“I don’t know what it is about pre-flighting a plane in the early hours of morning. It’s not like jumping in your car, turning the ignition, and backing out of the driveway. I think it has to do with the fact that you’re leaving the earth, which most people can’t do, and the preparation for such a feat is almost as exciting as the event itself.”  Jimmy Buffett

I first read this quote in EAA’s Reach for the Sky magazine when I was a student pilot. A Buffett fan since 1978, I was sold. I HAD to get my pilot’s license now, I thought.

Well, several months later, in June 2008, I did, and in the years since I have pre-flighted an airplane in the early hours of morning many times, and never once has the excitement of doing so been lost on me.

Here is one of those magical moments. My good flying buddy wiping the early morning dew off the airplane just as the sun is rising. Soon we would be airborne.

I am not sure there is anything better in the world than having a dream and making it come true. I dreamed of flying airplanes, and now I do. The fun, the friends, like William above, and the memories made from doing so, have truly been one of my life’s high points.

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