It's "Behavioural" not "Racial"...

When it comes to airport (and national) security, no one does it better than the Israelis.  And yet, because of the liberal mantra that screams, "it's not FAIR!", our leaders will not even take a look at Israeli style security for American airports.  Why?  Here's what Janet Napolitano said "what is effective in Israel, a nation of 7.3 million, wouldn't necessarily work for 310 million Americans."

In another article here, we're told we don't have the manpower or the training to do it effectively.

Wrong on both counts.

So what is the model?  Here it is:

1. Inappropriate clothing: bulking clothing helps hide the explosive vest. If someone is wearing a
heavy coat in spring or summer, that could be a hint. If you're living in the sections of the planet where
you have never seen real snow, that's less of a hint, and more like a neon sign.

2. A robotic walk: Bombers walk like a robot for a very simple reason: they're carrying approximately
40 pounds of additional weight. Also, many suicide bombers tend to be high before they go towards
their target—raw opium is standard, usually tucked between the gum and the cheek. So, either take the
added weight or being high, or both, a suicide bomber walks funny

3-6. Variations on a theme: irritability, sweating, tics, nervous behavior. These people are in the last
moments of their lives: scared of the pain, drugged out of their mind. Motivation doesn't matter, nor
does sincerity of one's beliefs—they are about to die, they see it coming, and they haven't exactly had
to do this before. The stress becomes visible.

7. Breathing. Breaths come low, and controlled. It's more or less a matter of the bomber trying to
control their breath so they don't hyperventilate.

8. Staring. No one is 100% sure why, but suicide bombers stare straight ahead, fixed on a target.
Perhaps it's tunnel vision, perhaps it's blocking out everything but the thought of being about to meet
ones maker. Every image of bombers before they blow up shows them with the exact same stare.

9. Mumbled prayers. To date, everyone who blows themselves up in a suicide bombing has done so
for religious reasons. Surviving eyewitnesses have all seen continuous, formulaic incantations on
visibly moving lips, usually before all hell breaks loose.

10. A large bag. Fresh dynamite is a stable explosive that needs to be set off by specially prepared
blasting caps. These caps are wired with cord to an electricity supply and a switch. A nine-volt battery
will do, or a large square battery—these are too heavy for a pocket, usually, therefore, a bag.

11. The most recent point: You can't see the person's hands. If the person's hands are in the bag
consistently, it could be resting on a button. In the earlier days of suicide bombings, a good bearhug
would pin the bomber's arms to their sides, preventing them from reaching the button. The bombers
learned, leading to....hands in the bag.

12. Male bombers only: Recently shaved beards. Usually, this is done so the bomber can blend in.

Lee Childs, in his Jack Reacher novel, "Gone Tomorrow" spells it out nicely in the first chapter.

Could we adopt this in the United States?  Sure.  Should we have done so soon after 9/11?  Absolutely.  Have we known about this system for a while?  Yes.  We, as American's, need to get over the fact that there are people out there who want to kill us for no other reason than we exist.  Utilizing these measures at airports, whether it's your local Muni or the big International in the big city, will keep America and Americans safer in the air than any "enhanced pat-down procedure", shoe removal or full-body scanner will.

Eric Lancaster

Merry Christmas!

Lost Dog Aviation would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

If your New Year's Resolution is to learn to fly...you know who to call!


Eric

Fixing Flight Training

Scott Spangler over at Jetwhine brings to our attention what needs to be done to retain students and to create more pilots.

That means we have to fix the word "poor".  And not just poor instructors and instructing.

Poor educational quality.
Poor customer focus.
Poor information sharing.

He recommends using the IEPm the Individual Education Plan.  It's used quite a bit in schools and can easily be used in Flight Instruction.  While the basic FAA requirements to earn a pilots license are the same, how we teach them needs to evolve in order to keep students encouraged to finish what they've started.

Basically it boils down to customer service.  And you, the student or rental pilot at Lost Dog Aviation, are our customer.  So it's our job to assist you on the way with Good educational quality.  Meaning, we are constantly researching and refreshing our knowledge base, keeping up with the changes in technology and in the industry.

Good customer focus.  Meaning, we are looking to help you get what you need from us whether it's the next lesson, starting from scratch, stepping up to the next level or just knocking some rust off to make you feel more comfortable in the air.

Good information sharing.  Meaning, not just overloading your inbox with emails or blasting you with the latest Tweets and Status updates.  But making sure you, as our customer, have the information that is beneficial to you.  Which means we have to know not just our "stuff" but also where you're coming from.

These are some of the goals of Lost Dog Aviation.  We hope you will see that we're not just another airplane rental and instruction business.  But that we honestly want to make you a better pilot!

