Now the school is pretending they don't know what I'm talking about. I wrote the woman in the office (who seemed nice and actually responded to my requests) on Thursday, requested that I wanted a letter and my $25 back that they overcharged me. I also asked if we could clear up everything by the afternoon today.
She writes back at 4pm, doesn't even mention the letter and says she doesn't know what the problem is because they credited my account for the money I was overcharged.
They credited my account with THEM $25, which is pointless because I won't ever be flying with them again EVER. I sincerely doubt I will ever see that money again and I guess I should be thankful its $25 and not $250. But considering they overcharged me in the first place, then the right thing to do would to refund it. But then again, we've all seen how they run a business, so.... Yeah, not holding my breath.
But the letter I DO want. Especially considering now that I've seen how they run a business. I don't trust them. Period. I don't need them running after me years down the line, asking me for that money. And if they do decide to charge me, then we need to go to small claims court. This is ridiculous. How long has this been going on since the window broke? About a month? Craziness. You know, I saw a review online that said it was run more like a high school environment than a business. I should have listened. How hard is it to type a one-line letter to get me to stop annoying the crap out of you? Gotta be annoying them because it's annoying the hell out of me.
As of today, they have told me to fill out a refund request form and have warned me that I may only get 50% of it back, per their "refund policy". No way - you overcharged me. You need to be adult about it and give it back.
And "no news on the letter" is all they have to say about the letter I keep asking about. I wonder what makes this so difficult? It's just a simple one-line letter, saying "She is not responsible for the window". It's been a month already! What's the big deal? What is it so difficult for them??
My mom used to volunteer for Clark Howard, so I asked her advice. She suggested I contact the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and hopefully, the flight school will be better about responding to their request. I hate being mean like that... and everyone tells me I'm not being "mean". But I just wish a business would act like a business and be professional about this sort of thing. It could have easily been solved sooner, with a lot less drama & frustration and if they had business-like practices from the start, I might still be there.
Just want to get this out of the way so I can do onto my next school. Second CAP meeting tonight, hopefully (if I'm still feeling well enough - been out of commission the last two days due to pollen). And I still need to update about the first one...
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
1ST CIVIL AIR PATROL MEETING!!! SQUEE!!
I feel like a kid on their very first day of school: excited with a touch of nervous butterflies! :)
My first Civil Air Patrol meeting is tonight. I haven't joined yet officially; they recommend that you attend a few meetings first to see what they are all about. I've been waiting for this day allll week and fortunately, it has gone by quickly. I called the guy in charge on Monday during my lunch break and began playing music from Top Gun after I spoke to him! I'll let you guys know how it goes after.
In other news, hopefully my troubles with the previous flight school will come to a close. Obi-Won wrote back and said he just wanted to talk to me - in person. Pffft, no way. If I'm not coming down there for a "free" flight, then why would I come down there to just talk? No way. He always reminded me of a used car salesman when things weren't so bad. No way in hell.
I wrote back, being as nice as possible. I thanked him for responding, and thanked him for trying to meet with me. However, I said that I was firm in my decision to leave and would like my letter stating I wasn't responsible for the window. No surprise - no answer. So I wrote back to the woman in the head office, who responded to me last week. She said to contact her again if this didn't get resolved by late this week, so here we are. Next step: reporting them to the Consumer center. I'm not a mean person and I hate conflict, so I don't like resorting to things like this. I just wish they'd be more business-like and we wouldn't have gotten this deep in the first place. Makes me a little sad, actually.
Gotta say that I have some reservations about finding a new school, like what if I have to go through all of this again? How do I notice this sooner so I DON'T get this far in? I've had the answer all along and I knew this school wasn't good all along, as well. Just need to trust my intituion more. It is hard though to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. It really reminds me of relationships - you've been hurt, you fear you are going to get hurt/let down AGAIN, and are hesitant to step forward so you won't have to deal with that ever again. But I guess that lends into the whole 'fear conquering' thing - you can't let fear hold you where you are. You just need to trust yourself enough to know you WILL recognize the signs sooner and are strong/couragous enough to walk away to try again, if ever does happen again. Doesn't make it any easier though.
