Last Two Flights w/ Bambi

Bambi got hired to the airlines. I can't tell you how happy I was for her. It delayed my training another month and a half though. Today was my first time back in the air since October 29th.

Two important things happened during my last two flights with her that bear noting. On the first flight, we go to take off and I can't remember the rotation speed (the take-off speed of the airplane). She remained quiet and wouldn't tell me what it was (as I was barreling down the runway and a little freaked out). Much to my surprise, when I started to get freaked out, the plane just took off by itself. Shocked the hell out of me. These little airplanes do want to fly and if they end up going fast enough, they will just take off on their own. It was kind of a sign to me not to get so nervous. One point that has been reiterated to me over and over is that: These planes WANT to fly. And fly they will.

On the second flight, I was working on radios. I was getting frustrated. Bambi kept taking over for me if I got tongue-tied or nervous. I wasn't going to learn that way. So we decided that if I needed help, I'd elbow her and she'd repeat what they said in my ear and I'd say it along with her. We're going along and I try to say it as fast as I can so I don't forget what they said (sometimes the tower comes back with lots of instructions at light speed) and Bambi laughs at me because it sounds like I'm holding my breath as I repeat back what they said (which I probably am). I'm beyond frustrated at this point (as I was a lot towards the end with her - just some of the comments she'd say to me in the air, like "Take a chill pill". Nope, not joking).

So we're in the air, coming back to the airport. The tower has now switched our runway three times, so there's lots of back and forth and lots of confusing/contradicting instructions. Bambi was helping me because she said it was even confusing for her. I messed up on one of them, repeating the instructions out of order (which isn't really a big deal, as long as you show you understood what the tower told you and as long as you get your point across). My frustrations rose. I felt so lost and discouraged. The tower comes back with yet another runway change. But before I can answer, a confident female's voice comes across the airwaves, repeating back the tower's last communication. Solid, unrushed, in-command.

"Runway Three-Four, Two Delta Charlie."

It wasn't Bambi's voice, but I had no idea where it came from. I turn my head slowly to my right with a questioning look to Bambi to ask her where it came from and whose voice was that. The look on her face mirrored my own - "Where the hell did that come from?" and she even asked it. It was then I realized that the voice was mine. Something inside of me came alive at that moment and reflexively responded on it's own. Done without thought. Naturally. She was as shocked as I was. But said it was a good start and indicated that I was starting to get the radios down.

So I've got it in me. I always have. I just need to work on the confidence to harness that and not let it come as quite a shock the next time.

9.7 Hours - Stalling

I never did write about my last flight. We went up to practice stalls and commit them to memory. I had spent over a week memorizing the procedures on paper and now had the change to execute the procedure in the air. Let me tell you that memorizing something line by line and then having to translate it to motor skills is a lot more difficult than it sounds. I think it involves learning the procedure originally with one side of your brain and having to transfer it to the other, which speaks a totally different language. They didn't become second nature by the end of practice (which is where they need to be), but I was firing them off quite quickly.

I was quite pleased with myself. I was becoming more confident in the plane and learning to connect with it more. That was September 18th. The next three flights were canceled, due to mechanical issues, weather and weather. Then my instructor took off a week to get married and go on her honeymoon. I tried to schedule time with her for when she got back, but she said to worry about that when she got back.

The weeks stretched on without a word from her. I had my practice pre-solo tests I was working on and I studied whenever and wherever I could. No word.

I saw that the school had set up a tent at an air show a couple of weeks ago. I talked with them and asked if she was back because I hadn't heard from her. They said she was and would contact me soon. Nothing.

Finally, a week ago, I get an email from her and we set up something for this past weekend (the only time she had for the remainder of this month). Saw her yesterday and she apologized - said she's been busy with post-wedding stuff and the school had another Groupon out, so they were flooded with people coming in to use them. I was a little taken a back - new business is good, sure, but shouldn't they provide service to their current customers and give them preference over the Groupons?

I took a deep breath and didn't let it upset me. After all, I'm not flying for her - I'm in it for me, for that plane, for the feeling of soaring through the air. It's been 5 weeks since I last flew and I feel like I'm missing apart of me without it.

So we get in the plane and take off. The weather was perfect flying weather and the sky was a perfect, clear blue. We got up in the air and I got the feeling that this is what I was born to do. I smiled, remembering my first couple of flights where I was really scared but now I was completely at home. It's as if my soul forever remains in the sky and I'm reunited with it when I physically go up there. I completely feel alive in the sky and unlike in everyday life, I am completely in the present. We all go through the motions of everyday - worrying about the future or thinking about the past. There's NONE of that up there in the sky. There can't be - I need my full concentration when I'm up there. At that moment, nothing else matters.

The wind was mostly calm, but there were a few times a big gust of wind blew us to the side. I rode on the back of it, feeling it as it glided over the wings. I had the perfect partnership with it - comfortable enough with it to go along with it, but in enough control of the plane that I didn't let it take control. Like a tigress carries her cubs - not loose enough to let them get away, but not tight enough that it will hurt them. The delicate balance of nature. Even though I am operating a machine, when I am up in the sky, it is like I am apart of nature... as much as she will let me be anyways.

We practiced ascents, descents, and turns. God, how I love turns. The graceful, coordinated movement and getting the chance to see the beauty of the landscape below. Bambi wanted to turn around at this point, but I balked.  Ascents, descents, and turns, really?? You've got to be kidding me. At least practice some stalls or something. So we got in one power on and one power off stall. They were a little rusty, but considering that I was just getting the hang of them the last time we flew, it was okay. I'm frustrated that we seem to be... stalled, for the lack of a better term. I don't seem to be moving forward at all. She was upset that the lesson took about an hour and a half.

Bambi would also make comments in the plane that made me think, "Did she really say that?". For instance, one time, she said I was off a little to the right and needed to correct it. I started to shift a little to the left when one of the huge wind gusts came up and REALLY turned us left - almost vertical. "I didn't mean that much", she snapped.  She had some other zingers up there that I really felt like she was talking down to me like a child. First going MIA for 5 weeks and then talking down to me? Not cool. I don't pay someone that much money to talk to me like that. Not to mention that everyone at that school seems to have problems answering emails and returning phone calls. Another time, we're on the ground and she takes over taxiing and saying that she's going to park the plane. I mastered this a few sessions ago. So she takes over and says "Taxiing", pauses and says it again, pauses and says it again and yet once again. I have no idea what she's doing. Then she yells that I need to listen to her because if she's talking and saying something over 4 times, then she means what she says and isn't just talking. I wasn't ignoring her - I just didn't know what she meant by "Taxiing". Turns out, we needed our lights on because we were taxiing. Maybe I was having a slow day, but I didn't get that by someone repeating "Taxiing" in my ear like a parrot.

I'm really considering going to another school, where my partner from the FlightSafety seminar taught. He and I got along really well. I want an instructor who is as excited by flying as I am. I plan to be one of the 20% that make it all the way through. I'm not letting a snotty-nosed girl kill my enthusiasm.

Flightsafety Day!!

                                           (picture courtesy of Aero Atlanta Club)

I got the chance of a lifestime and spent my Saturday, playing around in these down at Hartsfield. 5 simulators in all - 3 Larjets (31, 45 and 60), Citation II and an Embraer. Lear 60 (pictured) was my favorite.

