The Zen of Flying...what is this?

I have been a pilot for over half my life. I have been teaching other people to be pilots for half that time. My happiest hours are those where my feet are off the ground and I am above the pettiness that keeps us bound. Flying is a total release. Flying is about seeing the world from the inside out and the outside in all at the same time.

The Zen of Flying is about becoming such a part of the plane that in reality the pilot is the most essential part of the plane...the pilot is the brain. I just saw the movie, Avatar, last weekend and as I write this I can't help but realize that the airplane is the pilot's Avatar. The airplane is the body that allows the pilot the ability to do what he/she is meant to do...fly.

All pilot's have one common thread. That thread is their need to be in or at least close to the sky. It is as much a survival element as breathing. The pilot's mental health relies on flying like their body relies on breath to function healthfully.

I would like to share in my following blogs the way that I choose to look at aviation. I choose to look at the artistic side of what many view as a science. I look forward to feedback from readers and hope to share my passion with as many people as possible.