I wrote this and it was published in the AOPA Pilot magazine monthly column: “Never Again”. They gave me $100 for the article!

I Learned About Flying From That

In the fall of 1987 I had been a pilot for nearly three years, had an instrument rating, 550 total hours and owned a l970 Cessna l72. I am a professional musician and planned a flight to Fallbrook, Ca. to perform a symphony concert on a Sunday evening with an earlier stop at Oceanside for a matinee concert. My passenger, a prominent Southern California musician, loved to fly with me but was not a pilot.

I had flown into Fallbrook many times and understood its shortcomings. It is a short field (2165 ft.), sits on top of a mesa with drops at both ends of the runway...