Eric Lancaster

Planning That 1st Cross Country

I sat down with Catherine from Klamath Falls to review her plans for her first cross country flight.  She was very, very organized and detailed.  This is a good thing.  She knew practically everything she needed to know about a flight from Redding (KRDD) to Marysville (KMYV) to Orland (O37) back to Redding.  Her flight log was overwhelmed with information.  So we pared it down to two different pieces of information we needed for the trip...the "need to know" and the "nice to know".

The "need to know" is pretty basic:  what direction is my True Course?  What distance will I have traveled at the Top of Climb?  How far out from Marysville will I be before I need to start down?  Are there any good landmarks I can identify from the plane to calculate my Actual Time of Arrival and my fuel burned?  What are the winds aloft?  What is the weather forecast for Redding, Marysville and Orland?


The "nice to know" was just as basic:  What RCO's (Remote Communication Outlets) are available should I not be able to reach Flight Service on 122.4?  At what airport will IASCO's Chinese students be practicing their instrument approaches?  Where does my Flight Instructor get his coffee; Starbucks or Dutch Bros.?

We reviewed the performance charts for the Cessna 172.  We reviewed how to plot a wind correction angle (WCA) on the back side of the "whiz wheel" otherwise known as the E6-B.  We discussed the TFR at Beale Air Force Base and what frequency we could contact NorCal Approach should we require flight following.  And we discussed the biggest issue of all:

S. A.

Situational Awareness.

Where am I?
Where am I going?
What's going on with my airplane?
What's going on with me?
Where can/will I go should an emergency arise such as an engine failure?

We all need a good dose of Situational Awareness at all times, whether we're flying an airplane or driving home from the airport.

Catherine went home and reviewed what we had discussed.  When she comes back, I'm sure our cross country flight to Marysville and back via Orland will work out just fine.

Eric Lancaster
Lost Dog Aviation

Good News for Business Aviation

A couple of stories out this week should spell good news for business aviation.  First this from the Wichita Eagle news paper stating that,

"A proposal that would double the federal tax break for businesses making capital investments could be a boost for business jet manufacturers.  President Obama is proposing that companies be allowed to deduct 100 percent of the cost of capital investments off their taxes through 2011."

And then this from Aviation Week.com showing progress in Embraer's Florida plant.

Embraer has tapped an aerospace manufacturing veteran to run a new business jet assembly plant it plans to open early next year in Florida.  Phil Krull will become managing director of the Brazilian aircraft builder’s first U.S. aircraft assembly plant. The 150,000-square-ft. facility and paint shop at Melbourne International Airport in Florida is designed to churn out up to eight Phenom 100 business aircraft per month for U.S. customers.

Maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel!

Eric

Keeping New Students in the Air

(HT to Jetwhine.com for the info!)

AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller, Chairman of APCO Insight Mark Benson, and AOPA Director of Public Relations Jennifer Storm will discuss a new and critically important AOPA effort - the Flight Training Student Retention Initiative. 

This is a quote from this years AOPA Aviation Summit in Long Beach California.  If you can't attend you can always listen on AOPA Live to hear what the verdict is.

Eric

Follow Us On Twitter and Facebook!

You can now follow us on Twitter, and Facebook.  You can also e-mail us at eric@lostdogaviation.com.


Eric

Coming Soon!

A brand new website for Lost Dog Aviation!!

Check out Lostdogaviation.com!

Eric

Red Bluff Wings and Wheels!

On September 11th, come on out to Red Bluff Municipal Airport KRBL, for the Wings and Wheels Fly-In from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check out displays from Cal-Fire, local air ambulance companies, CHP, Ultralights, LSA's, antique cars, the L-29 and L-39! Air Shasta will be giving helicopter rides as well.

There will be $100 Hamburgers (Just kidding, they won't cost $100), hot dogs, cold beer, sno cones, sodas and more.

So come on out and enjoy the day at Red Bluff Municipal Airport and support the local flying community as we remember the sacrifices of 9/11.

Eric Lancaster

Available Aircraft

It's been a while since my last post but things have started to change. First of all, I have been in touch with Sue Kerr at Jim and I Aviators at the Redding Municipal Airport in Redding, Ca. and they have agreed to let me use their C-172's for training. The price is right! $99/hour for the aircraft! My rates would be:

$40/hour for Private Pilot rating, BFR's and Rust Removal.
$50/hour for Instrument/Commercial Ratings and ICC's.
$60/hour for Multi-Engine/Tailwheel training.

Also, we are putting together a radio talkshow about aviation. The Flight Line would be broadcast on KCRN 1460 AM in Redding, Ca. and streamed live at KCNR1460.com We should have more on that within the month. You can take a survey at SurveyMonkey.com and join the fun!

I'll have more info in August.

Thanks again!

Eric Lancaster
Lost Dog Aviation
Flight Line Media