An airplane in the family

Stars in the margin of my logbook are reserved for only the most important of trips. In nearly 40 years of flying, across multiple logbooks, there probably aren’t half a dozen stars, but I stumbled upon one such flight recently while flipping through an old logbook.

Most of my flying at the time was in a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 owned by AOPA. But my wife was learning to fly, renting an Aerospatiale Tampico from a local flight school. So I decided this was an opportune time to actually own an airplane, using the savings from not renting to help justify the cost.

Surprisingly, my wife, Brenda, didn’t argue all that much. A Cessna 172 seemed like a good starter airplane and one that would serve her well in training. Fortunately, one became for sale that I knew well. It had been leased by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation for some flight testing projects.

The lease was up and the owner, an aircraft broker, wanted to sell the aircraft. I bought it and never had to move it from the tiedown at Frederick where it had been for years.

We have many photos of our girls—not yet in elementary school, wedged into car seats, and conked out in the back as we motored along to some new adventure. Without even trying, the hardware had become a part of our lives.Brenda soloed in the blue and white Skyhawk. But as with a lot of students, life got in the way and she drifted away from flight training. However, we still had the airplane, which took us on many memorable family trips. We have many photos of our girls—not yet in elementary school, wedged into car seats, and conked out in the back as we motored along to some new adventure. Without even trying, the hardware had become a part of our lives.

Over time, with Brenda not flying and me wanting to do more long-distance traveling in a better-equipped airplane, our needs evolved. We soon came to the conclusion that it was time to give someone else a chance to become attached to that Skyhawk while we sought a ride that better fit our mission.

The Skyhawk was 22 years old when we parted ways the summer of 1999. It seemed old, but not as old as the 1972 Beechcraft Bonanza A36 that I latched onto—an airplane that is still a part of the family all these years later.

I still keep track of the Skyhawk, using its N number to see where it is. I sold it to a student pilot in the Northwest. But after a few years, I tried the N number search and was dismayed to see that it had been deregistered. Oh, no. A crash? But further research using the serial number showed it still flying in Mississippi with a new N number; the online search even showed it with a new paint job.

Wondering about the old N number recently, I discovered it is now attached to a DJI Inspire drone owned by a New Yorker. My, how times change! Seems odd to see the registration noting it as a “rotorcraft” and the engine as “electric.”

Meanwhile, the N734ZS I knew is still out there, with a different registration. It is owned by a Delaware LLC, so it could be anywhere. I’m happy to know the member of our extended family is still plying the skies, undoubtedly worming its way into someone else’s life in a way that only an airplane can.

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