Insiders - Issue #49

Welcome to the Airplane Academy Insiders Newsletter where I share aviation lessons learned, my latest content, and other helpful links. I'm glad you're here. Let's dive in!

Your Fellow Left-Seater,
Charlie

Charlie Gasmire

CSEL, CMEL, SES, IR, Tailwheel, Cessna 182 Owner

I Learned This From That

This weekend on father's day, in addition to enjoying poorly cooked breakfast from my 0, 3, and 5 year old, I'm also thinking about this...

One of the biggest reasons I'm a pilot today is because of my dad.

My dad grew up flying in the back seat of his dad's ("Grandpops") old Cherokee. And it inspired my dad to become a pilot and go on his own adventures.

My dad, years later, tracking down Grandpops' old Cherokee and taking a picture in front of it

When I was little, my bedtime stories from my dad were tales from flights in the Cherokee with Grandpops, and his own adventures once he became a pilot, too.

As a result, from as young as I can remember, I wanted to be a pilot.

Those bedtime stories weren't just a way to wish a kid sweet dreams. To me, those stories became my dream.

One of my favorite books is The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. One thing the Wright Brothers really credited for their success was having parents that supported them in their curiosities.

In a similar way, I'm so grateful that I had Grandpops that supported my dad in his curiosities, and that my mom and dad supported me in mine.

They helped me start flying lessons when I was 14.

And I got to solo on my 16th birthday.

My dad and Grandpops flew out to Mesquite airport (KHQZ) and watched me on the ramp.

After soloing on my 16th birthday. Three generations of pilots. Grandpops, my dad, and me.

Then I passed my private pilot checkride a little after turning 17.

With mom and dad after passing my private pilot checkride. An hour later, I got to take my dad as my first passenger in a plane.

That was almost 20 years ago. Now I'm 36. Grandpops has since passed away.

But he pursued his flying dream and passed it along to my dad (known to my kids as "Captain"), who passed it along to me.

Me and dad in front of my plane the day I bought it 10 years ago, before we flew it back to Texas from Florida.

A big reason that I make aviation content in the first place is because I want someone (perhaps you reading this) to hear that accomplishing your flying dream is possible.

And I hope that in some way, it helps you to become a pilot. And that someone in your life will want to become a pilot because you were a pilot.

We never know when hard work we put in today might turn into the bedtime stories that change someone else's future.

This father's day, I'm thankful that my grandparents and parents worked hard and accomplished something difficult, and then, importantly, told me that I could do it, too.

And that's what I pass along to you today: a life as a pilot is possible, and you can do it, too.

Thanks Grandpops and Captain. I'm grateful for you.

Your Fellow Left-Seater,
Charlie

Upcoming written test, checkride, or flight review? These can help!

Check out our private pilot flashcards that have 500+ reviews and a 4.9/5 rating! Here are some recent reviews, too!

You can check out the private pilot flashcards here!

PS - I'm working hard on instrument flashcards now as well. More info to come on those! They've been an enormous amount of work but are coming along.

My Latest Content

I started posting regularly on Instagram and Facebook! FYI if you're on those platforms. It's a mix of flying tips from over the years, clips from flying experiences, and mailbag questions. I hope it helps you in your aviation journey!

Gasmire Glimpse

Some behind the scenes...

Our daughter (our third kid) turned a month old! Newborn season is like they say... the days are long but the weeks are fast. I think the hardest part is behind us. It's a lot of work but we love her!
Been using the Freedom app (freedom.to) to help manage my days better and focus. I set up recurring blocks of time where pretty much everything on my computer is blocked except for what I plan to spend time on. This week was my first week using it daily and it's been huge.
The next few months are going to have several really big announcements. I can't share details about all of it yet but several great projects underway that I'm pumped to tell you about!
Father's day I'm planning on watching the final round of the US Open and grilling the biggest tomahawk steak HEB sells. All while kids are jumping on me, I'm sure.