Dandelion picking!!

So possible flight either tomorrow after work or this weekend!!! (Flight = dandelion picking) Just need to sign off on being able to use the radios and I'M DONE WITH SCANNER TRAINING!!!!!!! WHOOP, WHOOP!!!

I'm soo, soo very excited!! Studying continues to be addictive and all of my activities with CAP just continue to energize me. It has probably been the biggest single resource to help me in this whole journey. And I know I'm a total aviation geek (surprised? haha I am!), but I'm just so excited by all the field trips, uniforms, titles, having a network of piloty people to talk to, mission training, and aviation education.

Tonight we had another "let Heather ask questions" night because there were only 4 seniors there. I quite enjoy these types of meetings. :)  Might actually end up spoiling me. haha Merlin said he liked my questions because they were "interesting" and "cool". Squee! - I'm cool. ...Or at least my questions are. haha

We were talking about Oshkosh and he said one of the funny guys in the videos I was watching gives talks there most years. My eyes went wide and I exclaimed, "REALLY???". Omg... would be soooo very AWESOME to see that... along with everything else. Just found out about some International Aerobatic pilots who will be preforming, as well as Sean D. Tucker, who I saw at my first air show (that I remember) at Dobbins and he's one of my favorite aerobatic pilots EVARRRRR. Annnnd, I got called an "airshow groupie" again, although I think Merlin toned it down to "you are such a fan!". hahaha I'm a total fangirl, especially about aviation. And let's face it, I'm a total groupie, too. I own it. It's okay - nothing to be ashamed about. Not like there's anything wrong with being an air show groupie and aviation fan girl. :P

So I'm babbling at the meeting of how I'm excited about the whole camping portion of Oshkosh as well, and how it'll be just nifty to live in a community of other people who love aviation too for a week!!! And Merlin's saying an iffy-type "Well...", but I ignore it and babble on happily about how I'm going to introduce myself to my neighbors and have even more people of whom to ask questions. Merlin and one of the guys we flew with once give a look like "whiskey tango foxtrot? oh sh!t, she just might be insane..." and Merlin laughs & says, "Well... not all people are as patient as I am". LOL 

And, and, and USS Yorktown trip is 3 weeks from tomorrow!!!!!!! I'm rooming with a lady I met during my first CAP meeting and I'm so very, very excited!! haha I think I've said that about 3 times in this entry alone! They say the ship is haunted and there are apparently many, many boats you can tour during the day and many, many museums to scope out. I can't wait!!!

Hrmmm, what else? Cuz I KNOW there's more...  Flying, Yorktown trip, Heather question meeting... Oshkosh... Huh, I think that might be it. I swore there was more...  No studying tonight because I got home, wrote this and I'm a little tired. haha You'd never know it from the hyperness, but I am pretty tired.

Oh, I guess... we had a pizza party tonight at CAP. After the "Heather asks questions" meeting, I went over to have some pizza and got to talk to other people, which is cool. Oh yeah... and Merlin said I could be a 1st Lt. once I passed the written and could teach ground school. *yawwwn* I'm excited about that, I wanted to teach ground school in the first place. It will also help in solidifying all that info into my head.... Ok, I sleepies now... lol I think I just live-blogged an adrenaline crash. Zzzzzz.... planezzzz... hehehe

"A take off excursion through the weeds"

Best quote ever:

"Staying in the center of the runway is an important key to good take offs. That way you have maximum room on either side to allow for wind gusts, blown tires and so on. It's also embarrassing when you have to pick the dandilions out of your landing gear after a take off excursion through the weeds."

No joke - I just heard this in the training video I was watching and just cracked up! I've listened to it three times already and it never gets less funny. The guy says it so seriously, too, like he's speaking from personal experience!! haha

Anyways... So, yes, more studying tonight. Hopefully finishing up the 7th lesson in the videos!! Although, now that I'm getting closer to the end, I have a sinking suspicion that there are more videos that Merlin didn't give me...

