Canard Boulevard

I made it into two pictures in this month's Sport Aviation magazine! Can you find me?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 45

Canard Boulevard

Homebuilt camping has cleared out significantly, I've packed up a much as I can. The night airshow is tonight, then I'll finish packing the plane up tomorrow morning and launch for home. Oshkosh has been a blast, I've got hours and hours of raw video to try to compile into videos for you. If you were here, what's the best thing you saw?

2 months ago | [YT] | 70

Canard Boulevard

Scrapped the flight yesterday due to low visibility (smoke) that left OSH IFR much of the day. And I just now scrapped today's flight as the convection has rolled in much earlier and stronger than forecast even late last night. There's a slim chance that if I left within the next hour that I might be able to thread the needle between thunderstorms and then around the western edge of it towards Iowa, based on current predictions...I'm not taking that chance. The convection will only increase from this point forward, with the possibility of tornadoes this afternoon. Low ceilings, IFR and thunderstorms...I don't need to fly in that. I'll try again tomorrow and cross my fingers the smoke holds off long enough to get into OSH...

2 months ago | [YT] | 38

Canard Boulevard

Packing has begun. If you know, you know!

2 months ago | [YT] | 78

Canard Boulevard

This floatplane pulled onto the runway as I was about to land...watch the chaos unfold: https://youtu.be/l47hLofASdI

2 months ago | [YT] | 23

Canard Boulevard

Wow...I'm pretty floored to get compliments like this. It makes it all the work producing these videos worthwhile!

5 months ago | [YT] | 91

Canard Boulevard

I'm 99% sure that I have found and FIXED the problem with my right brake that I talked about in my video this weekend. Testing tomorrow!

6 months ago | [YT] | 97

Canard Boulevard

Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to my channel, it's great to see that people appreciate what I do! If you're not subscribed yet....what are you waiting for?!? Lots more great content to come...

6 months ago | [YT] | 71

Canard Boulevard

Add your name to the Action Network petition insisting that the AOPA Board of Trustees reinstate Darren Pleasance: actionnetwork.org/petitions/reinstate-darren-pleas…

7 months ago | [YT] | 8

Canard Boulevard

You can write to the AOPA chairman of the board Jim Hauslein at jim@hauslein.com to let him know what you think of the board's decision to fire Darren Pleasance. This is the email that I wrote to him - feel free to use any part of it if you like:

I have been an AOPA member since 1992. I have used many of the AOPA programs and services over the years, and benefited from my membership. For several years, FDK was my home airport.

I have watched AOPA grow and wane over the years, in terms of influence and effectiveness, under various leaders. Under Phil Boyer, I was consistently amazed at the progress made on behalf of the AOPA members. Under Craig Fuller and Mark Baker, while there were legislative wins, it really seemed like AOPA had lost the plot. Wine clubs and focus on high net-worth turbine owners left the large majority of members, myself included, feeling left behind and ignored. I strongly considered allowing my AOPA membership to lapse.

When Darren Pleasance took over as president and CEO, I was cautiously optimistic. On paper, Darren appeared to be the absolute perfect leader to bring AOPA back to relevancy. I have met Darren twice during the past year, and every interaction I had and that others have had reported reinforced my opinion that Darren is what AOPA has needed for a long time. Finally, a leader that was bringing AOPA into the digital age, boots on the ground, outreach, exactly what stodgy old AOPA had been missing for literally decades.

That was why I was absolutely horrified to hear that the board had fired Darren (and make no mistake, we are not idiots and can read through the BS that was published in your press release). Short of a horrendous indiscretion or legal issue on Darren's part, the only thing that I could think of that would make sense of this was a conflict between the board and Darren - and being that it is WELL KNOWN that the AOPA board honestly cares far more about maintaining the good-ol-boy status quo than it does aviation, I am absolutely sure that this is exactly what has occurred.

If absolutely nothing else, it is the height of irresponsibility for the board to fire Darren and leave the organization leaderless. AOPA requires a point man, someone who has the relationships in government and in industry - pushing that off onto a couple of "co-president" board members in the interim is disgusting and insulting to your membership, and will cause untold damage to the lobbying efforts currently in progress.

I operate an aviation YouTube channel and posted a video yesterday when the news was made public. On the video I talk about how upset I am at the board for firing Darren. The response was immediate and overwhelming: tens of thousands of aviators watched and commented on my video, and the overwhelming sentiment echoed mine: AOPA had finally started to become relevant again, and people are ANGRY that the board has dismissed Darren. MANY of the people who wrote comments declared that they have had enough and will not be renewing their membership. Honestly, I am making the same consideration.

I am asking you to do the right thing, admit that the board has made a terrible, very public mistake that has angered and upset your membership, and reinstate Darren Pleasance. He is what AOPA needs to lead AOPA into the next decade. Without Darren I fear AOPA is finished, and the membership sees it.

7 months ago | [YT] | 54