View From Above: The Crossing

Editor-in-chief Julie Boatman shares her initial thoughts following a ferry flight of a Daher TBM 940 from Tarbes, France, to Groton, Connecticut, with master ferry pilot Margrit Waltz.

Julie Boatman

Friday, November 19, 2021 at 05:08 PM ET

Verified

Editor-in-chief Julie Boatman with master ferry pilot Margrit Waltz.

Key Takeaways:

The author reflects on her mother's 50th birthday, where she overcame a lifelong limitation by staging her first art exhibit, embracing the title "artist" and inspiring the author.
Despite having to cancel her own 50th birthday celebration plans due to the pandemic, the author received an unexpected opportunity to co-pilot a TBM 940 aircraft on a transatlantic ferry flight.
This unique experience allowed the author to fulfill a lifelong dream of flying across the Atlantic, following in the footsteps of aviation pioneers.
The author successfully completed the challenging 16-hour flight over two days from Tarbes, France, to the U.S., with the full story to be detailed in upcoming *FLYING* magazine publications.

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Last summer, I turned 50. When my mother met the same milestone 24 years ago, she marked it with big plans, focused on doing things she either always wanted to or never before dared to do.

She went to Italy for three weeks—with just me along—an embrace of the culture she’d studied for her master’s degree in art, as a single woman with her daughter as a companion, directing her own itinerary.