44 | SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COMA pilot certificate translates into the
freedom to head out to the airport and
just fly—almost anywhere, anytime
and even bring along a friend or two.
Those first few hundred post-training
hours certainly sharpen your naviga-
tion and communication skills, so get
out and f ly as often as possible. One
rite of passage for the newly certified
pilot is enjoying a “$100 hamburger,”
or meal of your choice, with like-
minded pilots at a neighboring airport.
Pretty quickly though, you may
find that a 45-minute f light to
another airport to visit Sid’s Grill
just doesn’t seem to be enough. And
that’s OK. After all, you have no
restrictions on your wanderlust,
so why settle for a 100-mile trip?
Why not go for a 300- or 500-mile
journey? Why not find a great place
to stay for a couple of days, or even
just a one-day trip out and back with
the family that includes some fun
once you arrive? Your winged magic
carpet will easily whisk you to places
you’d never experience by airliner.
Here are some of our favorites, jour-
neys sure to transform that next
f light into a true f lying adventure.Dayton, Ohio:
The birthplace of aviation is the
well-known home of the Wright
Brothers and includes a replica of their
original bicycle shop on the courtyard
of the downtown Carillion Historical
Park. But wait, Dayton has more to
offer aviation aficionados—much
more. The city is home to the National
Aviation Heritage Area (visitnaha.com), the only such national alliance
in the United States devoted entirely
to aviation. The group represents
nearly 20 aviation sites around
Dayton, so plan to spend at least a few
days to take in the National Museum
of the U.S. Air Force, historic Waco
Field, a chance to f ly on a replica of
the Wright B Flyer, visit the Wright
Archives at Wright State University,
tour the Armstrong Air & Space
Museum, and of course, the National
Aviation Hall of Fame.
The nearest airport is James M. Cox
Day ton International Airport. The
trip downtown takes about 20 min-
utes heading south on Interstate 75. If
future stars align, auto traffic passing
the I-75/I-70 interchange could see
a massive 270-foot-tall Triumph of
Flight monument expected to be built
there that includes a huge replica of
the original Wright Flyer sitting on
top. NAHA can be found on Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter.Galesburg, Illinois:
Each September, Galesburg Municipal
Airport, about 100 miles south-
west of Chicago, becomes home base
for the National Stearman Fly-In
( stearmanflyin.com) devoted to
lovers of the nearly 90-year-old,
open-cockpit biplane. Visiting aircraft
can land at Galesburg for the f ly-in
that brings together some of the most
impressively restored Stearmans
on the planet. The show includes
dozens of forums, aerobatic demon-
strations, events for kids, and as you
might guess, opportunities to ride inone of these classics. Sponsored by
the National Stearman Foundation,
the f ly-in includes a short-field
takeoff-and-landing competition, as
well as a f lour-bombing competition
and plenty of food.
The event focuses primarily on
the model 75 Stearman, nearly 8,500
of which were produced in Wichita,
Kansas, as a primary military pilot
trainer leading up to World War II.
This past year’s fly-in brought more
than 60 Stearmans from points as far
away as New York and Los Angeles.
The Stearman Fly-In is active on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.Cedar Key, Florida:
The locals call Cedar Key a rather
unique airport, in part because
the runway is only 2,355 feet long,
but also because the field is sur-
rounded by and actually part of
a large protected bird sanctuary
and 891-acre wildlife refuge. While
visiting CDK should be a beauti-
ful experience, pilots need to be
constantly on the lookout for local
ospreys, eagles, herons, egrets,
buzzards, pelicans and seagulls.DE
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If you were lucky enough to have a true airplane
geek as your flight instructor, they probably
explained some of the great places you’d be able
to visit once that little piece of FAA-certified
plastic was nestled snugly in your wallet.