Jessica Cox, 25, a girl born without arms, stands inside an aircraft. The girl from Tucson, Arizona got the Sport Pilot certificate lately and became the first pilot licensed to fly using only her feet.

Jessica Cox of Tucson was born without arms, but that has only stopped her from doing one thing: using the word “can’t.”

Her latest flight into the seemingly impossible is becoming the first pilot licensed to fly using only her feet.

With one foot manning the controls and the other delicately guiding the steering column, Cox, 25, soared to achieve a Sport Pilot certificate. Her certificate qualifies her to fly a light-sport aircraft to altitudes of 10,000 feet.

“She’s a good pilot. She’s rock solid,” said Parrish Traweek, 42, the flying instructor at San Manuel’s Ray Blair Airport.

Parrish Traweek runs PC Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Services and has trained many pilots, some of whom didn’t come close to Cox’s abilities.

“When she came up here driving a car,” Traweek recalled, “I knew she’d have no problem flying a plane.”

Doctors never learned why she was born without arms, but she figured out early on that she didn’t want to use prosthetic devices.

Jessica Cox, 25, earned a license to fly airplanes on October 10, 2008. Jessica also has two black belts in Tae Kwan-Do, a college degree in Psychology, and a thriving career as a motivational speaker. What doesn’t Jessica Cox have? Arms.A bilateral congenital limb deficiency doesn’t stop Ms. Cox from achieving and surpassing her goals. From birth on, her feet became her hands. She can drive a car, type 25 words per minute, and fly an airplane using her feet, without any special adaptations. She is the first woman without arms to earn a license to fly. 

“I highly encourage people with disabilities to consider flying,” Cox said. “It helps reverse the stereotype that people with disabilities are powerless into the belief that they are powerful and capable of setting high goals and achieving them.” 

Jessica earned her Sport Pilot certificate after training with Able Flight, a North Carolina flight training company that specializes in helping people with disabilities learn to fly. Ms. Cox won an Able Flight scholarship and was able to train with instructor Parrish Traweek free of charge.

“Golf, Sierra, Quebec, you are cleared to land on 26L.” Those, folks, are the sweetest 10 words you’ll hear at the end of a long day flying. Why am I making such a fuss about it? Let me tell you. With those 10 words it means that I am Number one! Being number one means a whole slew of things. I shall tell you what they mean in a moment. It’s definitely not like, “Who’s on first?”
With a landing clearance from the Air Traffic Controller (or the tower), I know I am ready to make all the moves necessary to imple-ment a safe landing. My pre-landing checklist is run and my cockpit duty is done. (I don’t know why they still call it the cockpit with so many female pilots occupying the front office of a plane these days). With a grin on my face and a trim of the wheel, and a swirl of my tired butt, I can set the plane on the right speed and pitch attitude and pre-pare to fly the last critical mile in for “Final” to make a soft touch down, “like a butterfly with sore feet.” (One of my instructors used to say that, even though no one can prove nor disprove if a butterfly ever has sore feet)!

So, why is it so important to be number one? Well, besides the usual connotation of being in first place, being number one means these things to me:

1)  When I am number one, I don’t have to extend my down-wind, to who knows how far, in order to allow the plane in front of me to set up its landing rituals.  Extending my down-wind means flying low and slow (circuit height), maintaining my altitude, maintaining my speed. This is when the mantra “Power and attitude equals performance,” keeps running rampant in my little head. It’s one of those cheesy but good sayings instructors throw at their students to make them fly better (tongue in cheek). I have to pay extra careful attention to my instruments and to look out for traffic at a critical time of flight when I am already tired from a long flight. I am al-ready taxed, and now I have to summon up extra energy and garner a second wind to fly the plane right to bring me down safely. I am not complaining. Nor am I saying that I can’t do it. Been there, done that. In the initial stages of flight training I used to love it, as it gave me the opportunity to learn the unpredictable. In the initial stages of training, the flights were usually short and sweet, and any “extras” thrown my way were considered “bonus learning.” Pilots are supposed to fly with their minds. They ought to be always mindful and vigi-lant, and “fly ahead of the plane.” A good pilot should be able to anticipate a situation and comply with instantaneous instructions from the tower. (It’s called having “situational awareness.”) Nonetheless it can become demanding if you have anticipated a “typical landing” (in your own little head) and the tower throws you a curve ball just as you make the radio call to announce you’re  “inbound, for landing” inten-tion. Or even before that, if you’ve been listening to the right frequency, “d’other plane” in the pattern has been cleared to land and you know you’re not number one.

