MARTIN   Martin is not the pilot that I am. That is to say, he does not totally suck at it and doesn't freak every time we go over the slightest bump. In fact, Martin rather a ballsy guy. He was not satisfied with a mere Cessna 152, no, instead he had to get a Pitts Special, which is a tiny (one seat) biplane designed specifically for doing "crazy things in airplanes." Have you ever seen "Cloud Dancer?" If not, don't rush out and rent it because it's a really awful movie. But if you have seen it, you get the idea of what a Pitts Special is (the movie is about Pitts Special pilots). To the right is Martin and his "baby," shortly after he purchased it in 1999. It broke about two months later and was incapacitated for a year and a half. PERSPECTIVE   Just to give you an idea of exactly how tiny this plane is, here it is posing next to an MD-11 cargo plane. Granted, the MD-11 is not in itself a small airplane, but it's probably closer to the size of the airplanes you're used to flying in (unless you are also into general aviation). At any rate, the single-seat Pitts is a pretty tiny airplane. I guess this is good for making it maneuverable. Martin just returned from his first aerobatic competition, where he earned the nickname "Zippy" from his fellows, for flying below the regulation altitude. Why? Because his engine quit in the middle of a maneuver. But instead of calling for an "interruption," (the aerobatic equivalent of a time-out), he got the engine started and carried on flying. (He wanted to win, you see). Anyway, at that point he'd lost a lot of altitude and was disqualified from the competition. OUCH   Here is poor Martin standing next to his broken airplane. He broke the crankshaft two months after he bought it, doing some crazy maneuver with a German name that loosely translates into "hangover." It took a year and a half, several mechanics and about twice the number of dollars he spent on the plane in the first place before it was finally fliable again. That, my friends, is a typical airplane owner's experience. This is not a cheap hobby. It is more expensive even than equestrian sports, which believe me is not cheap either. Anyway, now that his airplane is working again, do you think I ever see him? Let's just say that I'm spending a lot more time with my horses these days.