JG Ginther's Page

As I continue to meditate on the recommended grounding of my 601XL, I find myself more frequently browsing the ads in Barnstormer. One caught my eye today for a Ballistic Recovery Chute for $1200. My mind then wandered to a concept learned many years ago in an Economics class. The concept of opportunity cost - if I spend my money on mods, I will not be able to spend it on other things. Whatever I don't buy because of the mods represents an opportunity cost of the mods.

I still don't have any go… Continue

Unlike many of you, I didn't build my Zodiac. It was built in a factory in the Czech Republic and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have the bent bicycle wheel that I attempted to straighten and the cable tv box I blew up with a little handy homeowner outlet I installed. No one wants me building or fixing an airplane. So I read the letter and learn there is going to be a tidy little "kit" to install and exorcise the demon in the machine. A kit sure sounds pretty easy. I then turn to the Zenith… Continue

I flew my Zodiac three hours Saturday enjoying a breezy fall morning following the ridge line of the Shenendoah. The plain flew beautifully, hands-off for the most part, and passed its four hundredth hour of flight (70 with me at the helm). Little did I know that it might be my last flight for a while. As I was dancing in the clouds, others were buy putting the finishing touches on their effort to ensure my "safety." The NTSB, FAA, Zenith, The Associations and several foreign bodies had designed… Continue

I had set off for a day of pattern practice in the hopes of smoothing out my take-offs and landings in the Zenith. The events of the day proved I needed the practice and I learned something about the Zenith 601 XL in the process.

It was my second trip around the pattern at Warrenton-Fauquier airport (HWY) in rural Virginia. It is the airport where I earned my wings in 2000 and seemed like a good place to practice in my new airplane. On this particular landing, I touched down OK but made the mis… Continue

There is the Garmin, pilotage, dead reckoning and now the nose. My flight was to the eastern shore of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and a little town called Crisfield. I had read about Crisfield and thought it would be a perfect place to locate my boat for the season and fly there for mini vacations. All of the descriptions I read about Crisfield commented on the charm of a "salty" fishing village. At 500 ft a different tale was told - something missing from the descriptions. Crisfield smells. As I… Continue