2)  When I am not number one, and the tower wants me to “extend your downwind,” and it doesn’t tell me how far to fly and to what point, or what vector to fly (for the non-aviator, a vector simply means a heading); I am afraid they might for-get all about me, and leave me flying all the way back to where I’ve flown from 8 hours ago. Lots of laughter! That thought had occurred to me in my early days of flight train-ing. It was legitimate anxiety time. When my instructor was in the right seat, I used to feel less anxious because I had im-plicit trust in my instructor (sometimes I was being naïve, but most of the time, I truly believed in his competency to swoop in and save my bacon, and rightly so).

3)  When I am not number one, I know it will cost me more money than I had expected to spend that day for flying. And that does not make me happy. With “avgas 100LL” at $1.50 cents a litre in most airports (For non-aviators, that is aviation fuel, with 100 octane, and low in lead … yes they still have lead, as lead makes for a good lubricant … only for plane engines, that is!) My (not so little) Cessna burns 8 gallons of avgas an hour. An extra 15 minutes of “extend your down-wind” leg could cost me my “après flying” fun at the local watering hole. That would not be a good thing.

4)  Sometimes, because you are not number one, the tower may tell you to “Maintain altitude, and do a Right, 270”. This procedure is to buy time for d’plane which is ahead of you toland first, without conflict. For now, that means you have to keep your plane on the level without losing height, with throttle and pitch control, and make a “standard rate turn” 270 degrees from your heading to the right. And that is YOUR right. (For the non- aviators, a standard rate turn is a 360-degree turn in 2 minutes time.) In this configuration of turn-ing required of you, you start to scramble with mental arith-metic and visualization quickly while you attempt to comply with the tower’s instruction; at the same time, blurting out “Wilco,” meaning you will cooperate; followed by a repeat oyour call sign (in a panic, you could say it wrong too, espe-cially if it is the first time you’re flying that bird). The tower knows you are sweating by now. But the traffic controller, being a true professional, standing over the radar surveillancescreen up there in the tower, will not try to flap you.  As if this was not enough, you also have to repeat the instruction back to the tower, so that they know that you know what you’ve been told to do. And all this time you are playing an-other mantra in your head … that of, “aviate, navigate, com-municate” which is what you’ve been told to do. When in doubt, fly the plane first. But the tower wants to know … NOW. You are busy aviating, and not communicating. All of a sudden, silence is loud in this scenario.  You are trying to stay cool. So you say to the tower, “Standby.” You say it just like a “Pro,” as if you know exactly what you are doing. All the while you are trying to figure out why the heck you started flying in the first place! (And on the ground, they are trying to take your cell phone away when you’re talking and driving!)  I learned quickly that flying is all about multi-tasking. In a split second the frenzy vanishes because you say to yourself, “fly the plane”, and then you do. 

And before you know it, the plane is flying itself. It isall trimmed out. The auto- pilotis on and all is well. You are onthe right heading again; and thenext call is from the tower tell-ing you that you are cleared to land, and you are now number one. NOW you can breathe again. Isn’t learning to fly so much fun, exhilarating and breathtaking (as in “take my breath away?!”) 

It challenges you physi-cally, mentally and emotionally and makes a better person out of you at the end of the day. The tower is not trying to put you through a test to see if you can do what it is that they want you to do. The tower doesn’t care if you can fly and chew the prover-bial gum at the same time. The tower operates for a safety “traffic separation” reason, and it assumes you know what to do when you’re not number one. After all you’ve passed the flight test. You are a full-fledged pilot. The tower expects you to comply. So, you comply. It is vital that you comply I was told. It is not so difficult for all those seasoned, veterans/pilots/mathematicians out there to comply with vectoring, separations and intercepting instruc-tions. But for a rookie pilot it can be intimidating in the be-ginning of a solo flying experience and at the end of a long flight. However, the good thing is, as you get to fly more and more, they (the procedures) can become second nature and flying can become easier. Hence the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” Transport Canada safety circulars tell you that pilot error is most common during the pilot fatigue phase, so we need to pay extra attention when a tower deviates from the standard, “You are cleared to land, you are number one,” clearance call. Especially at the end of a long flight from NewMexico which began 8 hours ago. Your body might be cramped and your mind is wandering home to your own bed. After all, you’ve just spent a week sleeping in a tent on the desert floor with scorpions and rattle snakes. You want to make “final” for that soft landing; you don’t want to make it your final and last landing (pun intended).

