As many of you may be aware, for more than a year now I have been working with my friend and mentor John Lovelace (creator and 10-year host of Wings Over Canada) on a new television series entitled The Aviators.

Professional pilots are required to track their duty times in an effort to reduce the risk of errors that may be brought on due to pilot fatigue. No such mechanism formally exists for private pilots but then again, seldom do most private pilots fly long enough to warrant one. But that’s not to say that there isn’t a point where the skills and attentiveness of a non-professional pilot, not used to a long and taxing day of flying, might begin to suffer. On any given day, how much flying is too much?

Our pilot was in the process of purchasing a Piper PA-22, a classic cloth covered aircraft. After much research, he found one that had been recently re-covered so he contacted the seller for more information. Our pilot thought the seller seemed “like a legit guy with some knowledge in aviation.“ While in town on business a couple of weeks later, our pilot thought he’d stop in to check out the Tripacer in person.