This was such a big deal for me. Not only because the average person doesn't get to do this, but after the Atl Aero Club announced they were going here, they said only at least Private Pilot's Licence holders could go. I was crushed and thought I'd have to wait until next year. Then a thought creeped into my brain: perhaps there could be no harm in asking if they would let me attend.Worst they could say was "no" (and possibly, "can't you read?") and I'd be no worse off than I already was. I wrote to one of the main people in the group on facebook. Told her that I was very excited about, but was only a student pilot - would there possibly be a chance that I could go too? My request was answered with a resounding "Yes!! Please sign up!". I was esctatic and over the moon.

The big day finally came and with butterflies in my stomach, I set out an hour ahead of time. Good thing too - there were no signs, so I ended up taking a detour around the back of Hartsfield. It didn't bother me as I was there way ahead of time and I had never seen the back of Hartsfield before. Saw the hangers for Delta and Airtran and gawked at the big, beautiful planes as I drove past. This is the first time I've seen those planes through my new aerophile eyes and they were absolutely breathtaking. I think I've always liked to watch commercial planes take off and land, but nothing like this.

Finally, I found the right building and decided to review a bit before heading inside, as I was still early. (Have to study every chance I get) With 10 minutes to go, I couldn't wait any longer and walked inside. I told myself that today was about having fun and there was no need to be nervous. We had to check-in at the front desk. They gave me a name badge and told me where to go. I smiled at everyone I met and wiggled my toes inside my shoes with happiness. I finally found where we were suppose to go and walked inside - and everything stopped. My confidence plummeted after walking into the room (not to mention, they had fallen quiet and were staring at me) because they were not only all at least private pilots, but they were all older that me, too - and all guys. I know that's aviation for you, but I had expected at least one or two other females there.

My inclination was to sit quietly in the back of the room, but they called me up front to get my name and give me my team assignment. Then I saw a familiar face - the owner of the pilot shop I frequent was there. Good, one familiar face. We started chatting and then he introduced me to people he knew. Then I got assigned to my partner.

"Hey man, how did you manage to get assigned with the only girl in the room?", came a shout from another pilot, across the room to my flight buddy.

"I don't know", he replied. "I just walked into the room and managed to hit the lottery".

Gee thanks, guys. I AM right here, you know...  The pilot shop owner turned to me and said "You knew this was going to be a rough crowd, right?".  But the tension broke after I was able to crack a few jokes. It actually was in my favor to stick out like that; everyone wanted to talk with me and get to know me. It's funny - I remember wanting nothing more to blend in when I was a kid and hated being different. Now I absolutely loved it and embraced it with vigor! And there was no need to be nervous, as all of these guys were more than willing to help me.

I had no idea what any of the planes were that we were going to fly. Turns out that we flew all of them, so it really didn't matter. My partner looked up the planes on his IPad to show me what they looked like. We got our assigned times and headed out. They had 3 rooms FULL of simulators! It was just absolutely amazing. My eyes went wide watching them come to life and move around. Finally it was our turn. I felt my heart nearly beating out of my chest and had to remind myself silently that I was there to have fun and not be nervous.

We entered the Lear 60 and there were so many instruments! Many more than in my little Diamond. I offered the captain's seat to my partner and he said "oh no, that's YOUR seat". It's okay, I can do this, I can do this. We also had an instructor sitting behind both of us, letting us know what to do. Even though all of the other guys were at least private pilot's (and most were instructors), they had never flown anything like this before. So at least we were all beginners in that aspect. And that made me feel better.

So we "took off" and flew the pattern around the airport. My partner handled the flaps and some other stuff that was the co-pilot's job. We approached final and I went in for the landing. It bounced a bit, but was pretty good (and even got a High-5 from my partner). Hey, this isn't so bad...

I finished and he took a turn. Amazing to see just how two little round the pattern runs took 30 minutes. It went by so fast! Everything in a plane goes by fast...

We finished and were on our way to the next sim. The door opened and I literally bounced out. The team behind us said "Wow, look at that smile!". I was beaming ear-to-ear. Nothing in the world lights my soul on fire like aviation. I seriously had no idea I was smiling until they pointed it out. I felt the joy inside but had no idea that it stretched all the way to my face.

We had a small break due to a scheduling mix-up. My partner was hungry and wanted some lunch. I wasn't that hungry (it was only 11) and had cookies instead. Another pilot said, "I like her lunch. Think I'll have what she's having". And another had cookies too because he was waiting for someone else to take a cookie first. Cookies became my thing for the day. Later, they were cleaning up and had one cookie left - the guy said he knew how much I liked them and gave it to me.

The next one was the Citation II; the only Class C simulator we flew and FAA certified. Yeah, it was a pretty big deal. So big, in fact, that the Citation II instructor was able to log 1 hour of instrument flight sim time in my log book. Sweet.

The Citation was a little harder. The controls were a little bit heavier, as this was a bigger airplane. Still did okay though. (Crashed once though- Shhhh!) Still smiling when I came out of the sim though. The instructor remarked to someone later that he wished all of his students could be like me. I laughed, thinking that was pilot sarcasm - "Seriously? But I crashed your plane...". And it was pointed out to me that I only had 7 hours of flight time in a plane. I barely knew how to operate that one and here I am, in a professional sim, flying a much more complicated airplane, which had different controls than my plane, and for the very first time. It was okay to crash - even the other guys with their private pilot license's crash on sims.

The Embraer was next and I did not like that one at all. The controls were very, very heavy - so heavy, that I'm still kind of feeling it in my arms. Arg, gotta build some muscle in these wimpy little aviatrix arms!

The Lear 31 was the last one we flew in for the day. The instructor for that plane could add weather effects and blow smoke into the cabin. Very, very neat. My co-pilot flew with a heavy fog coming down for landing. They changed it to clear skies for me, but I wished I had tried the heavy fog one. Afterall, it's a sim - no harm done. This sim and the one before it had a flight navigator, so you didn't even have to look out the window. You had a screen in front of you and one arrow represented you the airplane and the other arrow represented where you needed to go. When you needed to turn, you just followed the arrow and tried to keep them lined up. Very, very cool. I even asked if those were real because I had never seen one before - we sure don't have those in Diamonds! (And by the way, I got laughed at for that question, but all in good fun.)

Some people left early. I (and my partner) couldn't understand why people would leave early - we'd stay there and play all day if we could. It was hard work too; left there feeling very exhausted, but happy. I feel so honored to have been able to go! Thank you so much Atlanta Aero Club and Flightsafety! Not only did I have the chance of a lifetime, I also met great people, had an absolute blast and learned a lot, too.

No Go

Got my Private Pilot Test Prep book. Tried studying at night when I usually read a little before bed, but kept falling asleep and would have to read the same thing multiple times. It's okay when it's a fiction book, but not when it's serious studying.

So I've been studying a little bit after dinner and on my lunch break at work. The book isn't monstrous or anything, but I was quickly overwhelmed in the first few pages. I wonder how I'm going to cram all of this into my head... I made a joke on facebook about maybe this is why pilots all have nicknames/call signs - they've been studying so hard and forgot their own names in the process. :P

Managed to schedule a last minute flight in last night. It's quite a feat to fly out of work, get my stuff together, take care of the animals, shove a sandwich in my mouth and speed over to the airport. The weather was fine - saw one cumulonimbus overhead as I drove there, but didn't think it would be a problem.

