I recently had the special experience of getting to go flying with both my buddy.... and his dog, for his dog's first time. My friend, Harry is a tailwheel endorsed private pilot so, he managed most of the flying on his own and I was there pretty much to just take photos and enjoy the ride. Zeke has flown on a commercial airliner when Harry picked him on on the east coast, but he had never flown in a small, general aviation airplane before.
Zeke is a six month old Doberman/Belgian Malinois mix. If that sounds like a high energy dog, HE IS! Not to mention, he is super smart. He already knows how to open all the doors in the house regardless of the type of handle or which way it opens!
I had been staying with my close friends, Harry and Lisa, at the Twin Hawks Airpark just north of Tucson, for about a week before we took Zeke flying. Zeke was pretty familiar with the plane and would come out each evening after I landed to say hello. One evening he found a surprise.... stuck to my landing gear.
My aircraft, and an un-lucky short eared owl, managed to intersect while flying at a low level over the desert. It’s always a sad day when such a unique creature loses it's life and the only silver lining I can think of is....... it was over before the owl even knew what happened. Zeke was very curious about the bird wing and gave the entire airplane a thorough inspection that night.
A few days after the owl incident, Harry decided it was time to give Zeke his first flight. I had flown with my dogs many times, but there's always the chance for surprises when taking a new dog up for the first time.
Before we started the engine you could tell Zeke was excited about being in the airplane. He had been on many road trips, and travels great by car, so I imagine he was looking forward to going somewhere new. Little did he know........
he would be getting there by air!
Shortly after we took off, I looked back and much to my surprise, we found Zeke curled up on the floor! Wow! He was such a natural!
As a pilot, you can only hope your dog takes to flying as well as Zeke.
Twenty minutes later Harry made a smooth touchdown at a local dirt field and Zeke instantly awoke from his nap to find himself in dog heaven.
Out in nature with no fences, leashes, or cars to worry about. Just his owner, a friend, an airplane, and of course a tennis ball.
KAVU DAY..... for sure!
As silly as it sounds, one of my motivators for owning an airplane was to be able to take my dogs on adventures. As all dog owners know, it’s actually a "double win" when you you get to take your dogs somewhere special. The first win is the dogs really enjoy it, and the second win is you as their owner gets the satisfaction from giving them a quality of life, which leads to good vibes and a happy family.
After a nice walk-about where Zeke got to smell all the smells, it was time to head back. But not before finding some old brass from either a hunter, or someone target shooting.
Fortunately, the places you can get to in an airplane are often far enough away from roads and other people that finding trash is rare, and pilots are generally pretty good about “leave no trace”.
Back country aviation is a true blessing for those that are fortunate enough to participate in it.
Time flies when you are having fun and after an hour of exploring, it was time to leave. Harry made another smooth take-off and flew us back to home base. Once we landed, shut down the engine, and opened the door for Zeke, he burst out of the plane like a rocket ship. It’s fun to see the new found confidence when a dog learns something new. For Zeke I can only guess that he now associates airplanes with fun and adventure, much like Harry (his owner) and I do.
With 2020 being a year of challenge and isolation for most of us, it’s moments like this.... where we can connect with friends and family..... that feeds my soul. To see the bond grow between a dog and his owner, and to watch a young puppy happily face new experiences with confidence and optimism is a reminder to all of us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I encourage each of you to take the time you need in your life to stay happy and healthy in the smartest and most appropriate way you can.
For myself on this day, a morning flight with Zeke and Harry was just what the doctor ordered.
Neil Amonson
Absolute Flight Training
FB
IG
Favorite KAVU Item
© 2026 KAVU
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)