Flying

Flying is one of the most ancient human dreams. And only in the last century or so did it go from fantasy to reality. So once I realized I could actually learn to fly, it felt almost irresponsible not to. I started training in Florida and Pennsylvania and have logged about 30 hours so far, mostly in Cessna 172s and 152s. I'm working toward my private pilot certificate and plan to go further: earn an instrument rating, maybe own my own plane one day, pick up a seaplane add-on, and eventually fly bush planes out into the wilderness to camp in places with no roads, just sky and forest.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but what originally opened my eyes to flying was a scene in the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer that left an impression. Of course, I later learned that scene was actually in a glider — not an airplane — but by then it was too late. I was hooked. Flying is equal parts a useful skill, a way of experiencing true freedom, and a portal into a whole new frontier of adventure.