The Most Beautiful Thing About Aviation...

This was originally intended as a reply to MX's callous assumption
that ATP's look down on Private Pilots... But on further reflection, I
would actually like to break it out as a separate topic.

After a particularly beautiful X-country-for-the-hell-of-it this
weekend, I was filling out my log when I realized that I have now been
flying for exactly one year.

In that one year in the pilot's seat, I've seen beauty that defies
description... The Bay Area and Golden Gate Bridge Bathed in the
Auburn light of sunset... fog spilling over the peninsula mountains
into the bay like water... The Yosemite Valley in all of its glory,
shimmering in a late afternoon sun. The thrill of looking down a
runway (both on short final and takeoff roll), the pride that comes
from fighting a particularly gusty crosswind down to the numbers and
contacting the ground with two gentle 'tweet-tweets' of a perfectly
executed flare... Each of these (and countless others) experiences in
and of itself makes all of the expense, time and frustration worth
it.

But these in and of themselves do not scratch the surface.

In my year in the clouds, the most beautiful thing in aviation has
been simple - the camaraderie. Soon after starting flying, I did a
cross country with my instructor to a random little airport in the
central valley. While there at the FBO, I saw a cheesy poster on the
wall "There are no strangers in aviation, only friends who haven't met
yet". At the time I had the typical 'heh, that's lame' response of an
outsider. A year later my cynicism has washed away.

Be it the 744 crew who invited me on the flight deck and explained
some of the nuances of European vs American ATC procedures (when I
questioned them about 'Radar Identify'), or the A320 captain who spent
20 minutes during a ground delay explaining the systems and avionics
of his bird and how they compared to my Pa-28-140 (The type he learned
in). Be it the random stranger at Georgetown Airpark who invited me
over to have a hamburger and soda with him and his family during a
quick fuel stop, to the Mooney Pilot and A&P who helped me trouble
shoot a bad Mag and get my engine started at a quiet airfield near
Yosemite so I could get home in time for dinner... I could go on ad
infinitum...

This is not to say that all is roses, or that the aviation world is
perfect... Not everyone is friendly, not everyone are friends...
However, within aviation, it has been my experience that warmth and
friendship is the rule, not the exception. What an odd concept in our
cold, crowded, modern existence.

And I feel privileged and honored to be a part of it.

Thank you all.

-Scott

Well said!

Unrelated to your original post, which was great, I am interested in some
day flying to Yosemite, and then spending time in the park. Can you
recommend an airport nearby that is close to the park?

On Apr 2, 3:34 pm, "Viperdoc" wrote:
Unrelated to your original post, which was great, I am interested in some
day flying to Yosemite, and then spending time in the park. Can you
recommend an airport nearby that is close to the park?

Two spring to mind:

I stopped at Mariposa/Yosemite:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMPI

Beautiful little field nestled in a low valley about 20nm downslope
from Yosemite itself. Runway is in great shape, there's a little BBQ
pit right there on the field, and its in a stunning setting. Avgas
was pretty cheap too (3.50 on Saturday).

The other Option would be Pine Mountain:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/E45

Nestled on a plateau about 15nm north of MPI, I used the field as a
Waypoint to start my flight (I flew up the Hetch Hetchy valley and
then down Yosemite and into MPI), but I didn't land there. The
surrounding terrain is pretty spectacular though.

KMPI has a well deserved reputation for being difficult to find (Sans
GPS), its a favorite target for the flight schools around here to try
and trick up students, and it works well. E45 is on an unmistakable
plateau, so its probably a bit easier to hit. Gas seems to be more
expensive though (at least according to airnav).

Either way, the valley itself is stunning... you'll really need to be
up around 13.5Kft to safely clear the regulated altitude clearance
(you can drop lower if you choose your course very carefully, but I
wouldn't recommend it without a good GPS... I settled for keeping high
and sightseeing during a couple 45 degree 360s). The descent down
from the valley into KMPI was fun too, loosing 9000 feet in 20 or so
nm. I was still a little hot and high when I settled in on final for
MPI's 26... a good chance for a deep-slipping-approach practice.

Overall, a very worthwhile flight. just don't forget the memory card
for your camera like I did:-P.

"EridanMan" wrote

This was originally intended as a reply to MX's callous assumption
that ATP's look down on Private Pilots... But on further reflection, I
would actually like to break it out as a separate topic.

Good choice. I encourage anyone and everyone to do exactly this, if there
is a thought you would like to follow up, without pollution from other
influences. I (and numerous others) would have missed this well written
post, if you had not started a new thread, since I block anything "he"
touches.

This is not to say that all is roses, or that the aviation world is
perfect... Not everyone is friendly, not everyone are friends...
However, within aviation, it has been my experience that warmth and
friendship is the rule, not the exception. What an odd concept in our
cold, crowded, modern existence.

And I feel privileged and honored to be a part of it.

Aviation certainly gives a unique capacity that not many other hobbies, or
interests can match.

There are many other close knit groups that have similar closeness and
sharing, besides aviation though. It is the strong commitment and common
interests that ties groups together.
--
Jim in NC

"Dudley Henriques" wrote

Somebody please inform Mxsmanic or whatever it is that the ATP is simply
one type of rating....nothing more....nothing less.

No need. He would not listen, or learn.

That is not his goal, anyway. It is to bait and goad, simply and
completely.

Besides, any one response is one response too many.
--
Jim in NC

Dudley Henriques writes:

Somebody please inform Mxsmanic or whatever it is that the ATP is simply one
type of rating....nothing more....nothing less. You need one, you get one.
You don't need one, you fly on what you have. Simple! No big deal at all!

Kind of like a PPL.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

"Dudley Henriques" wrote

Its a figure of speech Jim....not really an invitation for someone to
actually bother to tell him :-)

Doh! Here I thought you really were interested in telling him something!
g
--
Jim in NC

"EridanMan" wrote in message
oups.com...

This was originally intended as a reply to MX's callous assumption
that ATP's look down on Private Pilots...

Not that the ATP isn't a good rating to aspire to mind you, and a whole slew
of good pilots have one, but it never ceases to amaze me when someone
outside of our business begins placing the throne of God on the ATP rating
and attempting to portray the rating as the absolute ultimate proof of a
pilot's ability and experience.
Some of the finest pilots in the world don't have ATP ratings. Its not
because they can't qualify for the rating, but rather because they have no
NEED for the rating.

Just two of the pilots I know who fall into this category are Bob Hoover and
Chuck Yeager, neither of whom have an ATP as they simply don't need one.
Both are Commercially rated with Instruments and have various type
endorsements and endorsements of LOA.
Somebody please inform Mxsmanic or whatever it is that the ATP is simply one
type of rating....nothing more....nothing less. You need one, you get one.
You don't need one, you fly on what you have. Simple! No big deal at all!
Dudley Henriques

Mxsmanic wrote:

Dudley Henriques writes:


Somebody please inform Mxsmanic or whatever it is that the ATP is simply one
type of rating....nothing more....nothing less. You need one, you get one.
You don't need one, you fly on what you have. Simple! No big deal at all!


Kind of like a PPL.

Poor sot. You'll never know. How sad.