5)  And finally, when you are not number one, and d’plane ahead of you is not landing as expected, you might have to re-engage and fly a manoeuver which pilots call a “go-around.” That, my dear readers, will be the subject of another story. So, now you know why I like being “number one.” (I have been number 2, 3 and 4 before too. I have no problems with being number 2, 3 and 4, any-more. The sweating days are somewhat over. But I still prefer to be number one.)

I love to ramble on and on about flying … flying is my pas-sion (even when I am not number one for landing). But I havto go now. 
I would love to be Number one on your list of flightschools to call when you’re looking for a flight experi-ence. Be it sight seeing, or flying lessons. Just come down to Cobalt Aviation and look me up and I will tryto satisfy your flying passion as well. For now, this isErissa saying adios, and blue skies and safe flights, toall the pilots and soon to be pilots out there.  Hasta la vista!

I love that character “Tattoo.”  “Bozz, Bozz, d’plane, d’plane.” Those four words opened my eyes to the world of little planes (small aircraft, I mean).

When I was little, I lived in a little town called Miri. Miri is 60 miles south of the Sultanate of Brunei, whose ruler was once the richest man in the world, that is, until Bill Gates came along and made silicon more desirable than black gold (oil). Miri boasts the first oil well dis-covered by the British Shell Company in the deep jungle of Borneo.

Borneo, in my youth, was primitive. I grew up without television. Naturally when I arrived in Canada back in 1975, and discovered that television was as common as a couch, I got myself a TV, brand name Quasar. Why? Because the tagline on the box said, “The quality goes in before the product goes out.” Some of you may remember this. As a person from the land of no TV, I had to get the one with definite qual-ity. Taglines sell! It was the kind of TV where you actually had to haul your butt out of the Lazy Boy chair to change the channel. Some of you will also remember that there were only 13 channels on the dial. I only had 3. I could not afford “cable,” and Mr. Roger then, was “unhackable,” so that meant, “No pay no say!” (An old Chinese say-ing)!

And so it was that with my TV I explored the world beyond my imme-diate surroundings, which in the early years of my existence in Canada were pretty limited. Today we try to limit our intake of “tv-itis” be-cause there are better things to do out in the real world than watch TV … like going to a real airport and flying a real plane. But in my younger days, TV was my teacher. 

And so it is that I got to learn a lot about planes and flying boats and crafts from watching TV. The documentary Wings over Canada still remains a very entertaining and educational, as well as an eye-opening show for me because not only does it enlighten me about flying but it truly opens my eyes to the fact that:

“WOW … there are places in Canada that are truly GORGEOUS.” There are places in Canada that are only accessible by float planes and by small planes, kind of like the small plane that flew over Tattoo’s head while he pointed at it and yelled, “D’plane, d’plane.”
Last time I said I would talk about some of the most beautiful places I have seen in our Province from the air. Well, I am going to try, but words will do them great injustice. I will try anyhow. 

On a cold February morning, Sparky (his real name) Imeson, my mountain flying guru and great friend, and I decided to fly to Gimli, Manitoba, to fetch my new acquisition. It is a 1975 Cessna 172, a four-seater small plane, like the one Tattoo pointed out; like those that are constantly buzzing over your head and house while the pilots in them learn how to land at Pitt Meadows airport in what they call “circuit training.” (Next time you hear a sound of a small aircraft, do like Tattoo did; run outside, drop what you’re doing, look up and point at it and yell, “D’plane, d’plane,” as loudly as you can. I promise you, it is most therapeutic and if you have a bad neighbour you want out of your neighbourhood, it might work!)
I am famous for getting off topic … alrighty then, back to Gimli, Manitoba. Gimli is the site of a strange landing that occurred back in July of 1983. An Air Canada Boeing 767 actually glided to an unserv-iceable runway making an off-airport landing because it ran out of fuel. You can Google “Gimli Glider” on the internet and read more about it if you like. 

The day Sparky and I attempted to fly out of Gimli, Manitoba; the temperature was minus 40 degrees Celsius. THAT IS COLD. For a tropical bird like me, it is cold beyond description. Cussing did not help. I had to drop in at a local Sally Ann store to buy an old beaver-pelted coat just to keep my skin from cracking. Now I know why the Hudson Bay Company people became fur traders up North in the good old days.

My newly acquired Cessna with a new engine refused to start. The mechanic was called in to help crank the engine up. Finally we were able to get airborne after a long run up. Everywhere I looked the ground was white and frozen. Flying across Lake Manitoba was a complete “white out.” The lake was frozen; the clouds were low so visibility was poor. Sparky flew IFR (that’s Instrument Flight Rules for non-aviators). Without IFR we would not have been able to fly out that day.

