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“Perfect Use of an Airplane,” Greg’s June column

Posted in flying adventures, Flying Carpet column, flying destinations, Greg's photographs on May 3, 2012 by Greg Brown

The date had long marked my calendar – a Friday night gala in Santa Fe introducing aerial photographer Adriel Heisey’s new book, The Rio Grande: An Eagle’s View. Adriel’s invested the past ten years photographing the 1875-mile river from its Colorado headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico, all from ultralight and light sport aircraft.

I was intimately aware of my friend’s tribulations in shooting, refining, and culling some 35,000 photographs for the book, all while piloting fulltime for the Navajo Nation and completing other photography commissions. Every month or so he’d call and say, “Greg, I’m flying the President to Flagstaff for a meeting today. Can we hang out someplace with ‘wi-fi’ and good coffee?”

Over sandwiches and cappuccinos, Adriel would share his latest milestones, flying stories, and photos for this seemingly endless project, all while uploading images to some phantom editor from his laptop. Often, he expressed discouragement over the years-long burden of the massive undertaking, but by next visit he’d be renewed by some new fix of flying and photographing amazing sights along the river. Finally, at the upcoming Santa Fe event, Jean and I would experience the long-awaited book of dazzling photographs, essays, and a forward by Robert Redford. No wonder we were excited!

Shortly before the gala, Jean was invited to attend a professional panel in Huntington Beach, California. “That’s the day before Adriel’s book debut,” I reminded her.

“It’s just a morning commitment, Greg,” she replied. “We can fly to California on Wednesday, get a beach fix, and dine out together. There’ll be plenty of time to return home Thursday after the meeting, and get to Santa Fe on Friday for the gala. Surely you won’t mind flying four days in a row…”

Read the story in Greg’s June Flying Carpet column, “Perfect Use of an Airplane,” here. (Non-AOPA members select the preview option on sign-in screen.) First appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 6/12 issue.

Main photo: Cochiti Reservoir on the Rio Grande, just west of Santa Fe, New Mexico. See more photos here.

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“Engagement Flight One,” Greg’s May column

Posted in Flying Carpet column, life & love on March 29, 2012 by Greg Brown

Young Ryan Elliott was on a Wisconsin grade-school playground when he joined his friends watching a WWII-era Boeing B-17 bomber rumble slowly overhead.

“Hey! That’s my Dad!” yelled Ryan, pointing up at the giant 4-engine bomber.

“No it isn’t!” replied his friends. “You’re just making that up!” Ryan’s dad, my longtime buddy Sean Elliott, laughed while sharing the story.

“I was taking recurrent training in the B-17 out of Oshkosh’s Wittman Field,” Sean explained, “and found myself flying over Ryan’s school while the kids were outside for recess. After work, I asked Ryan, ‘Did you see me fly over?’ He said, ‘Yeah Dad, I saw you. But nobody believed me when I told them!’”

Sean has one of the coolest aviation jobs anywhere. As EAA’s Vice President of Advocacy and Safety, he’s also Director of Flight Operations. That includes training pilots to fly EAA’s 1929 Ford Trimotor , their B-17, Aluminum Overcast, and the many other vintage aircraft that fly out of Pioneer Field. In fact, Sean personally piloted the Trimotor for the scene in the movie Public Enemies, in which John Dillinger is depicted returning to Indiana following his capture in Tucson.

My friend’s duties also include flying EAA’s Socata TBM-700 turboprop. “My favorite is piloting the warbirds,” he explained, “but the turboprop does have its perks.” He told of circling Pioneer Field in the TBM one sweltering Wisconsin afternoon, with CSI New York actor and AirVenture musical performer Gary Sinese. “When some pilots flying the B-17 nearby started ribbing me for driving a cushy modern plane, I said, ‘Hey guys, listen to this. Hear that click? It’s the air conditioner switch!’”

Sean may also qualify as the coolest dad in the universe. When not flying radio-controlled model airplanes with his son, the two often convene at the EAA Museum after closing, where on each visit they spend hours poring over a given airplane. Among the latest was a 1930s Curtiss P6E Hawk biplane fighter.

