Originally posted by R.weaver

Oh and on the airline topic, poor chaps in the pas-jet, I think you might just be right

Thanks. I know I’m right.

A couple of years back Mrs Moggy and I took the Colt for a bimble to a fly-in south of Rome.

For reasons far too tedious to describe we found ourselves unexpectedly in the GA parking at Pisa San Giusta, hemmed in by Citations, Lears and Gulfstreams.

The Colt attracted gold-braid by the shed load. Quite a few of the drivers wandered across to ask questions and peer into the cabin. You could see the envy, it was tangible, and for a moment inexplicable.

Then, after thinking about it for a while it becomes clear.

Sandra and I could choose to stay and look at the leaning tower. We could choose to go. What time we left at and in which direction was totally up to us. Once in the air we could changes plans in an instant; with just a twitch of the yoke we could be on our way to completely different adventures. We were truly free.

They were earning a good salary flying high performance aircraft with glass cockpits. But they had no freedom whatsoever. The time and track of their next sector was dictated by the needs of the guy in the back, by eurocontrol, flight levels, airways. They have to follow a preordained route plus or minus a degree or so, plus or minus 100ft.

Not that they couldn’t afford an aircraft like mine on their pay as a hobby. But I did get the sense that for many of them their work was spoiling the vision of flight that had made them become pilots in the first place. The funny little ragwing parked amongst the jets had reminded them of this.

Moggy

Enjoy your XC rw.