Max Trescott on General Aviation

Commencement Address: Green Aviation

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind--and very satisfying. Two weeks ago, I watched my oldest daughter graduate from college. Then, a week later, I was the commencement speaker at San Jose State University. The students in their Aviation Division requested me and I was only too happy to speak. I've uploaded ten minutes of the speech, which is apparently the maximum allowed on YouTube. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed giving it. Having talked with a lot of college graduates in the last two weeks, I'm optimistic about the future which will soon be in the hands of this up and coming generation. God Speed.

Cirrus SR22: Coffee, Tea or SmartDeck

Last week, I wrote about the announcement of the Cirrus Perspective glass cockpit for the SR22, and how I had thought they’d be announcing the L-3 SmartDeck instead. My comments were prescient, as just two days later L-3 announced the availability of SmartDeck for the Cirrus SR22, though as a retrofit, rather than a factory option. Now SR22 owners have a choice of three different glass cockpits for their plane! With this much choice, don’t be surprised if Cirrus buys the “Have it Your Way” slogan from Burger King.

As I mentioned last week, Cirrus announced....

New Cirrus Perspective for the SR22

 
Update: Our Max Trescott's Garmin Perspective VFR Training Course is now available on line for $79 at http://pilotlearning.coursehost.com.  Today, Cirrus Design announced that the Cirrus Perspective glass cockpit--think Garmin G1000 Plus--is available as an option to their SR22 aircraft. This is big news for several reasons, and future SR22 buyers will want to consider whether to choose it or the current Avidyne Entegra glass cockpit. They will also want to think about buying Max Trescott's G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook with WAAS.

For pilots who have recently taken delivery on a new SR22 and are concerned...

JetWhine article - CFI, Entrepreneur

"Knowing Max for just a short time has opened my eyes to the fact that I truly miss teaching people how to fly myself." So says Rob Mark in the article he posted yesterday on his www.jetwhine.com blog. JetWhine has always been one of my favorite blogs, so when Mark contacted me a few months ago and suggested that he interview me for the blog, I was happy to do it.

Previous blog articles had talked about CFI issues, such as the high turnover among instructors and the relatively low pay for CFI's employed by flight schools (hmmmm, do you think the two might be related?). I think Mark was wondering how one succeeds in the CFI game given those challenges. The article title, Max Trescott...CFI, Entrepreneur certainly fits with my idea of how one should attack any job. Be an entrepreneur. Seek opportunity, identify needs and provide value. It's no different in flight instruction. You can read Mark's full article here.

Aviation Podcasts

"The world is constantly changing and in the process is creating new ways to enjoy learning about and staying in touch with aviation.” That’s the beginning of an article I wrote on podcasts, the latest way to download and listen to audio on virtually any topic, in the Fall/Winter issue of my free online Pilot Safety News journal.

I've just updated my Max Trescott on General Aviation blog with a new section where you can listen to several of my podcast interviews. The new “My Podcasts” section is in the left column of the blog, just below my photograph. The most recent podcast, released by the Aero News Network on Friday, is an interview they conducted at Sun ‘n Fun a couple of weeks ago.

For the past six months, my daily routine has included...