Celebrate your freedom to fly: Seize the sky

Illustrations by Paul Garland

So often we wish for something so hard, we forget what we wanted to do with it when we get it. The work, the time, the money invested in getting your pilot certificate was probably so all-consuming, you may have forgotten the dreams that you first had when you gazed over the airport fence. What if you could fly your family to the beach? What if you could take your dad for a $100 hamburger at the airport where he learned to fly? What if you could punch holes in the sky just for the fun of it? And what if you could enjoy the view from 1,000 feet any time you wanted to? Hey, pilot, now you can.

Give Back

Some people enjoy flying for flying’s sake. Others want to help make a difference when they can. That’s what public benefit flying is all about—the ability to use an airplane to provide non-emergency medical transport, disaster relief, animal transport, educational flights, and environmental support. Here’s a list of some of the organizations that could use your help:

• Angel Flight—Free air transportation to those in medical need.

• Civil Air Patrol—Emergency and disaster response.

• Corporate Angel Network—Matches cancer patients with private aircraft.

• Experience Aviation—Utilizes aviation to build STEM skills.

• Light Hawk—Accelerates conservation success through the perspective of flight.

• Miracle Flight for Kids—Provides free air travel to sick children in need of specialized medical care and second opinions.

• Missionary Flight International—Provides support for missionary flights.

• Mission Aviation Foundation—Provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services.

• Patient AirLift Services—Free air transportation based on need to individuals requiring medical care.

• Pilots N Paws—Saving lives of innocent animals with nonprofit animal rescue and transport.

• Veterans Airlift Command—Free air transportation to post-9/11 combat wounded and their families, for medical and other compassionate purposes.

See the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s online course on Public Benefit Flying.

The AOPA Foundation’s Giving Back Program, the Endeavor Awards, and Lightspeed Foundation recognize and award grants to help public benefit flying organizations such as these.

Rescue animals

By Jill W. Tallman

If you don’t mind a little fur in your cockpit, and want to use your pilot certificate to do some good, you’ve got plenty of company. There are literally dozens of organizations, large and small, across the country that provide general aviation transportation to new, loving homes for pets who might otherwise be euthanized in a crowded shelter. Talk about making someone’s day—and the pets will appreciate it, too, although sometimes more so after the landing.

Flying for a well-organized nonprofit group with tax-deductible status may offer you tax advantages, but the real reward is the mission itself. Ask just about any pilot who has flown one of these missions, and chances are they’ve flown more than a few, or plan to.

You’ve probably heard of one or more of the larger organizations—Pilots N Paws and Animal Rescue Flights both have national reach—and a quick Internet search (or just asking around at a local airport or animal shelter) will likely reveal many more such organizations, usually launched by pilots who gave it a try and got hooked.

From 99 Ways to Fly, an eBook by AOPA writers and editors. Jill W. Tallman is an instrument-rated private pilot and technical editor for Flight Training and senior editor for AOPA Pilot magazines.

I knew I was a pilot when…

Not long after I earned my private pilot certificate, upgrading from the recreational, I flew from my home base in West Virginia to Newark, Ohio, to take my college roommate and her younger brother flying. I had purposely flown to that airport on my long solo cross-country to get familiar with checkpoints and make sure I wouldn’t get lost when I took them up (that wouldn’t look good!). When I arrived, my roommate’s family cheered and congratulated me just for parking the aircraft—if only my instructors had gotten that excited every time I parked and shut down! I’ll never forget the excitement in my friends’ voices when they spotted their house from the air, or when my roommate’s little brother compared my slow taxiing to a cool rollercoaster ride. That evening, I flew home with a grin on my face as big as the day I soloed. But this time it wasn’t because of any accomplishment I had made—it was because I had shared the joy of my friends’ first flight moment.

Alyssa J. Miller is managing editor for AOPA Online and a certificated flight instructor.

Visit somewhere you’ve always wanted to go

Is it the mountains? The beach? A secluded cabin in the woods? The airport restaurant three states away? Even if you simply tack up a map of the United States and toss a dart, piloting an airplane to that location is some of the most enjoyable, satisfying flying you will ever accomplish.

Planning a flight—really looking at charts, taking into account terrain, airspace, airports, and TFRs—is a good way to keep your cross-country skills sharp. The fact that you’re doing it for yourself, and not your flight instructor, is the cherry on the sundae.

When traveling by GA airplane, the destination can be a jumping-off point. Rather than planning a point-to-point trip that follows a straight magenta line, consider a meandering route that takes you to hometown GA airports. You’ll meet other pilots, airport employees, and folks who love airplanes. In other words, people who make up the aviation community—your community.

Take a kid flying

By Ian J. Twombly

Of all the ways to stay engaged in aviation, none is more fulfilling or long- lasting than introducing children to the activity. Kids have an appreciation for the wonders of flight that most jaded adults have long since forgotten. So not only is it fun for you as the pilot to witness the experience through their eyes, your time and energy will be making the biggest impact possible.

