The ATC Collection
About the Author.

After first taking a flight lesson in my native New Zealand, and later being given the right seat and some hands-on demonstrations in Victoria, Australia, I did my private pilot training in the San Francisco Bay Area in a Cessna 152.  The primary airport I flew out of was San Carlos, a small tower-controlled airport just south of San Francisco International.  It was there that I had my indoctrination into a busy airspace, with a TCA (Class A) airspace overhead at 1500 feet, two busy ARSAs (Class B) covering a major International airport each (Oakland and San Jose) within 20 nm, and a host of small GA aircraft all trying to fly solo in the same piece of air, where the big boys would leave us alone.  I also spent considerable time flying out of Palo Alto airport, an even busier place, but where the aircraft rented for less money.  I learnt the advantages of Flight Following, and would often link into Bay Approach and Oakland Center for advisories.  I came to find that interaction with ATC, especially in the busy sectors, was one of the best parts of flying- to actually communicate with someone on the ground, who has your radar return and is coordinating a busy airspace is really interactive flying.  While training for my private pilot's license, I sat and passed my instrument written, and later took instruction in this as well.  I am currently studying for my ATP written, as a means to gain employment with an airline as a flight dispatcher.   

While in San Francisco I studied and graduated from the International Tour Management Institute, and later undertook employment as a tour manager. Together with my training, and a lot of practical experience later, I have guided tours between Denver and California, and have undertaken geology and geography study to supplement these tours over some very interesting and beautiful country.  This knowledge is used in the scenery guide for these flights, which is part of the mail out upon registration.

I now live in Boulder, CO, with my wife Sharon and crazy cat, Tiggar.

Bruce Knight, July, 1995.  