Recently Sean treated Ryan to his first Young Eagles flight in honor of his 8^th birthday, the minimum age for qualifying as a Young Eagle. Asked what plane he preferred for the mission, Ryan picked the Ford Trimotor. That would make any kid’s birthday memorable, but perhaps genetic influences also impacted his selection.

You see, Sean proposed to his wife René in that very airplane, aloft over the 2001 Oshkosh AirVenture fly-in! Read the story in Greg’s May Flying Carpet column, “Engagement Flight One,” here. (This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 5/12 issue.)

Top photo: Sean and René in front of EAA’s 1929 Ford Trimotor, immediately after he proposed. Lower photo: Ryan and Sean fly an RC airplane. See more photos here.

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How the “Flying Carpet” got its name

Posted in aviation history, flying adventures, Flying Carpet column, flying destinations, Greg on writing, Greg recommends on March 9, 2012 by Greg Brown

Reader Sergio Schaar wrote to ask, “What inspired you to call [your airplane] the Flying Carpet?”

Years have passed since I last explained it, so I thought it appropriate to share my very first Flying Carpet column that tells the story behind the name.

“Magic! The whining of the gyros gave way to mystical drums and rhythmic chanting, crazily mixing images of flight with those of ancient and sacred ceremonies. Chills traveled up and down our spines-we could scarcely have been more astonished if we had arrived by flying carpet.

“Adventurer Richard Halliburton would have appreciated our situation. After hitching ’round the world by freighter and camel in the 1920s, he became obsessed with visiting remote Timbuktu, a legendary mid-Sahara caravan stop. The way to get there, he decided, was by The Flying Carpet, a black-and-crimson Stearman that he bought and shipped to England in 1931.

“With pilot Moye Stephens guiding the Stearman, Halliburton traveled the ancient world to exotic places such as Baghdad, the Dead Sea, headhunter country in Borneo, and, yes, Timbuktu. During the course of his journey he enthralled princes and paupers alike as he took them on their first airplane rides.

“It’s tempting to look back at those times and think we missed the real adventure of flying. Well, we didn’t. Flying was out of reach for all but the wealthiest people in Halliburton’s day, so most people could enjoy flying only vicariously through his writing.

“Today we live exploits that Halliburton’s readers could only dream of — piloting our own flying machines on our own adventures.

“On this particular day, our flying carpet had taken us to a mystical and exotic place in the New World — Window Rock, Arizona, capital of the Navajo Nation, where Jean and I had invited friends to spend the day exploring the annual Navajo Nation Fair…”

Continue reading my first Flying Carpet column, “Ninety Minutes to Another World,” here. (Article takes a moment to load.) This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, January, 2000 issue.

Read my book, Flying Carpet: The Soul of an Airplane for more on how Halliburton’s flying adventures inspired the naming of my column and steed.

Top photo: LeRoy Peterson’s black and crimson Stearman biplane, similar in appearance to Richard Halliburton’s Flying Carpet. Lower photo: Miss Navajo Nation at the Navajo Nation Fair, Arizona, as detailed in the column.

Richard Halliburton was a renowned travel writer in the 1920s-30s. Among his most popular works are Richard Halliburton’s Book(s) of Marvels, and The Royal Road to Romance. His lesser-known 1932 book, The Flying Carpet, tells the story of his adventures flying North Africa, Europe, and Asia in a 1929 Stearman biplane.

For more about Richard Halliburton and his “original” Flying Carpet, see “Richard Halliburton and Moye Stephens: Traveling Around the World in the ‘Flying Carpet’“ and “Moye Stephens: Aviation Pioneer and Adventurer“ at Aviation History magazine.

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“Ski Telluride!” Greg’s April column

Posted in flying adventures, Flying Carpet column, flying destinations, Greg's piloting tips, Greg's photographs on March 1, 2012 by Greg Brown

Mountain flying adventure

Finally, we were on our way! With skis, boots, and homemade chili shoehorned behind us, we soared over the ancient Hopi Mesas, isolated Navajo Nation ranches with their eight-sided hogans, Black Mesa’s snow-frosted forests, and the red barrens of Southeastern Utah. Just days earlier Steve and Molly Palley had invited us for a ski weekend at their Telluride condo. Their car would be full for the six-hour drive from Flagstaff, but if we cared to fly…

Telluride! The name quickens the hearts of skiers and pilots alike. Renowned for superb skiing and funky festivals, Telluride also hosts the nation’s highest commercial airport, perched at 9,070 feet in a dead-end canyon ringed by rugged “fourteeners.”