Hoping to do some more work in the textbook tonight, as well. Got a call at work today about the trip to USS Yorktown (squee)! We're leaving 3 wks from Friday at 1745 from Dobbins!!! I can't tell you how excited I am. :)

Happy Anniversary!

One year ago today, I took my very first flight lesson. It's kind of a bittersweet anniversary because although I am happy to celebrate this milestone, I had hoped to be much further along than I currently am. One year and still no solo, still no license.

My mom says this isn't a race and I've had a lot happen that was out of my control. It still stings a little though. Merlin would say I've got "get-there-itis" and need not rush things. I don't doubt I'll get there eventually. I just wish it was sooner, rather than later.

So one year ago today, huh...? Hard to believe I am where I am, considering this was only a "passing interest". haha My life's changed so much since then. I didn't know how much I loved aviation then... or at least I didn't think I did at the time. I think it was just the lack of confidence holding that back.

I remember being interested, but thinking I could walk away and be okay. I remember thinking I'd always look to the sky, wondering "what if?", but couldn't justify spending $10,000 on something I was only mildly interested in. I went home and either dreamt that night or the next of a tiny plane following behind me, playfully nudging me in the bottom like a dog would (no prop, thank god! haha) and saying "Come play with me, Heather, come play!". When I responded that I'd like to, but I was too scared, the plane laughed and said "Scared of what? I don't fall, I FLY!! Come play, Heather".

In the days that followed, I wasn't able to get it out of my brain. Aviation was the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning and the last thing I thought about before going to sleep at night. And apparently, it was even there in my dreams...

I kept saying I was undecided, but I started doing things to begin my aerospace education. Baloo, my first instructor, suggested I go visit other flight schools. I laughed, saying that I wasn't even sure that I wanted to do this yet. "Just in case", he said. So I sat down, thought up some questions and went. He and some others said I would have never gone if I wasn't sure. I went for my aviation medical exam, still saying "just in case". I honestly wasn't even sure if I'd pass it, considering my medical history. When I did, I was on top of the moon! I figured if I didn't pass, then that'd be a sign I shouldn't be doing this.

I went to sleep one night, asking out loud if I should really do this. A word appeared in one of my dreams that night and I held onto it until morning. As I started to wake up, the word bounced around in my head. At first I thought it was gibberish, but it persisted and I thought there must be a reason why it was sticking around. I kept repeating it. No, it wasn't gibberish - it was another language. Italian maybe? I was still waking up, but had more clarity. I KNEW I had heard this word before. The word intensified in my brain until I said it out loud. I finally woke up completely, confused by why this word was hanging around and had no clue to what it meant. Japanese! It was a Japanese word! And maybe it was sticking around because this was an answer to my question I had asked before I went to sleep. I ran to the computer to look it up. The first thing that popped up was "the favorite word of confident people". My heart leaped and I smiled, thinking this very well could be the answer I was looking for so desperately. I finally found the definition and sat in my chair, stunned.

"Mochiron - of course"

Aviation has caused something inside of me to wake up that I never knew existed before. It's almost magical. One friend told me that it makes every cell in my body come alive - and it does, it really does. My pilot buddies think I'm really unusual in my interest, and to this day, I still don't understand why it's so unusual. In fact, I think it's kind of unusual that they don't have the same enthusiasm.

It's still kind of odd to me about how drastically my life has changed in such a short time. One year ago, I was thinking: "Me? Fly a plane?? Maybe...". One year previously, it wasn't even on the radar and would have been closer to "There's no way I could ever fly a plane". Now my line of thinking is "Go flying? When???". It's so weird... yet at the same time, it's so weird to think there was a time where aviation didn't even have a place in my life.

Anyways, I could write about aviation all day. I guess in thinking back, I've realized that even though I'm not currently where I want to be, I have still come a long way. I guess that's still something worth celebrating. ;)

For now, I need to get back studying so I can go flying sooner rather than later. On the agenda for tonight: finishing up the lesson 6 videos! Also, I need to do a bit of cleaning for the pet sitter because the C-17/USS Yorktown trip is 3.5 weeks from tomorrow!!!

