Whether you have just received your private pilot certificate or you are a seasoned pilot, whether you own or rent, whether you fly with or without family members — there is a strong desire in all of us to make use of our coveted FAA certificates. After a few dozen "$100 hamburgers," what's next?
There is a challenging, yet rewarding flight out there for all of us, if we take the time. We've all worked hard to achieve whatever level of piloting skill we possess. It's taken time, lots of study, and considerable dollars to earn each certificate level and rating. After flying to visit nearby friends and relatives a few times, and finding all the airport restaurants within an hour's flight time, many pilots begin to lose interest. More than likely it is because we are not using the full potential of the aircraft or the pilot.
Unfortunately, all of us can come up with countless excuses not to pursue longer cross-country flights and other, more exciting trips: "I can't take the time from work; can't spend the money; the kids have too many activities; I worry about the weather; my spouse won't tolerate it." Each of these excuses can and should be overcome. If you added up the time and cost of one- and two-hour flights to airport eateries, you could easily justify an occasional eight-flight-hour weekend trip somewhere. If you are already doing those, consider an even longer trek such as a week-long vacation.
For me, much of the enjoyment and challenge of flying is in the preflight planning. I have planned many more flights than I have made — and each planning session has brought me another piece of aeronautical knowledge. Shortly after gaining my private certificate, with a wife and two young children who tolerated my newfound avocation, the boredom of breakfast, lunch, and dinner flights set in. Then, when looking at the world aeronautical chart for the area, I discovered that the Monterey/Carmel area on the beautiful California coast was only a little more than a hour away in a rented Cessna Skyhawk. To drive the trip required more than five hours. We had never flown ourselves anywhere and stayed overnight.
Without an instrument rating, how would I handle the constantly changing conditions of the Northern California coast? I spent evenings carefully planning my route, calling for the weather to establish the pattern of early morning and late-afternoon fog, finding a rental car, looking for parks and beaches that might occupy our ground time, and booking the best-equipped Skyhawk on the rental line. The trip was almost anticlimatic, but it was thoroughly enjoyed by the family.
This single weekend trip included a state park, a stretch of beach, terrific restaurants, and activities that I have remembered and continued to enjoy throughout my more than 30 years of flying. Yes, the late-afternoon fog did start to roll in while the kids were still enjoying the Pacific Ocean. That planning I had enjoyed so much paid off, and as I had anticipated, we quickly packed up everyone and returned to the airport (which is slightly inland) to depart, just as the IFR mist began to engulf the opposite end of the runway at Monterey Peninsula Airport.
The next "mountain to climb" turned out to be many mountains. Both sets of relatives lived in Oregon, and a flight to Eugene and Portland would certainly please the grandparents, but it involved flying a route paralleling the Cascade and Siskiyou mountains. Learning to fly in the flatlands made this a truly major undertaking, especially considering my continued lack of an instrument rating. Oregon is not known for its year-round VFR weather. In this case, "taking the time" involved leaving work on a Friday and making sure that my duties were covered the next Monday and Tuesday — just in case the weather wasn't cooperative. In addition to the mountains and weather, fuel could also be a problem. At more than 350 miles, this would be my longest trip ever.
Again, all went as planned, except for the stop that I had to make when my daughter tapped me on the shoulder from the back seat and stated that she had to go to the bathroom. Nothing beat the thrill of my first landing at my hometown airport, Portland International.
It is important to realize that we were a young family, with all the economic pressures that entails. Following these major trips, I couldn't afford to go out weekly and bore holes in the sky or fly off for a meal, as I had in the past. But the tradeoff — for both my progression as a GA pilot and the enjoyment of flying for my family — was well worth it.
Mexico, Canada, and other trips in the West all followed my initial journeys. And that instrument ticket I earned by my fifth year of flying meant fewer missed days at work and greater security for my family.
After moving to the East Coast and having flown throughout North America, my ultimate dream was to fly my own airplane in Europe. Once again, the excuse list was longer than ever. This time it included difficulty in obtaining insurance for the trip, a reluctant wife, the need to take off four weeks from work, and considerable dollars to prepare my airplane for the flight. Four years went by before I had addressed the major excuses (all except the reluctant wife), and then almost a year of planning went into the preflight preparations for this trip. Once again, both before and after flying the North Atlantic, I ate fewer airport burgers and made fewer nonessential trips in order to justify the expense and flight hours. Almost a decade later, I look back — and so does my reluctant wife — and we are both so pleased that we didn't let the excuses keep us from fulfilling our dream.
Work will be there; you can take time off. Don't let any of the other barriers stop you from pursuing the growth and enjoyment of flying an airplane for true personal transportation. And, if the destination can bring joy to family and friends, that's all the more reason to make sure that, as a pilot, you take the time.
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