AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2025 - 39

RYAN AND ALYSSA PHOTOGRAPHY
Picking a location for the wedding
seemed straightforward from there.
Alissa and I discussed standard ceremony
locations for a short time, but nothing
beat the idea of tying the knot at Triple
Tree. From taking pictures with the field's
vintage Stearman and Spartan Executive
to buying a commemorative brick for the
patio that overlooks the stunning 400plus
acres of the expansive Triple Tree,
we let our love of aviation shine at every
turn. Before the ceremony, the field was to
be open for wedding guests to fly in and
enjoy the wonders of landing and taking
off on a grass runway. Concluding the
ceremony, attendees were to throw paper
airplanes over us as we exited down the
aisle. Finally, the family Slings would be
on display: Woodstock and Snoopy, Alissa's
father's Sling TSi with tail art of America's
favorite beagle flying his doghouse against
an invisible foe.
" You're a good match...and
you're single, Alissa's single...
let's put you two together
and see what happens! "
The big day arrived, and the weather
was stunning. The sky was partly cloudy,
the temperature was 82 degrees, and there
was enough of a northeasterly breeze to
keep everybody cool. Hurricane Francine
had deviated far enough west to eliminate
the chances of rain in the area. This
allowed two guests to fly into the field for
the ceremony, making it a true fly-in wedding.
The ceremony went smoothly, and
Alissa and I walked down the aisle under a
sea of paper airplanes. Alissa had carefully
selected, flight tested, and constructed the
design to ensure the flight of each would be
straight and true. After a spectacular exit,
my bride scurried off to change into her flying
romper while I secured the final details
around Snoopy.
Alissa rode to the airplane on a golf cart
and hopped into the left seat as I settled
into the right. We ran the start checklist
and yelled " clear " in unison for all to hear.
The engine roared to life, and the guests
cheered, now gathered at the white fence
adjacent to the runway.
I aligned the nose with the runway and
smoothly brought the 141 horsepower of
the Rotax 915iS to work. The nosewheel
rose off the grass, and then the mains broke
free. Passing the crowd, Alissa looked
down and saw hands waving skyward. I
brought the airplane around a teardrop
turn to align it southbound down the
runway, utilizing the 20 knots of wind to
gain extra groundspeed as I rocked the
wings to acknowledge the crowd that
was still waving enthusiastically. I started
another teardrop to bring the airplane
northbound over the runway, and passed
the controls to my wife so she could give
the crowd a goodbye salute.
We newlyweds flew to Donaldson Field
(GYH) to tie down Snoopy. As we finished
tying down and covering up the airplane,
the bridal party's bus arrived to bring us to
the reception in downtown Greenville.
A magical night of celebration soon
gave way to the last dance and bidding
goodbye to all that came, making the
best day imaginable a memory. Our
aviation dream wedding had gone
off exactly as we had pictured: filled
with friends, family, and flying.
Ryan
McCormack is a Gold Seal CFI/CFII and a
Cirrus Training Center Instructor actively
teaching at Stratos Aviation in Greenville,
South Carolina.
AOPA PILOT / March 2025
39
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2025

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