#i have a lot of nostalgia for b&n even though it is a big company that does not love me. i have very few books i bought new

[aito-mation]

forgive me if the question was rhetorical, but in totk link doesn't have to dress up as a girl to get in gerudo town anymore. i dont think the gerudo that sells you the girl outfit is seen in the game this time? not to my knowledge, anyways. link is recognised in gerudo town as the dude who saved everyone and is a close friend of riju's, and so is the only man allowed in. i haven't even seen the girl outfit in totk, but maybe thats just me, so take it with a pinch of salt

unfortunately though, there is a larger presence of creeps trying to get in? theres a guise of "haha we're just trying to do business with them!" thats obviously fake, but im not quite sure what their intentions are but its just a bit uncomfortable to include tbh. one is seen actually inside gerudo town, sneaking around and afraid of getting caught.

the slightly good news is that theres a pretty feminine outfit link can wear without any of the bizzare implications or orientalism. its just a cute outfit with a nice status boost (to my understanding) & theres a larger presence of darker skinned/black coded hylians that aren't exoticised like the gerudo are. bare minimum but i guess we can take what we're given

i really wish that nintendo would be normal about the gerudo and stuff (even giving the other races a little big of language so the gerudo dont seem so Other when they say voe/vai/savaaq etc) but alas, baby steps i guess

the question wasnt rhetorical i have seen one single person on twitter bring up that the orientalist outfit was removed, but they didnt comment on the gerudo’s depiction at all n i saw no other mention of it anywhere, thank u for sending this.

it doesnt sound like they actually fixed the transphobia tho, bc theyre still doing a “girls only” “only guy allowed” cisnormative type shit. “creepy guys” “dressing like women” to access “women’s spaces” is transphobic Period. doesnt matter what the in-universe lore is yknow ?? the real world anti-trans rhetoric rn is at an all time high, its unconscionable to include anything like that.

like doesnt anyone else remember how they intentionally made link androgynous in oot ?? hes not a “strong hero guy” archetype, but a lot of my problem w that is based in the fandom n is a whole other post. idc if link has a “feminine” outfit option bc that just gives the fans i was criticizing the opportunity to further sexualize him. literally the tweet i mentioned, that said they removed the orientalist outfit, comments on links “sexy” outfit he can wear instead. GAG !

also the idea of “baby steps” is for individual people, not international megacorporations bringing in 12 BILLION dollars a year. you Dont need to “take what u can get” u need to not buy games from a demonstratably racist company, and clearly say that the reason is bc they keep including racism in their games. japan as a country needs to address the racism rampant in their media more, n the media companies-especially when they go international-need to recognize the need for awareness. how dare they b antiblack in games they r selling to black people ! how dare they b colorist in games they r marketing in brown ass countries. n its not like black n brown ppl dont live in japan, bc they do n they experience racism constantly ! japan likes to try and separate itself from the rest of asia n in doing so reinforces existing stereotypes about other asians, particularly southwest asians n other asians who tend to have darker skin. japan has a huge colorism problem n that cant b ignored w any of nintendo’s games bc they always put it front n fucking center. the new pokemon games were racist, the fucking kirby game was racist !! nintendo Cannot get a nostalgia pass anymore. theyre not ur friend, n theyre certainly not mine.

tears of the kingdom made 10 million dollars in three days. nintendo is not hurting bc people r rightfully pointing out that they Have to do better. but theyve been actively getting worse, not just in what they put in their games, but in the way they openly mistreat their staff. not to mention putting gary bowser in indentured servitude for having the audacity to try and preserve game history w emulation. nintendo execs have gone on the record saying they dont care if games get wiped off the face of the earth, lost to history. the consumers have to put in the work bc nintendo Will Not.

