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Thankful indeed

douglassmt

Well Known Member
Today I was struck in a unusual way about the freedoms we enjoy in this country. Just before daybreak I took off from Missoula, Montana in an airplane that I assembled with my own two hands from parts made by a private company in Oregon. The government had almost nothing to do with either my work or the manufacturer's product yet the machine performed flawlessly. When I took off I didn't need or ask for permission. I didn't need a clearance. Nobody objected, in fact nobody probably noticed as it is so routine. I flew over our beautiful first national park enroute to Casper, WY for a short work visit, then flew to Billings. In Billings I walked into the private aviation terminal with a cased shotgun that I was selling to a friend. We exchanged cash for the gun in the lobby. Nobody noticed. It was completely legal and nobody even turned a head to wonder what I was doing with a cased firearm, much less selling it. Then I flew home to Missoula, passing over some of the most beautiful scenery in our fine country to land just after dark. There may be another country that enjoys these same types of freedoms but I don't know where it is. Regardless, despite these contentious times within our country, let us not forget how fortunate we are compared to the rest of the world.

I hope this doesn't violate any posting rules, just want to remind us all how fortunate we are. I certainly am.
 
Agreed

We have much to be thankful for, it could be a whole lot worse. Wouldn't trade the good ole USA for anything.
 
Even here in Kommifornia it is still 100 times better than any other country I have been in. I saw quite a few of them in my travels in the Marine Corps and as Dorothy would say. "There's no place like home";)
 
This is in line with the ending of John Yodice's article in Decembers AOPA magazine:

What should be remembered, but may well have been forgotten in recent times is the recognition in the federal statutes of "the public right of freedom of transit through the navigable airspace" of the United States.

Figs
 
One of the most frequent questions I get is not: "are you going to paint it?", "how fast does it go?", or "how high can it go?", but rather: "Do you need permission to go fly?."

I get this question from just about everyone. Non-US citizen, or foreign born US citizens I expect it, but I'm still surprised that most non-pilot US citizens will ask.

I usually get a surprised look when I answer "no", and I enjoy explaining there are many rules and each type of airspace is different, but I can go fly anytime, all day long, and across the whole country and not talk to anyone.
 
I have flown extensively in the US and Canada, my home country, and there very few differences in regards to freedom of flight. I could fly coast to coast here without talking to anyone with the exception of control zones the same as in the US. I own my own grass strip, no problem there. I do pay more for fuel and a small $75/year Nav Canada fee. I actually prefer the ?private? Nav Canada to the way it was when it was government only controlled.
I always enjoy flying in the US as everyone is very welcoming and you have a Lot more airports available. Border crossings are significantly easier going into Canada then they are going from Canada into the US.
 
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