AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2013 - 84

P&E

84  | 

OWNERSHIP

field or owned a business. When a trip is
over, he does not have to stay attached to his
cellphone, waiting on calls from clients or
patients. He just gets to spend quality time
with his family until it is time to fly again.
Another of my flight school buddies
went to work for a Nashville, Tennesseebased charter company. She flew Lears and
Citations until she went on maternity leave
to have her first child. In the interim, she
started sales and marketing for that company as a way to meet the flexible schedule
demands that a baby requires. It turns out
that her experience as a pilot has made her
the most effective salesperson the company
has ever had. Her intimate knowledge of
and love for the airplanes helps her sell
more charter trips than any of her predecessors. She has never gone back to flying
the line. She is happy to sell the trips so that
others can fly-and she can keep her feet on
the ground with her daughter.
My old flight instructor, who just
recently celebrated his tenth wedding
anniversary, has certainly made a very

successful flying career for himself. He
went to work for a regional airline before
moving on to a major cargo carrier. He has
taken every upgrade and advancement
opportunity offered, and his marriage
seems no worse for the wear. In fact, they
are one of the most happy, fun-loving
couples I know. His extremely supportive wife tells me all the time that absence
makes her heart grow fonder, and she
enjoys the time to herself to pursue her
own interests. And now that he is gaining
a little bit of seniority, she jokes that he's
home too much and wishes he had some
more work to do.
So, here I am, five years back into
flight instructing, not exactly in the place
I saw myself when I got that commercial
certificate almost 10 years ago. I have a
two-year-old daughter, more friends than
I can count, and a very happy husband.
I have been promoted to assistant chief
flight instructor of the largest standalone
flight school in the state of Mississippi and
I am the lead FAA safety representative

for my state. I even have the time to pursue my love for writing through various
aviation magazines and publications.
Although my salary is nowhere near
what it would be at a major airline, I have
the flexibility to make time commitments
to my family, our church, and our loved
ones. I know my decision would not make
sense to everyone, but it is the right one
for me. And I can honestly say I have
finally answered that question-yes, you
certainly can have both a successful flying career and a full family life, although
it may not be the life you've imagined,
and there may be a few sacrifices along
the way. But if you still get that feeling of
awe when your airplane first lifts into the
air-and you also love the equally magical
sound of your child's laughter-I think you
will find a way to make it all work. AOPA
NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER, ATP/CFII/MEI,

has given more than 3,000 hours of dual
instruction. She lives in Germantown, Tennessee.

GIVING WINGS AOPA FOUNDATION'S AIRCRAFT DONATION PROGRAM

"

Our plane served us well, and
now it will help preserve the
freedom to ﬂy...

"

Donate your aircraft, to the AOPA Foundation and make
a big difference in the future of general aviation. It takes
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helping preserve the freedom to ﬂy, and you'll easily ﬁnd
a new home for that beloved plane you're no longer using.
Sound easy? It is.

Simply give us a call at 800-872-2672,
email us at AOPAFoundation@aopa.org
or ﬁll out our online inquiry form at
www.aopafoundation.org/aircraft
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2013
