Destinations
There is a place in Suches, Georgia made for the flyer who likes to get back to nature. The High Valley Resort ("in the Valley above the Clouds") sits on 40 acres of grass fields, wooded areas, and fresh creeks. High Valley Airstrip is a private, 2,000 foot grass runway. The elevation is 2,800 feet and TPA is 3,200 feet MSL. Call Frank Cheek (706)747-2037 for permission to land.

Maybe you want to get back that carefree feeling of camping in a tent, making s'mores over a campfire, and maybe even telling a few ghost stories. Or if you like a little more luxury, you can reserve a log cabin, which comes complete with a gourmet kitchen, two baths, fireplace, washer/dryer, ceiling fans, rockingchair porch… The list goes on! One-room bunkhouses are for visitors who like something in between – walls and beds, but still really rustic.

For fun, you can take the Georgia Winery Tour, rent a motorcycle or mountain bike and tour the mountains, or do some trout fishing. Best of all, though, you can spend some relaxing time breathing in fresh, mountain air.

New Pilot Wants to Give Time to Charity
Two years ago Lynne Graham was suffering. Her husband was dying and so was a part of her. Her cousin told Lynne that she had to start flying lessons, so she went to Sun & Fun and bought a book from an author displaying his book. She read it and thought, "I can do this."

Lynne tried out some flight schools in Naples and began her flight training. During that time, her husband passed away, as well as several other people close to her. Several times she'd temporarily stop training, but kept coming back. After a break of a couple months in early 2007, Lynne took March of 2007 to get her written done. Then it took all of April to relearn how to land. Somewhere along the way, though, she reached a point of no return. "I'm not stopping," she told herself. "Nothing is going to get in the way of finishing this."

And finish it, she did. Still in the heady daze of receiving her temporary pilot certificate, Lynne is making plans to start her Instrument training. Her goal is to enjoy personal recreational flying and charitable work for those in need. She's already joined the Civil Air Patrol and is looking forward to working with Angel Flight where her enthusiasm and passion can make a real difference in someone's life.

Young Man Keeps Aviation in the Family
Kim Unger's stories about flying must have made an impression on her son, Brian, because when he was offered a ride by a neighbor he jumped at it. Sure enough, mom was right. Flying was great. "It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be", he said. After realizing that learning to land wasn't so difficult, Brian thought, "Hmmm, I can do this." That's when he knew that he wanted to be a professional pilot – an airline pilot to be exact.

Brian is enrolled in the career program, having earned his Private and Instrument Rating. He's considering joining the CFI Academy when he gets his Commercial Certificate. He's planning to instruct while attending college. Right now, though, he's enjoying building his cross-country time. He recently ferried an American Flyers airplane to Morristown, New Jersey with an instructor for an aircraft swap.

Through all of his exciting, new experiences, Brian hasn't forgotten the person he inherited his passion from. His mom was the first person he took flying and she still loved it.

Did You Know…
In November, 1935, on his third attempt, Lincoln Ellsworth and Canadian pilot Herbert Hollick-Kenyon succeeded in completing the first trans-Antarctic flight. They flew Ellsworth's Northrop Gamma Model 2B, named the Polar Star, across the continent and became the first men to visit western Antarctica. The airplane flew over 2400 miles and made a number of landings before it was forced down by fuel starvation 25 miles short of their destination. The men spent six days walking the remaining 25 miles. The Polar Star was later recovered and now rests peacefully at the Smithsonian.

Photo source: www.airminded.net

Laugh Out Loud

An airline pilot hammered his ship into the runway really hard on a certain flight. The airline had a policy, which required the pilot to stand at the door while the passengers exited, give a smile, and a "Thanks for flying XYZ airline." He said that in light of the bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would make a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for this little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?" "Why no Ma'am," said the pilot, "what is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land or were we shot down?"

Source: www.aviation-humor.com

Springtime Tips for Pre-flight
By Rick Freidinger, Director of Maintenance

It's nesting season for our feathered friends with whom we share not only the sky, but in many instances, our aircraft. I'm not sure why, but birds are attracted to aircraft when looking for a place to build their nest. It may be all the little nooks and crannies that seem like the ideal hiding spot to raise their young. During this time of year, take a little extra time performing your preflight. Look for the telltale sign of bird droppings on your paint to indicate that your plane may be the new home for one of our feathered friends. Even if you see no external signs of a bird, look carefully for nest around all your control surface hinge areas or even the smallest access to the inside of a wing or the empennage where a bird could build a nest that could interfere with your control cables or push rods. Also pay special attention to your engine compartment. Birds are drawn to the back corners down between the cylinders or around the oil cooler. If you see just one twig or stick poking up anywhere in your engine compartment take a closer look. A nest in your engine could cause anything from a fire inside your cowling to an engine failure. Your engine needs all the cooling air it can get to keep both your oil and cylinders from overheating, either of which could lead to engine damage or possible a engine failure. A little extra time spent on your preflight will assure you of safe and pleasant flight.

Ask the Pilot Professor
By Dr. Michael Bliss

Q: I've been hearing about how good PC based simulators are, but I wonder how practical they can be for use in a flight training program.

A: General aviation has undergone a revolution over the last several years with the availability of computer based flight training devices. Modern computers and flight simulator software have come of age and now enable pilots to have a truly effective and practical means of getting or staying current. For example: Microsoft Flight Simulator and an inexpensive set of flight controls will allow students to practice and gain proficiency towards either a Private license or Instrument rating.

They also are valuable tools for maintaining proficiency after the rating has been obtained. Many pilots have realized that after they have completed training for an Instrument rating that they do not fly instruments often enough to stay current, let alone maintain proficiency. These PC based sims are perfect for that use.

Another benefit for instrument rated pilots is to allow them to practice approaches to planned destinations before getting into the airplane – a real confidence booster.

Some have criticized these sims because they don't fly like a real airplane. My response is that they don't need to. Flying instruments is mostly a mental exercise, staying ahead of the airplane, knowing what to do and when to do it, maintaining a good scan and reinforcing correct procedures; something these sims do very well.

Some say that they can be helpful for use in an instrument program but don't have any utility in a Private program. Not so. They are well suited to introduce cockpit orientation, basic air work, VOR navigation, as well as many other maneuvers.

Some say that they can be helpful for use in an instrument program but don't have any utility in a Private program. Not so. They are well suited to introduce cockpit orientation, basic air work, VOR navigation, as well as many other maneuvers.

Regarding the issue of logging flight time, you don't need to be able to log flight time for the experience to be valuable. Much can be learned and practiced during solo flights, especially if used in conjunction with the American Flyers Courseware. This courseware provides an "in cockpit" instructor who guides you through everything you need to do. To learn more about this courseware go to Channel 26 on AmericanFlyers.net.

If you couldn't tell, I'm a big fan.

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