Ah well... enough thought towards that flight school. I need to focus my energy on being excited about tonight!!! ;)
My first Civil Air Patrol meeting is tonight. I haven't joined yet officially; they recommend that you attend a few meetings first to see what they are all about. I've been waiting for this day allll week and fortunately, it has gone by quickly. I called the guy in charge on Monday during my lunch break and began playing music from Top Gun after I spoke to him! I'll let you guys know how it goes after.
In other news, hopefully my troubles with the previous flight school will come to a close. Obi-Won wrote back and said he just wanted to talk to me - in person. Pffft, no way. If I'm not coming down there for a "free" flight, then why would I come down there to just talk? No way. He always reminded me of a used car salesman when things weren't so bad. No way in hell.
I wrote back, being as nice as possible. I thanked him for responding, and thanked him for trying to meet with me. However, I said that I was firm in my decision to leave and would like my letter stating I wasn't responsible for the window. No surprise - no answer. So I wrote back to the woman in the head office, who responded to me last week. She said to contact her again if this didn't get resolved by late this week, so here we are. Next step: reporting them to the Consumer center. I'm not a mean person and I hate conflict, so I don't like resorting to things like this. I just wish they'd be more business-like and we wouldn't have gotten this deep in the first place. Makes me a little sad, actually.
Gotta say that I have some reservations about finding a new school, like what if I have to go through all of this again? How do I notice this sooner so I DON'T get this far in? I've had the answer all along and I knew this school wasn't good all along, as well. Just need to trust my intituion more. It is hard though to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. It really reminds me of relationships - you've been hurt, you fear you are going to get hurt/let down AGAIN, and are hesitant to step forward so you won't have to deal with that ever again. But I guess that lends into the whole 'fear conquering' thing - you can't let fear hold you where you are. You just need to trust yourself enough to know you WILL recognize the signs sooner and are strong/couragous enough to walk away to try again, if ever does happen again. Doesn't make it any easier though.
Ah well... enough thought towards that flight school. I need to focus my energy on being excited about tonight!!! ;)
Friday, March 9, 2012
Grrr...
Frustrations. Mark my bloody words- Frustration BEYOND anything you've ever experienced before. Although the good news is that if you have a good flight school and a good instructor, then your frustrations will be significantly less than mine.
No word yet from the school on the issue about the window. I've sent multiple emails with no response. As I was writing to the guy above Obi-Won (the one I was previously writing to), I get an email about a flight reservation for this weekend.
...No way. I KNOW all of these have been cancelled. I saw all of the emails coming into my email to verify that they were cancelled too. What's going on...?
I email my instructor to ask him what's up. He writes back to say he cancelled Saturday, but would really like for me to fly with Obi-Won on Sunday "just for fun". They just want to see how I'm doing and see how things are going. Here's a hint: TRY RESPONDING TO ME EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE AND YOU WILL KNOW HOW I'M DOING!!!!!!
(Sorry - this JUST happened, so suffice it to say, I'm a little miffed.)
I'm suspicious, and I believe I have good reason to be. What kind of a school treats you like crap and then is dishonest about trying to get you back in there? If you had done your bloody job at the beginning, then I'd still be there!!! And it doesn't help that a little tiny part of me says, "But I want to fly...". It's been 6 weeks. I know I need to be firm. I don't know what they are trying to do or what tricks they have up their sleeves, but from my experience with them thus far, it can't be good.
I sent my letter to the head marketing guy, seeing if he could help. If no response still, then my mom gave me the name of a governmental consumer action center and I will be going to them for help.
In other happier news, I have plans to go check out another flight school on Sunday. I'll let you know how that goes...
No word yet from the school on the issue about the window. I've sent multiple emails with no response. As I was writing to the guy above Obi-Won (the one I was previously writing to), I get an email about a flight reservation for this weekend.