Arrived at the school, flight bag in hand and "Love at First Flight" t-shirt on. Saw the guy in charge of the center and waved hello. Saw my very first instructor, "Baloo", and was totally excited to see him! He asked how everything was going and I started babbling nonstop about everything. Told him about how the seat cushion was helping me to see and about my perfect landing. He congratulated me. The owner said, "Get out!" from the other room. I poked my head in and grinned, he dropped the joking tone and pointed to the door, "I mean it, get out". Joking, I'm sure... but I don't like him very much. I admitted to Baloo that I tried to get another perfect landing during my touch & gos and didn't make it after that first time. He had really good advice- "That's the problem - you tried. Did you try for a perfect landing the first time? Just let it happen". And the guy in charge piped up from the other room -"Feel the Force, Luke!". I shouted back, "Thanks, Obi-Wan!". (Ha-maybe I should call him "Obi-Wan")

 Although couldn't talk long - the daylight was fading and we needed to take off. I got my stuff, waved g'bye and headed out to do the pre-flight before Bambi came out there. Felt kinda good to strut out of there to do the pre-flight in front of my very first instructor. Kind of a "look at me now" moment. Very cool.

I greeted my Delta Charlie with enthusiasm. Talked with her all through the pre-flight, running my hands over her wings. Bambi took awhile to come out of there, so I had plenty of time. She warned me that Del had been having oil pressure problems yesterday but didn't seem to today. We hop in the plane. I handle the radios (omg- I handled the radios!!!) and started to taxi. Bambi was taken aback by the taxiing - we were on the line 99% of the time. Got down to the little area where we did the run up before take off. You have to do a little maneuver to get the plane turned around. Kind of turning on a point. You up the power and stomp hard on the brake where you want the plane to go. Although turning isn't hard - it's just stopping because otherwise that plane will keep going. She turned like a Russian Ballerina. Bambi was astounded and even exclaimed, "VERY GOOD! WOW!".

It was short lived, however. The oil pressure dropped (dropped, as in plummeted) and the oil temperature rose. A serious red flag. It could be that the gauges were just messing up, but it could also be that the engine would seize up in the air if we attempted to take off. I was disappointed, but we turned around and came back. Better to be on the ground, wishing you were in the air than in the air, wishing you were on the ground. Poor little Del, hope she's okay.

But that puts my next flight on Sunday. It's okay - I'm disappointed, but by Sunday, I'll be able to memorize slow flight, power-on & power-off stalls and the emergency take off procedures. Got slow flight down already. Stalls are very similar in how they start out, so shouldn't be too bad. And hopefully, my Del will be ready to go on Sunday.

Ground School

First official day of ground school. Was excited this morning, but was also very, very jealous looking up at the clear, blue sky, wishing I was up there instead. Bambi said that if maybe we got through everything, then maybe we could do some pattern work.

Mostly we worked on the weight and balance sheet and how to fill one out. The plane has a center of gravity and the weight of it after adding fuel, people, bags, etc affects that. The weight and balance sheet just makes sure we don't go over maximum weight.

Then we went over the principles of flight... Wasn't as excited about all of this. I learned about this before my intro flight. Went over gravity, lift, thrust and drag. Covered Angle of Attack (AoA) and how that comes into play with stalls. We finished 20 minutes ahead of time, but not enough for a flight. Pooh. :(   Oh well, good news is that we managed to squeeze in one for tomorrow. Hope the weather cooperates.

She dragged out her HUGE CFI book so we could look at diagrams and stuff. I'm not kidding when I say this book was a monster. Looked like one of the antique family Bibles or something...  She had to make it for her CFI training. Then she looks at me and asks if I've ever considered being a CFI. I laughed and admitted that I hadn't at first, but am warming to the idea. Mostly how I could get paid for flying and could give the gift of flight to someone else. It's still a long ways away, in any case.

In other news, she thinks I'll be ready to solo and take my written exam the first week of October. Bought myself a test prep book and the plan is to do a section per day and practice the online quizzes (which I've already been doing and have been getting pretty good at!)

I went to an itty-bitty air show over the weekend. Helicopters only, but hey, I take what I can get... :)
Ran into an organization I've been looking at for a little while. Finally got to talk to someone in person about it. If I volunteer, I get to fly in their planes, learn new skills and use my piloting skills to help people. Whatever you want to learn, they are willing to teach you if you are willing to help out. You can help out with their PR and promotions or help out with the young kids, teaching them about aviation or you can learn first-aid skills and help out in the case of an emergency. I've been trying to think of a way to combine aviation and medical stuffs. I just may have found it. Oh yeah, and I get to wear a nifty 'lil flight suit, too.

Touch & Go's

I flew again on Sunday. My instructor and I don't have much time in the next few weeks, so we scheduled two flights this weekend. She warned me not to get too excited because there was a hurricane coming through and most likely the lesson would be canceled.

I woke up Sunday morning and sure enough, 100% cloud cover. Regardless, I hung around the house and got ready just in case. 11am rolled around. No phone call. She promised me she'd call an hour before hand if it was going to be canceled. I waited until 11:15 - nothing. Looked outside again - still 100% cloud cover. But they looked kind of high, so maybe that's why. I checked my phone, made sure it was charged and turned it off/on. No phone call, no messages. I got my stuff together and got into the car, certain that my phone would ring any minute. Never did.

I got down to the airport and checked-in. Asked the guy behind the desk if we were still flying today and he said we were, as the radar said it was clear outside. My instructor arrived and also asked. We all checked again and it looked liked all systems were go.

My instructor said that maybe we'd change our plans for today and just hang around the airport. She didn't trust the radar and would hate to be faraway from the airport in case something happened. Instead, we'd spend the day doing touch & go's. My heart leaped - those are my favorite! Actually, I've only ever done one real one and it was assisted. But I've done them many, many times in my dreams. Thought they looked like fun ever since I saw Maverick do one in Top Gun when I was younger. I remember before all this craziness started and my pilot friends told me that I'd need to practice touch & go's until I was blue in the face. They thought they were boring; I've always found them fun.

Did the pre-flight again. I was in the same plane I've been in the last four flights. Not ashamed to say that I love this little plane. Her call sign ends in "Delta Charlie". I've been calling her "Del" and then it transformed into "Delphinus" (latin for dolphin). There's just something about her... She's my instructor's favorite plane, too.

(And speaking of names, I'm going to start to refer to my CFI as "Bambi". More personable and easier than "my CFI" or "my instructor" all the time.)

So we taxi down the runway. No radios this time. Bambi says I need to concentrate on just the touch & go's. She does the first one. I look for landmarks to tell me when to turn and if I'm where I need to be in the air. We land and go up again - my controls this time. Bambi still had her hands on the controls though, walking me through things. There were a million things going on up there - more so than usual. A normal flight, you take off and still have to do things, but not as quickly. A touch & go is different. You go up, do a lap in a square around the airport, land, repeat. It's very quick... or at least it seems that way. We only had enough time to do 5 touch & go's in an hour.

We turn final. I see that runway, as I lick my lips nervously. Wonder if I can score another perfect landing? No such luck - we bounce. I frown - Bambi says it was a good landing. No way... nothing like last time. This one was like my first landing. She laughs and tells me not to be such a perfectionist. It was a good landing, just not "mythologically perfect" like my landing the day before.

We push the throttle all the way forward, pull back on the stick and we're in the air again. 500ft - change the flaps to cruise. Turn left, line plane up with skyline of Atlanta, look out left window, make sure we are parallel with the runway, look for triangular building, turn left again, turn final left once over the triangular building, lower to 1500 rpm, watch out for tall green pole, lower flaps, aim for runway, cut power to idle, pull back, let stick go a little to lower nose, roll down runway, push throttle forward again, pull back on the stick and we're off again. Very exciting - can't see how a person can say this is boring!

