Justin’s Pilot Reports (PIREP)

“You’re a good pilot.”

That’s what I heard after receiving a call on my cell phone from six-year old Julian after our flight today. I was already sporting one of those “I just flew an airplane” grins but when I got this call my smile just went off the charts. I was quick to return the compliment because Julian had been a great copilot!

Julian earned his wings today. His father Marco is a good friend of mine and fellow cyclist. We took advantage of a clear, blue sky and headed northwest to the Gillespie County Airport in Fredericksburg, Texas. Home of the famous Hangar Hotel - a popular destination for many of my “first flights.”

This is an excerpt of My copilot Julian….
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Kyle is fourteen years old and today marked a very special day.

No, it’s not his birthday. Today marks the day that Kyle was properly introduced to the big, blue sky up above.

Kyle became my fifth Young Eagle today when he and his father joined me for a fun flight over nearby Canyon Lake.  Just moments after lift off, Kyle commented on how much fun he was having. He was seeing his familiar world from an unfamiliar perspective. I captured an image of him in the backseat of the Skyhawk early in the flight and wow…look at that smile.

This is an excerpt of Introduction to the sky….
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Happy Birthday and Congratulations to Allison! This afternoon she and her mother Ellen joined me for a local flight around San Antonio. This was a special flight since Allison was earning her official status as a Young Eagle!

We departed San Antonio International Airport at around 2pm this afternoon and enjoyed some sightseeing of downtown San Antonio from a lofty perch of 3,000 feet. We could see that Fiesta activities were getting underway and Allison was able to spot several unique landmarks from the air.

Our airplane - Skyhawk 23758 - provided constant awareness of other airplanes by displaying their location and track on the Garmin G1000 Multi-Function Display.

This is an excerpt of A Young Eagle is born!.
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On my last flight a couple of weeks ago, I took a gentleman up for his first flight in a small airplane. His name was Ronnie Green, a friend of my cousin and frequent passenger Joey Hemming. Joey’s done a great job of recruiting folks to join us for flights and to introduce others to the fun and safety of general aviation. Ronnie became the latest member of my Rogue’s Gallery.

I think I’m fairly convinced that taking someone up on their first flight is at the top of my “favorite moments in the air” category.

This is an excerpt of That flying smile….
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Awestruck. Mesmerized.

Two words that still fall far short of describing my experience today. Flight in a LongEZ. An amazing airplane…just one of many representations of the genius of Burt Rutan.

When I got the email from Charlie McDougal that a seat had opened up, I was ecstatic. We’d been trying to hook up so that he could make me an official GIB. You know… Guy In the Backseat…

This is an excerpt of EZ going….
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A huge grin describes it best. Voicemail from my friend Brad Marcum. Words like “let’s go flying” and “Mooney”.

Brad obtained flight privileges to a 1980 Mooney M201. When I met Brad at Security Airpark at the San Antonio Intl Airport the anticipation was high. This would be my second flight in a Mooney - my first was a few years ago with another friend and his gorgeous Mooney M-20J (which he subsequently sold to a lucky guy in South Texas).

This is an excerpt of Shooting the traffic pattern in a Mooney M201.
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