...No way. I KNOW all of these have been cancelled. I saw all of the emails coming into my email to verify that they were cancelled too. What's going on...?
I email my instructor to ask him what's up. He writes back to say he cancelled Saturday, but would really like for me to fly with Obi-Won on Sunday "just for fun". They just want to see how I'm doing and see how things are going. Here's a hint: TRY RESPONDING TO ME EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE AND YOU WILL KNOW HOW I'M DOING!!!!!!
(Sorry - this JUST happened, so suffice it to say, I'm a little miffed.)
I'm suspicious, and I believe I have good reason to be. What kind of a school treats you like crap and then is dishonest about trying to get you back in there? If you had done your bloody job at the beginning, then I'd still be there!!! And it doesn't help that a little tiny part of me says, "But I want to fly...". It's been 6 weeks. I know I need to be firm. I don't know what they are trying to do or what tricks they have up their sleeves, but from my experience with them thus far, it can't be good.
I sent my letter to the head marketing guy, seeing if he could help. If no response still, then my mom gave me the name of a governmental consumer action center and I will be going to them for help.
In other happier news, I have plans to go check out another flight school on Sunday. I'll let you know how that goes...
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Back to Square One
I'm doing a bit better today. Ended up going over to a closer airport to check out a flight school with a friend on Sunday. One down, two more to go. I'm so very tired and can't believe I am back right where I started.
This school had 152's, 172's and Cirrusis (Cirrusi?). Figured pretty much that once I moved away from my last school that I would have to transition to Cessna's. They are more universal, and plus, if I ever buy a plane, it will most likely be a Cessna (unless I build my own!). Also, if I fly with the Civil Air Patrol, they fly Cessnas. It's good and it'll be a challenge - getting to learn how to fly another plane! Imagine how many planes I can add to my record!
I'm trying to be positive. I had to wait a bit before completing this lastest post as the events from the other school were still weighing upon me and I feel let down. And to top it all off, Sunday was an absolute beautiful day and a perfect day for flying. I didn't want all of that to seep into my writing. Just wanted to get rid of this feeling as soon as possible and move on.
I saw a great post on my facebook. It had nothing at all to do with flying, but still spoke to me all the same:
"
This school had 152's, 172's and Cirrusis (Cirrusi?). Figured pretty much that once I moved away from my last school that I would have to transition to Cessna's. They are more universal, and plus, if I ever buy a plane, it will most likely be a Cessna (unless I build my own!). Also, if I fly with the Civil Air Patrol, they fly Cessnas. It's good and it'll be a challenge - getting to learn how to fly another plane! Imagine how many planes I can add to my record!
I'm trying to be positive. I had to wait a bit before completing this lastest post as the events from the other school were still weighing upon me and I feel let down. And to top it all off, Sunday was an absolute beautiful day and a perfect day for flying. I didn't want all of that to seep into my writing. Just wanted to get rid of this feeling as soon as possible and move on.
I saw a great post on my facebook. It had nothing at all to do with flying, but still spoke to me all the same:
"
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Letting Go
Letting go (even temporarily) of something you love is one of the most painful things you can ever imagine. I've been through quite a number of things that hurt physically and I tell you the emotional pains hurt 100x worse. All you can do is pray to whatever god(s) you pray to, hope with every fiber of your heart, body & soul and do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) in your power to chase what you love to the very ends of the Earth and beyond.
Afterall, how can I afford not to?
One of the most important things about being a pilot is having sound judgement and knowing that YOU are number one. It doesn't matter what your instructor or what the tower says - if YOU don't feel safe and comfortable, then that is what ultimately matters. (Now later on, when you have passengers in the plane, then their comfort becomes your main priority).
Still no word on the window. I stopped by the school on Monday. Still no word as of 2pm. I talked with Obi-Wan and he had me sign a statement about what happened. He said the matter should be settled, but no official word yet. I'm holding out until I get something in writing. Still nothing (besides an "everything should be ok" response) as of 4:42pm today.
