Don’t Let the Old Man In | Aviation

By George Karamitis, EAA 144192.

This piece originally ran in the July 2024 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

The song “Don’t Let the Old Man In” by Toby Keith is a big inspiration for me. As I slide into my 83rd year of life, daily tasks become a little more difficult to accomplish. This is true even flying my little ultralight, which I deeply cherish. Every flight takes just a little longer to accomplish starting with the various hangar duties and through the preflight check. But folks, I don’t want to stop. Flying is my whole life. Upon the completion of a day’s flight, I become a rejuvenated person.

I still prefer to fly in the mornings and the calm air. My aircraft is so equipped that I am legal 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. However, I feel that everything is just waiting for me and my little 1983 Quicksilver MX in the morning.

Arriving at the airport and parking my Jeep, I must unlock the hangar. The unlocking door is a small door near the bottom of one of the larger doors. I have to reach in and pull the pin that enables me to slide one of the big hangar doors open and, if still dark, turn on the hangar lights. Opening the hangar doors and the noise they make seem to pierce the quiet morning air. There is no other noise pollution. I am all alone. Just the sights and sounds of my surroundings. It is a noticeable crispness…