I am not a mountain climber. In fact, the tallest “mountain” I’ve ever climbed is probably the upper deck of the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo to watch a Bills game. And that was work. But yet, I’ve stood on North America’s tallest mountain, a place seemingly reserved for only the hardiest individuals. And I got
there without buying thousands of dollars worth of gear and without breaking a sweat—in an airplane.
I’ve said before that aviation can bring you opportunities and experiences that mere mortals could never dream possible. In this issue we decided to illustrate just a few of them in our cover story, “Take a Challenge” beginning on page 28. We use the word challenge because each experience will test the limit of your flying skills. It may seem impossibly difficult to fly into Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture when you only have one cross-country in your logbook, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning for aviation’s equivalent of Los Angeles morning traffic now. Our 10 categories represent the most amazing, beautiful, and challenging places we could find. Consider it a training bucket list.
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to experience a few of the challenges on our list, and I can say without a doubt that they have challenged my flying, and made me a better pilot as a result. But the ultimate was getting the chance to land on Pica Glacier in Denali National Park in Alaska. It is perhaps the most extreme example on our list, but it’s by no means a fantasy.
A few years ago I booked a seaplane-rating course at Alaska Floats and Skis in Talkeetna, Alaska, and spent an incredible week flying a small floatplane between far-away lakes, and not seeing another soul.The highlight of the week was the chance to fly a Cessna 185 taildragger into the park.
Flying in glacial canyons, around massive rock cliffs, and below a 20,000-foot mountain was incredible. But picking out a landing spot, configuring the airplane for touchdown, and then coming to rest on the packed snow was something else entirely. And stepping out of the airplane onto the surface was a moment I will never forget. It felt like being on the moon.
The point is that a general aviation airplane brought us there. To a place that, until the pioneering spirit of bush pilots, people reached only on skis. And that’s if they reached it at all. But there I was, a nobody who struggles up a flight of stairs, standing on the mountain. I'll be forever grateful for that experience, just as I’m sure you will be if you try a few of our suggested challenges this month.
Join us at Summit
November 11 through 13, AOPA will be hosting AOPA Aviation Summit, its annual convention in Long Beach, California. Summit is a great learning opportunity for students, and a fun and exciting place for flight instructors, too.
I’ll be hosting three events of special interest to Flight Training readers. As in years past we’ll have a CFI roundtable to discuss pressing issues in training. It will be at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Salon room F on Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. In the same room at 1 to 2 p.m., I’ll welcome student pilots to discuss training concerns, questions, and issues. Finally, for career seekers, we’ll have a forum from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with résumé professionals and other experts. Please join us.
Also, if you know of someone who’s been interested in flying, please bring him or her along as well and make sure they go on an intro flight, which we’ve coordinated at the airport. See you in Long Beach.
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