Stop the Presses—2 Late Entries!
Its a blog by a flight student, with a twist: while he still dreams of becoming an airline pilot, he writes about the gritty realities of this business. This is something I think all upcomers need.
While hes only got a couple posts up, Capn Aux is liking the direction hes going with it!
http://experienceswithshrey.weebly.com/index.html
Another promising looking blog is from East Indian aspiring pilot and EMT Shrey. Hes already got a good article up about flying the A320 sim. Check it out!
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And still more...
- Amateur Aviation Photography: http://amateuravphoto.blogspot.com
- Aviation Guy: http://www.aviationguy.com
- Captain Aboard: http://www.captainaboard.com
- The Aviation Writer: http://www.theaviationwriter.com
Related Capn Aux Posts:
- Capn Auxs Surprise Birthday Vid: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2013/06/interlude-capn-auxs-birthday-surprise.html
- 80 Jumpseats & Thank You Vid: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2013/06/around-world-in-80-jumpseats-surprise.html
- "Best Office View"—Part 2—& Vlog: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-best-office-viewpart-2-vlog.html
- The Future of U.S. Aviation: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2013/07/happy-4th-future-of-us-aviation.html
- Most Recent Blogging in Formation Post—
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Sunday, January 29, 2017
My Favorite Aviation Apps TWA800
My Favorite Aviation Apps TWA800
#blog #avgeek #weather #NTSB
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| This post is dedicated to the memory of the victims and families of the TWA 800 tragedy. May the truth out, so the pain can be healed . . . |
Special note: Today marks the 17th anniversary of the explosion of TWA 800, downed—we are told—by a "frayed fuel tank wire." A documentary premiers tonight on Epix that attempts to "shoot down" that theory. Heres the Trailer:
Direct Link: http://youtu.be/BTpLnuuxRBg
Also check out Karlene Petitts excellent post today, "In Memory of TWA 800": http://karlenepetitt.blogspot.com/2013/07/in-memory-of-twa-800.html
Miss TWA also has a short and sweet post honoring the fallen, including the ATC feed of eyewitnesses to the explosion. As she says, not for our morbid curiosity, but because the pilots and controllers themselves honor them by ending with a, "God bless them."
http://misstwa.blogspot.com/2013/07/twa-flight-800lets-quietly-honor-them.html
Please be on the lookout for Airways Magazine Contributing Editor Mark L. Berrys upcoming memoir, 13,670 Feet—Living with TWA Flight 800. (Publication date TBA.) A TWA pilot who lost his fiancée in the crash, Berry writes candidly about the dark days following the tragedy. He forwarded me an advanced copy of it, and when the proper time comes Ill review it in this blog. Needless to say . . . . its an intense read!
Heres my quote that he uses on his blog, and the link to read Chapter 1, plus other specials:
“Captain Berry wisely dovetails his excruciating psychological odyssey with the fascinating journey of his own airline career. An eye-opener for any landlubber, he presents a bird’s eye view—warts and all—of the gritty, sometimes comical, reality of those daring young men and women in their flying machines. From his shoestring-budget gambit to launch his career by becoming a “Pilot of the Caribbean,” to his misadventures as a naive B-727 Flight Engineer based in Germany, Berry’s book could easily double as an entertaining, Ernest K. Gann-infused how-to manual for the airline pilot wannabe.”
— Eric Auxier
Airline pilot and author of The Last Bush Pilots
Link: http://marklberry.com/praise-for/
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And now back to our regular blog post, already in progress . . . .
One of the most common questions I get from readers is, "What are your favorite aviation apps?" So, an apropos post is in order...
TAKEOFF HD
$9.99 iPad $5.99 iPhone/Android
First of all, Id like to review a new flight weather planning app for the iPad called, Takeoff HD. App developer Derek sent me a free copy and asked me to review it; otherwise, no money or merch changed hands for this review. He rolled the dice, hoping Id like it!
And I do. Ive longed for a quick, comprehensive app that would have all those elusive weather charts at my fingertips. As long as I have a strong Wifi or 3G signal (Ive got an iPad 2), this slick gizmo whips up the wx charts faster than you can say, "SIGMET!"
But Im getting ahead of myself. First off, I like the cool, intuitive interactiveness of the app. Right off the bat, it has you input your "limits"—IFR, VFR, or personal ceiling/clouds youre comfy with inflight. Then, when you move on to check airports and routes, it automatically color codes them with green, yellow, and red, depending on your personal minimums.
At a glance, you already know how "risky" the flight will be for you. How cool is that!
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| Uh oh, KSEA checking in with 500 foot cloud base. Time to scrub the pleasure cruise and head to the pub! |
Personally, my favorite part of the app is the Graphics section. With a good signal, I instantly have any weather chart available—around the world!
