This piece originally ran in the September 2023 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

Landing after an enjoyable late afternoon flight and taxiing back to the hangar, I remain seated and just think. Out loud, I holler, “WOW!” This little airplane gives my heart an extra reason to keep beating. What a way to experience flight.

Speaking out loud to myself I ask, “George, just how long do you think you can keep doing this?” I don’t like to hear myself saying those words, but the fact is, I am 82 years of age. My life is like today’s setting sun.

I love being an older person. It allows me to be freer in expressing the thoughts developed through many years of experience. What do I have to lose? I am not alone in this mindset. I share these thoughts with many of my fellow pilots as they share their thoughts with me. Together we are on the same flight plan.

My whole life has been aviation. Even before kindergarten, the passion for flight was all-consuming. Professionally, as a young 18-year-old, I became an integral part of a U.S. Navy flight crew. I am very proud of that.

As time went on, I became a flight instructor for a major university and continued to instruct for 56 years in addition to a 32-year career as a pilot with Trans World Airlines.

I didn’t get to this point by myself. Quite the contrary. Each and every person I have flown with has molded me into the person and pilot I am today. I know my fellow pilots, and they know me.

Aviation is an essential part of our very being. Then all of a sudden, we wake up some morning and realize we are senior citizens. The short definition is that we are old. Oh, we still have the skills to fly our aircraft, and some pilots can qualify physically, but other difficulties threaten our aviation lifestyle.

The inflationary cost of maintaining and flying our aircraft has become problematic. Add to that the difficulty in obtaining insurance. For us older pilots, this may be too much to overcome, and consequently, we are being grounded by economics beyond our control. Some of us are being forced to part with our aircraft. As this occurs, part of our lifelong love is being taken away.

As this happens, I have witnessed that some of my fellow pilots seem to lose a certain zest for life despite being physically able to fly. How sad this is. Their frequent trips to the airport become less and less, and, even more importantly, the camaraderie that was shared with other pilots becomes less and less. It’s much more than just separating from an airplane. Rather, this becomes a drastic life-changing event.

So, how have I been able to cope with the severity of these various inflationary problems? To be honest, I have not escaped. However, I am dealing with a much lower basic cost. It’s called an ultralight. Yes, I said ultralight.

Before you roll your eyes and contort your face into even more wrinkles, listen to what I am about to say. I address this to all pilots. Don’t say to yourself, “When I get a little older, I will look into this.” For us flyers, time flies even faster. I, as well as many of my fellow seniors, sat right where you are today. Do not become a casualty of having no plan. The ultralight way of flight may provide some answers.

You might ask, how did I become interested in the ultralight as a way to enjoy simple flight? This all began in the early 1980s. Several of my fellow airline pilots became dealers for various ultralight types. After a close inspection of several different models, I realized that these simplistic aircraft were well engineered.

Up until that point, I was fortunate to have owned several general aviation-type airplanes. I would fly these aircraft quite regularly. The ultralight intrigued me, and that’s why I am so happy today. I gave myself a chance to honestly explore the type of flight the ultralight would provide.

For me, cross-country flying gave way to just getting airborne. Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow pilots, I know you, and I know you also would become converted.

So, how does a person go from the Beechcrafts, Cessnas, and Pipers, along with the many other general aviation and commercial aircraft, to a simple ultralight? My fellow pilots, it’s an amazing transition. The strict discipline in following the proper procedures and coordinating with inside instrumentation is replaced by just looking out and using the real horizon for determining attitude and the wind in your face to sense your airspeed.

Can I just take you on a typical ultralight flight and share with you what I experience on every flight?

After my preflight is complete, I walk my little craft out of the hangar and set the parking brake. My Quicksilver is a 1983 model, so I have a recoil pull start. Most modern-day crafts have an electric start. The first thing you’ll notice is how close to the ground you are when sitting down in the center seat. That’s okay.

Your sensation of speed is increased due to the low seat height. After lining up with the runway and applying takeoff power, the feeling of fast acceleration will take your breath away. You will think you are sitting in a go-kart doing 40-50 mph. In reality, your speed is only about 22 mph.

Once you break ground, your feeling from the initial climb is that you are going upward very fast. This lasts until you’ve reached about 300 feet of altitude. Then a noticeable difference in your perception of speed occurs as you gain separation from the ground. I call it a slow calming sensation. It is the main reason why I love ultralight flight.

To add even more to that calming feeling is observing the noticeable effects of the wind. I have not gone backward yet, but I have parked a fixed-wing aircraft in the sky. My fellow pilots, it is difficult to put into words, but I know you would love doing this.

Remember, you will be doing this with no instrumentation other than a simple Hall airspeed indicator. Next add gentle climbing and descending turns. You will think that you are wearing the wings.

Heading back to the airport is just like in all other aircraft I have flown. In an ultralight, it’s best to fly a lower pattern altitude to give way to the faster aircraft and to use the radio to announce your intentions. I like doing the overhead 360 to a landing. I also like bringing my power to idle when beginning the turn and touching down on the numbers.

It’s basic stick and rudder flying. Since you’re sitting closer to the ground, your flare height will be lower than in other aircraft. You can do it. My fellow pilots, when the realization of what you just did hits you, and after shutting the aircraft down, you too will say “WOW!”

To all of my fellow older pilots that are, for whatever reason, being in the position of having to part with your airplane, I share your pain. The reason I bring up the possibility of becoming an ultralight aviator is that it offers more manageable expenses. It will allow you to be your old self.

However, if aircraft ownership is not in your best interest, I offer some other suggestions. In today’s world, almost all aviation organizations are making great efforts to recruit the younger folks. That effort is necessary for the continued growth of these organizations.

Within these aviation organizations, who better to help with recruitment than us senior pilots? Collectively, we seniors have a wealth of knowledge to impart to the younger generations; it will keep us connected with the many other aviation entities.

Join your local EAA chapter. Try to attend the various air shows. You will reestablish the camaraderie that pilots share.

I’d like to make a humble request to all the aviation groups to help us seniors establish a pathway to yield these positive results. And then, when all is said and done, collectively we all will be able to say, “WOW!”

George Karamitis, EAA 144192, is a retired TWA captain, holds an ATP with B-727 and B-747 type ratings, and has been a CFI for more than 50 years. In 2013, George received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for more than 50 years of accident-, incident-, and citation-free flight.