Working for FLYING Magazine Was the Ride of a Lifetime

After 25 years of writing the Gear Up column, it's time to step aside.

Dick Karl

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

FLYING contributor Dick Karl is retiring from writing his popular Gear Up column for the magazine after a 25-year run. [Courtesy: Dick Karl]

Key Takeaways:

An oncology surgeon's unsolicited article to *FLYING* Magazine in 1998 led to a regular column, profoundly transforming his life by opening doors to extensive aviation experiences.
This opportunity allowed him to fly numerous aircraft, obtain multiple type ratings, transition into a professional pilot role, and own personal jets, fulfilling a lifelong passion.
He cherished his role as "the voice of the reader" due to his non-aviation day job, fostering meaningful relationships with aviation legends and engaging deeply with his loyal audience, both appreciative and critical.
The author is now stepping down from his long-running column, expressing deep gratitude for the "great run" and the invaluable experiences and connections made through his writing.

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I remember exactly where I was standing, precisely what time of day it was. Someone had paged me and announced that the editor of FLYING Magazine was on the phone. I thought it was a friend playing a joke. As I looked out over the controlled chaos of the intensive care unit where I worked as an oncology surgeon, I heard a voice claiming to be Mac McClellan.

I had known him by email, but had never spoken to him. In 1998, I sent a piece “over the transom” to FLYING. It was about the many similarities between surgery and flying. It ran in July of that year—I bought about 50 copies. I had tried to convince Mac that I should be a regular columnist at the magazine that I read with religious devotion since the early 1970s. Mac pointed out that many people are passionate about flying and that some write very well, but that they usually have just one or two great stories in them and a column comes around once a month. So, I resolved to send him a piece a month, just as if I were a regular.