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The Virginia Aviation Ambassador program is designed to encourage pilots to get out and explore the beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, and to visit as many of Virginia’s 65 public use airports as possible. The participant can pick up a passport book (free of charge) at most of the 65 airports or directly from the Virginia Department of Aviation. Each airport has a stamp available and as you collect stamps in the passport, there are various prize levels to attain. It does not matter how you arrive at the airport to collect the stamp but the fun and challenge, of course, is in flying in to as many as possible. Those who complete the program and collect a stamp from all 65 of the public use airports, plus visit 4 museums from an approved list, a safety seminar (you can request approval for FAASTeam courses), and a designated Virginia fly-in are eligible to have their name added to the Ambassador rolls and receive a leather jacket from the Virginia Department of Aviation.
I began completing the passport program while I was still a student pilot, getting my first stamp on 11 Jan 2022 at the Louisa County Airport (KLKU) on one of my student cross-country flights. I knew the program was something I wanted to complete and as soon as I passed my Private Pilot checkride, I set out on a mission. The process involved a lot of cross-country flight planning (great for a new pilot to do), and hours upon hours of experience racked up in the cockpit. In sum, I completed the program in about 8 months, making my last stop Tangier Island (KTGI) for a wonderful celebratory dinner at Lorraine’s Seafood Restaurant (13 Sep 2022). To have the passport validated, I made an appointment with the Department of Aviation and went down to Richmond within a couple of weeks. I was ultimately awarded my jacket at the 2022 Shannon Harvest Festival and Fly-In at the Shannon Airport (KEZF) in Fredericksburg, VA.
Part of the fun of the program, too, is that the airport stamps aren’t always easy to find. Sometimes the FBO (if there is one, Virginia has a fair number of rural airports) is closed, and you have to find an after hours code to get to the stamp. Sometimes it’s at the fuel pumps, or in a mailbox somewhere. In a way, it’s a scavenger hunt for pilots and it gives you a reason to go flying.
Some folks have said, why spend all that money to fly all those hours for a leather jacket you can buy for less than $300.00. And the answer is simple, Virginia is an extremely beautiful and diverse state and the number of memories I created and amount of experience I gained (especially as a new pilot) in completing this program made every single penny and minute worth it. It was an experience I will remember and share with other pilots for the rest of my life, and I proudly wear the jacket when I fly.
I think it is amazing to see a state encourage and back aviation as much as the State of Virginia does, and I hope this program continues well into the future (especially as other states close airports due to external pressures). Participating in this program is a reason to go fly, to dust off those cross-country planning skills, to see a new part of the state, and to create a memory along the way.
My 3 favorite airports during the program:
1) Tangier Island (KTGI)
2) Falwell (W24)
3) Ingalls Field (KHSP)
So pick up your passport, make a plan, jump in your plane, and have fun seeing the beauty of the State of Virginia, from a bird’s eye view.
This is the first blog post in what will hopefully be a series of adventures, tips, stories, etc. It’s my hope that you will find these posts enjoyable, and maybe one of them will inspire you to try something new, make a $100.00 hamburger run to a new spot, or just provide a new perspective on something.
Blue Skies and Tailwinds,
Jeff
VA Aviation Ambassador #603
