I will. I am scheduled for flight instruction at noon today. I've been taking lessons since May from a good friend of mine who got his CFI in January.

The right to free movement is one of the greatest freedoms any civilized culture can enjoy. As a student pilot and someone who's been an aviation enthusiast all my life, I feel that there is no greater expression of that freedom than to be in control of an aircraft and witness from above the splendor of our land.

I see learning to fly, and particularly flying on this most fateful of anniversaries, as a rather distinct "Fuck You!" to those who would try to slight the way of life we Americans enjoy. I compare general aviation to firearms ownership very closely. Yes, aircraft have been used in a criminal manner to inflict great pain and terror on others. Yes, aircraft are involved in accidents that result in loss of life (although, as with firearms, virtually all "accidents" can be traced to a series of missed opportunities for human intervention, poor training, or irresponsible use). Yes, there is a significant segment of our population that holds an irreversible an poorly founded fear of aircraft, specifically General Aviation.

So, damn the naysayers and purveyors of gloom and fear! I choose to mark this day not by shirking in grief and stewing on my anger.

I choose to fly.

I choose to be bathed in the faint scent of 100LL, not the aroma of votive candles.

I choose to see the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave from above, bathed in God's glorious light, not through slats of fear and anger.

I choose to spend the time learning, growing and developing a useful skill, not hanging my head weeping.

Please understand that I realize that there are many, many others in America that were affected on a much more personal level that I was here in Kansas. For them, today may certainly be more of a time for mourning and remembrance. My love and compassion goes out to them all.

I am fortunate to have this opportunity, and today of all days, I will celebrate my freedom in the cockpit of a Cessna, about 5,000 feet closer to God.

Peace.

If I had anywhere to go, I'd fly even commercially.

A few terrorists dirtbags will NOT stop me.

If I had some place to go I would still fly today.

I have noticed that there a lot fewer planes in the sky today at my mothers house(about 10 minutes away from BWI). I wonder why that might be?