Flying Feature: When a New Airplane Taps Into Old Dreams

Every year that I can I make the trip to AirVenture, possibly the largest gathering of airplanes and aviation enthusiasts in the world. A few years ago I met a similar enthusiast there, Jason McDowell, who shared my dream of airplane ownership. At the time it seemed like a moonshot for both of us but we were enjoying the journey as much as the destination. It turns out this new friend is a compendium of rare and unique airplane information and he shares these insights daily with his one hundred thousand plus followers. Recently he contacted me and wanted to share my story of ownership for a series he writes for Flying Magazine highlighting the journey a new plane ownership. Here it is:

Here's how a Nashville coffee shop owner turned his passion for flying his taildragger into a new career.

“For most people, their first airplane opens up adventure and possibility. It enables them to access new destinations, and it provides a rewarding means of developing new skills. For my friend Ben Lehman, his first airplane opened up all of those things, but it also unlocked an entirely new career. 

Like many of us, Ben’s love affair with aviation began in his early years, and it was kicked off by his father. Perhaps wanting to lure him away from less-desirable paths in life, his father paid for a ride in an old Cessna 172 in rural West Virginia. The plan worked. Ben was enchanted by the ratty 172 and to this day, clearly remembers being surrounded by vibrating pieces of loose, faded trim and watching the ground below fall away into the New River Gorge as they climbed out from the airport.”