bdl ) wrote:

snip
Basically flying too someplace (so that my wife can see the advantages of GA
travel) rather than just flying to someplace for the sake of flying.

Any personal experiences anybody would like to share?

Further into the future, if you get an instrument rating and accumulate 300
total hrs, you should consider joining an Angel Flight organization (or
other similar organization) as a volunteer pilot. Pilots volunteer their
time, aircraft (rental or owned), and all costs to fly people with no
financial means who have some medical need to be somewhere else.

I did not even know about any of these groups until about six months after
my PPL (last year). Since then, I used their requirements (instrument
rating and 300 hrs) as a goal to meet. Like you, I grew tired of the "fly
to a far-away restaurant without a purpose other than flying." I wanted to
periodically have a purpose to fly long XCs.

To date, I have only flown two missions, but it has really opened my eyes
to a whole new world of flying. My first mission had me flying through NY
City's busy class-B airspace and my second (yesterday) had me landing my
little C172 at BWI (Baltimore/Washington International)! Not sure I would
have ever experienced either of these at this stage of my experiences if it
were not for this cause.

Just today I received an email from Angel Flight East that they are in need
of a pilot or pilots to fly a terminally ill man to his daughter's wedding.
He cannot travel via commercial airlines due to the damaging effects of
chemo on his immune system. The wedding had been changed to an earlier
date because of his deteriorating condition. The email went on to mention
that attending his daughter's wedding will most likely be his last act
before dying.

Unfortunately the combined weight of the two passengers plus luggage was
too great for my C172 to practically travel the distance needed (US: mid-PA
to Orlando, FL), or else I would have dropped everything to fly it.

Here is one of the many links for more info:

http://www.angelflighteast.org/afe/FAQ.htm


--
Peter