Kazuko Uramatsu jumps out of bed at 5 am, hustles to catch the morning train, transfers to a waiting scooter, zooms off to her office, catches her breath, straightens her tie and smiles. It’s time to teach over Tokyo.  At 42, Kazuko is one of four female flight instructors in all of Japan. In a culture where the woman is traditionally seen as housekeeper, mother, and maid, Kazuko is cut from a different kimono.  She loves flying and adores independence.…

In 1993, Mike McNeill ran into an “unreasonable customer.” As a captain on a a de Havilland Dash-7 aircraft, Mike was to make a routine flight from Killeen, Texas to Dallas. A 45-minute hop. Shortly after the airplane levelled off, a passenger came up into the cockpit and suggested a new destination: Cuba. When McNeill turned around and saw an Uzi machine gun levelled at his head, he knew he would need more than just flying skills to keep things…

In May 2001, I wrote an article for Plane & Pilot magazine, entitled Never too Old to Fly. A quarter decade ago. Old stuff, right? No. In fact, just the opposite. Back then, interviewing people like Ralph Charles (the oldest pilot on the planet at 101), and Evelyn Johnson, an active instrument flight instructor and Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), well into her 90’s, was a game changer for me. These people were hot. They loved life and were beyond passionate.…