Flight Training - July 2015 - 30

BE SURPRISED

You know you're
a pilot when...

There are many rewards for being
a pilot and some of them are
surprising.
The courtesy car. Yep, your
ride is waiting. At many general
aviation airports, a car is available
for incoming pilots to use to drive
into town for food or lodging.
Often the car key is dangling
on a bulletin board and the only
charge is filling it up with gas.
Cookies! Who doesn't love cookies? Many FBOs offer incoming
pilots fresh-baked cookies or
other fare from the area. We
hear there's even one that offers
homemade fried chicken.
Courtesy and kindness. The
lineman is usually very deferential and the FBO is always filled
with bright, smiling faces. These
people are happy you're here and
it doesn't matter if you flew in on
a Cessna 152 or a Gulfstream.
Hangar talk. Most airports you'll
visit will be populated with people
who want to share flying stories
with you. Where'd you fly in from?
What was your groundspeed?
That was a heck of a crosswind!
They like you, they really do.
Cloud formations. The view from
the cockpit is awe-inspiring on
most VFR days but it's the clouds
that can really wow. And the
sunsets. And the sunrises. And the
cityscapes. And the mountains.

* You take your free time on business trips to visit the local airport,
just to see what's on the ramp.
* You stand and admire the
airplane you've just flown as if
it's something otherworldly, even
though it's been in the world
more than 40 years.
* You have almost landed on a
taxiway by mistake.
* You have made the decision to
land and wait out weather, and

Fly to EAA AirVenture
By Sarah Deener

Nailing your landing on the colored dot in Oshkosh has
become a rite of passage for pilots making the pilgrimage to
EAA AirVenture each summer. Not only does the annual event
transform Wittman Regional Airport into the world's busiest
airport, but controllers find themselves juggling traffic from
ultralights to heavy bombers, and everything in between.
Before you fly the arrival, brush up on your slow-flight
skills and study the AirVenture notam; you'll be expected to
fall into line with aircraft of varied airspeeds and recognize
the visual landmarks for a VFR arrival. Stay alert for other
traffic, maintain separation, and don't be thrown if the controller addresses you as "high-wing taildragger" or "yellow
biplane" instead of your aircraft type. Rock your wings to
acknowledge ATC instructions, and enjoy what organizers
call "the world's greatest aviation celebration."
More than 10,000 airplanes fly in to Oshkosh during the
week of AirVenture. The Experimental Aircraft Association
provides a thorough notam booklet that outlines arrival/
departure procedures, radio frequencies, Wittman Regional
Airport details, and more to help smooth the process.
If the thought of braving the busy arrival alone intimidates you, or you just like the idea of camping out with
like-minded pilots once you get there, you might consider
connecting with a mass arrival groups. Pilots of the same
make or model aircraft get together for training clinics
before the event to practice, and once on the grounds they
set up camp together with familiar faces.
From 99 Ways to Fly, an eBook by AOPA writers and editors (www.aopa.
org/ebooks). Sarah Deener is a pilot and editor of AOPA ePilot.

"I LOVE THE GREEN EARTH ABOVE ME AND
THE BLUE SKY BELOW ME (AND VICE VERSA)."
-LINDSAY PETRE
30 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

were happy that you did.
* You take the same approach to
preheating that maternity nurses
take to caring for newborns.
* You make the long IFR flight-in
and out of IMC and taking on a
little ice, with an approach at the
end-and you don't have to tell
anybody about it; it was just that
cool.
* You have remade your instrument panel in your head more
than 100 times in a two-day
period, mostly with the help of
the Internet and those scoundrels
who managed to do it for real.
* You're with your significant
other and are wondering, can I
commit to ADS-B?
* A controller thanked you-for
anything.
* You are obsessed with weather
websites, even on days you're not
flying.
* Your Saturday diet consists of
coffee and airport vending peanut
butter crackers that for some reason are colored orange. But you're
not really ever hungry.
* Jet-A, 100 LL, oil-all smell good
to you.
* You know that crosswinds can
be trouble, but they're not.
Steve Hedges is director of communications for AOPA. He is an
instrument-rated pilot with 980
hours and owns a Piper Comanche.

http://www.aopa.org/ebooks http://www.aopa.org/ebooks http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - July 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2015