DCpilots was created in August 1999 to provide General Aviation pilots & flying enthusiasts an opportunity to socialize, share experiences, and discuss General Aviation in & around the greater Washington DC region (roughly within range of a daytrip). As an Internet email exchange, it has no physical presence, no official status, and holds no meetings (though maybe a casual meet & greet now and then). Think of DCpilots as an informal, spontaneous regional communication opportunity.

My name is Jeff Cook, and I fly single-engine planes out of Leesburg, Virginia (JYO). Since earning my Private Pilot Certificate in the summer of 1998, I've been looking for opportunities to learn more about the airports, people & aviation environment around Washington DC. There are some energetic flying communities in the region, though I've noticed they are usually focused on a single airport, a specific activity, or a particular membership-based club.

I was looking for a place where Winchester pilots could talk with College Park pilots about experiences "in the corridor". Freeway pilots could chat with Ocean City pilots about parachutes over the field. Hagerstown pilots could ask Haysfield pilots about grass strips. Leesburg pilots could get some advice about closing a flight plan on the ground at Luray. (Yeah, that one got me!) Or just a place where pilots could arrange to meet up for that $100 Hamburger on the weekend.

DCpilots is now that place, and freely connects everybody in the area. Welcome always are flyers of land & seaplanes, gliders, helicopters, ultralights, rotorcraft; and also flight controllers, Unicom operators, instructors, students, schools, examiners, FBOs, mechanics, homebuilders, line crews, and anybody else interested in flying in the region. So join in!

DCpilots is free, unmoderated, does not redistribute email addresses, has no affiliations, and no commercial ads. (How does he do it? Stubbornness!) Subscribe by sending a plain-language email request to me, Jeff Cook, at [disabled] . You will receive a message with further instructions, including the special address for sending messages to the list. (There is no automatic method for subscribing. This is intended for simplicity and to prevent list spamming.) Please indicate NORMAL or DIGEST delivery. I recommend NORMAL for fast delivery and valid Subject headers.