People see the words “private plane” and they think “she must be rich.” Let me start out by saying that I am far from it, but what I do have that most people don’t is a pilot in my life. I know I’ve mentioned this before- my other half is a pilot and he is a member of a private club that owns two Cirrus SR20 aircraft. This gives me the opportunity to ride in the “right seat” or “co-pilot” spot when we decide to go for a ride.
If you happen to know a general aviation pilot you may have heard stories about the “hundred dollar hamburger.” This describes aviators’ quick hops to airports that have on field restaurants. The cost of the hamburger is nominal, but what they pay for the fuel and flight makes up the difference. Many people have questioned my other half about this practice and his answer always boils down to the love of flying. The flying community, in my experience, loves to be in the sky and these short flights serve as both flight time (for currency purposes) and recreation.
Unfortunately, I don’t get to go on every flight with my other half, but on occasion, we pick a day to go for breakfast. On this particular day, we chose Lancaster, PA. I have to admit, I love landing at the Lancaster airport because the runway is huge compared to some of the other airports we’ve been to.
On a “flying day,” we get up really early and try to get to the airport just after sunrise. While my other half does his pre-flight checks, I like to watch the other planes take off.
Once he’s done, he moves the plane out of the hangar and that’s when I’m allowed to get in.
Once inside, he always gives me a safety briefing before starting the engine and then sets our radio and navigation.
If you’ve never been in a small plane, I will tell you that even with the headset on, it’s louder than a commercial flight and the climate control is quite different. The Cirrus only has heat so when it’s hot out, I have to wait until after take-off to feel some cool air, but once we’re up, there’s nothing like it.
Since he’s flying the plane and dealing with air traffic control, there’s not much for me to do, so I prefer to fly at a lower altitude so I can look at the scenery. When it’s possible, my other half indulges me and I like to take pictures of the ground.
When we get a lull, I try to sneak in a couple shot…
And just 30 minutes later, we landed in Lancaster. (You can check out my Instagram for a short video leading up to the landing- see if you can spot the cows we flew over!)
Lancaster is public controlled airport which means they have someone in the tower. As a non-aviator, it’s pretty cool to listen as the controller directs the planes to different parts of the airport. Once we got close to the FBO (Fixed Base Operator), someone met the plane to help us park…
On this particular day, we were lucky enough that the FBO was able to lend us a “crew car” to get around. Proper etiquette dictates that you purchase some service (like fuel) from the FBO before you ask for a loaner car (which is like buying something before you use the rest room at a restaurant). We called ahead to be sure they had one available.
We spent a few hours in Lancaster, purchased some goods, and then headed home. Not a bad way to spend the day! Do you know a general aviation pilot? Be sure to share this post!
