Ian W. Wilder

If you love piston aircraft but want to go far and fly at altitude and in comfort, look no further than the Cessna 421 Golden Eagle. Sharing a type certificate with a lot of Cessna 400-series aircraft, the Golden Eagle sets itself apart with a pressurized cabin and improved useful load.

Outwardly, Santa Paula Airport (SZP) is not a place that radiates youthful energy. Across the freeway from a town straight out of an old-time Western movie, the hangars are a reminder of a different time, with metal roofs slowly yet steadily rusting away in the foothills of California’s southern mountains. Walking onto the ramp, you might expect a tumbleweed to blow right by you. But when one of the hangar doors begrudgingly creaks open, a different image unfolds.

What’s our vector, Victor? Illustration by Charles Floyd Not a question you want to be asking halfway down the runway. Picking up an instrument clearance is an important step to make sure that a clear expectation is set between ATC and you for your initial departure and route of flight. With the exception of pop-up IFR clearances, you’ll need to file an IFR flight plan in order to pick up a clearance.