Flight Training - July 2015 - 4

RIGHT SEAT

By Ian J. Twombly
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http://flighttraining.aopa.org

CELEBRATE YOUR
FREEDOM

YOU ARE CLEARED TO ROAM

he examiner has signed your certificate of independence,
you have reserved your steed for the upcoming revolution,
and you've won your liberty from your flight instructor's
tyranny of oppression and taxation. It's time to celebrate
your freedom to fly.
OK, so your instructor wasn't a tyrant,
and your steed is less fifteen-hand quarter
horse and more $130-an-hour Cessna. But
liberty is liberty, so mount up!
This month we're making a notso-subtle nod to our nation's annual
celebration of independence and focusing on what makes flying so great, and all
the amazing things a pilot can do with
a certificate.

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Senior VP, Media/Editor in Chief | Thomas B. Haines
Editor | Ian J. Twombly
Managing Editor | Julie Summers Walker
Technical Editors | Mike Collins, Jill W. Tallman
Editors at Large | Dave Hirschman, Thomas A. Horne
Senior Editor | Alton K. Marsh
Media Production Specialist | Sylvia Horne
Executive Assistant | Miriam E. Stoner
Contributors | Pete Bedell, Greg Brown, LeRoy Cook,
Budd Davisson, Rod Machado, Dan Namowitz, Wayne
Phillips, Bob Schmelzer, Jack Williams

eMedia Managing Editor | Alyssa J. Miller
eMedia Editor | Sarah Deener
eMedia Associate Editor | Jim Moore
eMedia Production Assistant | Melissa Whitehouse

VP Advertising | Carol L. Dodds
Advertising Director | Brenda D. Ridgley
Online Advertising Manager | Michael Wilcox
Advertising Marketing Manager | Eryn Willard
Advertising Coordinator | Donna Stoner
Editorial and Advertising Offices
421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701
301-695-2350 / FAX 301-695-2180
email: flighttraining@aopa.org

Copyright © 2015, Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association. All rights reserved. No part of this
monthly magazine may be reproduced or translated, stored in a database or retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form by electronic, mechanical,
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should be directed to the editor.
This publication is presented with the understanding that the information it contains comes
from many sources for which there can be no
warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to
accuracy, originality, or completeness.
It is presented with the understanding that the
publisher is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or providing instruction as a substitute
for appropriate training by qualified sources.
Flight Training will consider unsolicited submissions. All manuscripts and contributions should
be sent to flighttraining@aopa.org. Reasonable
care will be taken in handling manuscripts, but the
magazine assumes no responsibility
for material submitted.

MICHELE A. DANOFF: MAD MOMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY

growing after training. Senior Editor Al
Marsh explores a few of these tips in
his story, "Staying Skilled, Having Fun,"
beginning on page 38.
As you gain confidence, try new
things, and go to new airports, you'll
quickly find that you want even more
freedom of choice. You'll acquire an
unrelenting need for more space to roam
and more adventures to conquer. There
are myriad ways to enjoy flying, a few of which we detail
in "Seize the Sky," beginning
on page 28.
Ultimately, aviation thrives
on three things: people,
places, and aircraft. As long
as you continue to have one
ingredient in the recipe,
you'll sustain an immense
feeling of satisfaction and
fun. My current obsession is
MATT PAXTON spent more than a decade building his
wonderfully fun and slow Pietenpol Air Camper.
airplanes that evoke a certain
feeling, and those that long
The first few flights after the checkto be flown simply for the sake of getride will most likely be a mash-up of
ting in the air. Anything that blows the
rides, lunch runs, and pattern hops.
wind in your hair, and goes as low and
As you travel outside that comfortable
slow as possible, scratches the itch. One
bubble you'll begin to really appreciate
of my recent favorites is the Pietenpol
all that flying has to offer. You'll find
Air Camper, an open-cockpit homebuilt
that your definition of freedom changes, designed in the 1930s.
especially when you gain freedom from
The Piet is aviation at its best-it's flown
the schedule. Buying an airplane is every low enough to see details on the ground,
pilot's dream. Make sure it doesn't turn
slow enough to linger, and open to the
in to a nightmare by reading our story
world with all its smells and sounds. It's
about the process, "Mine, all mine,"
freedom from gravity at its finest.
beginning on page 32.
Email Editor Ian J. Twombly at ian.twombly@aopa.
Maybe you're looking to be free from
org; Twitter: ijtwombly; and visit Flight Training
fear of crosswinds or bad weather. The
best strategy is to push yourself and keep on Facebook.

Publisher | Mark Baker

http://flighttraining.aopa.org http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - July 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2015