Flight Training - October 2012 - 4

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

By Craig Fuller

AOPA SERVICES
THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION is general aviation's advocate and the largest, most influential aviation association in the world.

LOW AND SLOW IN MY HUSKY

PERFECT AIRPLANE, PERFECT TRIP

INTERESTED IN LEARNING TO FLY? Visit AOPA’s engaging website for people who want to know more about what’s involved in learning to fly—and what it’s like. www.LetsGoFlying.com RESOURCES FOR STUDENT PILOTS Ask an AOPA CFI | ft.aopa.org/ask Flight Training article archive | ft.aopa.org/archive Aviation library | ft.aopa.org/library Supplemental training information | ft.aopa.org/student Virtual flight bag, including online weather and airport directory | ft.aopa.org/flightbag PILOT INFORMATION CENTER Members can receive answers to flight training and other aviation questions, and join or renew by telephone, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday | 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) Via the Internet | ft.aopa.org/ask AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE ONLINE SAFETY CENTER Dedicated to providing general aviation pilot education and safety programs online. Via the Internet | www.airsafetyinstitute.org Call | 800-638-3101 AOPA MEMBER PRODUCTS AOPA Aircraft Financing Program | 800-62-PLANE AOPA Aircraft Insurance Program | 800-622-AOPA Non-owned aircraft and CFI policies available AOPA Credit Card Program | 800-523-7666 AOPA Legal Services Plan | 800-USA-AOPA AOPA Foundation | 800-955-9115 Other products | 800-USA-AOPA ONLINE GUIDE TO AOPA MEMBER SERVICES To join or renew, or for information about AOPA membership, e-mail inforequest@aopa.org or Visit the website | www.aopa.org/join NEW ADDRESS? Send your new address and membership number to AOPA, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701 Fax | 301-695-2375 Via the Internet | www.aopa.org/coa-form.html

very day, I count myself lucky to be able to combine my personal passion for flying with a professional life I love. That’s especially true on days when I get to climb into the left seat and take flight.
more in-flight hours to make the trip in the Husky, it would add only half a day to either end of my trip. That was all I needed to know; I would take my Husky home to the place where it was built—a place it had last seen in 1998. So I loaded the Husky on a warm summer afternoon and launched for Oshkosh, the first stop on my multi-day journey. From there it was off to Afton and a couple of days of beautiful flying around Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the Grand Tetons before heading west and eventually turning back to the east, attending a variety of meetings along the way. It was immensely satisfying to be able to travel across the country and back. For just a little extra time, I was rewarded with the chance to see sights often missed when flying higher and faster. I traveled down canyons along the Snake River, spent time with fellow Husky enthusiasts, and even got a good view of Old Faithful as I traveled over Yellowstone National Park. You just can’t do that at 40,000 feet. As you build your own flying skills, I encourage you to try out as many different airplanes as possible. Get to know their characteristics and strengths. Find the airplanes that resonate with you. And then, when the time is right, you can choose the perfect airplane for the perfect flight. Often, that’s what makes flying memorable. I know I will long remember this trip, not only because I was able to exercise the precious freedom to fly, but also because I chose to do it low and slow.
Email AOPA President Craig Fuller at craig@aopa. org.

I’m happy to fly any airplane, and I’m lucky to have the opportunity to get behind the controls of a variety of aircraft from AOPA’s Cessna Citation CJ3 to my own Aviat Husky. But it’s especially wonderful when you have access to the perfect airplane for a given flight—as I did on a recent trip from AOPA’s home base in Maryland to Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana, and back again. For such a long trip, you might think the fastest available airplane is the ideal choice. And normally, I’d probably agree. But this was a special trip and a unique opportunity to spend some time flying low and slow. It began with a commitment to visit the home of Aviat Aircraft in Afton, Wyoming. And it made sense to combine my visit with the final annual inspection for our Tougher Than a Tornado Sweepstakes Husky before we award it to a lucky winner at AOPA’s Aviation Summit in Palm Springs this October (www.aopa. org/summit). Wyoming is a good distance from AOPA’s headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, but I needed to head to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for AirVenture first. The original plan was to take a fast airplane and minimize the number of inflight hours, but it somehow felt wrong not to be behind the controls of my own Husky when I visited the factory where it was built. I sat down with AOPA’s FlyQ app to plan the series of flights I would need to take over the next couple of weeks, and just for fun I tested a couple of different scenarios, including one where I flew my Husky. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that, although I would spend

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

http://www.LetsGoFlying.com http://ft.aopa.org/ask http://ft.aopa.org/archive http://ft.aopa.org/library http://ft.aopa.org/student http://ft.aopa.org/flightbag http://ft.aopa.org/ask http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org http://www.aopa.org/summit http://www.aopa.org/summit http://www.aopa.org/join http://www.aopa.org/coa-form.html http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - October 2012