Photo Gallery
Cirrus (& other aircraft) Flying & Teaching: 2005 – 2010
Note: This album is best viewed on a large screen or device. Captions will cover the picture on small mobile devices.
More of the planes, the people, and the places associated with flying & teaching in Cirrus aircraft. These years cover my return to jet flying (2005-2008) when I was Cirrus teaching very actively, but part-time. In late 2008, after my 2nd airline furlough, I returned to Cirrus teaching full-time in late 2008 and throughout all of 2009 & 2010 (and beyond).
Click on any image below to see a larger version, including a descriptive caption.
PR Shoot
In May 2006, Dr. Kaufman and I posed for publicity photos for our upcoming “Romp Around Wisconsin” record-setting charity flight. Photo credit: David Watson, CHW.
Blue Kids One
Along the last portion of our flight to land at 104 airports in Wisconsin in one day. Wausau Downtown Airport (AUW), the 87th landing of the day, is home to one of our support pilots, Wynn “Casey” Jones. (See our Published Works, Romp Around Wisconsin page for all the details and extensive photos of this record setting flight.)
Airship Hangar
Ferrying an SR-22 from New Jersey to Gary, IN. The stop at Akron, OH in low IFR conditions offered a nice view of the historic (and massive) Goodyear Blimp hangar. (Sept. 2006)
Formation with Super Swift
I’m flying the Swift in formation with the photo-ship (a Cirrus SR-22) somewhere over central TN. Both planes are owned by Dr. Bruce Kaufman and we’re enroute to the Swift National Fly-In, May 2008.
Cirrus Migration 6
A small portion of the hundreds of Cirri that “returned to the nest” for the 6th Annual Cirrus Owners & Pilots Assoc. “Migration” to the Cirrus factory in Duluth, MN (aka: M6). I am standing on the wing of the Cirrus I flew in and looking East (July 12, 2008).
Holy Flatness
After departing M6, I flew west from Duluth, MN (DLH) to Gwinner, ND (GWR) to pick up my wife and kids. The terrific visibility that day allowed an amazing view of the extreme flatness of the Red River Valley area (along the border area of MN/ND). This Valley is one of the most fertile in the country and is famous for producing sugar beets, red potatoes, and edible beans (among other crops). I’m flying at 2500’ MSL (roughly 1300’ above the terrain).
S35 with SR22
In Oct. 2008, I taught in both these planes in the same day, out of Rapid City, SD. The S-model V-tail Bonanza was the Cirrus SR-22 of its era.
Mooney Bravo in Las Vegas, NM
A fuel stop in Las Vegas, NM enroute from the Houston, TX area for a southwestern U.S. mountain training course. April 2009.
Glen Canyon Dam
Aerial views of Hoover Dam are fairly common, but less so with the equally impressive Glen Canyon Dam outside of Page, AZ. It holds back the waters of Lake Powell. April 2009.
Navajo Bridges & Marble Canyon Airport
Turing from left base leg to final approach into Marble Canyon Airport (L41). This airport is at the bottom of the northeast arm of the Grand Canyon and is accessed by descending in a cylinder of airspace down through the surrounding restricted airspace. The 2 bridges across the Colorado River are for auto and foot traffic, respectively. April 2009.
Monument Valley Airport
Rock Door Mesa and Goulding’s Lodge as seen from the ramp of Monument Valley Airport (UT25), a private airport in the heart of Monument Valley (which straddles the AZ/UT boarder). Taken just after sunrise, after flying in the evening before and overnighting at the lodge (May 2009).
Sunrise over Monument Pass
Taken immediately after the previous picture, but looking east into the rising sun and towards many of the more famous Monuments.
South Monument Valley Slot Canyons
The south end of Monument Valley, which is in AZ, is dominated by an area of spectacular slot (very narrow) canyons.
Padre Bay
This is only a small portion of the massive Lake Powell. This area is near the SW end of the lake, as it approaches Page, AZ and the Grand Canyon’s NE rim.
Bar 10 Airport
The Cirrus (which my client and I flew in) sits at the north end of the Bar 10 Ranch’s runway. This airport is on the NW rim of the Grand Canyon and is truly a unique experience for a variety of reasons. The runway is short, rough, only partially paved and sloped. But, the experience was delightful nonetheless.
King Air 200XP & SR-22
In June 2009, I flew both these planes in central Alabama for a magazine article. The King Air was a highly modified model with Blackhawk engine upgrades and a dual Avidyne Entegra flightdeck avionics suite.
