Grounded

As many of you know, I have been a private pilot for years. This may surprise people who have only known me for a short while, however, as I have not flown in nearly three years. I have been a partner in a flying club based in Denton for the entirety of my flying hobby, but recently an offer came up to buy everyone out of the club and sell the plane to an individual. I had been trying to sell my share of the club for a while, as my free time has been on a downward spiral for years. As a result, this was welcome news to me.

The members of the club met last Saturday and voted to accept the offer, which means I no longer own 1/8th of the 02Victor Flying Club. Despite the fact that my flight currency lapsed along with my medical certificate nearly three years ago, this still feels like being grounded. I am promising myself that I'll get back to it someday. Perhaps when Sydney and her younger sibling(s?) are in college...

A few key 02V dates for reflection based on my review of my log book over the weekend:

(for those that don't know, radio communications identify an aircraft by its 6-character tail number, which is typically shortened to the last three characters for faster communication. Hence, N2802V is referred to as 02V, or "Zero-Two-Victor" in aviation-speak.)

I took my first flight in 02V on April 12, 1997 with a flight instructor who was also a member of the club.

I got my license in September of that same year.

I took Amy flying for the first time the very next month when she was home from medical school, a whopping two months after we first met!

My last logged flight was April 12, 2003. I wasn't trying for the coincidence, but it worked out to 6 years to the day after I took my first intro flight. I did take one later flight with Amy's grandfather in May of 2003, but I apparently forgot to log it.

If you flew with me (and there were a number of you) during the six years I was active, I appreciate the confidence you had in me to get you up and down safely. If you didn't get to fly with me, I hope there is still time in the future!