Ever feel like flying? Most of us don't have a pilot's license or access to a plane. Wouldn't it be great if we could find someone who did, split the costs and take off for a couple of hours? PilotShareTheRide.com aims to provide a solution kind of like carpooling. Just do a search for people looking for others to fly with them, or, if you're a pilot, post a listing, find a match based on time, departure and destination, and go.
Baldy Ivy, a cowboy working in Arizona, started the site back in 2004 and it has since developed a following over 8,000 users strong in the private aviation community. Baldy supports the site through advertising, merchandise sales and donations and is always looking for financial support, as a site of that size is expensive to run. It's an ideal place to meet others who enjoy flying to anywhere and nowhere in particular. It also helps keep flying economical, especially as aviation fuel reaches $4 to $6 per gallon. Splitting the cost between two people puts this hobby within reach for a lot more people.
After registering for a free account, I did a search just to see who was going where. The search returned hundreds of results, and about 30 just for the state of Georgia. Most of the people that post are just looking to get up in the air for a few hours and are game on any given weekend. A lot of the listings are flights with no destination specified. Go anywhere you feel like going that day! Some are described as "hamburger flights," which means flying to your destination, grabbing a bite to eat and stretching your legs, and flying back.
Aside from people just looking for a joyride, Baldy makes sure the site helps serve the community. The users of the site helped in the evacuation effort following Hurricane Katrina, with 270 pilots flying in to lend a hand. It's also a good resource for the pilot community. Anyone looking to share time in order to log the hours necessary to get a certain license or certification will find plenty of others who are willing to join forces.
If you've ever wanted to get off the ground for a while, take a look at PilotShareTheRide.com, a unique opportunity to do something different with your weekend.
A special thanks for help with this article goes to my friend, a long-time civilian pilot and fellow member of the armed forces.
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1 comment:
Sounds like a neat site.
My planes are powered by my own sense of self-satisfaction
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