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:

Inspired by her mother's ambitious 50th birthday challenges, the author initially faced cancelled plans for her own milestone due to the pandemic and work.
An unexpected opportunity arose for the author to co-pilot an transatlantic ferry flight of a TBM 940 from France to the U.S. with a master ferry pilot.
Despite prior setbacks, this challenging flight materialized, fulfilling a lifelong dream and serving as a significant personal accomplishment to mark her 50th year.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.