Time to Spare

Departing an hour later would have meant arriving a day later on busy holiday

A pilot we know usually starts (and often completes) his preflight in the car on the way to the airport. He calls Flight Service from the cell phone. He pulls the airplane out of the T-hangar, makes sure it’s got both wings and still has a propeller, and away he goes.

Most pilots are a bit more diligent, calling Flight Service before leaving home or the office and conducting a more thorough walk-around before parking the car in the hangar and heading out. Some are downright anal-retentive about it, plotting the weather for days before a flight and conducting a 100-hour inspection before lighting the fire.

Over the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I was reminded of how many different faces...