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John and Connie Bouck Travel Stories
ON THE SKYWAYS…BY
PRIVATE PLANE!
Whoa! What are you thinking, Mr. Pilot?! You have something that Walter Mitty never had. Walter just had dreams, but not the ability to make them come true! He never actually had the ability to fly…and you have it! You have the license, and the airplane, to make dreams a reality. Forget the television! Forget the local fly-in breakfasts. Instead, reserve your plane, spend an hour or two in the air on Saturday morning, and head toward a destination that would be impossible in your car, or even by airline. Head toward a place you’d love to go…a great vacation spot a few hundred miles away, if only for a weekend!
A few short years ago, my wife and I would pull out a sectional chart, take a string, and make a couple of big circles with it. The first one was a circle of the area that we could fly to in an hour, the second circle was 2 hours, on up to a 4 hour flight, which we figured would be good for a LONG weekend. Then, we’d make our reservations for a place to stay, as well as a car, if we needed one. Come Friday night, or Saturday morning, we’d crank up the 210 and head out!
At first, we were a little reluctant, as it always seemed there was something else we should be doing. It didn’t take long, though, before we were beginning to go about every month, then every other weekend! Since then, we have ended up making more friends, and seeing more places, than we could have ever imagined. Not only that, but our trips began taking us to places we simply wanted to go, just because we hadn’t been there before. We eventually discarded our chart with the circles…simply pinpointing great vacation places, or small, and large, towns that…we just wanted to see.
And…we have seen them! We’ve walked the shores of New England, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island, eaten lobster on a sunny deck overlooking the Atlantic, gone to the theatre in Cincinnati and New York City, watched the shows in Branson, Missouri, and toured the historic homes of Charleston, Savannah and Asheville. In short, our horizons have become almost unlimited as we expand our stride, all in our airplane.
It’s not necessary to be wealthy, or retired. Maybe everyone else will think you are, when you tell them where you’ve been, or where you’re going…but that can be your secret! We’ve examined the costs. It’s not much more than it would be to drive your car. It can actually be less, if it’s a trip that would take you overnight in a car to reach your destination. I’m not retired, although my wife did retire last year, after 37 years of teaching. I will admit, though, that we have enjoyed our short trips so much that I have taken more time off from my business to stretch the wings of our 210 even more! It became so enjoyable, and so easy, that we have continued to want more, and to see more! It’s an amazing world out there that your airplane can bring closer.
Our personal plane (and pilot!) has led us to much longer trips as well…across the northern United States, from the horse and buggy filled streets of Mackinac Island, Michigan, to Rapid City, S. D., to see Mt. Rushmore. Then, on to Billings, Montana, to see the location General Custer thought would make a great tourist spot…but the Indians didn’t agree. To beautiful Glacier National Park, and the Road to the Sun, in Montana, over the Rockies, along the coast of California, and 26 miles out in the Pacific to gorgeous Santa Catalina Island. We’ve flown along the southern United States, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, then to the awesome Grand Canyon, with a stop in Memphis to see Elvis! That trip, admittedly, took us about a month, but we enjoyed every second, and our photo album is precious to us.
We have a nice place in Naples, Florida, but have flown there for only short stays over the last 2 years, because the urge became strong for us to fly on out to the Bahamas, and save our home in Naples until we may be too old to climb into the plane. Our first extended stay in the Out Islands began with an hilariously fun time, flying with 11 other planes, with an organized group called “Air Journey.” That week included a party at Stella Maris, on Long Island, one of the hundreds of Bahamian out islands. It was unusual because everyone was dressed as a pirate, and the party was held in a cave…complete with barbeque, campfires and an island band!
Now, after making reservations on the internet, we have spent a month for each of the last two years, flying and staying throughout the Bahamas Out Islands, including flying on down to the Turks and Caicos. The Bahamas are an incredible group of islands, so sunny and welcoming to pilots, with such warm, friendly people! The only airport with any traffic was when we were obliged to land in busy Nassau, to pick up some friends, and fly them back to our rented home in Elbow Cay, Abacos. The rest of the time, the sky, the beautiful beaches, the fabulous flying weather, was all ours, and ours alone.
This personal flying is relaxing, and fun! It isn’t the stressful ride on your local airline, where you’re concerned about arriving at the airport on time, getting through the strip search, and wondering if you really have time to make your flight…because you know they WILL leave without you. There’s no lost luggage, no leg cramping in a seat designed for a Yoga instructor, and you don’t have to share your seat with 2 lovers murmuring and slurping tongues and lips next to you, while the kid behind, with A.D.H.D., continues to kick the back out of your seat.
You’ve got to change your attitude and not just continue flying your plane in circles, between your airport and other close-by airports. Don’t hold off the short weekend vacations until you become too old to enjoy them, and your wheelchair won’t fit in the plane anyway. There is so much to see and do…just a few hours from home. Believe me, your airplane and your pilot’s license provides you the magic carpet…that you must use. It doesn’t have to be an extended, weeklong, or month long, trip…just go for the weekend, or even for a day. Remember the daydreams you had when you just decided to learn to fly? Remember how you told everyone that it would open up all kinds of possibilities? That’s the real reason you earned your pilot license, isn’t it?
Okay, that’s enough of why you should put fuel in the plane, load it with your luggage and your spouse, or significant other, and head off in the direction you’ve chosen. I want to tell you about where you can travel, what you can do, and how to get around when you get there. Next installment I’ll start with a few places easily reached from Upstate New York, then stretch out to more distant trips, including international travel…and how rewarding and easy it really is. I’d also love to hear about the places you might have gone…near or far, in your plane. Don’t tell me what you’ve done in your Gulfstream V. That’s not what most of us fly. I want to share the places we’ve been, flying ourselves there and back…the places that are in your own photo album, or just the place of your dreams. Maybe we can help make some of those dreams a reality.
John and Connie Bouck reside in Upstate Auburn, N. Y. He is a commercial and industrial real estate broker, licensed in New York and Florida. Connie is a retired school teacher. John flies a Cessna 210, as well as a Cessna 180 on amphibious floats. With over 2,000 hours of flight time, he holds a commercial license, with instrument rating, as well as seaplane rating, and is a CFI. He can be reached at: jcbouck@verizon.net |
The weekend is finally
coming. All the chores are complete. We’re just going to hang
around the house, maybe watch television, and read the Sunday
paper! Maybe Sunday morning, I can drive over to the airport, fire
up the trusty Cessna, and take the spouse to a fly-in breakfast
somewhere.