Although we do a full preflight inspection of the aircraft before first flight of the day, we do a quicker inspection that covers all the essentials including oil and gas condition and quantity every time we stop for fuel.

The Boeing Stearman was a trainer, hence the two seats. The open cockpit design is lots of fun.

Enroute to Perkiomen Valley airport to have some avionics work done. We're at 4000 feet in and out of the tops of the clouds. Instrument students learn to set up the cockpit well in advance of the current mode of flight, and part of that involves getting out the approach chart to study it.

Ever been driving your car on a rainy day and look up at the dreary gray sky, wondering when it will go away? This is what that very same day looks like to pilots flying on top of the clouds.

This is what private aviation is all about and what I remember so much about my youth spent around airplanes.

My camera takes horrible night pictures, but I think this captures the beauty of night flying in a populated area. Off the left wing is the city of Philadelphia.

Upward sloping runways like this one help us stop faster and thus consume less runway. We can land this airplane in about 500 feet with special techniques, but our standard runway is 2000 feet or longer to provide a buffer.

New Jersey gets its share of insults based on the experiences of people who see nothing but the clogged northeastern area, but there are quite beautiful, lightly populated areas too, like this view of the southern part of the state.

Located in eastern Pennsylvania, the Allentown airport supports air carrier operations in addition to private aircraft. It provides special navigational facilities that allow aircraft to land when the cloud ceilings and visibilities are low.