Memory Lane

Recently, I flew with one of the most influential people in my life: my dad.

Rarely do we have the opportunity to fly together since I moved from Florida to Kansas eight years ago. And we didn’t just circle the patch but logged 1,500 miles in his Bonanza A36 over the course of six days flying from Kansas to Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, then back. I could write my next five briefings on this trip alone as it became memorable for many reasons, including first-time occurrences in his 50-year flying career, learning features of his upgraded panel, and visiting various family and friends we have not seen since “pre-COVID.”

But I have to say the sentimental aspect stood out the most. There is no quicker way to make me feel like a kid again than climbing into the Bonanza with my dad. Memories flood back of flying in the far back seat of our Bonanza F33 as the youngest and smallest in our family of five. Even as a young child, I recall feelings of contentment situated back there – often napping on the accompanying stacked luggage. Flash forward to my teenage years, and I would stare out the window for hours, sorting through adolescent thoughts. Never a nervous flyer, I always felt a sense of peace each flight being back in the familiar sky. Besides, what did I have to worry about with my dad rock-solid at the controls?

Now in my thirties, not much has changed except that it’s an A36 and I’m in the right seat! Up there, the panel is barely recognizable following a still relatively new upgrade (Garmin G500TXi, GTN750Xi and Smart Glide system). There is no way I could have pictured these “tv screens” in the front of the airplane as a child. But I imagine it would have been less intimidating to me than all of the instruments, knobs and switches found before. At one point on the trip, after he demonstrated the latest feature incorporated into the system (Smart Glide), I asked my dad whether he ever imagined the technology found in cockpits today. Without hesitation, he replied, “No way.”

The icing on the cake of this walk down memory lane was a surprise appearance by a Bonanza F33 on the ramp in Amarillo, Texas. The bright blue and red plane parked next to our A36 shortly before departure and displayed the exact paint scheme as our former family plane – which is a unique one. Of course, we had to investigate, take photos and peek in the windows. The coincidence was just too cool on top of an already special trip. I cannot wait until the next one.