#aito’s answers #anon answered #nintendo #u seem alright anon maybe a bit younger than me. im actually glad to have my suspicions confirmed #but racism isnt an oopsie a multibillion dollar corp can get away w #neither is transphobia #n a smaller gripe is i dont like that zeldas british n her VA is bad but thats not a moral issue that bothers me i just dont like it #loz

[fmdkiana]

*youtuber vc* WHATZ up famerz. i’ve got another SICK character for you to get to know! so SMASH that follow button! MAIM me with that like!

...anyway hi i’m demi, the famed hag, and this is my fourth child (following sung, andy, n jeonghwa) her name is kiana, also goes by ki and kiki, and if that nickname brings to mind anything But kiki’s delivery service u shall b Wrong. she’s fuse’s main dancer and lead vocalist, iconic qwen. here’s her pinterest, bio, public profile, private profile, timeline [wip for links], plots, & social media [wip for insta]. i’ll leave a condensed version under ze cut <3 you can reach me easiest at fmdjoosung or demi#6468 on discord if you’d like to chat abt this girlie!

okay first things first i’m gonna nip this in the bud. if ur like excuse? iu in fuse? ur coocoo for cocoa puffs for that one. u would be right! and i intend to prove to u that she Is fitting. example a-z demonstrates an at home kiki and a fuse ki. thank me later for all this pretty laydee content

background

may 28th, 1994 ya girl is a gemini

from seattle

born to a pediatric surgeon and a software engineer (who specializes in ai bc her mom is Cool) kiana developed a love for science... then tossed it away to be A Star

not immediately though

really it all stems from the desire to be unique in a positive way

with seattle’s large east asian population, she was lumped together with everyone else, and places where she stood out, kids made fun of her for

she felt like an outcast in every sense of the word, which is why when A Boy gave her the genuine time of day, she latched on

they quickly became bad for each other, codependent at its best

kiana’s lil ass rly thought they were romeo and juliet torn apart when her parents made them break up

she kept sneaking out to see him, and eventually it became troublesome enough that her parents decided to move the fam to korea

heartbroken and with the desire to feel desired, she auditioned for gold star

since she was young, she had dance classes, just as her mom did before giving it up for something more stable

dance isn’t what drove her as much as the feeling of a crowd being entertained by her

trained for 3 years, gold star had high hopes for her given her dance background + looks, hence her role in impulse’s a

a couple years after debut, the company manages to snag her an ost, and when that does well, they shove her onto as many osts as possible, but it manages to do basically nothing to help her or fuse’s fame, no matter the impact of the song itself, and they slow down on trying

that *big bad wolf vc* my dears, is what sets up her overall Thing, that no matter what she does, or how many people claim to love her, they don’t show up for her as a solo celebrity

it leaves her a little dejected, fearful, worried, but idol life isn’t something she minds doing anyway. part of her still wants to strive for more attention, and claw her way there, because she aches terribly to feel special and different, and to a degree, idol life will always give that to her

personality

the archetype of the kid in middle school who calls themselves L and only draws in anime style and comes to school in cosplay and naruto runs around and randomly speaks japanese........ yeah, that was kiana as a kid

and really, she’s only let the problematic parts of it go. she’s still a big fat weeb (& has lots of other fandom type interests too)

an internet kid, someone who never got a big following. draws fanart, has written fanfiction, engages on fan forums. stays at home unless she’s dragged out by friends

she’s a very Normal, Everyday type person in most ways, and that bugs her to no end

she’s someone who as a kid thought she had superpowers, like full on believed it, and to this day still thinks well maybe it’s just not kicked in yet

considers herself ~an empath~ because she naturally has very strong emotions, and seeing or “feeling” the emotions of others makes her feel that way too. that includes positive And negative emotions

she can and is wrong about what she “feels” from others, but the emotional effect on herself is still the same

and because that happens so much, kiana retreats into herself

she has a very small inner circle, and isn’t very interested in more than surface level relationships with most people because it’s exhausting to feel so much all of the time

that means usually, most people meeting her will meet someone who can be doin a little doodle, you’ll say hi, she’ll say hi back, then go right back to her doodle

she’s Nice and polite enough, but doesn’t take those first steps. some ppl might view her coldly bc of it

