WHY FLY?

Why, to see the world of course! And for the freedom of movement; up, down, round and round, upside down!

Flying is FUN!

Seriously, I guess the answer to this question varies a lot from person to person, although I think there is some common underlying spirit and passion which all aviators share. If you are reading this then you probably already have your own reasons for wanting to fly. For me, flight holds the promise of adventure and freedom.

Living on an island state, and with my "homeland" an even smaller island, travel home to King Island or to mainland Australia is very expensive and inconvenient. There are now no commercial flights between Launceston and King Island, so a trip home involves either a long drive to Wynyard to catch a commercial plane, or hitching a lift with my Dad! :-) Similarly, traveling to the mainland requires either an overnight boat trip or an expensive airfare and associated flight-time inconveniences. It would all just be so much easier with my own transport...

...and then there are aerobatics. Smooth, graceful, three-dimensional freedom of expression. Like a fluid, flowing dance; or a roller-coaster with no constraining track. Whoo-hoo! Plus it is knowledge and a skill that I would like to acquire.

As well as for transport and for fun, there are other reasons I want to fly. What are the snow conditions like on Mount Rufus this weekend? Is it worth the long drive and day's hike to go snowboarding there? How about I just go for a quick fly down there and check it out? That tiny island off the southern end of the Freycinet peninsula that people tell me is like a pirate island; a tiny cove surrounded by high rock walls... is it worth kayaking out to? Maybe I'll just go for a fly out there and check it out. How busy is the overland track at this time of year? Maybe I'll go and have a quick look...

...and then there's the Great Australian Air Race coming up in 2010. How am I going to be able to go in that without a plane??

And one final thought on the opening question: Hey, there are NO SPEED LIMITS up in the air. You are allowed to go as fast as you can, and there is not nearly as much stuff to run into up there. That has to be good!