Regardless of where I'm supposed to be or not supposed to be, one year ago today I took a leap... and discovered I could fly. And that's all that matters. =^.^=



Studying

Just completed 3 more tests for CAP and was studying out of my textbook after I last posted. It just blows me away - I never knew studying could be so addicting!

R2 says I need to update here about my studying, too. If I did that every time I studied, I don't think I'd have time to sleep. ;)

Yesterday, I was doing the second part of FEMA training for a good part of the day. The website said it would take about 3 hours to complete. I got called to school just as I started the first page and had to take a break for lunch after 2 hours. I finally finished 15 minutes before I had to leave to go play laser tag with R2 and Da Vinci. Didn't help that yesterday was absolutely beautiful and it made it harder to stay inside and work on this stuff. So a little longer than 3 hours... but that's okay - the first part was supposed to take 3 hours also and it took me an hour and a 1/2!

Today, I was answering some questions from my textbook before lunch about the instruments in the plane and airspeeds. I once again had to stop for lunch (grr, pesky lunch getting in the way! hehe) and started working on tests for CAP. There were 3 little 10 question, open book tests. Only one was required for Mission Scanner (that's me!) but the others were important too, especially if I ever work on ground crew. I hadn't planned to take them, but I was having an ADD moment and was wondering what other things I could add to my CAP record. I just went to peek at them to see what it was , thought it looked easy enough, so I thought I'd take the first one. Then I noticed that the first one wasn't actually required for my training, but the second one was. When I finished the second one, I guess tests are like potato chips (you can't just have one) and finished the third.

I'm going to take a break for a bit and maybe clean something. You have no idea how strange that is to me - take a break to clean. This afternoon, I plan to watch more ground school videos and hopefully finish all of the ones in lesson 6 (out of 9). Maybe finish up those questions I was working on in the textbook, too.

Btw, here's the music I play while taking tests and studying. Epic conquering music, FTW!

Taking Off!

So a lot's been happening in the last few weeks - things have really been taking off! haha I'm almost done with my scanner training - finished the second of the FEMA training yesterday. It was difficult because it was sunny outside and apparently nice days make studying 10x harder... *grumble*, but all that's left is demonstrating that I can use the radios and I'm done! I'm a little nervous after cussing over the airwaves before, but all I need to do is find my confident voice (and confidence haha) and it'll be just like before.

I had my first flight with the new instructor a few weeks ago. Even though it was a DA-40 and I've trained in a DA-20, it was like learning a whole new airplane. He has glass panels - a G1000 - which means everything is computerized. It has the same instruments, but in different places... and sometimes they are combined, so I feel a bit disoriented... and frustrated that after all the work I did, I have to go back to the beginning. :(   Although, I am hoping that once I get used to where everything is that I'll climb up pretty quickly to where I was before.

I've dubbed the new instructor "Merlin". Since we met, he's treated me like Wart from "The Sword in the Stone" and we have that teacher/student relationship. He doesn't just teach, but takes me on experiences like Merlin did to Wart. Also, Wart had dreams about being a Squire and Merlin thought it was silly. My instructor was getting after us one meeting for being "air show groupies" - and you all know how I like a good air show. So we swap messages back and forth and I said "You say 'air show groupie' like it's a bad thing...". He said that too many people waste time looking up, wishing they were the military pilots in the air show and don't actually go out and do it. He went on to say that at some point, we all need to ask ourselves if this activity moves us forward towards our goals? He has a point... but I respectfully disagree- I think air shows definitely move me towards my goal and here's what I wrote back to him:

