JUNE 2017 "The Last Mailplane Pilot"

I had the privilege to meet, interview, and fly in a open-cockpit biplane with an aviation legend - the last man to ever fly the Douglas M-4 Mailplane series. His name was Don Lykins, and he was a retired wide body airline pilot. A group of volunteers restored the old airplane, and Lykins flew it to Washington, D.C., where today it can be seen at the National Air & Space Museum. The jet age touched the early days of flying when his flight spanned the two era's. That's why I am fascinated with aviation history - stories connected by time, sky, and circumstance.

MAY 2017 - FIRST FLIGHTS

MAY 2017 - FIRST FLIGHTS

My first airplane flight was on July 5, 1980 in a Piper Tomahawk. The instructor I flew with on the one hour lesson introduced me to the sky - and there was no turning back. I will never forget that day. That is when I knew, instantly, that I wanted to fly for a living, and make it a career. It was just that simple. It was a beautiful summer day, and I can remember it like it was just yesterday. I was a fortunate 14 year old kid that afternoon - I found my dream early in life.

APRIL 2017 - Remembering a friend and fellow aviator

APRIL 2017 - REMEMBERING A FRIEND AND FELLOW AVIATOR

It has been a fews years now since he has been gone. But if you knew Bob Odegaard, you knew what a real gentleman and aviator really was. It was not only that he was very nice, kind, and thoughtful...he was also one incredible aviator. I watched him over the years fly and advance in a career from Warbird pilot, to Airshow performer, and even Reno Air Racer. He could fly anything there was, and I would say unquestionably he was an incredible aviator. He loved flying like we that call ourselves aviators do, but he was rare in the aviation world.

There was a report of a warbird crash at Barnes County Airport in Valley City, North Dakota in September of 2012. It was him, we later learned.

He died one autumn afternoon in an airshow practice in a F-4U Corsair, and in a moment a wonderful man was gone. RIP Bob, you have flown West, but you left us all with a great example of what an aviator truly is.

March 2017 - NEW YORK CITY, NY "My Favorite Artist"

"MY FAVORITE AVIATION ARTIST"

NEW YORK CITY, NY


Eric Sloane (1905-1985) was an American artist who captured the sky, clouds, and airplanes with oil paint on the canvas in a mystical and profound way. He is my favorite artist, and I regard his work as the most prolific and beautiful aviation art. Many of his works have a small airplane somewhere within the piece, forcing the eyes of the viewer of his art to search for the small image of the aircraft. Therein lies the magic of his aviation art. The skies hold that beauty in art that he has captured. An icon of aviation art, his huge 70-foot mural hangs in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. His painting "Coming Home" shows that very beauty. Can you find the airplane?

February 2017 - LONDON, ENGLAND "The Jet Engine"

February 2017 - LONDON, ENGLAND

"The Jet Engine"

Any aviator who knows will tell you the greatest technological achievement of the 20th Century is likely the invention of the jet engine. Think of it - how air travel has changed just through the mere speed that aircraft can now fly through the sky. In many ways, the jet engine has produced a "time machine" of sorts, it could be argued, and shrunk the world by creating time, speeding up the clock of our busy lives. Today, air travel is largely taken for granted by mankind. Jet travel across the globe, from the late 1950's on has truly changed our world forever.

Don't forget to check out my website for more content: http://www.markawerkema.com

January 2017 - AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS "The North Atlantic"

January 2017
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS


If you fly to Europe in these modern days and are of European ancestry you often think about those relatives decades ago that made the journey to America. My great-grandparents came from Holland, and immigrated to the United States with hopes of freedom, a better life, and the dream or vision of what we call America. Their journey was not as simple as the way I fly to and from Europe - in a modern jetliner, in the stratosphere moving at over 500 miles and crossing the North Atlantic in 7 or 8 hours. They came from Europe to New York City on a steamship ocean liner, crossing in about a weeks time. The contrast is a thought I often think about when I'm flying the lonely night sky over the blackened sea headed toward Europe.

Don't forget to check out my website for more content: http://www.markawerkema.com