Leadville, CO & an unusual courtesy car
A client pre-flighting at dawn during a mountain flying course. We are in Leadville, CO (the highest airport in the U.S. @9,934' MSL) in Aug. 2009. No, there is no medical drama going on. The old ambulance was the airport courtesy car at the time, which we'd used from our arrival the prior evening!
Dawn departure from LXV
About to depart Leadville, CO (LXV) as the sun rises behind us, illuminating Mt. Massive to the west. Aug. 2009.
Grand Tetons from Jackson Hole, WY
Jackson Hole, WY is one of the most picturesque airports to include into any mountain flying course. The Grand Teton mountains are probably the most visually imposing ranges in the U.S. Aug. 2009.
Colorado R9 Training
In 2009 and 2010, I was teaching Avidyne's R9 flight deck routinely. I was part of the beta-test team and the Avidyne National Flight Standards Team (ANFST). So, I was heavily involved in training those who chose to upgrade their aircraft to this avionics suite (or buy one factory-equipped). This photo is training a failure mode near Colorado Springs in Nov. 2009.
Going Missed Approach
Taken at the tail end of an authorized low approach at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, SD. At the time, a B-1 Lancer bomber base. (Mar. 2010)
Black Hills Training
At the Custer State Park Airport in SC (Mar. 2010), where my two clients and I met up with my wife and two kids for a picnic lunch. The clients made up half of the Rapid Flyers owner group, whom I provided training to for nearly 20 years.
Ercoupe in Formation
Ted Stransky in his 1946 Ercoupe 415-E, south of Henderson, KY. I am flying the Cirrus for the purpose of aerial photos of the Ercoupe for a magazine article. Note the full-flaps-extended on the Cirrus to maintain pace with the much slower Ercoupe.
Chicago from 17,500′
On this ferry flight from Oklahoma to Michigan, I cruised at 17,500' (in order to have the range to non-stop the flight). The aircraft was a Gen. 2 SR-22 that had just been upgraded with the Tornado Alley turbo-normalizing system. This was the scene (looking back at Chicago) as I crossed over the southern tip of Lake Michigan in Mar. 2010. Soon after, I began a slow descent into my destination of Grand Rapids, MI.
Don the Mask
In May 2010, I ferried this Cirrus SR-22 from northwestern WI to eastern MI. In order to fly direct, I crossed Lake Michigan (which I'm not willing to do in single-engine aircraft, unless I can glide to shore from the middle). So, I climbed to 17,000' (photo taken climbing through 15,500'), took advantage of a nice tailwind and crossed the lake at its narrowest point (50 miles across).
Mackinac Island, MI
I first flew in Mackinac Island in the early 2000's on a pleasure trip with my wife. It soon became a favorite destination both for family trips and for training trips with clients. It's just a beautiful, quaint, and unique place and landing at its airport, then being whisked to town via horse-drawn taxi never gets old. May 2010
Avidyne R9 Flightdeck
I was actively beta-testing, teaching, and demoing the Avidyne R9 flight deck in both Cirrus & Piper aircraft regularly in the 2008-2011 time frame. This is a good shot of that system, taken while teaching in Sept. 2010.
Turf Wars
I've routinely flown Cirrus' into non-paved airports throughout the years, both while teaching and when other situations required it. This was one such situation, where the destination airport's only paved runway was closed (for resurfacing), but the perfectly good grass runway was open. See "Turf Wars" in the Published Works, Instructional Articles area for my take of operating Cirrus from non-paved runways. Sept. 2010
Peace Out!
One of my last missions (in the U.S.) in 2010, was a Nov. trip from WI to CA and back for the purpose of multiple R9 demos (with some teaching thrown in, as well). This photo was taken over the Central Valley of CA, as I repositioned the airplane from NorCal to SoCal with the setting sun shining through the cockpit and helping create fun shadows.
New Zealand & Australia Cirrus Teaching
I spent more than half of Dec. 2010 in New Zealand and Australia teaching the Cirrus pilots "down under." Pictured here are myself and Hui Tai-Tan at Jandakot Airport in Perth, Western Australia (with his Gen.1 SR-22). Hui was instrumental in bringing me to Australia and he and his wife, Judith, were just the best hosts. For all the pictures from this epic trip, go to the Cirrus Flying Abroad galley on the Photos page.