"Does attending air shows help me move forward in my goals? Absolutely. It's a fun break away from book studies, yet not straying from the aviation field. It's still a learning experience and a place to teach some of my non-aviation friends some of the stuff I've been learning. Also, it's a great place to connect to the aviation community by talking to other pilots. Not to mention, the adrenaline boost gets me a little bit more excited about aviation. While I'm there, I may gaze up longingly up at the F-18, wishing I was a fighter pilot and yes, you are right -that kind of wish is impractical and doesn't help me move forward in my goals. However, there are other aerobatic pilots in the show that started out much like the rest of us and some how or another got into aerobatics. From there, they built their own planes, learned them inside and out and demonstrate a sense of precise control in them that make me desire to be able to learn the same skills one day, all the while they are an absolute blast doing what they love and maybe, just maybe, helping others who are watching on the ground to fall in love with aviation much like they have. Now, *that's* a worthwhile and practical goal. The book work and practical flying skills are the most important part in learning to fly, but one thing is needed to obtain goals - visualization of the goal. So for a pilot, that means stopping every so often and looking up, as us Air Show Groupies tend to do. :)"

He called me after I sent it and said "Alright, alright, I'm convinced!". He said it was beautiful and wondered where I found a quote like that. Pffft, 'find' nothing - I wrote it, dude.

So that's another way he's like Merlin. Wart's so excited by life and other activities, which Merlin kind of frowns upon or doesn't totally understand. He doesn't discourage him from doing them, but still doesn't encourage them either. Also, he's a cranky old man. :)

I've got two flying buddies now too - Da Vinci and R2D2. Da Vinci was doodling (or "enhancing the paper creatively", as she puts it) during a meeting one night and Merlin said her drawings were "Da Vinci-esque". Then we had a Top Gun viewing party one night and gave each other call-signs from the movie. Da Vinci was Iceman, R2D2 was Goose and I was Maverick. So Goose is Maverick's RIO (Radar Intercept Officer), also called R2D2 because the RIO rides out back, like Luke's R2. Plus, she's geeky like me and would love that nickname. It's kinda cool to be turning the tables at CAP. Before, it was all guys - all older, pilot guys, so it was a little intimidating. Kinda feels like we're invading. MUHAHAHAHA

I've been flying with a lot of the CAP members, too, and that kind of helps break down the intimidation factor. I get to see each of them individually, plus I just like hanging out with pilots all day and asking them questions. haha

Last week, we went flying in the Cessna 172 (my second time flying in one!) up to a non-towered airport (my first one!). Merlin had to teach someone else when we got there, so the other guy who came with me and I, sat in the FBO to study. Now this FBO was a house, complete with rocking chairs on the front porch! Merlin said they sit out there with numbered cards and rate the landings. haha Plus, we could hear the radio communications inside and sometimes the guy in the FBO responded, sometimes not. We left there and went to yet another untowered airport to fly in the Maule, which is an airplane that tows the gliders! I'm totally excited about flying in a glider. Merlin says we will soon! Anyways, the Maule was interesting because it was only built out of Plexiglas, aluminum and fabric. It flew differently too (not that I was flying it... just along for the ride). Plus, it had glass doors and a sun roof, so it was like you were really out there!

On the way back, I got to play with the nav equipment and even flew from the right seat! It was my first time flying a Cessna 172.. and it was in the right seat. Think about it for a moment - it may not seem like a big deal, but how out of place would you feel if you tried driving a new car, AND from the right seat? Especially a fairly new driver. And you are about 3,000 ft in the air. Yeah, a little stressful... although a new experience and still fun.

I didn't do too badly actually... A Cessna handles differently than a Diamond, but it just takes figuring out those little details. Like how the rudder pedal requires more pressure, and the throttle is a knob that you pull out, rather than a stick you move back and forth. My instructor pulled an "engine-out" simulation on me, which I have to say is MUCH different than when it occurs while I'm flying in the back seat. haha He seems to like those "engine-out" maneuvers - he does them every time we're up in a plane, which is good I guess - just means that I'll be that much more prepared if/when it happens.

The previous day, I flew twice for scanner training and then 4 times on that Sunday, so I flew a total of 6 times last weekend! Most I had done before that was 2 flights in one weekend... and one flight in a day. So yeah... I think I pushed past my limits that weekend and was overly exhausted after all of it. One important thing about being a pilot is to know your limits, to know the plane's limits and to never, ever push past them.

