As of July 1, 2024, the Bahamas Customs & Excise Department has imposed substantial and egregious fees on pilots flying General Aviation aircraft on recreational flights. Pilots should be mindful of these new and additional fees before considering flying to the Bahamas. Read More
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We asked

Readers send in photos of their favorite rides

Thanks to everyone who has sent (or is sending) your photos of your best friend the airplane to be featured on this page. We’re loving getting to know you better through this showcase—and maybe others are getting the idea to make that crazy, life-altering purchase. Remember: A mile of road takes you one mile, but a mile of runway takes you anywhere.

Would you like to tell us why you love your airplane?
Send a high-resolution photo and information to [email protected] subject line WILMA and look for it in an upcoming issue. 

Why I love my airplane

  • Why I love my airplane
    1967 CESSNA 172H; My 172 has been with me from student pilot learning how to land, to CFI teaching others. I take it cross-country to visit my sister at college and bring the dog!” Rachel Etheredge Contorno; Birmingham, Alabama
  • Why I love my airplane
    1943 AERONCA L–3B; “The L–3 was designed for artillery direction and general liaison use. Like most of the L–3s, this one served stateside as a trainer. My ‘poor man’s warbird’ draws interest wherever it goes, and I enjoy the experience of flying low and slow on pretty days in an airplane that keeps my stick-and-rudder skills sharp.”; Jim Tate; McMinnville, Tennessee
  • Why I love my airplane
    1969 PIPER NAVAJO; “Great performance with the bigger motors and a joy to fly. This is an old man’s twin. Systems are basic and straightforward. It’s very stable at slow speeds. We brought it into the twenty-first century with a Garmin panel upgrade.”; Jim Lum; Winchester, Virginia
  • Why I love my airplane
    1940 PORTERFIELD; “I love flying my 1940 Porterfield because I’m the third generation to own it. It made it back to the family after 50 years, and now it’s home again. Both my father and grandfather are flying with me whenever I’m in the air.”; Suzi Shayne; Arlington, Washington
David Tulis
David Tulis
Senior Photographer
Senior Photographer David Tulis joined AOPA in 2015 and is a private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings and a tailwheel endorsement. He is also a certificated remote pilot and co-host of the award-wining AOPA Hangar Talk podcast. David enjoys vintage aircraft and photography.

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