At the aerodrome today.

This morning while walking my dog by the airfield I spotted this sleek 9 passenger single prop plane on the tarmac and wandered over for a looksie. Turns out to be a Swiss made Pilatus PC12, powered by a 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney turboprop. Cruising speed is 312.5 mph with a service ceiling of 30,000 ft. It's designed for the alps; can land in less than 1,000 feet and take off in less than 1,500 ft.  Later, just before dusk, Doc and I were walking by the field again...and lo and behold, there are people getting ready to take off in that bad boy. We sat down on a picnic bench and filmed the take off. Afterwards, I chatted with the owners wife for a bit and learned that he started flying when he was 68 years old. He is my new hero. I'm invited for a tour to check out the interior later this week.

Update: I stopped by the airfield last night and got to meet the pilot and co-pilot and received a quick tour of the cabin...very cool avionics - glass panel style. Leather chairs and seating arranged for just 6 passengers, so it's pretty roomy inside. The plane is in town all week...they're gonna call me if there is room for me on a tour up the Gorge later this week. Fingers crossed.