HOWEVA if someone were to bring up one of her ~special interests, she would come off like a completely different person

animated, kinda loud, won’t shut up. that’s more often the type of person her inner circle gets to see

she’s also a reversal of the hard shell soft inside trope, as a lot of her outward self and personality can seem soft, gentle, maybe even naive depending on someone’s view, but there is a core to her affection thats... dangerous

but i’ll leave that for the dms

and finally, here’s a phat list of personality traits that apply to kiana, depending on her relationships with who she’s talking to and how she’s feeling. yes some are complete opposites. see: gemini. if you wanna kno how to get a certain trait from her, i’ll be glad to explain

abnormal, apathetic, artistic, clingy, contradictory, dedicated, demure, disorganized, earnest, effeminate, emotional, empathetic, excitable, fanatical, guarded, hesitant, insecure, introverted, jealous, loyal, mercurial, modest, neat, needy, nervous, numb, obsessive, organized, overthinking, passionate, persevering, protective, quiet, romantic, scatterbrained, silly, stubborn, tactful, temperamental, vigilant, vivacious, volatile, wall flower, withdrawn

fun fax

claims her style inspiration is the 70s but really mixes in influences from ~the 40s to 80s

if she’s dressing herself, heavily prefers skirts and dresses over pants

doesn’t like being touched unless she’s really close with someone, then she likes a lot of it

plant mom. apartment basc a greenhouse

insists one day she will make her own jam but has yet to get around to it so she just has a bunch of jars in her apartment and uses them for plants and paper clip holders and the like

her fictional character romantic Type is the tsundere. is convinced fictional characters are the best dating partners

always wears glasses when at home, and a good amount of the time when not working in general

her mario kart main is link bc nostalgia and valuing a strong stat set that favors zoom zoom

the furthest she goes for environmental impact is always using a hydroflask

prefers having bangs and hair with a wave

always carries bandaids and bandages in her bag because she gets eczema patches when she’s stressed and it’s Embarrassing to her so she covers em up

#fmdintro #'condensed' i say #tbf this muse is well over a year old i just have a lot to say abt her #i luv her v much

[inmytaste-blog]

Scarred

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: Heart clenching and mild shock

A/N: This is my very first work on this blog and I would really appreciate some feedback! Also, some requests would also make my day! I hope you like this story and if so let me know! Happy reading!

                                 ____________________

21:30 p.m.

The streets weren’t as empty as someone would have thought they’d be at this point of hour. Cars were still passing by and people were eager to walk down those streets without being willing to return to their homes and to their warm beds. Truth is that if I had someone to stride down streets and talk about anything and everything myself, I wouldn’t want to go home and sleep. But this doesn’t always apply to everyone and quite frankly, I was one of those who didn’t get that anymore.

Instead, I was sitting comfortably in my armchair which faced the window, with my phone next to me and my favourite cup of black coffee between my fingers. This might sound appealing to some people but for me has become my life for the past three months and I am slightly getting tired of it. My friends come by my apartment to check up on me and even distract me with their company but deep down, I know they would rather be outside living their lives and avoiding misery instead of facing misery itself that is me.

I have to admit that I am significantly better than the first month. If I say that I am a personification of misery now, I was a personification for disaster back then. Things looked dark and gloomy without having a chance to get better which weighed me down a whole lot. I had to abandon my current neighbourhood and return to my hometown to get myself together and start new. It surely wasn’t the easiest thing to do but it was something that certainly needed to be done if I wanted to stand on my two own feet.

Many people, including my family, were confused as to why I came back from my perfect newfound life and I couldn’t blame them. I had everyone fooled that I was happy and carefree, myself included. Truth is, that’s what love does to you. To us. It makes reality seem appealing and it makes you look at it through rose coloured glasses. But no one can escape its fearful and sad parts as well. I was one of its victims of course and at first I hated it. I wonder if my ex thinks the same as well.

