Drivin’ and Flyin’

Over the holidays I had some family out from London, UK. I took them up flying over the city one afternoon, just to get a nice view from the air. I was sitting in the left seat, and my 15-year-old cousin was sitting in the right seat. I let my cousin take the yoke for a bit and try his hand at flying. He did amazingly well for having zero flight experience. Later on in the week, I let him try and drive my truck to the store. He almost crashed a few times, and eventually ran us into a huge pile of snow that had been built by the snow-plows. I was amazed at how much better he did at flying, certainly not an every day event, compared to driving. He does live in London, where he and the rest of my family have taken public transport for most of their lives. I once heard a story of a Russian pilot that defected from Russia to the U.S. via Cuba in a Mig. He was one of Russia’s best pilots. The day they let him get behind the wheel of an automobile, he almost killed himself. Apparently, the only vehicles he had ever operated were airplanes.

I've just returned from London, England. While there, I wanted to drop by a general aviation airport and check out a normal day of GA…British style. I hopped on the web and my search led me to the West London Aero Club. A 30-minute train ride from Paddington station (downtown London). This aero club was worlds different from any U.S. aero club I had ever seen. It had some similarities in that it had an ops room, flight planning area, and class room but, as you moved towards the other side of the building, it led to a huge bar (or pub as it would be). The bar had large windows over looking the field. This would be a spectacular place for pilots to meet and talk over the day’s flights or the latest football action. The filed was home to the normal array of training aircraft you would find at any GA field and seem to have a good bit of aerobatic aircraft as well. While I was there I met a couple local pilots, all great folks. You had your mix of old and young guys and girls running around. The one thing that stood out to me most was probably the difference in cost for aircraft. For instance, a C-172 rents for £135 (you can just about double the number to get the cost in US $). I was told that a lot of students that plan to make aviation a career go to the U.S. to train due to the cost difference. The idea of a young eager teenager washing planes for flight time doesn’t seem to be an option there. All in all, it was an interesting experience and I met some really nice aviators.

The Western Slope

I flew a beautiful flight to the Western Slope of Colorado in this aircraft this morning. The mountains are starting to get a bit of snow on the peaks. Flying west over the mountains is not with out some risk but, the grandeur of the mountains certainly makes it all worth while.

I had taken a break from flying for a few weeks, in order to fulfill some obligations at work. With those obligations met, it felt great to get back in the cockpit once again.

I have to do this!

Aerial Power Lineman

RV4

The Next Step

I recently began flying the Piper Navajo. This is my transition from training aircraft to something a little larger (comparatively speaking). I was surprised at how quickly I became comfortable with its flying qualities. It's not that much different then flying the Seminole, just sit a little higher. I had an early sunrise flight recently. When I landed in Kansas, the sun had only been up for an hour or so, I stepped out of the aircraft and thought "I could do this forever". The plains of Kansas are beautiful in the morning.