On flying, writing, and living.

Most of us probably think our dogs are pretty environmentally friendly. I mean, they’re animals, all natural. They don’t drive cars, leave the lights on, and otherwise blow through fossil fuels like there’s no tomorrow. Well, Fido has a much larger carbon footprint than you think.

Trips to the vet, day care, and the dog park all add up. Dog poop either languishes in landfills (often in plastic bags) or makes its way into streams and rivers. Medications and flea and tick treatments also contaminate the water supply. Commercial dog food is a biggie–often imported, always heavily processed, adding to the CO2 load.

Nothing brings me more joy than seeing Tucker gallop furiously across the bark park, ever hopeful that a squirrel will eventually succumb to his hunting prowess. I’ve run on more than one occasion (many more than one) in Forest Park with dog off leash, following the example of all the other rule-breaking dog owners out there.  Then I read an article in Competitor Northwest magazine about how a. park rangers are cracking down on off-leash users, and b. off-leash dogs are wrecking habitat for some tiny species. Now I feel a. scared and b. bad.

Here are a few tips to minimize Fido’s environmental footprint:

1. Get a Doggie Dooley. Basically a dog waste composter, this handy little septic system is easy to install in your yard and will save hundreds of plastic bags and hundreds of pounds of poop from the landfill and water sources.

2. Pack it in, pack it out. Think it’s okay to leave poop in the wilderness? I always did.  But wildlife can pick up and spread bacteria and disease. And toxic chemicals from medications contaminate water sources. Carry plastic bags with you when exploring the backcountry. Your dog can even carry his stuff out in his own backpack. Double bag to prevent spills and odors.

3. Leash up. It sure is fun to watch my dog romp off leash, enjoying himself to the fullest, but in fragile environments, dogs can contribute to streamside erosion and scare or even harm wildlife. So be selective in choosing an off-leash adventure and have your dog under voice control at all times.

4. Ditch the chemicals. Choose earth-friendly pet care products including shampoos, laundry detergents (my dog has more towels and bed covers than I do), and carpet stain removers.

5. Eat healthy. Feed natural and sustainable pet food products, treats, and chews. Although they tend to be more expensive, you can find good deals by shopping around. My local pet store has a “get-the-10th-bag-free” program for dog food and I recently saved even more with a manufacturer’s offer.

6. Adopt, don’t buy. Perhaps the biggest thing you can do to reduce negative social as well as environmental impacts is to adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue group. There are tons of great pets out there who need happy, healthy homes. You’d be surprised at the dogs that are surrendered to shelters; some are even purebred. By choosing carefully, you can avoid health and behavior problems and find a dog that fits you family and your lifestyle.

All of us need to work on consuming less and reducing our CO2 emissions, even our dogs. So let’s embrace these few simple ways to get Fido off on a green foot.

Yesterday I conducted  a Flight Review for the first time in over two years. It was short notice and I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to prepare. I felt a little nervous, being the supposed expert, yet so rusty myself. Most of my recent flying is in the Dash 8 with a fellow pilot along. But I truly love General Aviation flying and teaching others to fly or improve their skills. So I did  a quick Google search on “how to conduct a flight review” and came up with a great document in PDF format from the FAA:

http://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/media/flight_review.pdf

With a little more time, I would have found some other resources, including those from AOPA (the Airline Owners and Pilots Association) and several other flight instructor websites. Since my time was so short, however, I focused on the 26-page guide from the FAA. This document gives flight instructors a solid outline for conducting the flight review, starting by having the pilot complete a flight review preparation course through the FAA’s online Aviation Learning Center.

My approach to the flight review is probably not unlike most instructors’. First, I like to spend some time discovering the flying habits of the review candidate: what kind of airplane, how often, in what weather conditions, local or cross country, solo or with passengers. Then I try to tailor the flight review to focus on skills that may have become rusty and on topics that can enhance the pilot’s day to day operations, while meeting the requirements set forth by the FAA.

In this case, the pilot  flies over 100 hours each year, mostly in her volunteer work for a nonprofit organization called Lighthawk. Although she has an instrument rating and keeps her IFR skills sharp, she flies primarily in day VFR conditions, often carrying passengers who have never been in a small airplane. She makes them feel at home in her Cessna Cardinal as she navigates through various airspace and lands frequently at unfamiliar airports.

By the end of our initial discussion, I felt confident in her ability to gather and assess weather information, plan and navigate a cross country flight, and manage complex radio communications. I wanted to challenge her in maneuvers that she seldom practices, especially stall recognition and recovery. I also wanted to see how she handled distractions, diversions and simulated emergency procedures. Her routine flying skills were excellent, but stall recoveries took some work to become proficient and we discussed the need to spend more time looking outside rather than at the instrument panel. After a successful flight, we spent another hour plus on the ground reviewing regulations, airspace and security procedures.

The FAA document included a form for establishing personal minimums, which my pilot found quite useful. She felt rusty at reading METARS and we agreed she would look up METARS for five different airports each day to get some practice.

We both had a great time flying together and I was able to offer some pointers to improve a couple of areas. Now that I know they exist, the online resources I found will make the next flight review I conduct much easier and less stressful.