HIRE AN AIRPLANE SITTER. What if you can't fly your airplane for a long period of time because of travel or health reasons? Consider hiring an airplane sitter-someone who can fly your airplane occasionally. It could be a pilot friend or a CFI or a ferry pilot with time in type. A CFI may be willing to fly your aircraft as a tradeoff for earning precious hours toward their airline transport pilot certificate. While you may not like the idea of someone else flying your baby, your airplane will greatly benefit from regular use and remain ready for the time you want to take it skyward. Check with your insurance company to see if you have an open pilot endorsement, which will allow any current pilot with the required number of hours in your make and model of aircraft to fly your airplane and be covered by your insurance. Otherwise, you'll need to add a named pilot to your insurance policy. "My Cessna 170B's paint job was weathered (to say the least) when I bought it, and I had to keep it tied down on the ramp for a year or so before getting into a hangar. I wanted to protect it as much as possible from the elements, so I thoroughly scrubbed it by hand with a cleaning compound and then waxed it and used airplane covers. It looked like I had taken two decades of grime off, and it was protected by the wax. All it took was time and elbow grease, all of which I was happy to do for my first airplane purchase." -Alyssa Cobb, senior director, eMedia aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 81http://www.aopa.org/pilot