Who isn’t spooked by the news that’s hitting us every day it seems. Layoffs, closings, business failures. Even Eclipse Aviation, one of the most successful makers of the very light jet (at least for awhile), now going Chapter 7. If you do still have a job, you keep your head down, try to stay focused, make sure you are bringing maximum value to your company (even when you ARE the company).
But guess what, there is an escape from all this madness, if even for a short while. Usually measured in tenths of an hour. Flying. Yes, flying. Proved it again this weekend. Once I strapped into the cockpit and fired up the engine, the rest of the world, the economy, politics, all melted away. I focused on the one job of pilot in command.
Even better, once you lift off and get some altitude, you really do get the sense of perspective. Took my 4 new cylinders (another story for another time) on a little tour of the low desert, building those hours at 65-75% power to really seat the rings. At 5,000 feet, you can see the beauty of the landscape, feel the sense of speed, and see how tiny the human presence is on that open land. Just me and my plane, with the engine playing its smooth drone, and Jimmy Buffett playing through the intercom. The rest of life could wait for that couple of hours. I had that priceless perch to see the rest of the planet, truely above all the issues of the day.
Some call this “boring holes through the sky.” But to me it’s a vertical vacation, allows me to clear my head, soak up the view (and it is a great view, have you looked lately?).
So go flying. Make the time. Even if it’s only a short flight. Nice thing about our planes is they can quickly take you to a new landscape, a new view of your world. The rest of your life can wait a bit. You will return fresh, energized, even if a little lighter in the wallet!
This is the essence of being Hog Wild for Flying.
Cheers!
Posted by brianflys 