A diehard skier, Jean jumped at the Palleys’ invitation. But I dared agree only conditionally – homework and perfect weather would be required to tackle this notoriously challenging airport.

Pilots must be well-versed in mountain-flying techniques before attempting such destinations: lean the fuel mixture before takeoff; accelerate to climb speed in ground effect; “fly the numbers,” as there’s little horizon reference, cross ridges at an angle, and especially, assess wind flow over terrain to predict and avoid dangerous downdrafts and turbulence.

Continue reading Greg’s April Flying Carpet column, “Ski Telluride!” here. (Please allow a moment for the article to load.) This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 4/12 issue.

Top photo: Telluride’s ski slopes overlook the airport (visible at upper left). Lower photo: Final approach to Runway 9, Telluride Airport, Colorado. See more photos here.

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“On Moonbeams,” Greg’s March column

Posted in flying adventures, Flying Carpet column on February 2, 2012 by Greg Brown

The joys of nighttime aloft

Long shadows cradled snow-frosted trees below, as we banked southward toward Scottsdale. Rarely do we find ourselves steering away from home near sunset — night flight in the mountains is serious business.

Our friends John and Marie Discerni have hosted an annual gala at their Scottsdale home for over 15 years. Our lives rarely cross, so this gathering offers a once-a-year opportunity to catch up with them and other old comrades. No wonder we feel cheated when we miss it.

Attending was simple when we lived near Scottsdale. But moving 150 twisty-mountain-road miles away to Flagstaff changed everything, and for more reasons than distance. For although winters in desert Scottsdale are generally benign, enough snow falls in our Northern Arizona mountains to sustain a lively ski resort. More than once we’ve missed the Discernis’ parties due to wintry conditions. Fortunately today was clear, but we faced too many obligations to stay overnight.

I hardly think twice about flying after dark in good weather over flat land, but here in the mountains night cross-countries demand good reasons and great care. In fact, when inviting novice passengers on such flights, I always add the qualifier: “we’ll return after dark, which is beautiful but slightly riskier than daytime flying.” If they hesitate, I don’t take them; it’s a matter of being honest. But tonight would be exceptionally safe for sampling the joys of darkness aloft.

Continue reading Greg’s March Flying Carpet column, “On Moonbeams,” here. (Please allow a moment for the article to load.) This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 3/12 issue.

Photo: Last rays of sunset tint Arizona’s Oak Creek Canyon beneath the snow-covered Coconino Plateau.

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“Carrying the Flag,” Greg’s February column & photos

Posted in flying adventures, Flying Carpet column, Greg's photographs on December 30, 2011 by Greg Brown

Where are the minority pilots?

“Black people don’t fly.” That’s what DeAndre Jamison heard, when as a little boy he inquired about becoming a pilot.

Though DeAndre and I had never met in person, we’d corresponded for several months when he emailed that he and his wife Christine would be visiting friends in Page, Arizona, where they’d lived before moving to Indiana.

Page is only 45 minutes from Flagstaff by Flying Carpet, but I hadn’t flown there in years. This seemed a perfect opportunity to meet new friends and revisit cherished terrain. Page perches along stunning Lake Powell, on the Utah border. When I wrote, “Can I fly up and meet you for breakfast?” DeAndre responded enthusiastically.

I launched northward for Page that Saturday morning, pleased to be traveling without novice passengers. For although skies were clear, howling southwest winds generated devilish turbulence downwind of the 12,000-foot San Francisco Peaks, and then along the eastern edges of the Grand and Marble Canyons. Soon cobalt Lake Powell filled my windshield, pierced by golden buttes hinting at those of Monument Valley 60 miles away. I wrestled the airplane to a landing, and was opening the door when a young couple approached.

“I’m DeAndre,” said the young man, pumping my hand, “and this is Christine.”

