Incredibly Rewarding, yet Humbling Experience

[mooneygirl]

Here is a little piece I wrote for AOPA Opinion Leaders about Tom:  https://blog.aopa.org/aopa/2017/05/19/sharing-ga-with-people-reminds-us-how-fortunate-we-are/

[Bob_Belville]

Jolie, I'm glad you shared that story with the broader flying community. Nice.

[C-GHIJ]

Very nice story...Ive had many dealings with the mennonites.  All have been genuine and honest.  I sometimes wonder who has the better lifestyle with as crazy and hectic ours can be.

[Kyoshiskip]

Having the chance to share the experience of flying is incredible.  I have flown Patient Airlift Services flights and wanted to share today's Angel Flight mission to Camp Courage.  The young men who flew with me were very appreciative and seemed to enjoy themselves.  I can't help myself and have to serve as a tour guide as well.

[Ned Gravel]

Flying is best a shared experience.  

Yah, I know how it feels to launch into the wild blue yonder like that cowboy riding off into the sunset.  The loner.   The most independent and self reliant person on the globe.  Comes with the mystique that defines an "aviator."  Mitigates risk he can, accepts risk he cannot mitigate.  Runs to the fur ball and not away from it, cause it is what is needed.

But you look once at that kid's face when you tell him he/she can do the flying and it is never the same again.  

And when your girl is with you parked on that little piece of cloud with the miles and miles of "over there" stretched out below you........ life is really good.

 

[mooneygirl]

I had a great weekend.  My [honorary] brother came to visit from Tampa.  He had never been in a small plane.  We went flying on both Saturday and Sunday. Both days I oriented him to the plane, had him taxi and when in level flight fly the plane.  We were able to enjoy very smooth air both days.  I just loved his comments and questions. He SO has the bug to take lessons-- just in case there are any Mooney owners in Tampa, or CFIs. 

Anyway--- it really took me to a great place to be able to share with him my love of flight.  I also got to brag on our airplanes quite a bit.  These days when I am flying either for IFR training or work, it was fun to just get in the plane and go to explore.  Life is so incredibly good.

[Bob_Belville]

6 hours ago, mooneygirl said:

I had a great weekend.  My [honorary] brother came to visit from Tampa.  He had never been in a small plane.  We went flying on both Saturday and Sunday. Both days I oriented him to the plane, had him taxi and when in level flight fly the plane.  We were able to enjoy very smooth air both days.  I just loved his comments and questions. He SO has the bug to take lessons-- just in case there are any Mooney owners in Tampa, or CFIs. 

Tampa is @mike_elliott country though he does not do primary training. I suspect he could point your friend to someone.

[steingar]

One year at Oshkosh a family piled out of the aircraft on the other side of us.  Both I and my buddy thought they were Amish or Mennonite (how do you keep an Amish woman happy?  Give her two Mennonite) but for the airplane.  About a year later I had a similarly dresses young woman in one of my classes.  I asked her about the attire, and discovered that she was an Apostolic Christian, and that the family I saw was the same (and that she actually knew the pilot, small community).

[Yooper Rocketman]

I had a guy and his wife come up several years ago to my dealership to install a waste oil furnace (boiler).  Since I knew the furnace guy quoted a "too cheap install price", and he was sending his "friend" for the install (a contractor), I decided to help with the install to avoid an add on bill (or him losing money on it).  As we were working on it the guy told me he had flown his airplane up for the job, a C172.  Later during the install I found out he and his wife were Mennonite.  They seem to have the same ethics and religious beliefs as the Amish, but apparently are not as strict with the resistance to modern machinery.  

On a side note, he liked music and we listened to Old Rock (my favorite) while doing the install.  We were doing the job in late November.  I told him the only country music I liked was Patsy Cline (because I thought her voice was so perfect) but I would likely never get her Greatest Hits CD listed on my Christmas list, as my family could not believe I would actually listen to it.  A week before Christmas a package shows up in the mail; Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits CD from him and his wife!!

Tom

Edited June 6, 2017 by Yooper Rocketman