The weather started to clear towards Regina. All the way west to-wards Regina and Medicine Hat, the flight was as boring as the ter-rain were flat and non remarkable. A dramatic change in scenery happened just as we approached Lethbridge, Alberta. The Foot hills of the Rockies were awe inspiring as you get to see the terrain slowly rise. The ridges and mountain tops were sprinkled with snow and punctuated with glaciers. As we approach the mountain ranges, we could see frozen lakes and blue lakes which just appeared as though they were suspended in the valleys and between mountain ranges. Blue Hawaiian punch bowls I thought! The cold dry air in the plane made me thirsty and I looked down from 1000 feet above ground level to see a Hawaiian punch below me … reminded me of the ancient mariner saying: “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!”

The Kootenay lakes, the ski hills of Big White, Apex, and even to the North, the Silver Star Mountain of Vernon were clearly visible as we pressed westbound on our journey home to Pitt Meadows. Runways below us enroute were easy to spot, contrasted by the white snow-covered surroundings. I started to apply some of the “Mountainology” knowledge I had learnt from Sparky.  Like, how to cross a ridge at 45 degrees angle; how to dive over the ridge; how to “feel” where the updrafts and downdrafts were coming from by watching the vertical speed indicator; and how to tell from the snow deposits on the side of each mountain where the prevailing winds was coming from. Now, that is a lot more interesting than flying a flat terrain, any flying day, I’d say! Most of all I learned how to manage the fuel mixture and engine performance in high altitude and low temperature.

The most incredible sight was seeing Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake appearing before us as we neared Penticton. All of a sudden the Snow and white gave way to more greenery and darker waters. The terrain had changed quite a bit. And then there was a change in temperature. It became a lot warmer.

We made our gradual descent into Penticton for runway 34. To fly the final leg to this airport in a small aircraft with the water so close as we approach over Skaha Lake and then gliding over the beach onto runway 34 has become a thrill for me up to this day. I still take off to Penticton from Pitt Meadows some mornings just to recreate that thrill. Often as I near Penticton I pray the wind will be blowing from the North, which it usually is, just so I can fly over Skaha Lake to land on runway 34. I know how much fun float plane pilots must have each time I do that! Someday I’ve got to get myself a float plane too. 

For now, I have to leave you again. I shall continue my journey in the next issue of this awesome rag. Until then, this is ERISSA from COBALT AVIATION saying, ADIOS.  To all the pilots and future pilots, I wish you blue skies and safe flights.  

For tips on mountain flying techniques, if you plan to venture into the mountains this winter, please check out Sparky Imeson’s  book : The Mountain Flying Bible (Revised edition), available at Cobalt Aviation. It is a life-saver. Short of having him actually in the plane with you to tell you what to do in a “tight,” the book is your next best bet!

If you are not going to be a pilot –in- command flying into the mountains, perhaps you can call COBALT AVIATION  @ 604-465-3328 and book a sight- seeing flight and leave the flying to us while you enjoy the breathtaking views of our coastal mountains ( in that plane that we flew in from Gimli)!

Making a final approach into Runway 34, Penticton

So, if you’re reading this, it means you’re following my column, which is a good thing. And an even better thing is that we are alive and enjoying these never ending days of Summer here in the West Coast. It’s been a sad week for me though.  My favour-ite TV naturalist, Steve Irwin, D’ Crocodile Hunter is dead… doing what he loved…CRIKEY!  It got me to thinking about life and death and the meaning of life ( call me philosophical). I know we tend to avoid talking about such matters in relation to flying, but death is a fact of life … kind of an oxymoron. Nevertheless, we should aim to arrive late at the Pearly Gate, always!! Talking about life and death I suppose would be a good place for me to establish a point of entry for my approach to this article this week (that’s sort of a flying metaphor). Pilots like to talk of “fix”, “entry” and “approach” coz it gives them a buzz and a high when ever they talk “LANDINGS.  In Aviation we have a saying: “Taking off is optional, but landing is Mandatory”!!  Landing is crucial, but so  are   all phases of a flight. A good pilot knows that.