So Merlin says we actually need to go places during our flights. He mentioned taking Da Vinci and I to the museum in Warner Robins - having one of us fly there and the other fly back. Now that will be awesome! That's what I wanted from my instructors before - not only flight lessons, but field trips and stuff. We're both totally excited by that!

Ooo, I nearly forgot to update about the last CAP meeting!! We had a safety briefing for about an hour and meetings are suppose to be 2 hours long. Merlin says he knows of someone who has a bunch of questions and opens the floor to me. "Fire away". OMG... really? He enjoys putting me on the spot... *grumble*... Which is good, I guess, but I really hate asking questions in front of all of them because of the intimidation factor, plus they are all pilots and know more than I do. I don't want to look stupid in front of all of them. Although, I am getting better at it... and getting to know them one-on-one helps, like I said before. So during the meeting, they kept mentioning something called an HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator). I didn't ask at the time because I didn't want to interrupt them, but figured this was a good time to ask. He says it's a good question and proceeds to explain it. It's an instrument on the panel, replacing the heading indicator, but it does that and so much more. So he draws the instruments on the board and asks me what all of them are. I fire off their names in rapid succession. He looks shocked... and then tries to get me with acronyms - HI (heading indicator) and DG (directional gyro). I get those too. "Whoa - where did this come from?" he asks. Then one of the guys in the back of the room says, "Sit down, let her teach it!" (squee)  and he laughs and says "Yeah, really".  I was totally stoked by that (even though I know they were humoring me a little). hehe  I went home and finished one FEMA test, which got me even more pumped up. Finished the second one yesterday...and won a game of laser tag after, which has me even more pumped up. I want to accomplish as much as I can and keep moving up.

Next Tuesday will be one year since I took my first flight lesson. It's bittersweet, as it's a milestone, yet I still only have 16 hrs of flight time, no license and no solo. It'll be okay - I'll make it, I know I will.

"Nothing is difficult; everything's a challenge!
Through adversity to the stars,
To the last plane, to the last bullet,
to the last minute, to the last man-
We fight! We fight! WE FIGHT!"
(battle cry from "Red Tails"... and my studying battle cry haha)

There's no substitute for hard work

It's important that I address something. This blog was made so I can keep track of my adventures in the aviation world. It's also so friends and family can keep up with me as I go along. I also hoping that it'll help other inspiring pilots, like myself, but by no means is that one of the main reasons I'm writing it.

Realize though that it's only help...and that's all. It's only an outstretched hand, but NOT hand holding. DO NOT use this or your instructors or your new circle of aviation family in place of hard work. As they say, "There is no substitute for hard work". If you aren't willing to think about and write down the questions you want to ask, if you aren't willing to go door-to-door of different flight schools to try and find the right one and if you aren't willing to spend hours alone with your textbook at home while everyone else is out having fun, then maybe aviation isn't for you. Having a love for it just isn't enough. I say this jokingly, but there's a little truth in it, too - you need to be a little bit insane about it.

When I was just starting out, I sat down and thought about what I wanted out of a flight school - so I started asking questions based on that. Then I went to Google to do a little research about what other people were asking. (Google has been my best friend in this whole process. It can answer about 90% of the questions I have.) I asked some of my pilot friends what to look out for. I compiled all of my questions, tried to put them in some sort of order, wrote to the first school, set up a meeting with them, printed out my questions and used them as my guide (all 1.5 pages worth). This meeting made me think of other questions. Learning from the first meeting, I added those to the list, reworked some of my older ones and repeated the process.

I learned more by each school I visited. It was the best "free" training I received. It was free in the fact that I didn't pay the flight schools for it, but it cost me time and gas money. Minimal expense for what I learned in those visits - I had more of an idea of what I was looking for and what I wasn't, I learned more aviation vocabulary terms (never heard of high-wing vs low wing planes before that), I got to explore many different types of planes, got to meet many different types of pilots and got to talk about aviation, which I loved! I also discovered during this time that I was apparently a bit unusual... apart from just being female. It was perfectly normal for someone to go from flight school to flight school and check out their programs. It was apparently NOT normal for someone to check out flight schools asking as many questions as I did and with a small knowledge base after only taking an intro flight. I got quite a few "where did these questions come from?" or "how do you know this?". One school figured I was posing as a student, trying to find a school for a friend (that school ultimately got the axe, by the way...). Another school accused me of lying about taking only one intro flight.