Three months ago, I thought I had everything. I had what I thought was the perfect relationship with the perfect boy I could ever ask for. Things finally seemed to fall into place and I was more than enjoying it. Shawn and I had something really special and I know I wasn’t the only one feeling like that. We had met at a friend’s party and I have to admit that we didn’t hit it off well right away.

When I was first introduced to him, I felt like he was trying too hard to impress people with his kindness and his looks were a big help for him. He might have felt something was off with me because he was a bit reluctant when we were left alone at the bar but I was just being myself. He was handsome but he was also…. Too much. I got the feeling that whoever stood next to him would feel less significant and even…. Inferior. I will not lie. I felt the same thing next to him as well. Good thing he sensed that and he brought his humour on the table which saved the day.

I was happy to know that he was on good terms with my friends which meant that he would join us when we went out to eat burgers or to get ice cream. I had started to get accustomed to his presence and it was even pleasurable. My friends would say to me that Shawn was very careful with the people he chose to spend time with so I somewhat felt special he was so open with me. Everyone said that he was indeed more comfortable around me and I remember them nudging me about it. I would pretend like it was nothing when in reality I felt giggly inside.

The thing is that he wasn’t the only one being so comfortable. When he was around or when he would laugh a bit louder at my own jokes, I would get a sense of triumph and I would feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach. My eyes would always light up a bit when his name would appear on my screen or when he would call me before going to sleep to tell me he had a great time watching me trip or getting my mouth dirty with chocolate ice cream. I had really grown fond of his extraordinary personality and I guess it really showed in everything I did and everyone that was near. Nickie once told me that we could really go off as a couple and I only laughed at her statement back then even though I was dying to know whether Shawn felt the same thing as we were portraying to everyone.

Soon enough, the answer came and it was what I wanted to hear. He knew that I really liked going places and I really liked exploring new things so in my birthday, he surprised me with a flight to his hometown, Toronto. I had never been there but what really stroke me was that he chose me out of everyone to show his places to. Our friends already knew that he would make a move during our stay in Toronto and they even helped him organize the whole surprise. I mentally cursed everyone for not telling me but underneath, I wanted to thank them for not spoiling it. So much for a decisive person.

Our trip to Toronto was the best adventure I ever had to say the least. Shawn made sure everything was perfectly scheduled and he tried to keep our trip light and not hectic in order to have power for some clubbing as well. We made the most out of our days there, phones in hand only to photograph places or each other and money in our pockets to spend it only on food and some souvenir pieces. He insisted I bought some clothing as well but he gave up after some time knowing damn well that I am more a foodie than a girl who likes to change thirty skirts in one standing.

My favourite time of day though, had to be our late night conversations. We really enjoyed sitting up till late in the night and talk about what we liked from the previous hours of exploring or what we found odd. Somewhere along our talking we would move to different topics and Shawn even confessed his battles with anxiety he faced in the previous years and how he managed to dominate them over time. I was at a loss for words since I had no clue about his health problems even if they sort of belonged in the past. I told him about my difficult adolescence and how my parents were never there for me to support me apart from my sister who was always there even though she had to worry about her college life being the older one.

No matter how much I loved our night talks, one particular night stood out the most for me during our whole trip. It was the night he took my hand and placed us both on the top of his car along with one big furry blanket and lots of marshmallows. We climbed on top and started talking once again for what seemed to be our last night in Toronto. And just as we had started talking he just grabbed my hands and told me the one thing I had only dreamed in my sleep he would say.

‘’I think I am in love with you Y/N’’

If I was still chewing on the last marshmallow I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be here reminiscing over those times with Shawn. My breath was caught in my throat and I felt like the stars in the night sky had doubled.  Needless to say, that when we got back to Brighton everyone knew we were a couple and more adorable than ever. It was the happiest I had ever been. But I wish it lasted for a lot more than it actually did.