Indeed most aviation mishaps occur on landings. Hangar talks involve a lot of “landings” talk… and with that  some braggadocio!!  Some pilots like to think they make the best, softest “touchdowns”!!  kinda like the fishing stories  you  hear!! The big one always got away!!  (Joking aside, arrogance and ignorance have no place in flying).  To stay alive in our sport requires that we stay current with our knowl-edge, and are constantly vigilant about our limitations and the limita-tions of our equipment and aircraft. We need to fly within our abilities and practice situational awareness at all times. Over-confidence kills, while recognizing your skills thrills!!  Especially if you like doing “upper air works”, as in aerobatics.  In our discipline, we can truly say that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.  And “knowledge is power”.

Last week, I said I would let you know this week  the reasons why I am  “so altruistic” as to have you knock on my flight school door to ask me  for a “free flight” if and when you cannot afford to pay  me  with our colorful “CHIA-PEE” (that is Chinese for Canadian money)!! .. No, not “Chia-pet” but you can use that as a marker to remember “Chia-Pee” (off topic there, eh ?) … So, here are the rea-sons…..(as to why I’m altruistic)…  I believe that if you have a pas-sion, you must share it.  I also believe that if you have something that you can afford to share with others,  then you need to share that.  The old cliché that says, “You can’t take it with you” is a truism.  I also believe that we are not here for a long time… so, I believe that  in the short time we are here on this wonderful planet, we need to do what we love as much as we love it and to share  that. …and like the song says, “Have a good time…”!  It brings on good Karma too.   I love to fly and I fly to get more experience everyday so I can keep myself safer.  The more I fly, the more skills I acquire.  Don’t get me wrong. Flying is NOT a dangerous sport. It is safer than a lot of other sports and activities. BUT it requires commitment, dedication to learn, flight training and skills honed by practicing your skills with good instruc-tors (hence the number of great  flight schools around Pitt Meadows airport). Aviation insurance statistics have shown that the more “time” a pilot has in his logbook, the safer he/she is behind the controls…. And so, in deductive reasoning… it means the more I fly myself and you around, the safer I get and the longer I get to stay alive. Heck, my Philosophy Professor at SFU might defy my reasoning, but, it works for me, and like my aircraft mechanic used to say, if it works, don’t change it!! 

You see, my Cessna 172 model has three passenger seats. It does not cost me more if I fly myself solo or add on another passenger or two. In flying you I might also get to peak your interest in flying yourself, and hopefully you will say you want to learn to fly as well…  AHA!!….at which point I say, “Hey, GREAT!! Why don’t you give COBALT AVIATION a jingle and talk to that handsome CFI, ( that would be Chief Flight Instructor, in the aviation lingo) Jamie Ursulak, and say Erissa sent you !! (hmmm, that’s real smooth and subtle, eh)?? LOL. 

Check out our www.cobaltaviation.com site to feel the thrill of  our passion. We have a great Photo gallery.  My invitation is open.  Call me to fly as a friend, gratis. In the past week, I have flown 7 friends who have never been in a small aircraft… to the San Juan Islands, to Victoria, to circle Golden Ears Mtn. and to the Downtown core.  The joy I get from their thrill is what the MC commercial calls:  price-less !!   ( Call me altruistic? Uh uh )!! Oh, oh, (Call me mono-syllabic instead!!)… I‘m running out of space again……And I haven’t even touched on the subject of how you can “GO FLYING” for “almost free” 4 other ways. Oh well, I’ll try to tell you in the next issue of this awesome rag!! Until then, this is Erissa saying Adios again. And keep your self, your love, and your dreams alive!!   Blue sky and safe flying to all pilots and soon to be pilots.  

…so, you wanna go flying… and I promised you in the last issue of this awesome rag that  I would tell you how you can fly for less $$ than you think it would cost you… and just be-cause you are reading my col-umn I am going to tell you how you can fly for almost free… the operative word here is “almost”.  O.K. listen up…

First you need to assess your rendezvous with flying in the fol-lowing category. 1)  I have a great passion for flying and I will do anything to “slip the surly bonds” ( oh yeah, have I got a deal for you) ! 2)  I have been thinking about learning to fly ( Stop think-ing, start calling that flight school … if  I say, “just do it” I might get sued by Nike. So, “just call”). 3)  I love to fly but I am afraid of heights (we have a cure for that!) 4)  I walk the dykes and I look up above and I wander what that buzzing noise above me is (Have I got a flight school for you to check it out!!) 5)  My kids are on the computer every minute of every hour of every day playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and I think they wanna be pilots!!  (GREAT NEWS… a pilot in the making!!)

