Do you fly the airplane, or is your checklist really the PIC? It may sound funny, but an awful lot of pilots are slaves to their checklists, blindly following them as if it’s a set of assembly instructions for a piece of furniture. You can and should do better.

Standing next to my favorite airplane inspires me to recall a few of my favorite flights. This old, red Aztec has taken my friends, family and me to such far-flung places as Caracas, Newfoundland, Cabo and Kelowna. I now realize it was because of the training I received (and a lot of good luck) that I have been afforded the opportunity to go to those places--and cherish those memories.