The first four weeks into our relationship were pure bliss. We woke up under the same roof and the one thing I saw when my eyes were wide open was his perfect sleepy state which I’d rather see on him every hour of the day instead of a cashmere high end costume. I am not gonna lie; I would take a solid ten minutes to be mesmerized by his angelic face thinking I was indeed lucky to be called his and to call him mine. I would then go to the kitchen and master up some breakfast for both of our rumbling stomachs and then he would come down to eat with me because ‘’You really know what people are like when you get to eat with them’’ as Shawn would put it. Next thing I remember is him suggesting ways to spend the rest of our day either staying in and sulking in our comfortable couch or going out to eat somewhere or just walk.

No one can deny that he had become a part of my reality and he made it turn into something very beautiful contrary to it being rather mundane before him. So when the time came and I realized that my reality would not include him anymore it felt like I lost the earth under my feet. I still can’t seem to wrap my head around what actually tore us apart and deep down I can’t bring myself to ask him. Not even now. The only thing I know and remember is him telling me that he feels pressured and tangled in our relationship. I never thought Shawn was the type of guy to get up one day and mouth those words but life has a funny way to surprise us. The pain his words left behind was too much to take and even now, after 3 months of his absence, the scar is there.

When I caught up with Nickie after my somewhat breakup with Shawn she explained that Shawn was never like this before. The only rational explanation she could provide was the fact that the feelings developed between me and him were too strong and powerful for him to take and he might have felt terrified of it. I was paralyzed as I heard that reasoning and I wondered if I did something that made him feel trapped. I still haven’t stopped blaming myself that I messed up and scared him away but how can his smiles, his carefree side reaching the surface, his confessions be justified if I indeed asked too much of him? Even so, I had the right to know where we went wrong and whether we could work together to fix it but this opportunity never really arrived and I was left in the dark.

Just as I lift my head to watch at the much darker night, a feeling of nostalgia rushes through me and I welcome it dearly. I don’t have Shawn in my life anymore but I do have our memories with him whether this is for the better or for the worse. Sometimes I still find myself wondering how he is pulling through and what fills up his days now that I am no part of them anymore. I shouldn’t do that to me but then again, I never found a way to stop me especially when he didn’t clearly state why he wanted out.

Wrapping a blanket around me and taking a final glance at the streets, I had back inside my apartment closing the door behind me. Nights were always the hardest part of the day because I had to face an empty and cold bed in front of me which waited patiently for my own emptiness to appear and overcome me. The clock on the nightstand read 23:00 which was pretty early to fall asleep considering there were even times when sleep won me over early in the mornings due to overthinking. With this thought in mind, I preferred to sit in front of the television and watch whatever the channels had to offer.

Turning the device on, I couldn’t help but feel like Shawn maybe saw our relationship as a switch that he had the upper hand to control whether he felt like it. It was low of me to think like that but he gave me good reasons to do so. He just let the curtains fall with a snap of his fingers. I can’t really say whether it pained him or not but it surely pained me. You just don’t do such things to the ones who love you right? Just as I was about to go deeper into my mind’s questions, the sound of the bell ringing woke me up and saved me.

Going to open the door, I felt slightly confused as to who would come to pay a visit at that time of day and when I opened the door, I was utterly confused as to why Shawn was at my door, ringing the bell. Taking a good look at him, I was sure about one thing only.

Maybe I wasn’t the only one who was scarred by our breakup.

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagines #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes x reader #shawn #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes smut #smut #writing #requests #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes au #shawn mendes one shot #imagine #imagines #mendes #shawn mendes blurbs #shawn peter raul #mendes army #shawn mendes fanfic #sm #angst imagine #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes fluff

[aijee]

Read about the pet peeve and I'm saddenedㅡ it's so true that sometimes, I browse the bookmarks first before diving in a new fic from the search tags from an author I'm not familiar with. I hope more readers of yours get encouraged to bookmark IDOTSC (me included) so we can also share to future readers the wonderful journey this fic of yours brought us. I wanted to do it, but I can't find the proper words to post it yet.. ;_; (1/?)

