Page 44 - Nov 19 TNT

From the Flight Deck by Kevin R. Dingman All the Leaves are Brown Flying with a summer brain and an autumn body. Dad first took me hunting for rabbits when I was four years old and for my first flight in a C-172 the next year. When I was older, he added hunting deer, geese and squirrels to our outdoor activities. Fifty-nine years later, hunting is still what I do when I let my hair down – and nowadays, that’s not very far down. This year, with less than a 6 percent chance of being drawn in their lottery as a non-resident, I drew a New Mexico, muzzle- loader, mule deer permit in an area in which the elevation ranges from 8,000 feet to over 12,000 feet. For those familiar with NM, it’s unit 45. Since my office for 85 hours each month is at about 8,000 cabin altitude, I figured a high altitude, wilderness hunt on horseback would be doable for this 63-year-old, soft-skin, flat-land Gringo. I’m a healthy airline pilot; how hard could it be? 42 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2019