AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2019 - 31

smiling kids perched on airplane tires, bril- and services that can put a noticeable
liant sunsets. They cook tasty food on grills dent in the cost of flying. Participating
at airports and grass strips. They soak in vendors, in turn, get new customers
all that aviation offers and share the love.
they might otherwise have missed,
Soon, they will be setting up chairs to and the organization covers the cost of
watch each other land and judge those organizing events and printing stickers
landings, all in good fun.
and other swag with the group's logo-
"What we do is we have fun," Van Baren a logo that has featured prominently in
said, explaining Flights Above Beauty many a picture posted on social media,
Landings, which will be introduced this including one memorable logo shot
year at events alongside spot landing con- taken from the cockpit of an inverted
tests and flour drops. "Flights Above is all F/A-18 Hornet.
about having fun."
There has been enough left over
The creation of an airplane landing to pay for scholarships, at first being
beauty pageant with prizes and food and offered to FATPNW members. These
judges who hold score cards
over their heads is, in essence,
a new implementation of the
same core concept that created the online groups: Take
the things that pilots do anyway and make them more fun
by sharing the experience with
an appreciative audience. Who
among us, Van Baren wondered,
has not sat and watched another
pilot land and rendered a silent
verdict on the airmanship and/
or aesthetics of said landing?
The contest concept features another of the threads Brice Van Baren
that run through each Flights
Above group, gathering, and conversation: relatively modest awards cover a few
"Everybody can participate."
lessons, or books, or a knowledge
That means the contest is just as open test, or ground school, although that
to the student pilot as the veteran airline could easily grow. Van Baren hopes to
captain. All are welcome.
enlarge what he terms a "perfect circle
The original group, Flights Above the of happiness" that includes members,
Pacific Northwest (FATPNW, pronounced vendors, and organizers. Applications
"fat pee, and double-u" with impish glee) are being accepted in the form of selfie
began replicating in 2017, with volun- videos in which the applicant explains
teers stepping up in nine regions around what they can contribute to the
the country to serve as group administra- aviation community, how they've bentors. Van Baren takes pains to shower them efitted from being a FATPNW member,
with credit and resists any accusation he and why they're a good candidate.
is a leader of a social aviation movement,
"My goal and my dream is to be
although he has devoted countless hours to able to offer this nationwide down the
adding new layers to the concept. Premium road," said Van Baren, who had no idea
memberships launched in 2016 cost $99; it would come to this when he started.
with that comes access to discounts and
deals from nearly 100 vendors on products EMAIL james.moore@aopa.org
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 31

2019
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2019