"If I Didn't Fly, I Don't Know How I'd Do It"

Here's evidence of something that sometimes seems, from the outside looking in, to be a decided rarity -- a fan of general aviation in Washington, DC.

Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, a Democrat and private pilot, has been using his single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza to survey damage caused by recent floods along the Red River.

Peterson was first elected in 1990, but says he's been flying for decades. "If I didn't fly," he said, "I don't know how I'd do it."

As he flew with the reporter over Georgetown, MN, Peterson noted that the extent of the flooding wasn't obvious at first look. "They're all underwater here, too. You just can't tell 'cause it's all covered in snow."

The congressman realizes many people initially aren't comfortable with the notion of flying, and he tries to ease their concerns. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports Peterson comforted a reporter about to fly with him recently... by letting the writer know the V-tail Beech's nickname is "the fork-tailed doctor killer."

FMI: http://collinpeterson.house.gov/