After a busy week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., Michael Combs and the Flight for the Human Spirit took off for Texas Aug. 2. The flight is expected to resume next week.
Combs made several presentations at AirVenture and spoke with hundreds of fans about the flight, in which he will land in all 50 states in a Remos GX light sport aircraft. He talked to AOPA Editor in Chief Tom Haines for an AOPA Live presentation.
“One of the most unexpected things I’ve experienced is flying into six new airports a day,” Combs told Haines. “Some of those days were pretty grueling. I wasn’t quite anticipating that.” On the other hand, Combs said, he has been overwhelmed by the response to the flight—“the people I’ve met and how this flight has touched them,” he said. “We have people who are starting businesses now, people who haven’t been in the cockpit in 10 years who are getting their private pilot licenses.”
Roughly 8,000 miles remain on the flight. “I believe we’ll be finished with the lower 48 [states] by the end of August, which puts us in Anchorage early to mid-September,” Combs said.
For people who are considering following their dream, Combs had these words of advice. “There’s two things you need to know. You’ve got to believe in your dreams,” he said. If your dream seems too big, break it down into a smaller goal, he suggested. Second, “take daily steps toward that” goal, he said.
After departing AirVenture, Combs and the Remos flew to Missouri, and then to Denton, Texas, where they’ll remain until the week of Aug. 9. You can follow his progress via his website or AOPA Online.
Related Articles