I started to feel more comfortable with it. Take off and landings always made me a little nervous before. We were certainly beating that out of me today! The wind was a little strong, so it tossed us about during some of the turns. Besides, some of the turns need to be sharper than normal because these are so quick. It was a little nerve-wracking to see the ground like that. We'd go into a turn and I'd see only ground out of the window on my left. The visual made me have a tendancy to try and correct it. You may think of me as crazy but it was during one of the turns when I first heard/felt the plane "talk". We'd go into the turn, I'd see the ground coming, try to correct it and that's when I "heard" it... "Trust me". Really felt it more... Another turn, another pulling back and once again, "trust me". So I did and just went with it. Bambi even remarked afterwards that she felt a change in me and really saw how I was learning to trust the plane more.

I didn't tell my instructor, but I told my mom. She said it was probably just as well that I didn't tell the instructor. We joked about me being a "plane whisperer" or something. haha

After 5 touch & go's, we landed. Had two good landings and two that came down hard. Bambi said it was okay, as I was still learning. And she was right - something did change in me. Everyone thought I was loved airplanes before, but nothing compares to this! Usually after a good flight, I'd get a natural high and I'd just feel so elevated. After a bit, it would wear off and I'd slowly come back down. It's now Thursday and I haven't come back down yet. I don't think I'm going to come back down, nor do I want to ever. I feel it coursing through my veins and wonder why I didn't find out about my love for aviation sooner. It feels like it's always been there, but just waiting for the right time to let me discover it. Couldn't imagine my life without it.
As the song says, "I think I fell in love with the 8th World Wonder...". ;)

The One with the Perfect Landing

For once, the weather was in my favor - no afternoon t-storms on Saturday afternoon. I headed down to the airport early like I always do. I was positive, I was excited.

My CFI was sitting at the desk when I entered. She told me she had a few things to finish up inside, but I could go ahead and start with the pre-flight.

No way. Pre-flight by myself ? With no supervision? Really?

It's okay - I've got this one. I've done this before and I can do it again. Besides, gives me more one-on-one time with the plane. She's one I've flown in twice before. It'll be okay. I've got this one.

I'm not even exaggerating that I nearly skipped out to the ramp. More responsibility makes me happy. I took great pride in going over the plane and checking everything. To experienced pilots, doing this part on your own may not be a big deal, but it is and was to me. I was finishing up when my CFI walked out. She checked the fuel and oil levels and off we went. She discussed about me being on the radios this time. I listened to her going up and was going to try it on the way back. She said she'd coach me a little on the way back too, so nothing to worry about. (Just wish they didn't talk so dang fast!)

She let me take off this time, too. I took a deep breath - putting out of mind my bad takeoff and thinking about the first time instead. Thinking about how magical it was to leave the ground and everything behind. Just watching it drop away as the plane soars away.  Airspeed alive and we were airborne. Hit some hot pockets going up and while we were in the air, so we were tossed around quite a bit. Still not used to that. She was telling me that I just need to let go and go with the flow when that happens. Unless it tosses us into a 90 degree bank or something, I don't need to do anything or try and correct it - the plane will correct itself.

We worked on stalls and slow flight again. Getting better. Still need to commit those to memory. Silly to think I was ever scared of stalls. Hopefully the landing on a field and the checkride won't be as bad as they look from here either.

Was beautiful up there. REALLY clear visability. Saw a few rain showers off in the distance, which was pretty cool. They were kind of like a thinly stretched ball of cotton off in the distance. Very neat to see.

So we turn around to head home. We're about 30 miles out. She says we need to call into the Tower at about 15 miles away from the airport, so we have some time to practice.

"Peachtree Tower, 352 Delta Charlie, approach, 15 miles out".

Easy enough, right? I hit the button and go for it. "Perfect", says my CFI. We wait... and wait some more. Nothing. She tells me to try again. I go again; tower responds. The guy tells me to go to a certain runway. My CFI nods and tells me to repeat back what I just heard. Easier said than done. WTF did he just? So I repeat back what I heard... and in the wrong order. My CFI bursts out laughing beside me. She said it was okay - I got my point across and that's all that matters. Well, the tower calls twice more in rapid succession - changing our runway each time (wind keeps changing). She takes over because it's just too fast and there's too much information.

"Wanna try landing?"

Bring it on. I can do this. Okay, aim for the landing strip, gradually cut power, pull back a little, hold and gently let go. She exclaims, "wow, good job!". Even I know that was a good landing. We landed so smoothly that you had no idea you were on the ground. No bumps, no bounces. Unheard of to land like that on someone's second try. The plane just floated down the runway and alighted on the runway like a drop of rain on a leaf. Very smooth, graceful. She said she doesn't even get landings like that all the time. They are very, very difficult to do and even the most experienced pilot doesn't get them all the time. Like the Holy Grail of landings.

We taxiied back. I said g'bye to my plane and seriously, flounced out of there. I called my mom from the car and told her about it. I got such an adrenaline high from it and haven't come back down since. This definitely takes the cake for the best flight yet.

(P.S. The "s" word came up -"solo". We're getting closer and I'm excited!)

4.9 hours

Sunday the 27th had THE most perfect flying weather that we've had in awhile. Blue skies and not a cloud in sight. Just a little bit of wind, which turned into a lot once I got into the air. The plane was bucking all over the place, but was still easy (haha relatively) to control. Sunglasses came in handy today. MUCH too bright outside.

Realized the night before while thinking about my flight, that I forgot a number of things on the pre-flight last time. Yay for me remembering on my own; boo for the instructor not pointing them out to me at the time.

Had a larger seat cushion this time and was able to see even better! Sometimes a little too well. Saw so much of the horizon and the ground below that I kept thinking that we were descending when we weren't.

So I taxiied again, but she insisted on having her feet on the pedals as well. She took off again and landed. I was supposed to use the radio today, but she did it again. I was supposed to fill out the weight and balance sheet before the flight. We forgot to grab it on the way out and she said to forget it because we needed to hurry up and fly.

Still no landing or taking off. Practiced stalls again. It was really clear, but REALLY windy. (And so I've been told that the really clear days are really windy days)

Stalls were good. My instructor says that I need to memorize the maneuvers backwards and forwards. I'm picking up on them alittle, but still need to work harder on them. Need more chair flying, I think.

She was supposed to let me on the radios this time, but she said it was too busy. :(

Although I'm going through my checklists faster and faster because I know where everything is now, so that's good at least. Wish she'd let me do more stuff...  But the flight was good this time. No where near as bad as the worst time; a little closer to my best flight ever.

3.7 Hours

Now I have 4 entries in my logbook. Still looks odd to me, as I never thought I'd have that many flight hours. It's just still so strange to me. What, me? A pilot? Surely, you must be joking...

(No, I'm not. And don't call me 'Shirley'. haha)

My last flight went better. Still not up to par with my second flight, but as long as I continue to get better with every flight, then it won't be too long 'till I'm there again. Am really, really frustrated with all of the weather delays (gotta love Atlanta's stormy afternoons and pop-up showers that appear out of nowhere) and scheduling conflicts.

I did the pre-flight check all by myself, which I was really proud of being able to do. Told my previous instructor about my accomplishment, but tried to refrain from getting all excited about it. Regardless, I felt like a little kid telling an adult that she tied her shoes for the first time by herself.

