AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2011 - 24

WAYPOINTS

BY THOMAS B. HAINES
EDITOR IN CHIEF

From low to high—and points in between

eneral aviation provides a visual perspective not possible by any other means. We all know that at a certain cerebral level. However, when

Residents of Glendale, California, and longtime GA advocates, the pair know the Mountain West like you and I know our backyards. Our ultimate destination for the day was Fresno; however we first went east from Las Vegas across Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam toward the Grand Canyon, landing at Grand Canyon West Airport for a walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass platform cantilevered over the big ditch. Walk out on it and look down some 3,600 feet to we experience it in a tangible way, it’s almost like the Colorado River. For pilots, many of whom I have found are afraid of heights, it can be a learning it anew. A recent example: Through the Editor in Chief Tom miracle of general aviation flight I was able to tummy-tickling experience. Haines has visited experience the lowest point in North America and Flying west from there, we passed Las Vegas all 50 states, 46 the highest point in the Lower 48 states all within again, headed for Furnace Creek Airport inside of them in GA about an hour of each other—and that was only Death Valley National Park. As John turned airplanes. final, he urged me to watch the altimeter as half the day! Wrapping up our coverage of the National we descended to the runway. The pointer wound Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas, my through zero and ended up pointing at the 8 as we touched wife, Brenda, and I cabbed it to North Las Vegas Airport shortly down, some 210 feet below sea level—the lowest airport after dawn to meet brothers John and George Kounis next in North America. After a quick lunch at nearby Furnace to their Cessna 185. The workhorse 185 is the same one that Creek Ranch—a resort destination all its own—we headed carries them to the far corners of the continent and beyond west again, skimming the remarkable sand dunes that in search of stories and photos for Pilot Getaways, the look as if they were imported from the Sahara Desert for bimonthly magazine they produce about great places to fly. a movie. Then we began the long climb from sea level to 14,500 feet, donning oxygen cannulas on the way. Soon John was expertly maneuvering among the Sierra Nevada peaks Pilot Getaways on this remarkably calm and clear day, with George in the Editor in Chief John back snapping photos right and left. As we spiraled upward, Kounis shows the we soon found our target—Mount Whitney, the highest point author a proposed in the contiguous states. As we flew by the 14,500-foot peak, route through a hiker, who had probably spent the day reaching the sumthe desert (left). mit, was standing on the edge enjoying the view. We waved. Sahara-like sand He didn’t. dunes in Death Valley (below). We meandered through the glorious peaks a while longer, landing at Mariposa-Yosemite Airport for fuel before turning south to fly down California’s Central Valley to Harris Ranch Airport, a runway on the property of the Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant in Coalinga. Friends drove down from Fresno to meet us there for dinner and to close out our remarkable flying day. As the brothers flew back to Los Angeles after dinner, we were left to reflect on reaching the highs and lows of the nation all within an hour of each other by general aviation. And as if the destinations themselves were not enough, the vistas in between and all around were breathtaking—an experience not possible in any other way. Email the author at thomas.haines@aopa.org; follow tomhaines29 on Twitter.com. To learn more about Pilot Getaways magazine, visit pilotgetaways.com.

GEORGE A. KOUNIS

AOPA PILOT •

24 • DECEMBER

2011

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2011

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