AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 94

which has managed to manufacture enough snow during an otherwise lackluster ski season to make an outing worthwhile. There’s a jewel of an airstrip (Mid Atlantic Soaring Center, W73, in Fairfield, Pennsylvania) at the foot of the ski area, and the shuttle bus will pick you up at the airfield if you call ahead. Nathan was on the couch watching Futurama at 9 a.m. when I told him about the possibility of a ski flight. He immediately charged off to his room to get his gear (he keeps skis, boots, and poles under his bed), and was in such a hurry to leave, I had to retrieve him from my car to get him to eat breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, we were at Frederick Municipal Airport loading his 150-cm skis into the Tornado Husky’s rear baggage area. Fortunately, the prohibited area surrounding the presidential retreat at

ground-adjustable, composite prop and a 90-horsepower Continental engine). By then, Nathan’s half-day lift ticket was set to expire, so Forrester and I returned to Ski Liberty to pick him up. Nathan was tired from four hours of nearly nonstop ski action and gleeful at having made his first black diamond run. We lifted off from Runway 15 and flew at 1,000 feet agl all the way home. Along the way, I asked a few questions that highlighted the unique aspects of flying and how fortunate we are to get to be part of it. “What highway is that we’re flying over?” The answer, of course, was U.S. 15, the same one we’d have been on if we had come in a car. “How fast do you think the cars on that highway are going?” About 55 mph.

I had considered skiing too, but can only justify one expensive vice at a time.
Camp David was its normal, five-mile size. When expanded, it actually covers W73. The flight over mostly rural central Maryland was just 15 minutes, and Nathan spotted the ski area’s white snow contrasting with the brown hillsides from a distance of 10 miles. I asked Nathan to fly while I slid open the left side window and snapped a few photos. He circled the ski hill and took note of the snow conditions and lift lines as we went by overhead. We landed on Runway 33 and parked the airplane on the turf near the north end of the airfield. It’s a bustling glider port most weekends, but on this winter day it was mostly quiet. I started digging for my cell phone to call the ski area when Chas C. “Chuck” Forrester, a Luscombe owner and retired USAirways pilot, rolled up in his Toyota pickup and asked if we needed a ride. I told him I had a young skier with me who wanted to get to the chairlift, and he graciously took us there. As soon as Nathan had a lift ticket, I returned to the airport with Forrester. (I had considered skiing, too, but can only justify one expensive vice at a time.) Forrester and I went to lunch with several of his fellow Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association members, toured the sailplane hangar, and did some flying. Forrester took me up in his clipped-wing Luscombe 8E (a sweet-flying airplane that’s missing seven feet of wing and has a
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“How fast are we going?” About 120. “Any stop signs between here and the airport?” No. “Was it helpful to survey the area before skiing?” Yeah. I asked what else was cool about flying, and Nathan added something I hadn’t considered. Since the airplane has only two seats, there was no way to bring his sister along. “She won’t go on any black diamonds and always wants to go home after a few runs,” he said. “I really liked not having to ski with her.” Hopefully, we’ll have many more flights to W73 together—even after the snow melts. It seems like an ideal place to fly sailplanes, and doing so there would expose Nathan to an accomplished and spirited community of fliers. And when he thinks about skiing, he’ll remember briefly taking the controls of the Tornado Husky and the aerial perspective that it provided. Someday, that pleasant memory might provide the spark of motivation and self-confidence required to pursue flying and the indelible adventures that can come with it. A dad can hope, anyway. Email the author at dave.hirschman@ aopa.org.

94 • APRIL

2012


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AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - April 2012
Contents
President’s Position
Hangar Talk
AOPA Media
AOPA Action
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Foundation Focus
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Pilot Briefing
L–39: Cool Flying. ’Nuff Said.
Flying a ‘Real’ Jet
For Pax Sake
Mentoring Matters: FARs for Jets
Trouble for Throttle Jockeys
Turbine Market Shows Mixed Signals
Glass Cockpits: Moving Targets
LSA: Big Foot Kitfox
Survival Mode
Aerial Amazement
Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: Calm in Chaos
Rebirth of the Pioneer RV
Revisiting a Tragedy
Bouncing Back
Technique: Mountain Majesties
Tougher Than a Tornado Sweepstakes: Setting the Hook
Products: A Range of Rescue Devices
Wx Watch: Radar Revolution
Dogfight: Time On Their Hands
Never Again
Fly-Outs
Fly by Wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - April 2012
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Hangar Talk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - AOPA Media
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Foundation Focus
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Pilot Briefing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - I1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - I2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - LSA: Big Foot Kitfox
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Survival Mode
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Aerial Amazement
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: Calm in Chaos
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Rebirth of the Pioneer RV
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Revisiting a Tragedy
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Bouncing Back
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 88a
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 88b
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Technique: Mountain Majesties
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Tougher Than a Tornado Sweepstakes: Setting the Hook
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Products: A Range of Rescue Devices
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Wx Watch: Radar Revolution
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Dogfight: Time On Their Hands
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Fly-Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - Cover4
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