Turning 1000

When I totalled up the hours in my log book after the OSH trip Friday,
they came to over 1,000. As I did when I turned 500 a little over three
years ago, I stopped to reflect on what has changed about flying for me
in the last 500 hours:

* I used to do a lot of just flying around the local area, doing t &
g's, etc. Now, 95% of my flying is IFR cross country for business,
pleasure and Angel Flights.

* Angel Flight has become an important part of my flying and my life,
even though it makes up only about 20% of my hours these days.

* At the end of 2001, I had no weather gear of any kind in the airplane.
Thunderstorms were my masters; they kept me from flying a few times
every year. Now, I've got XM weather and I haven't canceled a trip for
t'storms since I first started the system up in September of '03.

* Complacency is more difficult than ever to resist. Flying ~140
hrs./yr has rendered many things routine and there's a real tendency to
let my attention wander. This is dangerous, I know, and I'm struggling
to find ways to maintain an alert attitude.

What hasn't changed:

* I'm still flying my "starter" airplane. It isn't big enough, it isn't
fast enough, and it damned sure ain't sexy, but I've never quite gotten
around to trading up to that Bonanza I thought I'd have by now. "Delta"
has taken me a lot of places safely and has never missed a mission since
some early engine problems were fixed a few years ago. She'll carry 600
lbs. of payload at 155 mph for a looonnngg time. Every time I start to
put the ad in Trade-A-Plane, something makes me back off. Some day I'll
do it - no, really, I will.

* I'm still nuts about flying; doing more of it now than ever. I may
not read as many magazines or buy as many gadgets as I used to, but I'd
still rather be in my airplane than anywhere else, and I feel very
fortunate to be able to be there.

--

Dan
C172RG at BFM

Congrats, Dan. 1000 hours is a loong time in the air, and don't let all the
inevitable "I've got 20,000 hours" guys burst your bubble.

I'm closing in on the millennium milestone myself (woulda made it long ago,
if Mary hadn't earned her ticket a few years back -- she just turned 500
hours!), and share many of your thoughts.

Many parts of flying that were once extraordinary have become routine, and
it's rare that we just go up for the sake of being "up" -- but that hasn't
changed my love of aviation. When I'm not flying, I'm thinking about
flying -- and heaven help me if that ever changes.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Hi Dan

Congratulations. 1000 hours! That's quite an achievement.
As for trading up? As long as you remember that when you trade up
performance you trade up operating costs, annual, insurance, etc. etc,
How badly do you want to trade up?

Tony
--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

Dan Luke wrote:
* I'm still flying my "starter" airplane. It isn't big enough, it isn't
fast enough, and it damned sure ain't sexy, but I've never quite gotten
around to trading up to that Bonanza I thought I'd have by now. "Delta"
has taken me a lot of places safely and has never missed a mission since
some early engine problems were fixed a few years ago. She'll carry 600
lbs. of payload at 155 mph for a looonnngg time. Every time I start to
put the ad in Trade-A-Plane, something makes me back off. Some day I'll
do it - no, really, I will.


A decently equipped C-172RG is a damned nice airplane... I always think of a
wasp as those gear start folding up on climbout. Don't worry about sexy... only
a moron would look down on one.

Congrats on the 1000 hours accident-free. Keep up the good work.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
When I'm not flying, I'm thinking about flying -- and heaven help me
if that ever changes.

Amen.

Dan Luke wrote:



* I'm still flying my "starter" airplane. It isn't big enough, it isn't
fast enough, and it damned sure ain't sexy, but I've never quite gotten
around to trading up to that Bonanza I thought I'd have by now. "Delta"
has taken me a lot of places safely and has never missed a mission since
some early engine problems were fixed a few years ago. She'll carry 600
lbs. of payload at 155 mph for a looonnngg time. Every time I start to
put the ad in Trade-A-Plane, something makes me back off. Some day I'll
do it - no, really, I will.

I am moving up to that Bonanza, if you're interested in 182 let me know.

Dan,
Congratulations on achieving the millenium milestone. I am just
about to reach my 500hrs mark and looking forward to add more flying
hours. We will be joining Skyark soon then Angle Flight once we gain
more IFR flying experience.
I have learned quite a few things from reading your posts especially
about XMweather. I had just ordered a T43 laptop with bluetooth and
will add an LCD touchscreen display for XMweather.
You are right that the more we fly, the more we want to fly. I have
enjoyed every single trip and hardly turned down an opportunity to be
up in the air.
Like you, we will most likely stay with our 'starter' plane, a
Cardinal, for many years to come. At 120kts, it is not a speed demon
but many times, I have slowed it down to approach speed to stretch my
hours on the air to enjoy the views below and around. Life is fabulous
when you can experience it in 3 dimensions.

Hai Longworth

"Newps" wrote:

I am moving up to that Bonanza, if you're interested in 182 let me know.

Yeah, I saw your ad; sounds like a good bird.

Thanks, but if and when I move up, I want something *lots* faster.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

Congratulations on nearly 6 weeks in the sky. I flew my starter
Tri-Pacer for 20 years. Flying is flying. Most who commented about when
I was going to upgrade didn't even have a plane.
--
Gene Seibel
Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

Congratulations!!! You should have a little party to celebrate! (always a
great excuse I use to eat some chocolate cake GRIN). Myself, I'm just
nearing 500 and will probably have a little 'birthday cake' to celebrate the
personal milestone (okay, yeah,,, it is also an excuse to eat some chocolate
cake g)

Once again great job! Enjoy every minute in the skies!!! :0)

--
--
=-----
Good Flights!

Cecil
PP-ASEL-IA
Student - CP-ASEL

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -
"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...
When I totalled up the hours in my log book after the OSH trip Friday,
they came to over 1,000. As I did when I turned 500 a little over three
years ago, I stopped to reflect on what has changed about flying for me in
the last 500 hours:

* I used to do a lot of just flying around the local area, doing t & g's,
etc. Now, 95% of my flying is IFR cross country for business, pleasure
and Angel Flights.

* Angel Flight has become an important part of my flying and my life, even
though it makes up only about 20% of my hours these days.

* At the end of 2001, I had no weather gear of any kind in the airplane.
Thunderstorms were my masters; they kept me from flying a few times every
year. Now, I've got XM weather and I haven't canceled a trip for t'storms
since I first started the system up in September of '03.

* Complacency is more difficult than ever to resist. Flying ~140 hrs./yr
has rendered many things routine and there's a real tendency to let my
attention wander. This is dangerous, I know, and I'm struggling to find
ways to maintain an alert attitude.

What hasn't changed:

* I'm still flying my "starter" airplane. It isn't big enough, it isn't
fast enough, and it damned sure ain't sexy, but I've never quite gotten
around to trading up to that Bonanza I thought I'd have by now. "Delta"
has taken me a lot of places safely and has never missed a mission since
some early engine problems were fixed a few years ago. She'll carry 600
lbs. of payload at 155 mph for a looonnngg time. Every time I start to
put the ad in Trade-A-Plane, something makes me back off. Some day I'll
do it - no, really, I will.

* I'm still nuts about flying; doing more of it now than ever. I may not
read as many magazines or buy as many gadgets as I used to, but I'd still
rather be in my airplane than anywhere else, and I feel very fortunate to
be able to be there.

--

Dan
C172RG at BFM