OK.OK.  Now you’ve assessed yourself. So, here is how it works….. If you have a great passion for flying, then show your passion by hanging out at the hangars … you live close to one… go to any one of those hangars out at  the Pitt Meadows Airport (CYPK) …preferably mine, of course, and  you will be sur-prised at how all of us here share our passion with you. That is why we are here. We don’t just like flying. We have a genuine passion for flying. The inherent meaning of the word passion is that it must be shared. The MW online dictionary describes pas-sion as something like this: “intense driving or overwhelming feeling or conviction for an activity or an object…..” That would be my category. I love flying and I love planes.  As an ardent passionate lover of both,  I would love to visit and talk and share with people with the same inclination.  So, if someonesays to me…. I love flying … but I cannot afford to pay for it, guess what I would do? You got it!  I would say: “Hey, buddy, next time the weather permits ( I fly VFR, and that would be Visual Flight Rule in Aviation lingo) come on down to the han-gar and I will take you flying on my time and cost.  Did I not say have I got a deal for you?  It is “almost free” … all you needis guts to knock on the door.  And you might add, why is she so altruistic…?  Oops!!  I’m out of space again…looks like you will have to read the next issue of this awesome rag again next week to find out why I’m so altruistic!!

AND stay tuned to find out how you can GO FLYING ( for al-most free) if you are in the other 4 categories….. 

For now dream flying till you knock on my door to share your passion with us @ Cobalt Aviation located at CYPK ( airport identifier for Pitt Meadows). Until then, here is Erissa saying Adios; and Blue skies and safe flight to all pilots and soon to be pilots out there….. 

Yes, at the airport (Pitt Meadows Regional Airport)

Please attend this sunday august 20th. there will be EAA young eagles flight where children 8 to 17  can fly for free to taste flight!! 

Come and visit us at the cobalt aviation booth too !!

Well, I‘ve been asked to write about FLYING for this rag. I like to talk flying and planes. Paul, the Editor, sensed my passion when we talked!!  However, I like the “Hangar-talk”, so, my stories will be that in nature. I will not bore you with the nuts and bolts of planes and the technical aspects of flying. I will leave that to the CFIs and AMEs (that would be “chief flight instructors” and “Aircraft Mechanical Engineers”, in aviation lingo)!! So, if that is what you want you will have to go buy yourselves some “real” flying magazines. This is just a community paper, apparently.

Writing is not quite my forte. But I have so much to share about flying that unless I can talk to you all at once, I will have to share it by writing it somewhere where you can read about it and what better place to start my story than in this paper? Why this magazine you say?  Heck, because Paul seemed like a genu-inely nice guy and has been courting my advertising dollar for quite sometime now!! So, I better put my mouth where my money is.   Yeah! I have all these clichés, like, what should the title of my story be?? Should I call it “Romancing the plane”?  Or, “Why the fear of flying”? … Guess not!!  Paul and I might get sued by Michael Douglas and /or Erica Jung if we became popular, or Heaven forbids famous, and rich because of my story and arti-cles. You know how it is. When your pocket gets deep, people become “sue-happy” (Hey, I just made that phrase up too)!! 

Talking about “deep-pockets”…. Maybe here is a good place to start talking about flying. The general public… you included, yeah, you, I’m talking to you…(now I might get sued by DeNiro)  always assumes that in order to learn to fly or experi-ence flying, you have to have money or a deep pocket. Well, you are right, and wrong at the same time. There is a saying in aviation…. It goes like this. “How do you make a million from aviation? The Answer is “You start out with two million”. Right, if you want to go into an aviation business and you let your passion in planes and accessories run away with your dol-lars… and there is no end to all those beautiful planes that are coming out of air shows and all the new avionic and GPS you can buy with which to adorn your plane.  They will make a non – aviation enthusiast drool, never mind someone like me!!  BUT if you just want to learn to fly or fly for fun or have a sight see-ing flight here and there, it is not more expensive than any other hobby you might currently have, such as your indulgence in computers, new technology, that flat 48” screen you hang on your wall,  or Xbox,  or skiing or heck, having an affair or pas-sion in any number of people or activities……not to mention eating out or mere keeping up with the “Jones’s herb or flower garden” …. 

Oops! I am out of space for this edition…….so, stay tuned for the next edition of this awesome rag for the continuation of my story on how I learned to fly and how you can too for less $$ than you might think…… 

For now dream flying till you can share the reality of your passion with us @ Cobalt Aviation located at CYPK (airpoIdentifier for Pitt Meadows). Here’s Erissa saying Adios till next week!!  Blue skies and safe flight for pilots and soon to be pilots out there ….