Quick Briefing

Taking a quick break from studying to update. Just realized it's been 9 days (wow, where does the time go?!?!) since my last check-in.

Had a marathon study session last night. 1/2 the night was doing the Officer Basic Course for CAP and 1/2 was answering aviation questions from my textbook. I was focused like I have never been focused before. Merlin told me during his studying, he'd take a 5 minute ELT break at the top of the hour. An ELT (Electronic Locator Transmitter) is an alarm that goes off when the plane goes down/crashes so people can find you. To test them to make sure they are working, pilots test them during the first 5 minutes at the top of the hour so anyone listening will know that there isn't an emergency. I tried it last night and it worked beautifully. Even tried it today at work. Fantastic!

Speaking about Merlin... I dunno. I just don't know. We talked, but... I don't know. I just wished he believed in me. Oh well, that's what family and friends are for, amirite?

I felt good about last night until it turned my brain into mush. Had a dream it turned into oatmeal and I was using earplugs to keep it from leaking out, but wondering how to go about measuring it in inches of mercury. Way to bring aviation into my dreams!  Had another one a few nights earlier that my written test was the following day and I was stressed because I couldn't sleep but stressed more because I knew I needed my sleep and couldn't get it. I sat up with a start, remembering that Merlin hadn't signed my book yet and I couldn't take the test without that. I stressed even more because that would mean it was September and I thought it was only August... I need to stop stressing.

Has two flights this past weekend. One training for CAP Mission Observer and one flight training. I think the MO training went very well and I was getting more comfortable with the equipment. Some things I didn't know, but it was my first time seeing them, so it was okay. Then I was back in the Diamond for a *gulp* night flight. My first ever night flight eons ago left me kind of nervous about them, but it's been forever since I've flown, so I was willing to get whatever I could. Good news: I took off for the first time ever at night! And my taxiing improved from the last few times (did I mention that I started sucking at that again lately?) and was in the dark to boot. Not too shabby.

However, being in the air at night made my palms sweaty...and the G1000 in the Diamond overwhelmed me again. Whenever I visualize flying in a plane, it's with the round gauges. So I was in sensory overload with the novelty of the night setting and the unfamiliarity of the G1000 setup. It was kinda funny though - we had to call RYY as we were coming in and the ATC says back "Ok, I'll bring up the lights for ya". LOL omg... WHY weren't the lights on?!?!

My mom told me a story about her landing at night one time and the airport was closed. A guy had to get out of bed, and help her land by driving his truck ahead of where she needed to land!!!

I didn't get to land this time. As nervous as it made me, I think I would have still liked to try it. I got very, very frustrated again after that flight.

Anyways, taking a break from CAP this week to check out the local EAA meeting!!! I'm very excited!! :)   There's two guys in the area building RV-7's, one building an RV-6 and one building a Sub Sonex!!! They look like all older guys... but, hey, I'm used to that. ;)

On the studying agenda, I have 5 lessons to go until I've finished the 2nd block of the CAP Officer Basic Course and hope (fingers crossed!) to finish yet another chapter in my private pilot textbook tonight.