How cool, to meet a black general aviation pilot! I thought. Then I pondered the strangeness of that reflexive response. Why aren’t there more minority pilots? I vowed to question DeAndre if the opportunity arose…

Continue reading Greg’s February Flying Carpet column, “Carrying the Flag,” here. (Please allow a moment for the article to load.) This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 2/12 issue.

Photo: Pilot DeAndre Jamison checks out the Flying Carpet at Page, Arizona. See more photos here.

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Introducing “Sunset Over Window Rock,” Greg’s latest Fine Art Photographic Print

Posted in Flying Carpet column, Greg's photographs on December 14, 2011 by Greg Brown

Check out my latest fine art print, “Sunset Over Window Rock,” which was photographed at the capital of the Navajo Nation, Arizona. And read the story behind it in Greg’s February, 2011 Flying Carpet column, “Sunset Over Window Rock.”

Like each of my Views from the Flying Carpet, this photograph was collaboratively tuned for print with Master Printer Richard Jackson, who prints for the world’s finest photographers. (The day I met Richard, he was printing Steve McCurry’s iconic “Afghan Girl,” who 25+ years after gracing National Geographic’s cover remains among the world’s most-recognized photographs.)

“Sunset Over Window Rock” is debuting in two sizes, 16×24 and 10×14, both open editions. Prices range from $175 for the unmounted 10×14 print, to $545 for the 16×24 print archivally matted and framed, with numerous options in between. All are meticulously crafted, matted and/or framed, and packaged for shipping under Mr. Jackson’s supervision. Click here for “Sunset Over Window Rock” pricing and ordering information.

I thought you might also enjoy learning how these superb prints are created, including photos taken at last week’s refinement session. Click here for more about my Views from the Flying Carpet Fine Art Photographic Print series, including available images, my collaborator Master Printer Richard Jackson, and the process we use to create these marvelous prints. You can also sign up there for email updates.

As usual, these prints are “good enough to eat,” thanks to Mr. Jackson and his terrific team. I hope you’ll consider adding one to your collection!

Sincerely,
Greg

Photos: Above left, Greg’s “Sunset Over Window Rock,” Fine Art Photographic Print. Above right: Greg examines proof prints emerging from the printer.

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“Follow that Bicycle!” Greg’s January column & photos

Posted in flying adventures, Flying Carpet column, Greg's photographs on December 5, 2011 by Greg Brown

Living the airpark lifestyle

“Seems a lot shorter, when you stop for fun along the way,” observed Jean. “And like more of a vacation, too.”

Usually we fly from Arizona to Chicago in a one-day marathon – 10 hours each way with a refueling stop at Garden City, Kansas. But this trip we’d planned in a more leisurely fashion, overnighting with friends in each direction. Flying east, we’d called on new pilot acquaintances in Iowa.

Now westbound toward home, we were headed to visit longtime buddies Julie and Mike Filucci at their new home on Lloyd Stearman Field near Wichita. Julie and Mike enjoy a lifestyle that most pilots would envy – they live on an airport and both fly professionally. Mike is an American Airlines captain, while Julie is Cessna Pilot Centers Manager. The two originally met, appropriately enough, at a formation-flying course.

Just 3-1/2 hours after departing Chicago’s Aurora Municipal Airport, we joined Stearman Field’s traffic pattern at Benton, Kansas. We’ve landed at residential airparks before, but this would be our first time actually staying at one.

“Where’s the fuel pump?” I radioed after touchdown.

“Continue to the north end of the runway, and you’ll see it on your right,” replied Julie’s voice from the ether. Sure enough, a gaggle of parked airplanes soon materialized ahead. Next to them, however, was a surprise. Just steps from the self-service pump we discovered the Stearman Field Bar & Grill’s bustling, boisterous outdoor patio. To the chattering of diners and the aroma of grilling burgers, we topped our tanks.

“Here comes Julie!” said Jean as I teetered on the refueling ladder. Up rode our friend on a reproduction 1940s British military bicycle. Instead of bearing urgent dispatches befitting her steed, however, she delivered welcoming hugs.

“I could direct you to our house,” offered Julie, “but it’s probably easier to just follow me back.” So we cranked up the Flying Carpet, and trailed our bicycling host down the parallel taxiway past residences and airplanes, and across the runway to an imposing new home and hangar. There, Mike greeted us with the couple’s treasured Visla hunting dogs, Fred and Mirra.

