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friend, Ed Powell. It took nine hours going, and six coming back. “Nearing Dunkirk, New York, I noticed thunderstorms on my portable GPS’s datalink weather. I thought we’d beat ’em to Chautauqua County Airport, but then I saw a big black wall of rain and thought, ‘I’m not flying into that!’ We landed at the first place I could find—Gowanda Airport, a grass strip in the middle of a cornfield. Seeking lunch, we found a place called Mikey’s Smokin’ Cafe. However, they sold only cigarettes, marijuana-smoking paraphernalia, and fireworks. “‘I didn’t realize you could sell fireworks in New York state,’ I said to the woman inside. ‘This isn’t New York state,’ she replied. ‘It’s a sovereign nation.’ We were on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation. We

across Lake Michigan. Oshkosh’s Wittman Field was closed because of flooding, so they landed at a nearby private strip. “Were you nervous crossing the Great Lakes?” I asked. “Not really, Greg. Each time the airplane purred like a kitten, the weather was perfect, and it seemed like we were only over water for a few minutes.” We discussed how many pilots can afford their own airplanes if they shop within their budgets. “Sometimes I wish I had something bigger and faster—for example, to fly both my daughters to lunch together. But I’ve learned to adjust my flying to match my plane. After all, I can always rent a four-place.” Matt’s 150 burns just five to seven gallons of fuel per hour. By assisting a freelance mechanic he keeps his annual

"SURE, THE COSTS ADD UP WHEN YOU TALLY THEM ON PAPER, BUT IT'S STILL CHEAP AND CONVENIENT TO FLY MY OWN PLANE."
refueled at Dunkirk and flew across Lake Erie to Port Huron, Michigan. En route I received my first Canadian flight following, from Toronto Center. “After landing at St. Clair County Airport too late to buy fuel, we hopped over to Marine City Airport, which has a self-serve pump. By now it was getting dark, and after fueling I couldn’t find anyone to pay. The office door was wide open, but inside were only two dozing cats. So I walked to the house next door, where I woke up a lady who’d fallen asleep in a chair watching Jeopardy.” “I’m the person to pay,” she said, accepting Matt’s money. “Stop by again on your way home!” Matt and Ed then enjoyed a beautiful 45-minute night flight to Saginaw. “The land was so flat there compared to home I couldn’t believe it! The tallest points around were microwave towers.” The next morning they flew from Saginaw inspections at $600 to $700. “Not much goes wrong between annuals. Anyway, it’s simple to work on this plane, and any A&P can fix it.” Matt’s insurance runs under $600 per year, and his hangar is $185 per month. “Sure, the costs add up when you tally them on paper, but it’s still cheap and convenient to fly my own plane. Besides, where I live there’s only one rental plane, so having my own offers more utility. Next I plan to master instrument flying. I traded Kurt my old pickup for IFR lessons—and I need to get started because he’s already driving the truck!” Laurie enjoys flying with Matt, and may someday become a pilot, too. She especially enjoys the social aspects of flying. (They’ve already booked rooms for this September’s AOPA Summit in Hartford, Connecticut.) “Some people look at pilots as an elitist group,” says Matt, “but once becoming one you realize that lots of regular people, just like you, fly. Who’d have guessed a nurse could own his own plane?”
Visit Greg Brown’s website (www.gregbrown flyingcarpet.com).

THINK ABOUT BUYING
Buying an airplane when learning to fly can save you money. But it can also be a daunting prospect. AOPA has numerous resources. Go to www.aopa.org/aircraft to learn more.

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http://www.AirSafetyInstitute.org/fircs http://www.cfirenewalonline.com http://www.gregbrownflyingcarpet.com http://www.aopa.org/aircraft http://www.gregbrownflyingcarpet.com

Flight Training - July 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2011