AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 18

WAYPOINTS

The places you'll go

BY THOMAS B. HAINES
Editor in Chief

Stretching your GA wings

A second set of
kids' car seats in
the family 172 and
later Bonanza made
travel easy for
Editor in Chief
TOM HAINES

and his family.

18 | AOPA PILOT August 2018

MY DAUGHTERS ARE ADULTS NOW, but I fondly remember reading to them each night when they were young.
Goodnight Moon was fun. I would change up the story
and, even though they couldn't yet read, they would
catch me. But my favorite was Dr. Seuss. I thoroughly
enjoyed the rhyming word play and the amazingly creative illustrations. Always near the top of the stack of Dr.
Seuss books was, Oh, The Places You'll Go! We are a family who likes to travel, so the theme fit us well.
My kids grew up in airplanes, so launching off on
some long weekend to a location hundreds of miles
away was not uncommon. As I mentioned in last
month's "Waypoints" (see "Tailwinds, Richard," July
2018 AOPA Pilot), one of the greatest lessons Richard
Collins taught me was how to use an airplane. And while
our little airplanes are no match for some weather situations, with a little patience and flexibility, we can go a lot
of places in a short period of time. Flying cross-country
and being exposed to different weather conditions and
new airports help build our skills and confidence. And
with that comes more comfort in the airplane. And that
leads to even more flying. It's a good thing!
Too often, though, pilots only learn to fly, not how to
use an airplane. When the examiner signs off on a private pilot certificate, the new pilot is probably proficient
at flying in the local area on good weather days. But then
what? The challenge and deadlines associated with the
flight training experience are complete. What happens
next? How do you learn to, well, stretch your wings?
One way is to team up with other pilots-especially
more experienced pilots-to go on a few regional day
trips. Maybe to a mountain strip for the day. Or the
beach. From there, try a few one-night trips, keeping
an eye on the weather, but not obsessing over it-easier
said than done, I know. But with all the weather apps we
have today and a little flexibility on takeoff and return
times, you will be amazed at what you can do.
Flying clubs are a great way to connect to other,
more experienced pilots and to get access to a variety
of aircraft. Some clubs and flight schools organize flyouts from time to time. Many aircraft type clubs also
often organize regional fly-outs where you can accompany others, gaining advice on flight planning and
weather avoidance. For example, the regional Bonanza
groups associated with the American Bonanza Society
plan numerous fly-outs each year. The Cirrus Owners
and Pilots Association also conducts many organized

fly-outs. And, of course, there are fly-outs attached to
the AOPA regional fly-ins each year.
One of the challenges with using an airplane is finding new and interesting places to fly. For that, AOPA
has developed a number of tools. The newest is a free,
twice-monthly email newsletter called AOPA Travel
Pilot. The newsletter highlights some of the latest travel
articles added to our website. Over the past 18 months,
we have added hundreds of GA-specific travel articles.
The newsletter provides just a snapshot of the locations,
and it is a helpful gateway to the Travel section of the
site. The newsletter launched in April, and as of early
summer already had nearly 20,000 subscribers. It is created by those of us on the AOPA Media team who often
travel by general aviation, and by a professional travel
writer who is also a pilot.
At some locations, ground transportation is necessary, as are overnight accommodations. For that,
AOPA has partnered with a travel company to offer
deep discounts on hotel rooms. That, combined with
relationships with various rental car companies, simplifies the ground portion of any stay. Find all the details,
including how to subscribe to the newsletter online
(www.aopa.org/travel).
To find your way to these destinations, the AOPA
Flight Planner and airport directory pages also
have been updated with a host of new features. The
Destinations airport directory tool allows you to search
for airports based on your favorite activities, such as
golf, skiing, fishing, and amusement parks. Soon, the
Flight Planner will also showcase destinations we have
written about along your planned route, presenting all
sorts of interesting side trip and fuel stop opportunities.
There are few things in life more rewarding than
personally piloting an airplane to a fun and adventurous location, exposing friends and family to the wonders
of general aviation flying. Your AOPA membership
includes plenty of resources to help you make it a reality. This summer, spread your GA wings and try a few
new destinations.
As Dr. Seuss said: "You can steer yourself any
direction you choose.... You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high
fliers who soar to high heights." Let us know the
places you'll go.
AOPA
EMAIL thomas.haines@aopa.org

http://www.aopa.org/travel

AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018

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