Free Skies

Isabel Goyer

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:36 PM ET

Verified

** Free skies at 6,000 feet over the barrier
islands of Florida's Gulf coast.**

Key Takeaways:

The author expresses a profound love for flying, highlighting its unique ability to provide freedom, discovery, and a transformative perspective on the world by compressing time and space.
A significant concern for general aviation is the increasing integration of unmanned or remotely piloted aircraft (drones) into the National Airspace System.
Key issues raised about drones include the potential for loss of control (e.g., electronic hijacking or communication failure) and the lack of a clear, reliable "see-and-avoid" collision prevention system compatible with existing general aviation aircraft.

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(March 2012) One of the things nearest and dearest to a pilot’s heart is the freedom to move about, to explore, to discover and to see new places with fresh eyes.

This element of discovery is a central part of what flying is to me and why I love it so. It’s been that way from day one. While this sense resonates strongly with Americans, it’s a universal sentiment. Pilot friends throughout the world tell me that airplanes open the world to them in the same way as I describe it to others.