I went back and forth all week if I was going to continue at the school. I talked with Obi- Wan on Monday about it and he said it was still pre-20 hour jitters. He also said that Bambi talked about me and said that I got mad whenever I did an average job. She said I was never happy unless I was above average. (Rightly so...) So, Obi-Wan said I had high expectations, so I expected everyone else to measure up to those. (As a flight school, you should, right? I mean... who wants to be known as an "average" flight school?) So I (regrettably) walked away...
I wrestled with the decision all week and finally waited too long, so I had a lesson today. It's hard being torn between loving to flying and hating the school. I think I hesitated so much because I didn't want ANOTHER long break from flying.
My flight was at 9am. On my way there, Tyson texted me: winds were high (they were 8kts when I left), so our flight was delayed until 10. I was over halfway there, so I continued. The airport is one of my favorite places. I just sat and watched the planes for a bit. Got some studying in too!
10am rolls around and someone opens the flight school. I walk in, but Tyson hadn't arrived yet. He texted me at 10:05. Told me he had been stuck in traffic for over an hour and would be there when he could. He finally arrived at 10:45. He had another student scheduled at 11am, so we both had our ground lesson together. All the while, we're watching another instructor take his students up. Tyson told us that the other instructor shouldn't be doing that, especially for intro rides.
Tomorrow was supposed to be beautiful though and I once again went back and forth about leaving. I haven't flown in 4 weeks and I really, really wanted to go (really). So it comes time to leave and I resolve to leave after tomorrow's lesson. I make sure we're on the schedule and go to leave. Tyson tells me to wait when I'm on my way out the door. Turns out he has a checkride scheduled at the same time as my lesson and he'll text me tomorrow to see if I'm free in the afternoon.
Now usually, I put aviation first and drop everything else. I had plans with a friend tomorrow (but not at a specific time) and told him I couldn't go in the afternoon. At this point, I told him I needed to talk to him and told him that things weren't working for me. He said he understood and that was it.
I told myself not to cry and tried telling myself I did the right thing on the way home. It worked until I got home and talked to my mom. I cried like I had lost my best friend. She told me that she was proud of me and that I had done the right thing. She said it was a good judgement call on my part and I was looking out for me. I tried to think of it that way, but my heart just feels so heavy. I'm sure later I will appreciate it - just for right now, I am not very happy. I know that school wasn't right for me, and I know the instructors weren't right for me, but I know that flying IS right for me. It's just so hard to walk away from something you love with all of your soul, even for a second.
It comforts me somewhat that at least I have a plan in mind. (At least a general plan, anyways) In addition to finding a new flight school, I think I need to bury my nose into my flight books and get the written test out of the way and REALLY push that pedal to the metal. Give myself a deadline or something to push myself. Then, I have 3 flight schools in mind. I need to get together all of my old questions, add new questions I have and really drill those schools HARD. Then find the one I like the most, find an instructor and drill them HARD (I feel sooo sorry for the next instructor! haha
I was thinking of going next weekend to check out some schools, but my mom suggested that maybe I stop by tomorrow. It might be better to catch them off-guard and if in the case they are too busy, then to schedule a meeting then. And I need to call the person in charge of the nearby Civil Air Patrol to see if I can drop by this week. I'm NOT giving up. This is mine - I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Aviation is apart of me.
It's odd. I started by a mild interest in aviation. Then I went to thinking that maybe I could walk away after my intro flight and only be mildly sad. Now I've been disappointed by the majority of my experience thus far, yet resolved that this "letting go" will NOT turn into walking away completely. Funny how having a mere "mild interest" will do that to you...
Afterall, how can I afford not to?
One of the most important things about being a pilot is having sound judgement and knowing that YOU are number one. It doesn't matter what your instructor or what the tower says - if YOU don't feel safe and comfortable, then that is what ultimately matters. (Now later on, when you have passengers in the plane, then their comfort becomes your main priority).
Still no word on the window. I stopped by the school on Monday. Still no word as of 2pm. I talked with Obi-Wan and he had me sign a statement about what happened. He said the matter should be settled, but no official word yet. I'm holding out until I get something in writing. Still nothing (besides an "everything should be ok" response) as of 4:42pm today.
