Aviation
Perhaps the most exciting challenge I’ve been fortunate to accomplish was becoming a part 61 private aircraft pilot. Certainly the thrill of learning to fly was there, but the training also appealed to my predilections for strategy, detailed planning, and collaboration; for these are vital requirements for a safe and successful flight.
That first solo flight is an experience that only happens once; it’s an indescribable flood of emotion that changes you forever.
“Becoming a pilot is the most exciting accomplishment of my life.”
I learned to fly at PIE, St. Petersburg International airport. It’s an incredible experience to start out flying in the remarkably busy airspace that is Tampa Florida. It forces you to have your A-game on every moment of every flight because you are surrounded by military air traffic from MacDill Air Force Base, commercial traffic from PIE and Tampa International, and the Coast Guard Air station out of KPIE. I feel it makes you a better pilot, but one thing is certain: it requires you to be an accurate and precise pilot.
Air Traffic Control
Hope Takes Flight
You can only do so many sight-seeing flights with friends before even that gets old. As a licensed private pilot there are strict rules regarding no acceptance of pay for flying, that consitutes a commercial operation which means you must legally have a commercial license. But, there’s nothing stopping you from flying for charity, and that’s where Greg and I started the non-profit called Canine Rescue Flights.
We would fly rescue dogs from kill-shelters to shelters with high turnover where dogs would have the best chance for adoption. After hurricane Katrina, we found nearly a dozen other fellow pilots who flew with us to New Orleans to gather mis-placed and abandoned dogs and fly them to shelters where they could be adopted.
Canine Rescue Flights partered with several shelters in Florida, southern Georgia, and lower Alabama, and we operated with a team of private pilots also willing to use their hobby for a good cause.
Flights were funded by donation and/or deductions on pilot’s income taxes, and we collaborated with another organization called Pilots N Paws. Canine Rescue Flights, Inc. operated for a little over two years before we decided it was not going to be financially sustainable, and we dissolved the organization. Before its dissolution Canine Rescue Flights had flown 158 rescue dogs.
Sharing the Thrill
Being able to share the experience with friends, neighbors, and work colleagues has been a priviledge. Many friends have had the opportunity to take over the controls and feel what it’s really like to fly the aircraft. It’s an honor that so many people trusted me enough to go up and share their time with me.