Anyway, the sex tutor mw premise?!?!? Already delicious in my mind! I have read a similar fic wherein Ww is in a client-servicing / counselling company where they help alphas go through their heat properly (?), more than physical- (though it has the physical ofc) it's the psychological aspect that they help with ! It's Acts of Service series by Agonies@ ao3 ^^ And about the smutㅡI read lots of other svt pairings and I'd say we are about normal, just that mw authors post less explicit ones~

And just wanted to let you know I missed your tumblr posts. Though I don't have an account here, I frequently visit and love to hear your personal stories and rants and any realization or ideas~ I'm glad you're taking a sweet break! When you're ready, I'm curious to know your thoughts about the new album! ((((and maybe the whole mw-living-in-one-home situation))))

Ah thank you for the sentiment! Please don’t feel pressured to write anything for bookmarks, especially if you feel like there are more important things to delegate your energy to haha 😅 I just hope that when readers DO have the energy to write notes in their bookmarks, they’re more thoughtful with what they write, out of respect to the writers.

Someone literally bookmarked one of my fics and tagged it with “I fucking hate meanie” and I know that they do indeed like the ship, and that “hate” is used in loving frustration. Informal English unfortunately makes use of a lot of opposite meaning, like saying “that’s sick” instead of “that’s cool”, or calling someone the B-word lovingly. But my heart jumped in my throat the moment I saw that tag, and I’m a native English speaker! That type of wording can be strongly misinterpreted.

Re: sex tutor, omg YES. Coming off of IDOTSC and partly “fool(ish)”, I’m just smitten with WW being a more dominant personality in fic and MG being enthusiastically infatuated with that. Just between you and me (and I guess everyone reading this lol), I’m personally not the biggest fan of ABO dynamics. It’s a totally A-okay trope and kink to enjoy! I think my mindset is just: if they gay, they gay; if they horny, they horny. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But hey, I’m all for any excuse to let some fictional characters bone to their heart’s content!

It does seem like MW authors write smut on the cuter and more wholesome side of stories; SVT overall gives me that vibe. Think IDOTSC’s epilogue was a little...much by comparison hahahaha 🥴 Seems like my predilection for intensifying even T-rated stories runs into E-rated ones as well. Had a great deal of fun writing it though! Maybe if I’m feeling up for that kind of fun again, I’ll write another sexy little romp that ideally will be short ‘n sweet. 😋 

Banging EP, what a great range of summery songs. I won’t comment on everything, but notably:

“Heaven’s Cloud” is my favorite. It’s still poppy without sounding too energetic or overproduced with a great nostalgic tone to the instrumental. I’m a big sucker for nostalgia, I’m sure everyone is surprised, and Seventeen has a long discography of being excellent at making heart-aching nostalgic songs.

Oh, “GAM3 BO1″ (what a pain that was to write out lol). I don't like songs that are intentionally auto-tuned, even though I get that it’s meant to evoke the video game theme (and I did grow up on old video games in the 90s/early 2000s, so I’m no stranger to those sounds). I much prefer the natural voices of the rap subgroup. I did snort at Vernon’s reference to bitcoin. 

“Same dream, same mind, same night” is SUCH a good slow dance song. DK’s trills just...melt my heart. 😍 Embarrassingly enough, I immediately imagined MW dancing to it in a beach villa during a sunset. Gosh, how cute and romantic would that be?? I think I still have that IDOTSC fanart in mind...