Taxiing got a little better, but still not as good at the second flight. Some guys parked their plane on the ramp in the way. My instructor had to get us around it; I suggested telling them that they might want to move their plane as a student driver (flyer?) was on board.

She's kind of nervous, which makes me nervous. Had a couple of freak-out moments, as did she. Not sure you want your CFI freaking out on you. I'm already a little nervous to begin with.

She took off the plane (again) and landed (again). I'm getting frustrated that she's not letting me do what I know I can do. I did both of those (assisted) on my second flight lesson ever. I'm never going to learn if she doesn't turn over the reigns.

Anyways, so we get into the air and I've got a seat cushion now! Helped me see over the instruments a bit better. Easier to keep straight and level if you can see where you are going. ;)

I got to do my very first ever Power On Stall. It was pretty cool. It's supposed to simulate take-off, so you pull the stick wayyyyy back and it feels like you are one of the Blue Angels going vertical. Not really going vertical like that, but it feels like it.

It was kind of cloudy up there, but beautiful. I was just taken aback by the beauty of it all. Soared up to 5,000 feet, just above the clouds. Not thick cloud cover, but just kind of spotted here and there. Enough that I was able to ascend through breaks in them and able to see the ground in the negative spaces. I am not lying when I say it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Could only keep repeating that over and over in the plane. Absolutely breathtaking. Took a good number of pictures up there.

We came back down and of course, she landed. Felt a little better this time. Wasn't as good as my best flight ever, but wasn't as bad as the worst. I think as long as I keep getting better and better, then I'll be okay.

Jetman's Flight at the Grand Canyon

Post-Flight Thoughts

As much as I hated posted about my bad flight last night, I'm glad I'm keeping a record of this. Not only to help other budding pilots, like myself, but to help myself as well. Really helps go back and read over stuff.

I read over last night's entry and the entry about my best flight, comparing them. One thing that came to mind was the landings. I took note yesterday about her landing - it didn't bounce much more than mine did the last time. Which maybe indicates that my landing wasn't as bad as I thought it was. It's hard to explain, but it really does feel different when you are in control. Not sure why exactly, but you feel every little nuance of the plane more. So to me, with my hands on the wheel, it felt like the plane bounced more than it actually did.

Secondly, after a friend read my last entry, she pointed out that maybe my disappointment came from not being allowed to do what I thought I could do. I remembering feeling that way during the first flight as well and I remember from the second flight that the joyous feeling stemmed from doing new stuff, being challenged and actually doing stuff. And maybe part of the disappointment came from feeling like I wasn't being listened to, like in the meeting I had with them (will update about that later, too). There were things wrong with that plane. Perhaps not catastrophic things that would cause it not to work right, but still things that were amiss. That's the purpose of the pre-flight check. Doesn't matter how big or small those things were - they are still important. Felt like maybe she overlooked them, due to running out of time and that's a BIG no-no in aviation. You ALWAYS need to take your time, especially when it comes to pre-flight. And maybe that's where my nervousness came from yesterday, even though I wasn't able to identify where it came from at the time. It wasn't just a different way of doing things, it was deviating from the set guidelines.

Regardless, I still need to take responsibility for my nervousness and own attitude. Not gonna blame her, the weather or the plane. And also, if skipping steps or having things amiss made me nervous, then I needed to speak up. That's one of the key things about being a pilot-in-command. It's YOUR responsibility to determine if the plane is air-worthy or not. That's one of the things on the final test, actually. Granted, I'm still new at this and put my trust in her and didn't realize at the time why I was so nervous. So I learn from this and know next time to speak up if something seems out of place.

3rd flight - first bad one

So I've just come back from my flight tonight. Spent the whole day watching the weather and was quite convinced the flight was going to be canceled yet once again. It was overcasty all day and even started raining this afternoon. I wouldn't let myself get excited. No way - not after last time. I was so psyched up, wound up and excited and came down like a lead balloon when the flight was canceled. I knew that I can't keep that up - am going to go insane with all those up and downs. Gotta get a handle on my emotions, so wasn't letting myself get excited this time.

But just like last time, the weather turned on a dime. An hour before leaving work, patches of blue sky broke up the clouds. I kept checking my phone obsessively - NO CALL. I was out the door of my office when the clock hit 5 and ran all the way to my car. I kept my hand on my phone, expecting it to buzz with a message or something, but nothing happened.

I drove fast all the way home. I bounced up to my front door and took care of my animals in the blink of an eye. I changed quickly, got my bag together and flounced out the door. Had already packed an extra sandwich in my lunchbag this morning, just in case and ate that while driving to the airport.

Had a new flight bag and headset that a friend let me borrow, had on my new "Future Pilot" t-shirt, had my check lists. Basically, was ready to rock. Turned up the dance music and car danced on the way there like I was heading to a party. Needed to psyche myself up because I hadn't been in that mindset all day. In retrospect, the car ride over there is a little late to be doing that. I need to approach each lesson like it's going to happen, even though that will hurt more if the lesson gets canceled. Better to be prepared (for flying anyways, maybe not so much for my sanity).

I get to the airport, get my bag, take a deep breath and head inside. Oh yeah... traffic was a little bad, so I arrived at the airport 5 minutes before my lesson.

I get inside the school and my instructor is finishing up with another guy. No biggie. Will give me time to look over a few things and maybe run to the bathroom, since I didn't get a chance earlier running from work to home to the airport.

I take out my procedures book and review take off and landings. Gonna still grease that landing. 10 minutes go by. She finally comes in to apologize that they are running behind and will be with me shortly. I take this opportunity to ask where the bathroom is. I go, come back and review some more. Another 10 minutes. She finally tells the guy that she has to go for me and comes into the room.

We go over some stuff (quickly! because we are now running behind) and go outside to the do the pre-flight check. This time, the plane had a blue streak on it. I had a feeling this plane would have blue on it (blue's my favorite color). The pre-flight was interesting because she made me get out my checklist and basically stood back and let me do it myself. I rememebered most all of it from the last two times up. Was great finally doing it for myself.

Disconcerned me a little that there were some red flags that popped up by she disregarded them. One of the lights on the wings was out, but she said they were used for night flying only and it didn't matter. Then I check to see if the tires were bald and one of them had a bald spot. She said it wasn't bad and to ignore it.

We get in the plane and she has me going over the other check lists. I read out each thing and get to press the buttons. We start the engine and start rolling. She said she'd let me taxi, so I did. Not as good as last time. Took some getting used to again. Finally, we get into position to take off... and she does it. :(

I watch the ground drop away from us - amazing, still, to be sure... but no magical feeling. We get into the air... and practice turns. Are you kidding me? I've done these to death... Had trouble connecting with the plane though. It felt...odd. Like a bucking broncho. And not so much the wind or anything... it was just the plane. Felt very much like a "guy" plane.

So we don't practice anything like we're supposed to. Just stalls, ascents and descents. Just like in the first lesson. Yawn. And quit talking to me like this is my first lesson.

But something felt off. I was very nervous this time up. Moreso than my first time up. Maybe it was that I wasn't anticipating going up today. All I know was that when I landed, I was shaking. Wasn't relieved to land like the first time, but shaking nonetheless. And by the way, she landed the plane. Didn't even let me try. Discouraging to say the least. My mom says that maybe she felt I was nervous and that made her nervous, so of course she wasn't going to let me land.

