Learning to Fly: Dreams


If I could do anything at all, I would buy a single engine plane (perhaps a Cessna) and fly from place to place forever and ever. The first career I thought of as a kid was to be a fighter pilot. But my eyesight wasn't perfect and I was told I wouldn't qualify. I was also discouraged for reasons of safety. 

A used old Cessna in working condition can apparently be bought for $50k or so. But there would be the additional cost of learning to fly. 

When I was 15 or so, I had bought one of those small handbooks you could buy (perhaps the Observer's Book of Aircraft) which listed every plane in the world with a picture and its specifications. I took pride in identifying the few planes that flew overhead where we lived on the IIT campus in New Delhi. We were close enough to Palam Airport (now Indira Gandhi Airport) so that planes would fly overhead low enough to be identifiable. Of course, most of what we saw was easy enough to identify. Boeing 747, 737, and the occasional 727 comprised the majority. Occasionally we would see fighter jets, especially around Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26) each year. 

When it came time to join the National Cadet Core (NCC) in highschool, I chose the Air Wing. I still have a certificate of graduation. Sadly we never got much exposure to flying and were limited to some rifle shooting practice and marching in military uniforms. I wish I had a few pictures of those drills. 

I would have to research this further but apparently a typical single engine propeller Cessna could fly at least 500 miles in one go. That would take me from New Hampshire to Virginia in about 5 hours, which is pretty damn impressive! That would cost roughly 50 gallons (10 per hour) of fuel. At $3 per gallon that would come to around $150. 

Then there would be the cost of regular maintenance and what not. But I could be free as a bird. Well almost. I couldn't land just anywhere. I would have to land at designated airports. There would probably be a fee for the use of airspace as well as airports. Something to research for the next installment.


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