Airplane in for scheduled maintenance

Every year, an aircraft must be inspected by a mechanic. It's referred
to as the annual inspection All of the critical components and the
engine are carefully checked. This year, the inspection is more
important than most since I'll be flying this old bird over 7000 miles
in the next two months. I had some avionics work completed today, so
when the annual inspection is completed, the plane should be in tip-
top condition. For anyone who has flown with me in the past, you'll
be happy to know that I'm reupholstering my seats for a very
comfortable ride. Here's the plane sitting at the shop, waiting to be
worked on. I will be posting a detailed itinerary soon and contacting
people whom I will be visiting. T minus 2 weeks and counting.

Reconnecting with the past - Instant Gratification

I must admit that there are few things that catch me off guard these days. Today, it happened twice!! When I was in grade school, I had a good friend named Michael. His family moved from Peabody to Cape Cod around 1976 and we lost touch. My family never traveled, so even a short trip from the North Shore to Cape Cod was out of the question. I remember being told that he stopped by my house to visit one day in 1980 or 1981, but I was in school. I began planning this trip in 2007 and I was determined to reconnect with him. Through my research back then, I actually had tracked down his address, though I wasn't sure it was correct. Knowing that his family owned a chain of restaurants in the Boston area, I decided to call one today in order to track him down. I figured that I might get the Maître de, so I began by asking if the family still owned the restaurant. The answer was yes. Next, I began to mention that I was searching for a long lost friend, someone I hadn't seen or spoken to in about 33 years. To my astonishment, the voice on the other end of the line said "I'm Michael!" I really wasn't even prepared for that. I was in shock, and I was thrilled to reconnect with an old friend.

An hour prior to this phone call, I set about locating another old childhood friend who I hadn't seen or spoken to in about 30 years, Scott. I was about 95% certain that I had tracked him down in Oregon and had a phone number and email address. I sent an email and received an immediate reply. It was him!

Based on this, I've added Hyannis, MA and Newport, OR to my itinerary. Life is sometimes filled with the mundane chores of day to day living. Moments like these are invigorating and remind you about the wonder and unexpected joys that await. I know that this trip is going to reinvigorate my spirit. I am blessed with the opportunity to pursue my passions each summer and I intend to do just that. I think this is the beginning of something bigger for me.

I am in the process of finalizing my itinerary. It is more well-defined than I previously imagined. The proposed route below is quite accurate now and includes most of my stops. Denver stands out as somewhat of a deviation, but I have so many good friends there, it simply cannot be missed. I will be posting the itinerary soon, and please let me know if you'd like me to add a stop to come visit!

See you in the air everyone!

Flying to NH on Sunday

This will probably be my last cross country flight before the big
trip. There are now less than 30 days to go before I set off to fly
the United States on a wing and a prayer. Well, two wings and the FSM
actually. On Sunday, I'm meeting up with the Northeast Pilot's group
at Parlin field in NH for a Tres de Mayo party at the L'il Red Baron.
Track me live on the blog page. As the days count down, I'm getting
more and more excited about becoming a flying nomad. Sometimes, you
get sick of looking at the same four walls, no matter how pretty they
may be. I am happiest at 5000 feet or visiting with friends and I get to do
both on this trip.

For those whom I am stopping in to visit, I will be spending time on
the itinerary and will let you know when I'm coming through town. If
you'd like to be on the itinerary, drop me a line and I'll add a stop!

Two more weeks of teaching. Two weeks of prep while the airplane is in
for its annual inspection. Takeoff on June 1st. Return on August 1st.