Why post a 2018 column now?
When I shared this morning’s “Facebook Memory,” touting AOPA Flight Training magazine’s 2020 coverage of my Flying Carpet Podcast debut, my friend Gary Palmer observed, “A great homage and inspiration. But that picture is of a younger year which sounds like you have another story to tell!”
There is indeed a story behind that photo, but it’s a sad one. It was taken in 2018 by my late friend Mike Collins, longtime AOPA editor and photographer who passed away of COVID in February, 2021. Gary’s comment revived a flood of memories of working with Mike and socializing together over his passion for microbrew beer.
Mike had flown commercially to Arizona to take new author-photos for my then Flying Carpet column. Together he, my wife, and I enjoyed a few memorable days of flying, photography, and friendship, before he launched back to AOPA’s Maryland headquarters. It was such an enjoyable experience that I wrote a column about it, never guessing it’d be the last time I’d see him.
So here is my August, 2018 column about the experience, “Waiting for Weather,” which I apparently never got around to posting at the time. Mike, I know I’m far from alone in missing you… hope you’re gettin’ in some serious flying and photography up there.
**Read Greg’s column, “Waiting for Weather” **. (Mobile-device link.)
(This column first appeared in AOPA Flight Training magazine.)
Photos: Above, Greg pilots Mike and Scott homeward over Phoenix (Mike Collins photo.) Below, Mike photographs Greg following our sunset landing described in the column. (Scott Tabako photo.)
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