Total spit ball here but just “riding” in a small Cessna seems like a pretty intimate experience. I wonder if he had spent a bunch of time in the passenger seat

Total spit ball here but just “riding” in a small Cessna seems like a pretty intimate experience. I wonder if he had spent a bunch of time in the passenger seat (as a job as a surveyor or ranger or something) and just got to know his way around a bit.