ABS Fly-In Savannah, Georgia, May 16-19 See Page 3 - American ...

www.bonanza.orgOn the Cover: Beechcraft of the MonthAn Already Perfect Airplane2002 A36 N263EABy Ward CombsMy first flight was November 1, 1986.We had recently purchased a home(a fixer upper) next to a small communityairport, Millard (KMLE), on the southwestside of Omaha. My wife Judy says I could not mow astraight line because I was always watching the planesin the pattern. The FBO had a sign advertising a quickintroductory flight, and Judy purchased one for me.As they say, that’s how it all started.I was traveling a lot for business, driving 75,000 - 80,000miles a year. Becoming a pilot seemed like a good thingto pursue. I paid an instructor and rented a plane, flying todifferent Midwest cities in the early morning and returninghome that evening. It worked well and certainly saved mea lot of road time. If it was IFR, the instructor was withme. I completed my Private certificate on May 15, 1987. Igot checked out in the standard training fleet: Cessna 152and 172, Piper Warrior.Soon thereafter I joined a Citabria club – several guysfought over the plane on Saturday and Sunday but noone using it during the week. Initially, we had no radio or10 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY FEBRUARY 2013