Now we all know how the story ended and even with alllllllll of my preparation, I still didn't end up choosing the right one. I blamed myself for that for the longest time. My mistake? I by-passed a lot of the red flags I saw at the flight school, just because the instructor and I connected well. Now I can tell you not to do that (hand up), but I can't tell you which instructor to fly with (hand holding). Not to mention - the right instructor for me will probably not be the right instructor for you. Ditto with the flight school. Double ditto with the type of plane, how to pay for everything, and how to study.

I visited flight schools so much that when I got towards the end, I was soooo tired of visiting them. I think I got up to 7 and eliminated two of them because I was just too tired of the whole process. I had "get-there-itis" and was too eager to get started.

Now back to the school I chose: do I want to help others to prevent that happening to them? You betcha! I went through hell and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, so of course I'd wish to keep other aspiring pilots from going through that. As I was told, that whole ordeal would have caused a person with less enthusiasm towards aviation to give up completely. I didn't realize it until I got back into the air again, but my drive had been significantly diminished. I still loved it with all of my heart and soul, but my motivation was gone and my excitement had fallen dormant. The good news is that they came back pretty quickly. ;)

But I got through it and am better off for it. I wouldn't be where I am now if that hadn't happened to me. Once again, I learned a lot from it and came out the other side in one piece. Fortunately, everything worked out in the end.

As for studying- do I wish someone could open my brain and pour all of this information in? HELL YES. But that's not going to happen... No one can do that for me (nor would they want to) and I can't do that for anyone else (nor would I want to). Again: There is no substitute for hard work. It's not helping me or you if someone can just pour the information in. You have to take the time to drill it in... and go through the frustrations when important information falls out and drill it back in there again so that it doesn't fall out the second time around. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Some people mistakenly think this comes easy to me. It may only look that way, but they don't see me staying up until midnight reading textbooks or watching training videos or see me locked away in my office at work during my lunch break, going over flash cards or taking practice tests. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like studying to me - it feels like a nice massage to the brain and is kind of fun actually. Does that mean it's easy? No.

Ok, so to close up this rant (and consequently get to more studying)- There's no substitute for hard work. Do the leg work yourself; you'll be better prepped for when you get started and you'll get into the habit of being self-motivated in your studying when you do get started. By all means, have a network of aviation friends and ask them questions to your heart's content. Most of them are nice enough and are more than willing to answer questions. Never, ever be afraid to ask questions. I ask A LOT (and that is even considered an understatement) and the worst reaction I've ever gotten was "Whoa, you ask a lot of questions", seriously. If anyone tries to shut you down or doesn't want to answer questions, thank them and move onto the next person. You need to invest a lot if you want to get into aviation (and more than just money), but the good news is that you get what you put into it (maybe not financially... at least not at first). Put in the effort and you will be even prouder of what you accomplished. There might be long hours of studying, but nothing to compares to something clicking in your head and being able to put that to use in the airplane.

One of the best things I ever read was in an article, written by a flight instructor, who said the worst students were the ones that showed up and said "Teach me how to fly". He said the very best ones were the people who asked "What can I do to learn how to fly?". Something to think about...

Use this and other resources as a guide only. Learn to find your own wings.

Attitude, pirouettes and learning to breathe

Tonight, I just fired off my very first double pirouette. Usually I'm quite nervous about pirouettes and it's taken me awhile to perfect them. At first, our teacher referred to mine as "drunken pirouettes", however, I'm proud to say they've gotten much better as of late. Making it once around was a big enough feat - never thought I'd make it twice around.

No, I'm not talking about aviation (Yes, there's a first for everything!); I'm actually talking about ballet. Why do I mention it in a blog about flying? Well, for one: some of the vocabulary is the same. "Attitude" in aviation refers to the relation between the airplane's horizontal axis and the horizon. There is also an instrument called the "attitude indicator", which is also referred to as "the artificial horizon".

