Previous Bravo Blog...

It's never easy saying goodbye to good friends - especially when those friends consist of a front desk staff that would do anything for you, one amazing instructor who was there from the start, and 8 beautiful Cessnas.

But because of a recent move, I had no choice but to chain her wings one last time, gather my belongings, and hand over the keys to the plane and place that taught me to find my passion of flight.

It seemed that on that last day, even the airport knew what was coming. And it was mad. Rather than give me a greaser on my last landing, it made sure I would never forget those big bumps on short final, that nasty crosswind I loved so much, and the float - over the runway - that tried to get me to go around, over and over again.

Instead, I plumped it down - and said goodbye.

And now many miles away from ordinary, it was time for me to find some new friends. But like the first time you discover the rudder pedals in that trusty trainer, finding new friends is an awkward prospect.

But I couldn't be grounded for too long. So I set out to visit my new airport, hoping to find some semblance of home. I found my basic love: airplanes, and the beautiful sound they make.

But everything else was different. The runways. The winds. The controllers. The flight schools. The tail-numbers.

And finding a new instructor felt like cheating on a loved-one. Do I really want to sit in cramped quarters with him? Do I really want his signature in my logbook?

I had to try out more than one. The first guy in the right seat was rushing me from the ramp to the run-up to the runway, and then back to the runway again.

The second guy reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite... on Valium. He couldn't even point out the names of the beautiful landmarks below. Uh, why did you get into flying in the first place? To make money?

Am I being critical? Afraid of change? I don't think so.

Just like all pilots will never forget their first flight, or the first time they sat alone at the end of the runway during that initial solo, I will never forget the friends that helped me find my passion of flight.

Article by Chris Archer; Send him an email