When you take exploration just a little too far, it’s just right.

Return to flight, twice

Not owning an airplane was tough, good thing it only lasted a week.

How lucky am I to have had something that made saying goodbye so hard.

I didn’t exactly know how a jet engine worked… so I threw away the OE controller and started to learn.

Few places have captured my imagination like New Idria, Clear Creek Management area and Condon Peak Recreation Area…. or what I like to call, Mercury Mountain.

It was Thanksgiving, my airplane was grounded, time for a road trip.

Shenanigans in the Back-country

You would think flying from the Pacific to Atlantic Coast would be amazing enough, but then.. “Cleared through the New York Bravo on course, maintain 5,500 feet“… I’ve never flow such a straight and level line in my life.

We burnt the desert down :)

After a lot of practice in short field and soft field landing techniques, it was time to get the Skylane dirty. Conveniently, Kern Valley (L05) hosted a wonderful backcountry adventure where people came from all over the west to participate, and I got my chance.

So before you go off and play in the dirt, there are a few things you need to do to get ready.. These are my thoughts on the matter.

It was time to stretch the Skylane’s legs, and the plan was to fly up the coast, there’s a beautiful sea-side strip called Shelter Cover (0Q5) in northern California. That is of course till weather, runway closures and a little in-flight re-planning brought me on an unexpected adventure

Making a big life decision is pretty scary. But you know what’s even scarier?

Regret.

I’m not going to lie, renting an aircraft is a waste of money. The “wet rate” doesn’t seem bad at first, and it isn’t if you are just doing flight training. But if you want to actually go somewhere, it is going to hurt. I did a few trips renting, but it stifled the hobby for sure.

Flying isn’t something we do naturally, it requires practice and good instruction. One can not simply “teach themselves to fly” via book or simulator, the sensation is unlike one that can be replicated on the ground. And the consequences for failure are absolute.

Back when you still had to make everything yourself