Economic and social adjustment to the spreading use of the automobile is a continuing process of which the end is not in sight. The automobile age dawned more than half a century ago, and neither this country, where the motor car made its greatest advances, nor any other country has caught up with the problems it introduced. No one anticipates that all the answers will be forthcoming in the next two or three years. Jet Plane Orders and Scheduling of Jet Service Before those planes can be put into widespread service, many problems raised by their prospective use will have to be put on the way to solution. Since last autumn domestic airlines and foreign air carriers serving the United States have signed contracts for some 200 Boeing and Douglas jet transports. airlines, civil aviation in this country is on the threshold of the jet age. Florida has no shortage of thunderstorms, so it is especially useful there.With jet transport planes on order for all major U.S. The more pilots fly with uplinked or downlinked Nexrad pictures, the more they appreciate the value of having this. The equipment in his Skylane is neat, too, especially the IHAS 2000 system. If he is still learning GPS approaches, that would certainly be something to work on monthly. Also, his level of activity isnвЂ™t too high, so that monthly exposure to a CFI-I can help keep the rust away. Instrument flying is demanding in any airplane, and in that Stephens is not the youngest pilot on the block at 67, heвЂ™s facing the fact that everything slows a bit as more pages fall off the calendar. ItвЂ™s good that he flies with an instructor on a monthly basis, too. It is fast enough to go somewhere, the flying qualities are exemplary as long as you remember to limit flaps to 20 degrees unless someone is in the back seat, and itвЂ™s a great platform for a pilot who flies IFR, but not often and not a lot. The Skylane is a combination of ingredients that really works for a pilot who flies 100 or so hours a year and takes 175- to 200- mile trips. Stephens doesnвЂ™t have any routine maintenance other than oil changes and annual inspections, and in flying his Cessnas he hasnвЂ™t had an engine failure or engine problems nor has he had vacuum or electrical problems. He says, in regard to this recently installed equipment, вЂњI absolutely love it.вЂќ The airplane also has a WX-500 Stormscope. His Skylane has Bendix/King nav/coms, a KLN 94 IFR-approved GPS and a Bendix/King IHAS 2000 system that provides uplinked weather, traffic and terrain mapping. He frequently flies night VFR and heвЂ™ll fly into the night, depending on the weather. His average trip length is 175 to 200 miles, and his average passenger load is three. All were ILS approaches, and two were at his home base. He flies IFR and night IFR when necessary and in the past year has flown four low approaches in actual conditions. He has a private certificate with seaplane and instrument ratings. The most he has flown in a year is 150 hours. In 37 years, Don Stephens has flown over 2,400 hours and is currently flying 125 hours a year. He described that as вЂњone of the most exciting and enjoyable events of my aviation life.вЂќ There are a lot of lakes around where he lives, вЂњand I think I landed on most all of them! What a trip!вЂќ Type вЂњSeaReyвЂќ into Google and youвЂ™ll see that it is a neat looking small amphibian with a Rotax engine. He has been flying out of the Lakeland, Florida, airport since he started 37 years ago and has owned a Cessna 152, two 172s, and currently has a 1998 Cessna 182S Skylane, вЂњwhich has every conceivable instrument known to man.вЂќ As this was prepared, he was moving ahead on plans to add a BAC Strikemaster single-engine jet warbird to his fleet, which, he says, вЂњmight sound a little crazy at my age, but itвЂ™s just something I need to do.вЂќДЄ few years ago he built a SeaRey amphibian and flew it for a couple of years. Can one manвЂ™s love affair with flying safely lead him from a Skylane to the jet lane? Richard Collins evaluates one pilotвЂ™s flying.Дon Stephens, 67, is a (retiring), as he puts it, builder/developer.

Ifr outside of jetlane