We asked

Why I love my airplane

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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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