Aviation Marketing Posts

The Reality of General Aviation Nostalgia
April 10, 2017

The Reality of General Aviation Nostalgia

Basking in the warm breezes of Wisconsin’s first coat-free day of spring, I suffered a pang of aviation desire. It would be a nice day for any general aviation pilot to go flying. But in the hemisphere that surrounds my deck the only sights an…
2020: General Aviation’s Coffin Corner?
March 13, 2017

2020: General Aviation’s Coffin Corner?

In aviation “coffin corner” is where bad things come together. I learned the term long ago, reading about the U-2, in Francis Gary Power’s book, if I remember correctly. When flying at the upper edge of its envelope, a single digit…
The Few. The Proud. The New Student Pilots
Feb. 27, 2017

The Few. The Proud. The New Student Pilots

On the road to our favorite brewpub for date night I noticed a new billboard for the U.S. Marine Corps: “We don’t accept applications. Only commitments.” The smallest member of America’s armed forces, it meets its recruitment…
Aircraft Storage: Kingman Airport’s Legacy
Sept. 12, 2016

Aircraft Storage: Kingman Airport’s Legacy

Following the airport signs posted along the historic path of Route 66 added some welcome surprises on the journey from Chicago to Santa Monica, but several airports were predetermined destinations. One of them was Arizona’s Kingman Airport (I…
Hump Day: EAA AirVenture Part 2
July 27, 2016

Hump Day: EAA AirVenture Part 2

When Mother Nature cooperates, Wednesday is traditionally the day that those who arrived at EAA AirVenture last weekend leave town, and those who will go home this coming weekend arrive. That sort of happened today, but Mom’s rainy tantrum dem…
Wisconsin Flying Hamburger Social Unites Airports & Gives Pilots a Reason to Fly
July 3, 2016

Wisconsin Flying Hamburger Social Unites Airports & Gives Pilots a Reason to Fly

Employing social media, airports across Wisconsin have taken the $100 hamburger flight to the next level with the Wisconsin Flying Hamburger Social. They divided the state in to eight regions or “branches,” with an airport in each of the…
EAA Oshkosh: The Best AirVenture Photography Refocuses Participatory Emotions
June 19, 2016

EAA Oshkosh: The Best AirVenture Photography Refocuses Participatory Emotions

In the English language, there must be a word that summarizes the emotional conflation of the self-satisfaction that comes from a distinctive personal accomplishment and the whispers from a subconscious troll holding up that same achievement as prim…
Made-to-Order GA & Economic Exclusivity
April 17, 2016

Made-to-Order GA & Economic Exclusivity

Economically, Piper Aircraft’s recent announcement that that it has gone totally made-to-order, makes sense. Unsold aircraft, commonly called “white tails” (a term that first described unsold airliners, identified by vertical stabi…
Aviation Mastery or Minimum Standards . . . What’s Your M.O.?
Feb. 25, 2016

Aviation Mastery or Minimum Standards . . . What’s Your M.O.?

Publisher Note: I’ve known Jim Lara for some time since we work together on the NBAA Single Pilot Working Group trying to tackle the challenge of reducing the accident rate for people who fly business airplanes alone. Like me, Jim believes tha…
Technology Satisfies Cockpit Curiosity
Feb. 14, 2016

Technology Satisfies Cockpit Curiosity

Maybe it’s a pilot thing, but I find the insides of airplanes just as interesting, and often more interesting, than their outsides. Cockpits and crew stations is where humans interface with the machine that carries them aloft, and I’m al…
Taking Time to Find Aviation Serendipity
Jan. 3, 2016

Taking Time to Find Aviation Serendipity

On your way someplace else, how many times have you passed a sign pointing to a small town airport? The more important question is how many times have you followed that sign?With the potential for unknown delays between the sign and your intended d…
It Takes a Community to Promote Aviation
Dec. 20, 2015

It Takes a Community to Promote Aviation

Promoting aviation to ensure its future viability and growth is something important to most of us who are involved with it personally or professionally. Individuals and organizations have promoted and pursued programs dedicated to inviting newcomers…
Measuring Aviation Rewards: A Personal Hall of Fame
Nov. 1, 2015

