Peter Garrison, Author at FLYING Magazine

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.

The author’s airplane sits on the grass near the ancient temple site of Tikal in Guatemala. [Credit: Peter Garrison]

Peter Garrison Wednesday, June 17, 2026

My Own Private GPS

How lost are you really, when you think you’re lost?

Flight time may possibly be more affected by the rate at which ski jumpers slow down than by the rate at which they lose height. [Credit: U.S. Ski & Snowboard]

Peter Garrison Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Flight Without Wings: Lift Comes in Many Forms

Olympic ski jumpers are all tip and no wing, so how do they do it?

Air brakes are among those things—the onward march of modernity relies on them—that you don’t see the need for until you get them, and then you can’t imagine doing without them. [Credit: Peter Garrison]

Peter Garrison Wednesday, April 8, 2026

The Missing Control: Air Brakes Are Indispensable

Would you drive a car without brakes?

To hold the controls of an airplane is easy. To snatch them from another pilot, literally or figuratively, is one of the hardest things a pilot might have to do. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Peter Garrison Wednesday, February 25, 2026

In the Cockpit, Are Two Heads Better Than One?

Sometimes the multiplication of eyes and minds does not prevent fatal airplane accidents.

Denys Finch Hatton with the de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth in Africa. [Credit: Karen Blixen Museum]

Peter Garrison Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Why We Fly, Indeed: There’s Always Something New Out of Africa

Fundamentals of flight elude naming, but not feeling.

The remote lands of Alaska attract pilots and hunters but require extra flying caution. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Peter Garrison Friday, December 26, 2025

Medley of Errors Causes Alaska Pilot’s Downfall

Discussing dangers does not make them go away.

Sometimes we have to wonder if stabilizer locations chosen for subtle aerodynamic reasons, as you would like to imagine, or merely aesthetic ones. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Peter Garrison Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Where to Put It: Is Stabilizer Position Wisdom or Whim?

Designers just seem to put the aerodynamic element wherever seems convenient.

In daylight, the pilot would probably not have started the turn so early and so close to the ground...in pitch darkness, he had no idea where the ground was. [Adobe Stock]

Peter Garrison Wednesday, October 8, 2025

The Unseen: Dark of Night Is No Time to Improvise

NTSB investigation reveals spatial disorientation, but the full story offers deeper insights into a tragic accident.

Tour helicopters are common along the scenic but inaccessible Na Pali Coast in Hawaii. [Adobe Stock]

Peter Garrison Friday, September 19, 2025

Bumps During Helicopter Flight Can Prove Fatal

Rotorcraft are like another country because they do things differently there.

A years-long string of setbacks had deprived Samuel Langley of all but a shred of hope when, in May 1896, his pertinacity was finally rewarded. [Credit: Library of Congress]

Peter Garrison Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Miracle on the Potomac: Samuel Langley Never Received Enough Credit as Aviation Pioneer

American scientist developed some of the world’s first flying machines.

Loading Posts

Subscribe to Our Newsletter