I went back and forth all week if I was going to continue at the school. I talked with Obi- Wan on Monday about it and he said it was still pre-20 hour jitters. He also said that Bambi talked about me and said that I got mad whenever I did an average job. She said I was never happy unless I was above average. (Rightly so...) So, Obi-Wan said I had high expectations, so I expected everyone else to measure up to those. (As a flight school, you should, right? I mean... who wants to be known as an "average" flight school?) So I (regrettably) walked away...
I wrestled with the decision all week and finally waited too long, so I had a lesson today. It's hard being torn between loving to flying and hating the school. I think I hesitated so much because I didn't want ANOTHER long break from flying.
My flight was at 9am. On my way there, Tyson texted me: winds were high (they were 8kts when I left), so our flight was delayed until 10. I was over halfway there, so I continued. The airport is one of my favorite places. I just sat and watched the planes for a bit. Got some studying in too!
10am rolls around and someone opens the flight school. I walk in, but Tyson hadn't arrived yet. He texted me at 10:05. Told me he had been stuck in traffic for over an hour and would be there when he could. He finally arrived at 10:45. He had another student scheduled at 11am, so we both had our ground lesson together. All the while, we're watching another instructor take his students up. Tyson told us that the other instructor shouldn't be doing that, especially for intro rides.
Tomorrow was supposed to be beautiful though and I once again went back and forth about leaving. I haven't flown in 4 weeks and I really, really wanted to go (really). So it comes time to leave and I resolve to leave after tomorrow's lesson. I make sure we're on the schedule and go to leave. Tyson tells me to wait when I'm on my way out the door. Turns out he has a checkride scheduled at the same time as my lesson and he'll text me tomorrow to see if I'm free in the afternoon.
Now usually, I put aviation first and drop everything else. I had plans with a friend tomorrow (but not at a specific time) and told him I couldn't go in the afternoon. At this point, I told him I needed to talk to him and told him that things weren't working for me. He said he understood and that was it.
I told myself not to cry and tried telling myself I did the right thing on the way home. It worked until I got home and talked to my mom. I cried like I had lost my best friend. She told me that she was proud of me and that I had done the right thing. She said it was a good judgement call on my part and I was looking out for me. I tried to think of it that way, but my heart just feels so heavy. I'm sure later I will appreciate it - just for right now, I am not very happy. I know that school wasn't right for me, and I know the instructors weren't right for me, but I know that flying IS right for me. It's just so hard to walk away from something you love with all of your soul, even for a second.
It comforts me somewhat that at least I have a plan in mind. (At least a general plan, anyways) In addition to finding a new flight school, I think I need to bury my nose into my flight books and get the written test out of the way and REALLY push that pedal to the metal. Give myself a deadline or something to push myself. Then, I have 3 flight schools in mind. I need to get together all of my old questions, add new questions I have and really drill those schools HARD. Then find the one I like the most, find an instructor and drill them HARD (I feel sooo sorry for the next instructor! haha
I was thinking of going next weekend to check out some schools, but my mom suggested that maybe I stop by tomorrow. It might be better to catch them off-guard and if in the case they are too busy, then to schedule a meeting then. And I need to call the person in charge of the nearby Civil Air Patrol to see if I can drop by this week. I'm NOT giving up. This is mine - I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Aviation is apart of me.
It's odd. I started by a mild interest in aviation. Then I went to thinking that maybe I could walk away after my intro flight and only be mildly sad. Now I've been disappointed by the majority of my experience thus far, yet resolved that this "letting go" will NOT turn into walking away completely. Funny how having a mere "mild interest" will do that to you...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
I guess weather blues are better than broken window blues...
Overcast clouds at 700 feet this morning with visibility of 2.5 miles. Needless to say, lesson cancelled. Can't say I'm surprised - I had expected this yesterday. I must say I am (and my bank account is) a little relieved, especially if I have to end up paying for that window... No word yet.