I taxiied on the way back. Did a little bit better than on the way up. We jumped out and she asked me how it was. So I told her - told her how uneasy I was and how the plane felt off. She asked if it was her and I honestly said that I wasn't sure, but thought it was many different factors.

We set up to go up again on Saturday. I nearly left that place in tears. She said it wasn't a bad flight at all - it was my 3rd time up and she doesn't expect perfection just yet. I was right on track where I should be.

I'll admit I had that horrible thought - that maybe this wasn't for me. Not ashamed to admit I had a self pep-talk in the car. If this wasn't for me, then there's no way I'd schedule another flight, especially after having a bad one. If this wasn't for me, there's no way I'd go up again and again and again, despite being as afraid as I was. If this wasn't for me, then there's no way I'd get so excited about aviation.

So today's flight is over - let it go. Gear up for the next one, afterall I have less than 48 hours to go. Gotta shake the bad feelings from this one (no matter how hard that is to do). Get psyched up, even though t-storms are planned for Saturday. Review, review, review. And get back out there. In aviation, maintaining a good attitude is everything.

Besides, like I was told today - any flight you land safely is a good flight.

My Second Flight

My second flight took place on Saturday, the 16th of July - 6 weeks after my first one. But make no mistake, I have not just been wasting time since then. I've been researching schools, visiting them, budgeting and studying aviation on my own. It has gone by fast, to say the least. Next post I'll get into searching for schools, but I wanted to write about my flight while it's still fresh in my mind.

Anyways, once I decided to go for another flight, I called the school to set one up. Waited a few days. No response. Emailed. Waited a few days. No response. Called again - found out the guy I was calling was on vacation. Called main number. No response. Went in person - found someone. Got to ask a few more questions and he apologized about them being difficult to get in touch with. Went home, waited two more days. No response. Called back again (for the final time - was going to another school if they didn't respond this time), but finally got in touch with someone. Took me two weeks total to try and set up another flight, hence another reason why I went 6 weeks in between flights. I'll write about why I wanted this school so badly in the next post. I'll admit, I was frustrated and a bit dejected, but I knew I'd fly again one way or another. Plus, I figured with what I was about to go through, if I couldn't handle the frustration of not getting a call back, then this whole flying thing probably wasn't for me. Plus, persistance is the key, right?

So I got the flight scheduled for Saturday morning. I saw t-storms on the weather reports, but hoped maybe it might clear up again before the flight like last time. I watched those reports like a hawk, watching it go from predicting 't-storms' to 'cloudy' to 'scattered showers'.

I went to bed on time on Friday evening. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve - except instead of getting presents the following morning, I was about to take Santa's sleigh out for a spin.

Saturday morning I woke to barely any light coming in through my window. Cloud cover was 100%, overcast and sprinkling rain. My spirit sank. I checked my phone - no calls. Maybe there was hope. I got up and got ready like I was going through with the flight. No phone call yet. 8am rolled around, still no phone call. My flight was at 9am, so things were looking good. I was almost ready and was brushing my teeth when my phone rang. My heart stopped. I answered it with a hesistant 'hello?' because I knew full well who it was and what he was going to say.

"You are going to cancel it, aren't you?"
"Kind of have to, unless you want to see what the inside of a cloud looks like."
"Can we???"
"No."

I was numb. We re-scheduled for the following Sunday. I was going to have to wait a whole other week. I hung up the phone and just kind of stared into space. Didn't know what to do and was walking around like I was sleepwalking - in a fog. I started plotting about maybe sneaking out early on Wednesday and squeezing in a flight then. There was no way I could wait a week.

But as hard at it was, I got moving and got some chores done. It was about lunchtime when I saw some sunlight coming through my blinds. My heart skipped a beat. I peeked out of my window. The cloud cover was breaking up!!! Very little, but still breaking. Maybe...

I looked to my phone. Nah... he'd call me if the weather got better and someone else canceled. I shouldn't bother him. I told myself to calm down (because I was getting excited) and eat some lunch. I ate lunch and more sunlight poured into the room. I peeked out again. Even less cloud cover than before!!! I could see really big patches of sky now! I ran outside to get a better view. Yep, weather was improving!! It's worth a try, I guess... Worst he can say is "no".

I tried calming myself down before I called. No need to get excited only to be let down again. Besides, don't want to scare him. Don't need my instructor throwing me out of the plane.

My plan to be calmer didn't really work. It came out all in one breath in one giant run-on sentence: "Hi! I've been watching the weather all day and the cloud cover broke and there are big patches of sky I can see, so I was wondering if maybe we could go up afterall?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before I heard - "You know what? I had another guy cancel. Sure."

I very well might have squeaked (although I'd prefer that I managed to hold that back). "When???"

"Can you be ready by 6pm?"

I was elated. I hung up the phone and did a dance!! I had to keep myself busy because it was still 4 hours away and I could barely stand it. Finally 5 o'clock came and I couldn't wait any longer, so I headed down there early. The airport's like a second home to me, as I've said before. It's so peaceful to sit there and watch planes take off. Besides, I got to wander around in the pilot shop next door, so I was as happy as a clam. I also had my cloud flashcards with me - yep, learning about different clouds and what each of them mean weather-wise. I kept looking to the sky to pick out what each of them were. Some indicated fair weather, some indicated rain, so I was a little nervous that maybe it still might be canceled.

But my instructor showed up and off we went! I remembered a lot of the pre-flight check from last time (from 5 weeks previously!) and used the time to connect with the plane. I didn't do that so much the first time (was too nervous). I ran my hands over her wings, introducing myself to her and asked her silently to be nice to me because I was still new at this.

So we finish and hop into the plane. It felt really comfortable and it was like I had never left. We pulled the canopy down and the instructor tells me to taxi out to the runway. He did all the radio communication. I silently in my head checked-off everything we had to tell the tower - who we were calling, who we were, where were we and what did we want to do. The response from the other end was super fast. Nothing like I had heard on my DVD. Made a mental note to find some place online to listen to ATC broadcasts to get used to the lingo.

So...back to taxiing. I was hella nervous because I did so badly with this the first time. I took a deep breath, connected with the plane... and just 'listened' (for the lack of a better term). The plane would tell me when I needed to step on which brake. Or rather, I could just feel it. So we took off and sure enough, I stayed on that yellow line about 90% of the time. My instructor couldn't believe it - he said he's never seen a person with an hour and a 1/2 of flight time do that well. Usually says it takes 5-6 times out to get taxiing down.

We get to the end of the runway after going over the pre-flight checkoff list. To take off, I need to do a coordinated move of moving up the power, while pulling the stick back. Talk about patting your head while rubbing your tummy. I licked my lips nervously - I couldn't believe I was about to take off this airplane. There's just no way. Coordination isn't my best friend. There's no way I'm about to take off this airplane. But I took a deep breath - gotta trust the airplane. It's built to fly; it'll tell me what to do and my instructor is right beside me and in my ear, so we're all set. So I set the power to full and gently pull back on the stick. And no joke - the plane leaves the runway. I see the buildings and trees drop away from us. All the time, I am repeating in my head, "This plane will not drop out of the sky, This plane will not drop out of the sky", which is a marked improvement from screaming in my head, "OMG!!! IT'S GONNA DROP OUT OF THE SKY!!!" during the first flight.

