It seems to me that over the last months, time no longer going-by, but kind of going away. My new life in Frankfurt is cool, but with all the new things to handle, there’s not much time left for reading aviation magazines.

The single survivor is AOPA PILOT, the magazine from the US AOPA. I continue to read it because it comes to me per mail. If I had to buy it in a kiosk, it would probably be gone as well. I already told all the good I think of Rod Machado’s column (click here to read more about it), and I continue to read it, but it’s no longer my favorite one (sorry for that, Rod). There will always be a special place in my heart for the “Never again” column, but it also went down a bit in my personal hierarchy.

One of the things I know yet about aviation is that it’s not only about going from A to B, but also about how to do it. And most imporant is with whom to do it. Aviation is a small world, but no one will ever know all the passionating persons making it.

Without the “Pilots” column of the AOPA PILOT magazine, what were the chances for me to hear about Joiwind Alexander, Dennis Flanagan, or Deana Martin ? I don’t know them personally, but knowing a bit about what they do, and want to do makes me feel optimistic about aviation.

It’s always good, when in doubt, to read about above the average persons. There are many ways to be an exceptional pilot, and not all of them are infamous or mediatic. They probably don’t even look for that, but if the result is that aviation looks more friendly, fun, cool, attractive, this is a very positive side effect.

So, if you want to know a bit more about a less ordinary pilot each month, check the “Pilots” column – now my favotire – in the AOPA PILOT magazine. No need to go through the table of contents to find that page: it’s the last one.