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The Dream

I think it finally really hit me earlier today. Owning my own airplane has been one of the biggest dreams of my entire life. I had sort of forgotten that it really was a dream and not just a desire, and I finally realized how important this accomplishment truly is to me.

There are different kinds of dreams. There are those dreams which are not really reasonable. For example, I have always dreamed of traveling beyond Earth's atmosphere, to orbit, to the Moon, to Mars, even to other stars. However, while it wasn't impossible for me to be an astronaut, my path diverged from the path to space a long time ago.

Then there are those dreams which are attainable, even if difficult or unlikely. I'm not including in this category those desires which are common, such as finding a spouse or owning a home. Rather, I'm talking about those dreams which are aspirational, that are personal, and which are not shared by many, if not most, other people.

Owning an airplane is one such dream, and it's one I've had most of my life. It is, perhaps, the dream that has the most value to me.

A good friend of mine had a dream, which was to own a classic Italian sports car that he would maintain in excellent condition and enter in car shows. But he also wanted something he could actually drive and enjoy as a car, not just as a showpiece. And he did it. He owns a lovely Ferrari 328 (the successor to the 308 that is perhaps best known from Magnum P.I.). It was in good condition when he bought it, and he's put a lot of work into making it even better. It's probably as good now as it was when it rolled out of the factory in Maranello.

For some time, I've been inspired by this and wondered if there was something I could pursue that would provide a similar sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. But for some reason I never considered that an airplane could fill that role for me. Never, that is, until after I had purchased Ariel. Strangely, it wasn't until after I'd bought it that I realized that I had found what I was looking for.

I've determined that this airplane is worth having, and is worth maintaining, even if it ends up costing more than other comparable planes. However, I don't think it will, given that it has been well maintained, has had considerable recent maintenance work done on it, and has what is generally regarded as a bulletproof engine. Even so, the work I'm having done on it soon is still probably going to cost a couple thousand dollars. But this plane, this particular plane is worth it, at least to me. It came to me through serendipity, it has real character and charm, and I've already fallen in love with it.

This is my dream, one that I've only now realized truly was a dream, and one that I'm extremely grateful I've finally been able to achieve.

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