Heaven's Gate Airpark

SR22 struts its stuff on West Coast

Wherever it goes, the AOPA's 2009 Let's Go Flying SR22's reputation seems to precede it.

On its first trip to the West Coast for the forty-fifth annual Watsonville Fly-in on the Monterey Bay, visitors recognized the distinctive graphics on the high-performance, high-profile aircraft that some lucky pilot will win early next year. Even though they knew the airplane from pictures and news articles, seeing the Let's Go Flying SR22 on the West Coast came as a surprise to many California AOPA members.

AOPA sweepstakes aircraft are usually undergoing extensive updates and modifications this time of year. But the Let's Go Flying SR22 is a young airplane in top mechanical condition, and its mission of building the U.S. pilot population involves showing the capabilities and possibilities of modern general aviation aircraft far and wide. Watsonville was a sensible choice given its fly-in's large size, colorful history, and the success local pilots have had turning back threats from residential and commercial encroachment that would have imperiled their airport's future.