We practiced ascents, descents, and turns (which I totally rocked!!). My instructor said I did everything like a pro. Somethings I even did before he could tell me to do them, almost intutitively. Used the trim a bit more and learned when to feel when I should use it.

We flew over Stone Mountain and practiced stalls. Actually, he practice stalls and I just watched. They weren't too bad actually. Dropped maybe only 75 feet. The first one I didn't even feel at all. Did a total of 3.

It was so beautiful up there. I managed to take a couple of pictures this time. My instructor said I even acted like I was more comfortable this time and I was! I connected more with the plane this time around and resolved not to be nervous. The first time I was nervous because I had never experienced this before. Now, I have 1.5 hours of flight time under my belt, an experienced instructor at my side (and in my ear!) and a plane that loves to fly. Not to mention I guess I'm kinda good at this too. So no reason to be nervous. It's quite an amazing experience - no need to ruin that with being nervous.

We also practiced slow flight a little bit before heading back to the airport. As soon as we got it in view, he tells me to take the stick and he'll take the rudder pedals. Okay... I can do this. Just aim for the airport and he was in my ear telling me what to do - lower power, lower flaps, lower plane, pull up gently on the stick, lower gently. The plane bounced a little, but it was okay. Once we were completely on the ground, he turns to me and says "I didn't help out as much as you think I did", which totally freaked me out a little and then after awhile it made me dance because I LANDED A PLANE!!!

I taxiied back to the ramp and back to the school. He parked the plane and we got out to tie it up. I said goodbye to my new friend (the plane) and thanked her for being so nice to me. (In my head, mind you. Don't want the instructor looking at me like I was crazy)

It was 9 o' clock at night, but I was so wired up that I couldn't go home. I headed back on the highway and then drove into Atlanta, listening to music with heavy electric guitars. My adrenaline was too high. Got home and still couldn't go to sleep until after 1am and that was only because I saw how late it was and knew I needed sleep. Every cell in my body was screaming "I JUST FLEW A PLANE!!!" and didn't want to power down for the world.

In the days that followed, I was on top of the world. My co-workers told me that they had never seen me so excited before. I had finally got the feeling that most people get on their first flight up. Don't know why it was delayed, but am sure glad I didn't listen to the people who said that if you didn't get it the first time, then you aren't meant to be a pilot.

Le Chevaliers Du Ciel Promo Video

Beautiful, aren't they? Absolutely breath-taking. I must have watched this video 3 times in a row the first time I watched it.

The First Flight

Some people say the pre-flight check is boring, but not me. It was my time to connect with the plane and get to know all about her. Back when I was learning how to drive, I was terrified and didn't want to do it. I got over that fear by imagining that the car was an extension of myself. Things clicked and I lost the fear when I figured out that the road, the car and myself were not separate entities. And so I know that this is what I have to do with the plane.

The pre-flight check let me see every part of the plane and have a quick explanation of how everything worked the way that it did. And I wondered why we don't do this with our cars, at least once a week. It would eliminate many of the problems we have on the road, I think. After I realized that an aviation lifestyle just makes more sense overall.

Then we got into the plane. My mind was overwhelmed by all the instruments in front of me and I wondered if I'd ever be able to learn them all. My instructor started the propeller - one of my favorite sounds. The plane starts to shake when you turn this on, and it reminded me of how a little dog will shake in anticipation when he knows he's going outside to play. The plane was shaking in anticipation of going up in the sky to play.

I was told this many times - a plane is built to fly and these little ones WANT to fly. Once you get up in the air, you can take your hands off the controls and the plane will basically fly itself. Sometimes you can even stall and the plane will straighten out if you take your hands off the controls. My instructor even told me this and we tried it (minus the stalls). We put the plane in a turn and took our hands off the 'wheel'. He said as long as we had gas in it, it would stay in the turn all day. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

So he called into the tower, we taxiied down the ramp onto the runway, went over the checklist and took off. I think taking off is one of the most amazing parts about flying. There you are, barrelling down the runway at top speed, raise the nose a little bit and it just takes off! Suddenly your surroundings falling away and are getting smaller and smaller. You break free of the chains holding you to the ground and have the whole sky as your playground. Yes, take off is definitely a magic moment.

The air was pretty calm, so there was minimal turbulence. And that was good because turbulence still freaks me out a little bit. I'll admit I was gripping onto the seat and the controls just a little bit. I felt like this plane was going to drop out of the sky at any moment and was worried that I would break it.

We flew up to Lake Lanier and back. Practice straight flying, turns, ascents and descents. Turns were pretty cool. You had to press on the rudder pedal in the direction of the turn, as you turn the stick in the same direction as well. If you don't do both at the same time, the plane will slosh, like water in a cup. There's a gauge called a "turn coordinator" on the dashboard. If you keep the little ball between the two lines, then you've done your turn correctly. My instructor said that my turns were really smooth and most people are all over the place. In fact. everything was pretty smooth. I laughed and said it was just the calm air, not me. But he said how many people overcontrol the airplane and get what they call "pilot induced turbulance" from it. He asked if I was sure I had never flown a plane before. :)

So we were about Lake Lanier and practiced a descent. I looked down and the little boats were coming closer and closer. I stressed a little, but he wasn't reacting.They got even closer and I was nervous enough to point it out. lol  I told you, I was pretty nervous. Think I sweated out over half my body weight up there. (Not to mention it was pretty hot - no ac in those tiny planes)

I did enjoy the turns though. Kinda neat to have to do something that required coordination that other people have problems with.

So we come back to the airport. My instructor gets on the radio and requests permission to do a 'touch & go'. I smiled - always though it'd be neat to practice touch & go's... (more a la Top Gun, but yano... I'll take any I can get). He switches off the radio and proceeds to tell me what we're about to do and what a touch & go is, but I smile and say "I know". He says he normally doesn't do them on the first lesson, but he wanted to try it because I was doing so well. I'll admit, as much as I like them, I was relieved to get on the ground - was happy I didn't break anything. But then we take off right away again and I get nervous again. I handle the turn around the airport and we land again. Relief floods me again. (And then disappointment because I'm not supposed to be feeling relief when I get back on the ground if I want to be a pilot)

My instructor lets me taxi back to the ramp. Now taxiing was really interesting because you gotta drive this plane with your feet, by using the brakes. Yeah - the stick is pretty much usless on the ground. Even more useless when you are trying to steer with it and your instructor says in your ear "Let go of the stick!". You are supposed to stay on the yellow line, but I didn't manage too well. He did say that no one gets it at first and it's one of the most difficult parts of flying. Besides, most people were all over the place and I was still pretty good. Did get a sarcastic remark though -

"You see those planes off over to the left?"
"Yeah."
"Well, they won't appreciate you careening into them. Step on your left brake."

So he parked the plane and we got out. He showed me a newer plane that had digital instruments, as opposed to the analog ones we had. VERY cool. Got to talk with another one of his students who was fixing to solo the following day. And that was basically it.

I felt kinda down as I got into my car. It was a very neat experience, but I wasn't bouncing around like other people I had seen who said it was the most amazing thing ever! I thought maybe I'd need that feeling if I decided to do this for sure. I was still undecided at that point. Hey, it was a HUGE decision - roughly $10,000 for something I'm going to do for fun and something I'm only partway interested in. I wondered if I'd ever be able to learn everything and was interested in learning more, but didn't know if I could justify spending that much money and time on something I just wanted to know a little bit more about. Then I thought if I could walk away from it, and with a sigh I decided I could. I'd be a little sad about it and always look up to the sky wondering "what if?", but I could walk away and be okay.

