Waypoints: Stretching your wings
How to get the most out of your aviation investment
Too many, however, become stuck in the pattern, so to speak. They learn to fly, take a few friends and family members for flights, and then…what? The flights become less frequent and soon skills deteriorate; with lesser skills, confidence erodes and flights become less comfortable; and one day the idea of going to the airport is a distant memory. As I like to say, we teach people to fly airplanes. We don’t teach them how to use them.
We learn from others. One way to broaden skills and take on new challenges is by hanging around with other pilots. The AOPA You Can Fly efforts toward supporting flying clubs encourages the social aspect of flying—and also gives pilots access to different types of aircraft at a lower cost. But there is more that can be done to help pilots experience aviation in new and satisfying ways, increasing the personal value of aviation.
Another way that AOPA is helping is by expanding our regional fly-ins to include daylong workshops on in-depth subjects and by organizing fly-outs around the fly-ins. The workshops, hosted on the Friday before the fly-ins by subject matter experts from around the country, have two functions: to help pilots build new skills, and to help pilots in the region get to know and learn from one another. For example, at all four fly-ins this year, we have three former FAA national aviation technicians of the year hosting workshops on maintenance. Adrian Eichhorn, Mike Busch, and Paul New have boundless knowledge about maintaining airplanes from an owner’s point of view. They will provide hands-on experience related to owner-performed maintenance and teach pilots how to become their own “director of maintenance.” Knowing how to work with and talk to professional maintenance staff can go a long way toward improving the maintenance of your airplane and lowering your costs.
We teach people to fly airplanes. We don’t teach them how to use them.Among the other subjects on the workshop roster this year are helping instrument pilots get current again; a course on planning for a safe flight and tactics for when things go wrong; and techniques for flying with others—whether pilots or not. Check the AOPA website for costs and all the details. Bring a flying buddy along and meet other pilots in your region for a great day of learning; expand your circle of flying friends.
Hang around Friday afternoon to enjoy more socializing in the exhibit hall before heading to the main stage for the evening Barnstormers party with live music.
Come back Saturday for breakfast; lunch; and all the free seminars, exhibits, airplane displays, and Pilot Town Hall you’ve come to expect from the AOPA Fly-Ins over the past three years.
Put some of the skills you learn at the workshops and seminars to work at fly-outs being planned for each location. Local pilot groups are helping to organize fly-outs to regional airports with access to great attractions, from restaurants, resorts, and museums to unique camping spots, hiking trails, and amazing vistas. Again, the website (www.aopa.org/fly-ins) will provide the details on how you and a significant other or flying partner can exercise new skills and take on new challenges with help and guidance from others.
When you return home, keep the skills-building going by checking out other interesting locations in your region. The AOPA website has new information on places to fly in the Destinations section (www.aopa.org/destinations). There, interactive maps and links take you to dozens of aviation-friendly places from Alaska to Florida and Maine to California.
Everyone’s perception of value is different. But no doubt, the more you exercise your aviation skills, the more comfortable you become and the more you get out of your aviation investment. Spring is here. Now is the time to start planning your next—or first—aviation adventure. See you at the fly-ins.
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