Discovering My Own Hidden Aviation Network

Some trusted friends strongly recommended a much more affordable, friendly option 50 miles away. Financially and philosophically, there was only one option—go with the friendly option and deal with the inconvenience. 

This meant I’d have to get creative to get myself and my airplane to and from maintenance appointments. At first, I relied on some non-flying friends for hour-long car rides to or from my mechanic when necessary. But before long, I discovered a hidden transportation network that I never knew existed.

In speaking with fellow owners at my local airfield, I learned that transportation to and from their mechanic is a common challenge with which everyone must cope from time to time. And I learned that there is a collective willingness to pitch in and help each other out whenever this becomes necessary. Like Batman shining the Bat Signal up into the clouds, one needs only to ask the group for help, and help invariably comes through.

To be clear, this is not “holding out” as defined by the FAA. There is simply a collective understanding among the group that if the weather is nice enough to fly on any given weekend, each of us will be looking for an excuse to do so with no particular time or destination in mind. Should one of us need to be shuttled to or from the mechanic, that will simply become the day’s flying. After all, we’d be flying anyway.

Recently, while contending with a persistent oil leak, I had the opportunity to activate our little transportation network twice—once for the trip to drop my plane off and, later, to pick it up. The trips were separated by a few weeks, and each provided an enjoyable opportunity to catch up with a local flying friend while experiencing different airplanes firsthand.

For the trip to drop off my plane, I reached out to my friend Max. He and his wife own the exact same plane as me—a Cessna 170B. Although the two airplanes are identical types, they differ quite a bit in overall setup. Whereas mine has been set up for off-airport flying, with big 29-inch Alaskan Bushwheel tires and a strong-pulling but slow-flying McCauley seaplane propeller, his was a proper classic, nearly identical to the state it was in when it left the factory.

Taxiing out felt weird as a passenger from the right seat, but Max had owned his machine for many years, and it quickly became evident that he was a proficient, smooth pilot. Although his checklist and overall flow differed from mine, everything was accomplished safely and efficiently. 

The cruise portion of the flight provided a particularly interesting side-by-side comparison with my own 170. With his standard prop and small tires, he cruised noticeably faster than me. I did, however, find myself missing my Garmin engine monitor and its detailed presentation of engine information. Old steam gauges work fine, but I’ve become spoiled by the bright colors and instant alerts to emerging trends on my own panel.

I tend to fear the worst when flying with a different pilot for the first time, particularly when flying in an unfamiliar type. For example, I often find myself wondering just how close to stall speed we might be during the turn from base to final. Fortunately, between my familiarity with Max and with the 170, I had zero concerns with his approach and landing, and it was entirely fun and relaxing.

When the time came to pick up my plane, I reached out to Scott, who owns a Cessna 180 a few hangars down from my own. Scott has flown his plane in Alaska and, like Max, was comfortable and proficient in his machine. His 180 has so much more power and thrust than the 170, I found myself laughing at how little the departure-end obstacles mattered to us. 

As we approached the destination airport, I provided Scott with some insight that he might otherwise have never learned. He wasn’t aware that the airport maintains an unofficial grass strip just to the side of one of the hard-surfaced runways. I pointed it out, explaining some unique concerns and how to contend with them safely. 

For myself and many aircraft owners, flying becomes a generally solitary activity. While most of us thoroughly enjoy giving rides and having the occasional companion along for weekend breakfast runs, this tends to become the exception to otherwise quiet solo flights. By teaming up with my local network of airplane owner friends, we help each other out not just by shuttling each other to and from our airplanes but also by providing some interesting insight into other airplanes and flying techniques that we otherwise would never have experienced.