Perusing Some Old Logbooks

Memories from the past elicit lots of laughter and plenty of tears.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 09:03 AM ET

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On a whim, FLYING contributor Martha Luniken dug into some old logbooks, as well as some diaries from the years between the mid-1960s and mid-’70s. [Courtesy: Martha Lunken]

Key Takeaways:

The author reflects on her extensive career as a flight instructor from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s, detailing her progression from a low-paid instructor to founding and running "Miss Martha's Flying School" (Midwest Flight Training) where she logged nearly 6,000 hours of dual instruction.
Her professional journey was intertwined with personal experiences, including her complicated marriage to airline entrepreneur Ebby Lunken, and the challenges of establishing a flying school in a changing regulatory environment.
The article shares numerous memorable and often humorous anecdotes from her time teaching, highlighting a diverse cast of students with unique quirks and challenges, as well as amusing interactions with air traffic controllers.

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Grounded too often this winter by weather and a head cold that morphed into pneumonia, I was stuck in the house, casting around for stories to tell you.

On a whim, I dug into some old logbooks, as well as some diaries from the years between the mid-1960s and mid-’70s, and have been alternately convulsed with laughter, drowned in tears, and flat-out amazed at the number of people I taught (or tried to teach) to fly. As far as I know, none have hurt themselves, their passengers, or their airplanes (well, except me).

Martha Lunken

Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.