Finally, I am viscerally reminded of the inconsistent capitalization of songs in K-Pop albums in general, and I think at this point I just have to learn how to get over it hahaha

Are MW living together confirmed?? If this is from Twitter, I’m always a bit skeptical because of how little legit evidence there tends to be/how rumors tend to blow up to “fact.” If this is the case, good for MW and bless their little domestic hearts, in whatever capacity their relationship is to have made that decision 😤 I’d like to think that their house habits complement each other pretty well, with WW probably being a more reserved and polite roommate, non-invasive, and MG being diligently clean and able to cook. Love that for them. Only S-tier roommate behaviors in that household, whether in theory or actual practice.

#askaijee #content is a little spicy

[jacewilliams1]

5 good things about general aviation in 2019

Pilots have a well-earned reputation for seeing the glass half empty, even if it’s threatening to spill over the top. In the last three months I have personally heard the following ever-popular complaints: gas prices are too high, the FAA is out to get us, and (most importantly) it was so, so much better back in the good old days. A little nostalgia once in a while is understandable, but, when it becomes completely divorced from reality, we need to call a timeout. Too much negativity is bad for an industry that is trying to attract new entrants, whether they be recreational flyers or airline pilots.

So in the spirit of fairness, I like to pause every few years and consider what’s going right in aviation. Call me a naive optimist if you like, but I still see a lot to appreciate, from the thousands of airports in the US to the relative openness of our airspace to the strong experimental aircraft movement. These trends are old news; five newer ones caught my attention at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in last week, and I think they bode well for pilots.

A glass cockpit in a Tiger? It makes sense given the new avionics options from Garmin and others.

1. Lower cost avionics are taking over. The dream of modern, powerful, and inexpensive avionics has seemed within reach for 20 years, but only in the last two it has finally become a reality. A stroll around the show last week in Lakeland showed a huge variety of avionics that truly do make flying safer and easier, but do not required a $25,000 buy-in. From Garmin’s sub-$10,000 G3X glass cockpit to uAvionix’s wingtip ADS-B transmitter to Aspen’s affordable E5 flight display, there are plenty of great options from established companies.

Taken together, these breakthroughs in avionics value make a 50-year old piston airplane worth upgrading. You can buy that 1970 Cessna 182 and put a new panel in it without spending more than the airplane purchase price. Or, you can build a new airplane around these avionics that is (relatively) affordable, like Piper’s $260,000 Pilot model.

The innovative avionics companies deserve a lot of credit here, including giants like Garmin who have continually reinvented their product line and startups like ForeFlight who have challenged the giants with new ways of doing business. But don’t forget the regulatory and legislative changes that have made these new avionics possible. The FAA’s flexible NORSEE policy has allowed the installation of non-certified avionics in thousands of airplanes, but without complicated paperwork and expensive certification. Likewise for the revised Part 23 certification standards, which may finally encourage some new airplane designs. Whether you credit AOPA, Congress, or the FAA, the folks in Washington deserve some applause.

2. Backcountry flying is hot. If you’ve spent any time on YouTube lately, you may have noticed a growing number of videos showing taildraggers landing in remote places. Some are recognizable YouTube stars like Trent Palmer, while others are simply private pilots with a Cub and a dry riverbed. Combine this with the good work the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) is doing to preserve backcountry airstrips, and even the new High Sierra Fly-in at a dry lakebed in Nevada, and you have a real trend. Flying airplanes is not just about tricycle gear airplanes landing at paved airports anymore.

Whether you land off-airport or not, this growing niche is good for general aviation, because – for a change – it’s all about the fun. While I believe an ILS to 200 feet is as thrilling as anything in flying, many non-pilots would disagree, and it’s a lot harder to relate to than fly fishing next to an old Cessna. Besides, traveling by GA isn’t easy without a high performance airplane and an instrument rating, both of which cost money. What the “fat tire cowboys” and other groups offer is a more accessible and more adventurous brand of aviation. Sure, some of the airplanes are high priced bush planes, and some of the locations are remote, but the overall culture is welcoming. Anecdotal evidence (the emails I get and the people I talk to at air shows) suggests they are attracting a whole new type of pilot.

Triple Tree Aerodrome is a special place – and a very popular one too.

