'When Can I Do It Again', Author Says

It's one of those stories that we all enjoy reading, and each of us probably has something similar in our history.

Aviation Journalist Paul Thompson maintains the blog 'Flight Club', and recently, the son of a former pilot recounted his experience of  finally getting the chance to fly an airplane.

Thompson has been around aviation a lot. He has over 13 years working in the airline industry. In the post, he tells of flying with his dad in a Cessna 172 when he was very young, but the plane was sold before he was old enough to handle the controls. Thompson says that he remembers visits to the flight decks of airplanes his dad used to fly as an airline captain.

So when a co-worker mentioned he was a private pilot, Thompson wrangled a ride. As we all should do when coming across someone that enthusiastic about flying, the co-worker let Thompson fly the plane.

But not before a thorough preflight briefing, and allowing his passenger to accompany him on the walkaround. This pilot did everything right to give Thompson a great reintroduction to aviation.

The plane was a Diamond DA-40. Thompson's reaction to the flight was "when can I do it again."

But he also admits (as many of us have) that his chances of actually becoming a pilot are slim, given the cost of instruction and airplane rental. "Being a married guy, a father, and on the old side of my mid-30s, it just seems selfish for me to go joyride around at $100-120 bucks an hour, when there are more important priorities on which to be spending money," he writes.

It's an interesting read. And commenters on the blog are giving him lots of encouragement. Check out the post for yourself at the FMI link below.

(Diamond DA-40 pictured in file photo)

FMI: Blog