Then the days following the flight, something curious began to happen: I couldn't get the flight, planes or flying out of my mind. I just could not seem to let it go. It was the first thing to enter my mind when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep. The following weekend, I went to an air show at the same airport. Had an absolute blast! Ran around all day, watching the aerobatic pilots, climbing in & out of planes, taking pictures, talking to pilots and talking to flight schools. I felt really at home.

My instructor said I should go around to different schools and check out their programs. I was still unsure at this point (or so I said... I'm wondering now if I was ever actually unsure. haha No one else ever believed I was unsure when it came to aviation), but figured it couldn't hurt, if this was something I was planning to do. Besides, maybe I should take just one more flight and see if the aviation bug bites...

The Air Up There

"I took a leap... and discovered I could fly."

I'd like to say that my journey has just begun, but really it started awhile back. I won't go into all of it here, but you can read about the beginnings of of experiment in fear conquering here. It has shown me that I'm much more capable of more than I ever thought possible.

Can't say I'm one of those people who have loved planes her whole life. I liked them well enough, sure, and had an appreciation for them. Been flying on commercial jets since I was 6 months old, so no fears about flying. Turbulence would scare me a little, which inspired me to feel as though I was apart of the airplane so I would not feel as nervous. Think I started doing that about 10 years ago, when I'd go to visit my parents in Florida after they moved down there.

Always loved "Top Gun" (and not because of Tom Cruise). Just discovering now that I use a lot of analogies in my everyday speech that involve flying or airplanes. My Mom learned to fly planes when she was younger than I am now. My Dad was in the Air Force (but never flew). A lot of my guy friends are pilots. Looking around now, it seems like I was born into an aviation lifestyle, even though I never realized it before.

About a year and a half ago, my life was turned inside out. I started stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. One of those 'new things' was to attend an air show in October of 2010. I remember when there was one about 2 years previous. Since I lived near the Air Force Base, I got to see them practicing overhead and I was intrigued, but I did not end up going. But this time I did... and have never looked back.

I was in awe from the moment I arrived. I had no idea it would be so HUGE! I looked at all of the airplanes, I walked through some of them and sat in some others. It was like a Disney World of airplanes  - I could have lived there. But none of this could compare to watching them fly! They soared through the sky doing aerobatics that I've only ever dreamed about doing. The Canadian Snowbirds, Aerobatic pilots galore...and finally, the air show finished with the Blue Angels. Could barely take my eyes off the sky. The roar of the plane engines lit a fire in my heart that has never stopped burning. I left that air show feeling alive as I never have before. And ever since then, I have to glance to the sky whenever I hear a plane go by.

I had signed up on a mailing list for a flight school at the air show. Couldn't tell you why. Learning to fly flickered through my brain and was quickly extinguished. About a week later, the flight school sent out an e-newsletter with a special deal for an intro flight. The thought about flying was lit again, but I was too scared to go for it at the time. However, I watched those e-newsletters and promised myself when I saw it again to jump on it.

Months passed. The deal did not come up again. I signed up for Groupon, thinking they may have another deal with another school. I made a list of things I wanted to do (aviation and non-aviation related) and promised myself that if I saw a good deal pop up on Groupon to not let them go. Figured maybe I should get rid of my fear of heights in stages. Another thing I wanted to do was go up in a helicopter. Sure enough, that Groupon came up first. (Ironically enough, the Groupon popped up after about 3 days of me saying I wanted to do this.)

I may have held my breath when I went for it, but I bought the ticket. I think I jumped up and down and screamed for a week - I was THAT excited. I may have been afraid, but my excitement was bigger. We took off on February 20th, 2010. It was a 30 minute ride and I took 58 pictures during it. I love the city of Atlanta anyways, but I fell a little bit more in love with it that day.

Just after, a Groupon for a flight lesson came up. I sat and thought about it all day. Merely thinking about pressing that "BUY" button was making my palms sweaty. I had one hour left to purchase it and I took a deep breath, thinking about if I did not go for it, would I regret it in the morning? The answer was a resounding "YES!!", so I went for it. The expiration date on it was for a year after purchase, so I had plenty of time to still work up to it.

The next one was for a biplane ride, which I'll admit scared me a little. It was REALLY breezy and we had lots of turbulence, which made the plane go all over the place. I was relieved to get back on the ground.

So I waited for a bit... and waited a bit more. Hoping my love for aviation would override the fear I had. I conquered my fear of roller coasters in there, too, and hoped that would take away a little bit of the fear of heights. And I waited a little bit more.

Then one day, I was walking outside. A military jet flew overhead, and of course, I looked up to take in it's beauty through my eyes. It was so beautiful gliding through the air. My eyes sparkled, my heart soared with the sound of the purring engine. The plane turned on its side and swooped around in a turn. The top of it was a baby blue color - one I have never seen on a plane before. It was so beautiful that I couldn't help but stop and stare. It cast a giant shadow over the tops of the trees, like a pterodactyl. I literally think my mouth dropped open watching it fly. And then, that's when the thought hit me - "I no longer want to be a passenger. I want to fly". I smiled at the thought. I was now ready. I was tired of constantly saying, "I wanna fly" and wanted to actually take the next step and do it.

It was the beginning of May. I checked my calendar to pick out a day for my first flight. Memorial Day weekend was the next available time I had. It was fine - gave me even more time to get ready and maybe study a little before my flight. Besides, it was my secret goal to make whomever I flew with to say "Wow, are you sure you haven't flown before?".

I learned the pilot's alphabet during lunch one day at work and promptly asked everyone around me to quiz me. A friend gave me a free demo CD of Ground School lessons and I began watching it - learning about thrust, lift, drag and gravity. I even made sure my Talespin t-shirt was ready and clean for the flight.

The day of the flight arrived. I had been watching the weather the whole week before. Was worried it would get cancelled due to weather and it nearly was. The week before they had predicted thunder storms. As the day of the flight lesson got closer, the predicted thunder storms changed to 'cloudy', which changed to 'sunny'. I was ecstatic. I woke up early that day and headed down to airport early. I didn't care. This was the airport where I had my helicopter and biplane rides from. It was like a second home to me. There's nothing I loved more than watching the planes take off. Besides, I still needed some down time to calm my nerves and rushing down there, worrying about being late wasn't the way to do it.

The butterflies in my stomach were doing jumping jacks. I was soo nervous. Finally, the flight school opened and one of the instructors introduced himself to me. I had to restrain myself from squeaking when I heard his name because I knew he was the person I was flying with. It took a long time to sign all of the paperwork and get everything ready, but that was fine because I was still a little nervous.

The pre-flight check was pretty neat. Don't think I've ever seen a plane in that much detail up close before. It was soo tiny!! Couldn't believe I'd be sitting in this thing and be in the air soon...

To Be Continued... ;)

I'm King...er Queen of the World!!

This was me, about 4pm yesterday. I had just taken my FAA Medical Exam in order to be a pilot. Had to say I was a little worried, due to all of my medical problems last year, but I passed!! This just opens so many doors for me. I'd say 'sky's the limit', but it just became my playground. :)

I had my first Discovery flight about a month ago. And since then, I have been researching schools, bugging them with questions, studying in every free moment I have and slowly adopting an aviation lifestyle. I not only want to chronicle my adventures in the air, but also share what I have learned. Hey, even newbies can share what they've learned - afterall, I know more now than I did when I started. ;)