Many studies have shown that a significant number of adults who learn to fly were first exposed to aviation as a kid, whether through a movie, a book, or directly through an airport or a flight. Flying a kid will help cultivate aviation’s future, provide inspiration, and give you a great reason to defy gravity for a few hours.

The easiest way to give back and fly kids is with EAA’s Young Eagles or a similar youth movement. Often these groups take care of promotion, liability concerns, and ongoing support for the participant after the flight. You can learn more about Young Eagles online.

Or go it alone. Maybe your family friend or a co-worker has kids who have shown an interest in flying. Maybe there’s a certain kid who happens to hang out at the FBO. Offering one of these kids a ride directly will guarantee a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make sure to connect with the child’s parents for permission, and encourage them to either come along or watch from the ground.

From 99 Ways to Fly, an eBook by AOPA writers and editors. Ian J. Twombly is a commercial pilot and father of two.

Visit every airport in a state

Visiting every airport in a state is easier to do in some states than others. The smallest state, Rhode Island, is only 1,212 square miles and includes 24 airports. The biggest state, Alaska, is 663,300 square miles and boasts more than 600. But in many states, flying into every public-use airport is an achievable goal. Many state aviation authorities have programs that encourage pilots to fly to every airport.

For example, the South Carolina Aviation Association has the Ambassadors Passport program, which offers rewards at the bronze, silver, and gold level for visiting the state’s 59 airports. Other states with similar programs include Arkansas, California, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

“The thrill of taking off, exploring, meeting new people—and when you get above the clouds and the sun just sits there, making an amazing view.” —brookey12345

Be surprised

There are many rewards for being a pilot and some of them are surprising.

The courtesy car. Yep, your ride is waiting. At many general aviation airports, a car is available for incoming pilots to use to drive into town for food or lodging. Often the car key is dangling on a bulletin board and the only charge is filling it up with gas.

Cookies! Who doesn’t love cookies? Many FBOs offer incoming pilots fresh-baked cookies or other fare from the area. We hear there’s even one that offers homemade fried chicken.

Courtesy and kindness. The lineman is usually very deferential and the FBO is always filled with bright, smiling faces. These people are happy you’re here and it doesn’t matter if you flew in on a Cessna 152 or a Gulfstream.

Hangar talk. Most airports you’ll visit will be populated with people who want to share flying stories with you. Where’d you fly in from? What was your groundspeed? That was a heck of a crosswind! They like you, they really do.

Cloud formations. The view from the cockpit is awe-inspiring on most VFR days but it’s the clouds that can really wow. And the sunsets. And the sunrises. And the cityscapes. And the mountains.

Fly to EAA AirVenture

By Sarah Deener

Nailing your landing on the colored dot in Oshkosh has become a rite of passage for pilots making the pilgrimage to EAA AirVenture each summer. Not only does the annual event transform Wittman Regional Airport into the world’s busiest airport, but controllers find themselves juggling traffic from ultralights to heavy bombers, and everything in between.

Before you fly the arrival, brush up on your slow-flight skills and study the AirVenture notam; you’ll be expected to fall into line with aircraft of varied airspeeds and recognize the visual landmarks for a VFR arrival. Stay alert for other traffic, maintain separation, and don’t be thrown if the controller addresses you as “high-wing taildragger” or “yellow biplane” instead of your aircraft type. Rock your wings to acknowledge ATC instructions, and enjoy what organizers call “the world’s greatest aviation celebration.”

More than 10,000 airplanes fly in to Oshkosh during the week of AirVenture. The Experimental Aircraft Association provides a thorough notam booklet that outlines arrival/departure procedures, radio frequencies, Wittman Regional Airport details, and more to help smooth the process.

If the thought of braving the busy arrival alone intimidates you, or you just like the idea of camping out with like-minded pilots once you get there, you might consider connecting with a mass arrival groups. Pilots of the same make or model aircraft get together for training clinics before the event to practice, and once on the grounds they set up camp together with familiar faces.

From 99 Ways to Fly, an eBook by AOPA writers and editors. Sarah Deener is a pilot and editor of AOPA ePilot.

You know you’re a pilot when…

• You take your free time on business trips to visit the local airport, just to see what’s on the ramp.

• You stand and admire the airplane you’ve just flown as if it’s something otherworldly, even though it’s been in the world more than 40 years.

• You have almost landed on a taxiway by mistake.

• You have made the decision to land and wait out weather, and were happy that you did.

• You take the same approach to preheating that maternity nurses take to caring for newborns.

• You make the long IFR flight—in and out of IMC and taking on a little ice, with an approach at the end—and you don’t have to tell anybody about it; it was just that cool.