“First time we’ve ever followed a bicycle in our airplane!” chuckled Jean… Continue reading Greg’s January Flying Carpet column, “Follow that Bicycle!” here. (Please allow a moment for the article to load.) This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 1/12 issue.

Photo: Stearman Field Bar & Grill outdoor patio, Benton, Kansas. See more photos here.

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“American Gothic,” Greg’s December column & photos

Posted in flying adventures, Flying Carpet column, Greg's photographs on November 4, 2011 by Greg Brown

“You forget how humid the Midwest is compared to Arizona!” said Jean. Sweat streaked our faces as we climbed from the Flying Carpet in rural Winterset, Iowa.

Bound for a Chicago wedding, we’d been enticed to stop here by a photo of Glen and Linda Anderson evoking Grant Wood’s iconic painting, American Gothic. These modern-day farmers, however, posed with an airplane instead of pitchforks. I was examining the only other airplane on the ramp, a rare but derelict pressurized Mooney M22 Mustang, when the Andersons drove up.

“Welcome to Madison County!” said Linda. “The main covered bridge from the movie is just a few miles away. And John Wayne was born here in Winterset.” Following introductions, they helped install our airplane amid undergrowth in an aging doorless hangar. Then they introduced Red Bird, their crimson 1966 Cessna 172 purchased for just $27,000. I appreciate practical airplanes that everyday people can afford.

“Shall we dine in town? Or grill steaks from beef raised on our farm?” asked Linda, checking her watch. “Winterset has a really good Pizza Hut,” added Glen.

“Let’s eat at your farm,” said Jean, sidestepping Glen’s hint. “Nothing beats Iowa steaks!” I’d expected flat, open fields like those in Illinois where Jean and I grew up, but instead we traveled densely wooded hills to the Anderson farmhouse. Inside, stuffed animal heads peered down from the walls…

Continue reading “American Gothic,” Greg’s December Flying Carpet column, here. Please allow a moment for the article to load. (This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine, 12/11 issue.)

Photo: Linda and Glen Anderson with their 1966 Cessna 172, Red Bird. See more photos from this story here.

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Introducing Greg’s Fine Art Photographic Print, “Sunset Rains”

Posted in Flying Carpet column, Greg's photographs on October 30, 2011 by Greg Brown

“Sunset Rains” was photographed on a remarkable flight between Scottsdale and Flagstaff, Arizona, detailed in my November Flying Carpet column, “Enchanted Journey,” where this image first appeared.

I’ve long planned to offer fine art prints of my photographs, but the views on this particular flight and the resulting images were so unique and so stunning they inspired me to action initiating the program.

Like each of my upcoming View from the Flying Carpet images, this photograph was collaboratively tuned for print with Master Printer Richard Jackson, who prints for many of the world’s finest photographers. (On the day I first met Richard, he was making prints of Steve McCurry’s iconic “Afghan Girl,” who 25 years after gracing National Geographic’s cover remains among the world’s most-recognized photographs.)

“Sunset Rains” is debuting in four sizes to fit a range of locations and budgets. The largest, 27×40 inches, is available in a numbered Limited Edition of 90 prints. The second largest format of 24×36, is limited to 180 prints. The two smaller sizes, 16×24 and 10×14, are open editions. Prices range from $175 to $1500. All are meticulously crafted, matted and/or framed, and packaged for shipping under Mr. Jackson’s supervision.

Click here to learn more about “Sunset Rains,” including my new View from the Flying Carpet print series, my collaborator, Master Printer Richard Jackson, pricing and ordering information, plus sign up for email updates.

These prints are “good enough to eat,” thanks to Mr. Jackson and his marvelous team. I hope you’ll consider adding one to your collection!

Sincerely,
Greg

Photo: Greg with “Sunset Rains,” 27″x40″ Limited Edition Fine Art Print on museum mount.

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Greg Brown's Flying Carpet Blog

Archive for the Flying Carpet column Category

“Perfect Use of an Airplane,” Greg’s June column

“Engagement Flight One,” Greg’s May column

How the “Flying Carpet” got its name

“Ski Telluride!” Greg’s April column