3. Community spirit is strong. Some pilots wax nostalgic about the days when “the pilot brotherhood” was strong and hangar flying sessions would last all day. In fact, I see plenty of signs that this community spirit is as strong as ever. It might look different, but that doesn’t make it bad. Consider three trends.

First, flying clubs are growing in popularity after years of neglect. Both AOPA and EAA have encouraged this growth, and it seems to be paying off at least a bit: AOPA announced last week that over 100 new clubs have been started in the last five years. That doesn’t count the many new IMC/VMC clubs that have popped up, where pilots meet monthly to discuss real world scenarios. I’ve attended a few of these meetings over the last year and I can confirm that pilots still like to meet face-to-face and learn from each other.

Second, fly-ins seem to be reinventing themselves. The high desert fly-in mentioned above is a prime example, as are the rotating AOPA fly-ins, which offer free, local events around the country. Both have been successful, and last week’s Sun ‘n Fun event was as busy as I can remember, but Triple Tree Aerodrome in South Carolina may be the most interesting. This beautiful grass strip is a pilot’s paradise, but instead of guarding it for personal use, the owner throws the doors open multiple times per year for fun events. This includes radio control airplane contests and even a young pilots’ fly-in. No big exhibit tents, no fancy air show, just a relaxed atmosphere to meet new friends and admire other airplanes.

Finally, there are a variety of online groups that keep pilots connected. From Facebook groups (Cirrus pilots, student pilots, and tailwheel pilots all have active ones, among dozens of others) to Slack channels to this website, I see plenty of examples of pilots sharing their experience with others. Not all of this is positive and encouraging, but compared to much of the garbage on social media, I’ve found most of it to be honest and helpful. I know I would have loved such a resource when I was a student pilot.

4. Weather tools are much better. Weather will never be “solved” for pilots, but the increasing number and quality of weather tools has made life a little better for pilots. It’s easy to lose track of the recent advancements, but they are notable. For a start, subscription-free ADS-B weather has made in-flight radar more available than ever before and tens of thousands of pilots are flying with it for the first time. This service continues to improve, too, with the introduction of five new weather products late last year. I believe ADS-B and iPads have had a real impact on safety.

The latest GFA cloud top product (right) is much more accurate than the old one (left).

Online tools are also improving. The Graphical Forecast for Aviation (GFA) is the replacement for the Area Forecast, and the overall goal is laudable – to replace coded text forecasts with easier-to-understand graphical products. Unfortunately, its first iteration was underwhelming. The team behind the GFA stuck to it, though, and recent versions are much better. In particular, I’ve found the cloud tops tool to be far more accurate after a recent change to the algorithm.

The same effort is paying off with graphical ceiling and visibility forecasts (MOS), and icing forecasts (CIP/FIP). These were once nothing more than experiments, but they have become quite reliable and are now an essential part of any preflight briefing. Even turbulence forecasts, previously only released for the flight levels, are now available all the way to the ground. GA pilots have more – and better – tools than ever before, and we very rarely have to pay for them.

5. Airlines are hiring. Certainly one of the most visible trends over the last few years, this one might not seem to have much impact on general aviation pilots. However, I see positive spillover effects everywhere: thousands of new people coming into aviation to seek airline jobs, busier flight schools paying flight instructors more money, piston airplane factories staying open to support training fleets, and more airline pilots with extra money to buy piston airplanes for fun flying. Even if many of these new student pilots leave GA and never come back, they can provide quite the stimulus during their 3-5 years in training. The airline economy dwarfs general aviation, so when it is on the upswing, we can’t help but rise too.

Yes, I hate high ramp fees, pop-up airspace restrictions, and expensive airworthiness directives. I wish new airplanes cost $50,000 and Meigs was still open. But given the chance to fly in 1999 or 2019, I wouldn’t hesitate. Hand me my iPad and let’s go flying.

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from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/04/5-good-things-about-general-aviation-in-2019/