Harvard-educated in English, Peter Garrison is a self-taught aerodynamicist whose writing concentrates on what makes airplanes work and how they can be improved, and on the factors, both mechanical and human, that sometimes cause them to crash.
When no production airplane satisfied Peter’s desire for range and efficiency, he built his own and called it Melmoth. He flew it to Europe, Japan and South America. Melmoth was destroyed on the ground in 1982 when it was struck by an out-of-control airplane, and Peter spent 20 years building his four-place Melmoth 2. With 4,000 hours, Peter has a single and multiengine commercial license, instrument rating, and Learjet type, helicopter, seaplane, glider, gyroplane and hot-air balloon ratings.
Since 1968 Flying readers have been looking to Peter for technical precision and erudite writing. His work also appears in other magazines, including Condé Nast Traveler and Air & Space, and he is the author of several books. He writes and sells aviation software and consults on aircraft design questions.
The blend of theoretical understanding and practical experience Peter brings to his monthly Technicalities and Aftermath columns provides Flying readers with technical and operational information that is useful to aviators of all skill levels flying in all situations.
