SEPTEMBER IS MY "base month" for recurrent training in our Cessna Citation CJ1. Traditionally, I've trained at SimCom in Orlando, Florida. The facility is within driving distance of my home in Tampa, the people are great, and my insurance company approves the training. I was disappointed but not surprised when I called to hear that no course dates were available this year in September. The resurgence of general aviation flying had put a premium on those slots. I called LOFT Aero in California and arranged for "recurrent," or a "61.58" in FAA speak. This provided an excuse to fly from my summer digs in New Hampshire to the West Coast, with some intriguing stops in Montana, Colorado, and New Mexico. How much fun is that? Little did I know how basically "philosophical" this itinerary would be. There were several themes that presented themselves over the nine days away from home, including luck, expectation, privilege, and a sense of gathering clouds, both real and existential. There is something about the serenity of smooth, level flight that begets rumination.
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