Time to Fly
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For those of us that live in areas that experience a genuine winter, spring should be the time we attempt to restore our flying back to pre-winter status. That is assuming you don’t fly as much during the cold months. For my friends that live in paradise – yes I’m talking to Ron and Eric – you can skip this article at your discretion.
This year – just like previous years – it has been tough to get a jump on my flying. As usual in Ohio, the warm temps brought rain…lots of rain. That has diminished the number of VFR days and increased the yard management issues. Other impediments are family stuff that fill up this time of year; graduations, recitals, and vacations are all things I have dealt with this spring that conspired to keep me out of the cockpit. Even my employer got in on it this year and chewed into my free time with increased workload. Oh and that honey-do list I have been putting off until the weather breaks. Guess what? It’s time to do that too.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitter or complaining, but it is a struggle to maintain priorities and still get some enjoyment out of my passion of recreational flying. This is one of the times when ownership becomes a drag as I’m still writing those insurance and hangar rental checks; it’s still worth it, of course. On the flip side, there’s less money going out for avgas.
A nod to mecca
This is where Oshkosh is really great. It firmly establishes a sacred holiday for flying – one that is not allowed to be desecrated with unsightly chores or burdensome engagements. Oshkosh gives me something to look forward to and keeps the fire burning.
The good news is this will eventually find equilibrium and I’ll be back to a more steady diet of stick-time in the RV. Until then, I’ll keep my eyes on the sky and I’ll jump at the first opportunity to make lemons into lemonade.
Do you find this happening to you? How do you cope with it? I’d love to know.
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We’ve definitely felt it this year. Our winter in Iowa was brutal and the airplane sat for nearly two months – highly unusual. Even when we did fly, it was brief because it was so cold it just wasn’t much fun.
Now, it appears that winter is giving up and spring is back… now we only have to fight the spring winds and rain!
So true Casey. Here’s to a great summer!
Brent
I think this is the first time I’ve ever read a post where I was offered — by name — the option of skipping it.
Your situation is kind of like mine in the sense that we all have resource limitations. You’re limited by weather. Out here, I’m limited primarily by the high cost of hangars, maintenance, fuel, sales tax, and property tax. And also occasionally by the weather gods. Our IFR is highly flyable, but the coastal stratus does keep VFR airplanes on the ground sometimes, and we just had a two week stint of high heat (106 in Orange County!), Santa Ana winds, and fires. Paradise? Yeah, most of the time. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. I love the thought of a quiet airport with cheap hangars and endless expanses of open fields to fly over.
Ron,
Well said! It is true, every place has it’s virtues. It’s up to use to exploit them to our fullest. I would still trade you…
Brent