[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yea, I used to be one of those Amflight guys. Sadly I had to walk away from the flying - it just wasn't paying the bills. Haven't touched an airplane since - not by choice, but by virtue of cost. It's a lot easier to put hours in the logbook when someone else is footing the bill for it.

The commercial ramp is pretty gosh-darned close to 8/26, you're right. In fact 8/26 is pretty short/cramped in general (you might remember when a SWA flight ran off the end of 8 into the gas station across the street a couple years ago). That airport has a number of odd issues including the noise abatement issues, the big whompin' huge hill off the departure end (or missed approach path) of runway 8 (don't forget that right turn if you're goin' missed in the clouds!) and naturally the intersection. Fun airport in general.

I really do miss the flying - terribly at times - but I think I made the right call getting out. Looking at the future of air travel and air commerce in general as well as a glut of pilots coming back from Iraq with thousands of hours of turbine time, I'd consider the prospects for a lucrative career in commercial aviation for the "average guy" like me to be pretty bleak right now. But at least I can say I did it.