You'll see punny aviation t-shirts that say "Bad Attitude" with a picture of this gauge at an odd angle or even upside down. The title of this blog is also a play on words, as attitude in aviation is pretty important, and as is attitude when it comes to your overall state of mind. It's difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish anything- IF you don't have the right attitude. Plus, I've found having the right attitude makes up for talent (or lack thereof).

Now "attitude" in ballet refers to an arabesque-type position, except the one leg raised in the air is bent at the knee.  Pirouette is also a term that is used in both ballet and aviation. A pirouette in ballet is when you pick up one foot, place it either under or behind knee and spin. (And starting a pirouette is called "taking off". Check that out.) A pirouette in aviation (the link is for an RC, but I've seen actual helicopters doing this) also refers to a spinning maneuver. I once saw a helicopter at PDK airport take off backwards, turn in circle three times and land. I think a pirouette in aviation can only be performed by a helicopter (no fixed wings), although I could be wrong. We kind of doing a little pirouette-type move on the ground while taxiing and trying to get into the parking space.

I've yet to mention it in this blog, although I've said it out loud many, many times: ballet actually helps me to fly. I never realized it until the ballet classes were on break for a few weeks and things weren't coming together in my flight lessons as they were before. It was that moment when I realized just how similar they both were to one another. Besides the identical terms, flying has always reminded me of a ballet in the air. Very graceful, very smooth. Plus, in aviation, you are trying to connect with the plane and make it an extension of yourself. The same goes for ballet, except its with your body, and that sounds weird because you think you should already be connected with your body. Ballet puts your in so many odd and unfamiliar positions that you connect with your body even more. It makes you even in more control than you already were. Also, in aviation, it pushes your coordination to the limits, as you need to be monitoring at least 3 gauges at one time (altimeter, heading and attitude) with your eyes out the window (at least in VFR) and performing the maneuvers cold. Sometimes with the tower talking to you, sometimes with your instructor talking to you AND looking out for other airplanes. Ballet is the same - you need to be monitoring certain things at all time (turnout, tummy & rear-end sucked in, toes pointed), which your arms are doing one thing, legs are doing another (feet might even be doing something else entirely) and looking in another direction....all while doing certain maneuvers and combinations.

I went out flying (in the back seat) this past weekend (my first time in a Cessna!). During turns, the other student would first raise the wing on the side he wished to turn, in order to look out for other traffic. The Cessna is a high-wing airplane, so there's a bit of a blind spot. We don't have to do this in the Diamond (low wing plane). However, it made me smile because it reminded me so much of ballet! We do an identical move (although we aren't looking out for traffic when we do so haha) and it's just as graceful as the airplane (or supposed to be...At least it is in my head).

Onwards to my point because I do need to get some studying in tonight and I don't need to be staying up until 12:30 again like last night. So I was saying how tonight I preformed my very first double pirouette. We had a sub tonight because our usual teacher is working with the little kids and their Spring Recital. I always like subs because it's good to get different perspectives and tricks. He had a very good one for pirouettes. As far as setup and technique went, we were all pretty much spot on, although we were still wobbly and sometimes didn't make it all the way around in a spin. He asked us to do two (more!) things while doing the pirouette:  1) breathe during setup as we plie before take-off and 2) stop the negative thoughts. He asked what we were thinking as we set up the pirouette and we giggled. I had never thought about it before... but yeah, the thoughts I have going into a pirouette are usually "ohcrapohcrapohcrap" and I hold my breath. Pirouettes are scary things!! Everything is so fast and you need to remember so much and I'm praying that I don't fall over. So with that, he told us to go across the floor and practice with those two things in mind, although warned us that we might go faster than normal, so not to freak out.

We had a few other moves beforehand, but then it was pada bu rae, 4th position, hands in position to pirouette, plie, breathe, clear mind... and BOOM! I spun around 1 and a half times. It REALLY worked! No wobblies, no drunken pirouettes. It really worked!!! I smiled and another girl congratulated me. I laughed, "It was an accident!"... but I guess it really wasn't - I had a good setup, good position. We did some more and that's when I landed my first double pirouette.