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| Pick a chart, it comes right up... |
Of course, any app has its downside, and heres my biggest squawks...
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| ...do the ol 2-finger spread, and it zooms in! |
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| The charts seen round the world! |
Secondly, this is a flight planning tool. Once youre in the air and out of wifi/3G signal, it stops working. Offline, you can access the preloaded airport data, but not the enroute data nor the charts. In the future, I am hoping for an offline version with the charts!
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| Radar view aint too bad, neither! |
All in all, Takeoff HD is an awesome app, and does just about everything a weather flight planning app should do.
And at $9.99 iPad/$5.99 iPhone/Android, its a steal!
Capn Aux Rating:
Excellent!
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I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this app, especially for the GA pilot.
Check it out yourself at: http://takeoffaviationweather.com/
Speaking of fast-access Wx RADAR loops, my Go-to RADAR app is . . .NOAA RadarUS
$1.99 iPhone/iPad
Again, assuming a strong wifi or 3G signal, I can call up the RADAR pretty fast, and loop it:
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| I love my loops! |
While I liked the original background map better, the new version appears to load much faster. And, as above, fast is my first and foremost need. With 3 or more bars of signal, I can have the loop a-looping to show me the wx trend.
Capn Aux Rating:
Excellent!
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AeroWeather
Lite Version—Free
Another good quickie app for checking METARs and TAFs (Airport weather reports and Terminal Area forecasts)
Whats more, via Airnav.com, one can call up any number of airports for details on frequencies, services, runway details . . .
. . . even call up current PDFs of every SID, STAR and Approach Plate! (All instrument charts.)
Capn Aux Rating:
Dang Good!
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Intellicast HD
Free; $1.99/6 mo. ad-free
Before the age of awesome aviation weather apps, I used to have the intellicast.com url saved to my iPad homescreen as a pseud-app. With it, I could (slowly) access all the weather charts I needed.
Now, Intellicast has come up with Intellicast HD.
Now, Intellicast has come up with Intellicast HD.
Sadly, however, it is not geared toward aviation. In fact, its just a simple, locals-only weather app. Works great . . . if youre staying put. The free version also comes with ads...lots of ads.
The best use I found for it, actually, is as a night stand clock! It shows the time in easy-to-see bold numbers, and shows the local forecast.
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| Intellicast.com screen shot. It will even run a RADAR loop! |
For the diehard chart lover who wants a free "pseudo-app," saving intellicast.com to the home screen is still a great way to go!
Intellicast HD
Capn Aux Rating:
Meh.
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Other Notable Aviation Apps:
Flight Planning:
iE6B—As a pampered airline pilot type, I dont think I could slide rule my way out of a paper bag any more. . . but the iE6B electronic substitute for that venerable icon of flying—the E6B circular slide rule—does it for me!
Name That Nav!—It "SUX" when Center says, "Cleared direct to Sioux Falls," and you have to reply, "Uh, whats the identifier for that?"* Name that Nav fixes that aeronautical faux pas!
More Weather:
TWC—The Weather Channel. The definitive landlubbers weather app.
iHurricane Pro—I used this to track Sandy. Since then, havent touched it.
AccuWeather—Like Intellicast HD, but with slightly more features, and slightly more interactive.
TurbCast—For nervous flyers, a quick check on the chances of moderate or severe turbulence on your flight.
Flight Trackers/Travelers Delights:
FlightAware—Where would you be without it!FlightTrack—Quick, easy flight tracking. Slightly quicker and easier to use than FlightAware. But less info.
LiveATC—Yep, the website you use to eavesdrop on flight transmissions comes in an app as well!
TripTracker—Same stuff, different app.
FAAwait—Whoever thought the FAA would come up with something worthwhile? FAAwait tells you accurate estimates of Airport delays across the country!
NOTAM Decoder—Free. From their site: "NOTAMs Decoder intelligently gathers all NOTAMs in a requested area (U.S. ONLY), and sorts them according to risk and importance. NOTAMs are presented in an ordered, color-coded way, with one tap access to the full report. " http://appshopper.com/utilities/notams-decoder
Jumpseaters Delights:
Next Flight: Indispensible for the cross-country pilot-commuter! Lists, in chronological order, all flights from Point A to Point B!
ALPA: Every airlines jumpseat requirements at your fingertips. Current airline news to boot! Bonus: KCM checkpoints!—For comprehensive "Best of" reviews from Sportys Pilot Shop and Plane & Pilot Magazine, check out:
http://ipadpilotnews.com/2013/01/top-10-weather-apps-for-pilots/
http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/products/pilot-supplies/20-new-ipad-apps.html
*If you didnt get it, the 3-letter i.d. for Sioux City, IA is: "SUX." LOL!;)
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