After the checkride: Fly in the new year

Before a bird strike temporarily grounded him last year, he wrote this about his annual rite of passage in AOPA Pilot (“Waypoints: Winging in the New Year,” January 2020): “On each New Year’s Day for most of the past 20 years, I have flown my Beechcraft Bonanza A36, believing that there’s no better way to kick off the new year than to put some airspace under the wheels of an airplane. Save for a couple of years when poor weather or a schedule conflict cropped up, I have flown my airplane on a local flight to ring in the New Year. On a few occasions I have brought along friends or family members, but often it’s just me—anxious for some time alone after the busy holidays to ponder the year past and anticipate the new one while droning along, going no place in particular.

“With the power pulled back, I often head southwest from our home base of Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland, slipping into the Potomac River valley and snaking up the river to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, then a turn more northerly to investigate the goings-on at the ski slopes at Whitetail Resort—most years the only hint of snow in the area. From there, it’s fun to maneuver just outside the Camp David P-40 airspace to check out Catoctin Mountain and then slide over the last ridge to inspect the conditions at another slope, Ski Liberty. Mid Atlantic Soaring Center Airport lies in the shadow of the ridge, so I keep an eye out for gliders and towplanes—apparently others like to begin the new year by flying, as well.

“Turning more southerly, I will putter down Glade Valley, checking out the dairy farms and the ever-increasing number of solar farms. I’m not sure what they feed those solars, but they sure do seem to reproduce quickly. Less than hour after I started, I will be pushing the Bonanza back into the hangar. If it’s a warm day, I’ll find an excuse to hang out a little longer—no bugs to remove, but that windshield could be cleaner. Maybe grab the vacuum and tidy up the cabin. After closing the big hangar door, my last act will be to pat the Bonanza on the spinner and the right wing tip before stepping outside, feeling relaxed and ready to take on the world for another year.”

Perhaps this will inspire you to start your own tradition. Welcome 2021, we are ready for you.

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