Although now that the bad thoughts were out of my head while pirouetting, it gave me time to think about other things. The ballet instructors always laugh at us for holding our breath all the time, but there's soooo much else to think of all at once that it's difficult to think about something as simple as breathing. It made me think of flying lessons. Now I've never had a CFI tell me not to hold my breath, like the ballet instructors, but I know I do it before certain maneuvers during the setup. I think next time I get into the air, I'm going to remind myself to breathe - it may just help like it did in ballet.

Speaking of getting into the air again soon, my instructor said we can't until I finish all this ground school work, so I'm off to study! Hopefully I'll be able to update soon about my return to the skies two weeks ago and the flight this past weekend.

AIRVENTURE!

I'm not embarrassed to say I've watched this video three times and I don't think my eyes could get wider or my heart beat any faster while doing so. This looks ah-mazing! I CAN'T wait!

Quick CAP update

I was so pumped today all day because of the Civil Air Patrol meeting. Still haven't completely come down since my flight Sunday and I did an aeronautical test for CAP early in the week that kept my attitude elevated.

The test was called the Yeager Exam and it was 100 questions about the history of aviation. It took a long time, but was pretty fun. It was open-book too (there was a powerpoint slide to read with it). I turned on this epic conquering music and just went to it. The first 50 questions took a long time, but once I was in the grove, things went pretty quick after that. Most of the questions I knew the answers to already and would have been interested to take it once without reading the powerpoint and once with reading it. Although you are only given two chances to pass it.

One of the cool things about passing it is that you get an extra patch on your uniform. It's required for level 4's, however, if you take it before you finish level 2, you get an extra award. I just started level 2. ;)

Anyways, I was jazzed when I was taking it. It was like a massage to my brain. I LOVE this stuff!! It ignites something within me and only makes me ravenous for more.

So I finish the test with such a huge smile on my face and hit the "grade the test" button. You needed an 80% to pass and I got a 96%... which stung a little because I thought I should do better than that on an open book test. The head of our flight crew/my new instructor got notification of it, apparently, and wrote me an email the next morning. I get a little certificate with it too. <3

Anyways, so at the meeting tonight, he tells the rest of the senior crew and they congratulate me. Okay... so it was fun and a minor accomplishment, I guess... but it was pretty easy, so I'm not sure why all the fanfare.

So he asks me in front of everyone how long it took me to do the test. I just so happen to know how long it took because the epic conquering music track play time was just over 30 minutes. I had completed the first 60 questions at that point. Three more songs played after that until I was finished, so it was just under an hour or at most, an hour.

When he asks me in front of everyone, I'm a little embarrassed. All of these other guys know aviation backwards and forwards. Most of them are pilots. Surely this test must have been even easier for them and completing it in an hour would be laughable to them.

"About an hour", I manage to squeak out. I tried to say it as confidently as I can.

A silence falls over the room. Now I've done it. These guys think I'm an idiot for sure.

"An hour?", my instructor asks.

Now I squeak for sure. "Yeah..." I just know I'm shrinking back into my chair now. Maybe I can backpedal and say it's been awhile since I've studied or had a long day at work or something...

"One hour."  It's a statement this time, not a question. C'mon, dude, don't rub it in.... Why'd you have to ask in front of everyone anyways?? He's not going to ever want to teach me again. Ever. I just KNOW it. This plus all of the questions I bugged him with earlier.

He laughs, but not laughing AT me. I look up. The room is silent. The look on his face is one of disbelief."One hour. I know guys who took 2 or even 3 hours to take that test."

And I think know who those people are because suddenly some of them are looking down. I don't think it really sunk in while I was there about what I had done. Although on the way home, I thought about how I should really have more confidence in myself... which will come in extra handy with this instructor. Found out tonight that he's pretty tough and doesn't let many people solo. It's okay - I like a challenge. ;)