Measuring Aviation Rewards: A Personal Hall of Fame

Gathering with my aeronautical peers, I rarely participate in conversations in which they compare their cumulative and recent aviation rewards in terms of certificates and ratings earned, total hours logged, or most recent aircraft flown. While I sh…
Dayton NAHA: A Model for the Rebirth of Aviation
Oct. 4, 2015

Dayton NAHA: A Model for the Rebirth of Aviation

When the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, a coalition formed by the leaders of the 19 sites that comprise the National Aviation Heritage Area (both served by the NAHA acronym), invited me to its inaugural Aviation Writers Summit in Dayton, Ohio,…
Labor of Love: Capturing Veteran Leather
Sept. 6, 2015

Labor of Love: Capturing Veteran Leather

When John Slemp came to the JetWhine.com lunch at EAA AirVenture 2015, he carried with him a large flat package that was maybe 20 by 24 inches by an inch deep and wrapped in brown paper. At such gatherings, most people just show up with their appeti…
Jetwhine to AirVenture: Lunch for 20 Please
Aug. 7, 2015

Jetwhine to AirVenture: Lunch for 20 Please

Jetwhine to AirVenture: Lunch for 20 PleaseOne of the best parts of my annual trek to AirVenture is that happily, I have always found it next to impossible to sit anywhere on the grounds and NOT talk to the person next to me.Over the years I’…
AirVenture Gateway Park: Portal to Drone Integration & Safety?
July 29, 2015

AirVenture Gateway Park: Portal to Drone Integration & Safety?

Framed by the diagonal street that connects the main gate of EAA AirVenture to the forums area is a triangle of land that over the years has proven to be a prism that spotlights a newest member of the aviation community before it mixes invisibly int…
AirVenture 2015, Jetwhine AND a Free Lunch?
July 13, 2015

AirVenture 2015, Jetwhine AND a Free Lunch?

Here’s Tom Poberezny scooting around AirVenture in Red One VW that his dad Paul made famous decades ago.Ed Note: We’ve had such a great response to the story that I’m sad to say we’ve run out of slots for lunch. Do send alon…
Delusions Impede Aviation Future
July 6, 2015

Delusions Impede Aviation Future

Airbus recently flew the first production version of its Voltair E-Fan 2.0, a two-seat electric airplane. The realization of this aviation technology is something we should all celebrate because it is another important step toward aviation’s f…
Brennand Airport Invests in Fun Flying
June 21, 2015

Brennand Airport Invests in Fun Flying

Needing an airplane fix on the Saturday before Father’s Day I wandered over to Brennand Airport (79C), 10 miles north of Oshkosh and 4 miles west of Neenah. It is today what small, nontowered airports used to be, fence free and focused on fun …
Commercial Drones Facing Pilot Shortage
June 7, 2015

Commercial Drones Facing Pilot Shortage

To learn more about commercial drone operations, I recently attended a 4-hour introductory course for pilots conducted by Vortex UAS. The thorough presentation covered everything from history to the current legal landscape. What I did  not expect wa…
Can Airports Help Revive the Aviation Industry?
May 4, 2015

Can Airports Help Revive the Aviation Industry?

Can Airports Help Revive the Aviation Industry?Dear Reader / Listeners — You now have the option to listen to The Aviation Minute podcast or just read the script of the show below. If you receive Jetwhine via e-mail, you can click here to listen a…
Air Mail Centennial is Opportunity for Grassroots Birth of National Park of the Air
April 5, 2015

Air Mail Centennial is Opportunity for Grassroots Birth of National Park of the Air

In less than a month in late 1911, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the United States each made their inaugural air mail flights. All of them were short distance experiments that led to regular delivery schedules along established routes. The…
How Passengers Helped Mess Up Frequent Flyer Programs
Feb. 26, 2015

How Passengers Helped Mess Up Frequent Flyer Programs

How Passengers Helped Mess Up Frequent Flyer ProgramsDear Reader / Listeners – You now have the option to listen to The Aviation Minute podcast or just read the script of the show below. If you receive Jetwhine via e-mail, you can click here …