Sometimes, a pilot looks up at a beautiful sky, and the thought enters his or her head, saying “Wow. I should go flying today.” Yet, for whatever reason, they don’t go to the airport, pull the airplane out of the hangar, and takeoff into a cobalt-blue sky. Life gets in the way, chores need to be done, etc. So, they don’t go flying when the opportunity presents itself, and eventually the pilot may regret not taking that flight.
It’s easy to find excuses not to go out and fly. Can you identify with any of these? “It’s too expensive.” “The wind is a little strong.” “Eh, the FBO probably doesn’t have anything to rent today anyway.” “I need to mow the yard.” “Normally I’d go flying, but I’m just not feeling it today.” Yeah… we’ve all used a few of these ‘reasons’ to not fly. And, it’s cost all of us in experiences lost.
Cost and aviation has always been an issue. But as with anything else in life, if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it work. One way to reduce costs is to join a flying club, but you can run into scheduling issues. Then there’s always the option of entering into a partnership with an airplane, but those too can be fraught with scheduling problems, lack of personal chemistry, disagreement about maintenance or upgrades, etc. Finally, you could purchase your own airplane. Yes, I said it. If you fly it enough, costs can remain reasonable or be far less than renting. But the keyword here is flying. With that said, one of the largest hurdles facing a pilot today is lack of available hangar space. Back in the day, a T-hangar at my local airport rented for $25 per month. Those days are over, and there are waiting lists at most general aviation airports for hangar space. But if you have patience and do a little detective work, you may just find something.
Whenever you have the opportunity to fly, take it…Matt – aka This Old Pilot
Go fly.
Go fly. Please.