Why I fly

I was asked the other day,

Why do I fly those little planes anyway?

They asked wouldn’t I rather ride in a big airliner,

Or use my money to buy an RV and maybe hire a driver?

So it made me ponder,

Why do I choose to sit in a seat in the sky way up yonder?

Well there are many reasons as my list I begin,

Too many to count, but here is my top ten.

To get from here to there

No orange barrels or blue lights will I see.

My number 10 reason?

To get from point A to point B!

Smooth water landing on a lake,

Dropping anchor, wetting a line.

My seaplane certificate is lots of fun,

And my reason number nine.

Joining the Mile High club

Is reason number eight.

It’s probably easier for skinny people

Than someone my weight!

Number 7? “Yeah, I’m a pilot”

I told the girl in the bar.

Now we are married

A pilot’s license can take you that far!

I have learned problem solving,

Getting me and the airplane out of a fix.

I use those skills every day,

So that is reason number six.

Going out to hone skills – that’s fun!

And might someday save my life.

Those maneuvers take practice

And as controllers say – that’s number “fife.”

Two words – AirVenture Oshkosh,

Need I say more?

The world’s biggest airshow

Is reason number four.

To feel like a bird

Flying high and free.

Phonetically speaking

That is reason number “tree”!

The number two reason

For why I’m a fan.

It is said the time spent flying

Is not deducted from my lifespan.

Looking at the ground from the sky

Has changed me forever I’ve found.

And is the number one reason I fly,

As I look at the sky from the ground.

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Charlie Masters

Charlie learned to fly in college, and has been an avid pilot ever since. He has visited every public-use airport in most of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, "including the expansive 12,000 ft runways of Columbus Rickenbacker (KLCK) and the 24 ft. wide, dogleg right, one way in/same way out, Mallory Airport (WV12) in Charleston." Charlie is a flight instructor, but his most memorable flight was in a rented Skyhawk over the active Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii.

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