• You have remade your instrument panel in your head more than 100 times in a two-day period, mostly with the help of the Internet and those scoundrels who managed to do it for real.

• You’re with your significant other and are wondering, can I commit to ADS-B?

• A controller thanked you—for anything.

• You are obsessed with weather websites, even on days you’re not flying.

• Your Saturday diet consists of coffee and airport vending peanut butter crackers that for some reason are colored orange. But you’re not really ever hungry.

• Jet-A, 100 LL, oil—all smell good to you.

• You know that crosswinds can be trouble, but they’re not.

Steve Hedges is director of communications for AOPA. He is an instrument-rated pilot with 980 hours and owns a Piper Comanche.

“I love the green Earth above me and the blue sky below me (and vice versa).”—Lindsay Petre

I knew I was a pilot when…

I knew I was a pilot when over-preparation and decision-making helped me through my first flight over mountainous terrain. The thing is, I expected it to challenge my 100-hour skills, but not dangerously so if my preparation led to good decision making. They call the High Sierras high for a reason. You don’t mess with them, so I set some rules of engagement that have served me well since my first mountain encounter:

• Respect the weather. Everything dangerous about winds, clouds, and obscuration is enhanced in the mountains.

• Know your altitudes and never fly lower than 2,000 feet above the terrain until your initial descent into your destination airport.

• Slow down to maneuvering speed, even in light turbulence.

• Memorize best rate of climb and remember to use it in strong downdrafts.

• Review your flight plan with an instructor experienced in mountain flying. There is no substitute for experience.

There are many more rules to mountain flying than these simple few. The take-home lesson was preparation and rules of engagement provided well-informed go or no-go decision points in a higher risk environment. Despite some rough air and expected downdrafts, flying by the plan kept me feeling in control and out of danger. Managing a more stressful challenge was when I knew I can do this—I’m a pilot!

James Minow is the executive director of the AOPA Foundation. He is an instrument-rated private pilot and owner of a Bonanza.

Go on an adventure

1. The ultimate beach vacation is a beach with an airstrip. Did you know there are several in the United States? On Massachusetts’ Martha’s Vineyard is Katama Airpark (1B2) where you can land and walk right to the beach. In Washington, you can land directly on the beach at Copalis State Airport (S16) on the northwest Pacific coastline. Michigan’s Mackinaw Island Airport (MCD) is situated along the banks of Lake Huron. Block Island State Airport (BID) is Rhode Island’s best-kept secret seaside resort. And California has Catalina Island Airport (AVX), giving GA pilots the easiest access to this Pacific Ocean oasis.

2. The ultimate golf vacation is when you land and the course is right there. The Airport Golf Club in Tumwater, Washington, is located at the west end of Olympia Regional Airport’s (OLM) crosswind runway. Airport Greens in Wickliffe, Ohio, is a public course next to the Cuyahoga County Airport (CGF). Airco Golf Course in Clearwater, Florida, is situated on Tampa Bay adjacent to the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE). Antelope Hills Golf Course, in Prescott, Arizona, is next to Ernest A. Love Field (PRC). Bear Creek Golf Club in Dallas is located inside the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) grounds. Kearny Golf Course in Kearny, Arizona, is located next to Kearney Airport (E67).

3. The ultimate camping vacation is when you land and you can pitch your tent next to your airplane, or—even better—under the wing. Payson Airport in Arizona (PAN) may be the ultimate spot for airplane camping with nice, graded campsites; fire rings; plenty of aircraft parking; a restaurant on the airport; showers; and free firewood. Petit Jean Park Airport, Johnston, Arkansas (MPJ) has water views adjacent to a state park in central Arkansas. Wellsboro Johnston Airport in Pennsylvania (N38) has cheap fuel and nice grassy areas for camping. Oceano County Airport (L52), north of Los Angeles, offers flying, camping, and a day at the beach. East Coasters have a great beach airport camping option as well with Billy Mitchell Airport (HSE), Hatteras, North Carolina. Although camping isn’t allowed on the airport itself, it’s only a short walk to sites in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. You haven’t camped by airplane until you’ve camped at EAA AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) during the summer. This is aviation’s biggest event all year, drawing thousands upon thousands of airplane campers. Food, water, hot showers, and all other amenities are abundant.

4. The ultimate sightseeing trip is over the national monuments, or the natural wonders, or the manmade structures. From the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to the Hudson River Corridor in New York City and from the Grand Canyon to the Everglades, your aircraft offers the best views.

5. The ultimate landing experience is on snow, ice, mountains, or water, and at different times of the year you can experience it all—there’s an ice runway that is only open when the lake freezes in New Hampshire; there are numerous lakes across the country that welcome seaplanes; and for the best of all of nature, there’s always Alaska!

“Flying gives the freedom to see so many perspectives that our ancestors could only dream about.” –Natalie J. Belle