Think there’s no way you could own an airplane? That belief is not based on objective facts, but opinion — an opinion that is largely based on erroneous information, supposition, and perhaps just a tinge of fear. The truth is you probably can afford to own an airplane.
Politics for Pilots
A goal, a plan, and high hopes
Plan C is the last resort: If I determine the weather is below minimums, I stay put. This is the plan many pilots don’t even consider. Maybe because it feels like a failure. They fear others will think them less than a real pilot.
Have wings, will travel
Logic suggests there’s a really great airport restaurant out there or a hangar filled with treasures an aviation nut like me would enjoy seeing. Perhaps there is town along my route that boasts of having the World’s Largest Ball of Yarn or the best BBQ on the planet. I honestly don’t know — but you might. That’s where the magic happens, when locals share the pride of their little corner of the world with travelers passing through.
The benefits of leaping in with both feet
How could I have known Bob Hoover and I would walk along a wooded path chatting casually like old friends? Or that I would literally bump into Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman while prowling the hangars of a local airport?
Imperfect is okay
If we set our personal expectations at perfection, we’re really working against our own best interests. The effort to give a perfect performance becomes counter-productive. This may transform a challenging goal into an impossible dream.
The luckiest days of the year
Imagine if every member of your EAA chapter, your pilot association, or your coffee klatch pitched in the cost of one hour of flight time to establish a scholarship to help local kids learn to fly.
Misinformation, miscommunication, and just plain wrong
What do you believe? And when you answer that question, consider how sure are you the answer you give is based on a truth rather than an opinion.
The gift of flight
What if your significant other, your child, or your best friend found they’d been gifted with an opportunity to fly?
The Age of Discovery never ends
All of us who fly have been verbally battered by those who are too constrained in their own thinking to see a bigger, better life for themselves.