In The Beginning

As we begin our sixth year with FLY-LOW, we do it with a big smile on our face.  In March of 2001, we began with a little one state publication that shipped out one-hundred six boxes of magazines.  Today, we ship out over 1,400 containers and parcels of magazines to all fifty states.  For the record, this was my ultimate goal from day one, providing we made it past the first six months.  We did make it that first six months and we begin our sixth year.  As I recall, there are only five-thousand airports in the United States.  We’re shipping to almost a third of them now. 

I believe in the old adage, “Dance with the one who brung you.”  That would be you the reader and those fantastic advertisers you see in every issue... A lot of them have been in all sixty issues… 

All of us at Fly-Low Publications THANK YOU for your support our advertisers over the past five years…..   We are most definitely looking forward to the next five… ten… and yes, twenty. This can’t be a job; I’m having too much fun. 

The VIP TFR

Over and over the invasion of the VIP TFR makes news headlines…  The past two months have seen at least three incursions into the NO FLY ZONE around the president.  We can sit back and say, “I’d never do that!”  It is easier to bust the invisible 60 mile diameter TFR around the president than one would think.  Unfortunately, there is no red smoke around the boundary that would warn us of its presence.  It’s easy to sit back and Monday morning quarterback the situation.  However, it is just as easy to be in that situation where one domino falls and the rest seem to topple with ease… and you’re the one that pushed the first one down. 

None of us want to have a visit from the FAA about our incompetence.  It is important that of the 600,000 licensed pilots in the USA today, all of us need to refresh our mind with the new information that is placed before us each and everyday.  Always call FSS before you fly… it’s free, you know.  Check into the WINGS program through your local FSDO and never take another Biannual Flight Review….  It’s been rumored that if you perform an illegal act, the punishment might be less severe on those in the WINGS program…  It is worth a shot (oops, perhaps the wrong word when discussing TFRs).   

Back To The Future 

As we tackle the sixth year of publication, we want your input on items and stories that interest you.  Our website www.fly-low.com is updated daily with pertinent aviation information and we offer a free TFR notification to all pilots.  If you are not on our NOTAM list, simply e-mail publisher@fly-low.com  with a request in the subject line to add you to our TFR list.  There are no guarantees that we will get each and every TFR to you.  We do attempt to get those that are published on the Internet out to you as soon as we are aware of them.  Again, we offer no guarantees.  We may miss some of the TFRs that just pop up without warning and are gone in an hour.  For those and the most current TFRs, I recommend that you go directly to the source - 800 WX-BRIEF.  We only do this as a service to those pilots that wish to have the information sent to them.  We’ve been told it is helpful.  It certainly doesn’t cost anything.