SERIAL GRILLER

WILL FLY FOR BBQ

- MATT MOORE

THEY SAY A RESTAURANT IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS LAST MEAL.I MIGHT ALSO ARGUE, THAT SAME ADAGE APPLIES TO US AVIATORS AS WELL.

If you are anything like me, an abrupt and bouncy touchdown on a gusty day leaves a lingering frustration. I can do better.

I’ve found that I’m not alone in the realm of self-criticism: Most pilots have a healthy relationship to judging one’s own performance— and boasting about it to boot. Are we always ahead of the airplane, efficient with ATC, or ready in the off chance our emergency training will be put to the test? Such questions are both constructive and positive; after all, the learning curve in aviation is always on a climb.

In my professional life, I continue to face the same dilemma. Authors are only as good as their last book.

So, when my publisher pitched me an opportunity to zigzag across the South to uncover, eat and document The South’s Best Butts (as in the cut of meat), I nearly leapt at the offer. After all, it sounded like a dream gig.

The only problem? The manuscript would be due in a few months.

My initial Type-A panic gently eased into a promising realization. You see, I had just bought my first airplane: a 1977 Piper Cherokee Cruiser, N9511K. Not only did I have an excuse to fly for that “$100 hamburger”—a pork sandwich in my case—but I’d found a way to pay for it too.

GA DREAMS