Might I emphasize the ungodly amount of frustration again?
Might I emphasize the ungodly amount of frustration again?
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Non-weather frustrations
I've said before (I think I have anyways) to be prepared for the worst kind of frustration you have ever experienced when it comes to flying. I've never in my life felt this level of frustration. Now, part of it is my fault. You are going to have frustrations regardless because of weather, but don't let the flight school you choose add to that frustration. That's where my fault lies. I've given this school wayyyyyyy too many chances and they have only added to my overall growing frustration.
Woke up this morning and skies were clear with wind at 4 knots. I was relieved because I had heard there would be storms all weekend. Considering I've been chomping at the bit for the last two weeks, this was a welcomed surprise.
The clouds began closing in on my way to the airport. No, no, no, no, no, NO! Not yet... just gimme two hours, please?!?! I need to go fly!
The weather behaved itself and I got started on the pre-flight. My instructor told me to go ahead and he'd bring the paperwork later. Halfway through, my instructor comes out and tells me we are switching planes. He does the pre-flight because we are running out of time and he wants to make sure the students in the afternoon have a chance to fly, so we need to hurry.
I'm not comfy letting him take over. It's my job to make sure that plane is airworthy, afterall. I start to go behind him and let him know it's not because I don't trust him, but would like to do it. He says there's no time and we need to go. So I at least ask about how much gas we have available. The last plane I was in the process of pre-flighting only had 1/4 of a tank. I wanted to know if I had to fill up this one too.
He laughs (not meanly, but "oh, isn't that cute?" sort of laugh) and says it's fine because he just checked it. I told him that I knew he did, but I was just making sure because as the Pilot in Command (PIC), I should know these things. To which he said I was correct and then quipped "Going to ask me about the oil levels too?". More rhetorical than anything, but again, as PIC, it's something I should know. So I said, "As a matter of fact... yes." Not cheeky, not talking back, just need to know. He laughed again and said we were at 5 quarts.
We take off... and granted faster than I would have liked. Rushing is NEVER good. NEVER. It's not the end of the world if the person behind you gets delayed - DO NOT put your safety at risk. And if there is a need to rush, then it's probably better to cancel the lesson altogether.
So we taxi out, radios handled beautifully (and the tower guy was REALLY cheerful - made me smile), and did the pre-take off check. Everything looks great. We have a little window in the canopy to circulation, and to yell out of (if need be). I had mine open and went to close it. It was broken so it was difficult to close. No big deal - report it when we land. My instructor told me to use both hands to close it because it was soooo difficult! We both saw it close completely and we were off.
During takeoff, my instructor tells me that he has a really bad headache and is naseous. Not good. I jokingly check to see how he is - "Not going to throw up in my plane, are you?" and he said he wasn't, but his head just hurt. That unsettled me a little... and even moreso when I got back on the ground. I mean, I've been prepared to fly with a headache before, even though I really shouldn't. But I justify it (not that it makes it right) by saying that if I got into trouble, at least my instructor would be there to take over if need be. Headaches slow your reaction time and impair your judgement. Now him flying with a headache is even worse. If I got into trouble, he may not be able to react as quickly or his judgement might be off. Not good. For either of us.
Anyways, we're taking off. I concentrate really, really hard - trying to put into practice what I've studied so hard lately. (I've been doing touch & goes in my office at lunch - chair flying) Doing well so far and we get parallel to the runway. All of sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see a fluttering and feel a draft - the window is gone. I mention it to him and he utters an expletive. I'm not entirely worried because during the summer, we fly with that thing open all the time (no AC in the plane). But he makes me stop and we land the plane.
On the ground, he tells me that the little tiny window costs $500 to replace and unfortunately, because the person ahead of me didn't record that it was broken, it looks like I'm responsible. He called the main office guy and explained what happened. He told him that it was already broken, and stuck when I tried to close it. Fortunately he was there to tell them that I didn't touch it after that and even though it has a safety latch on it (which SHOULD make it fall into the plane in the off-chance of this ever happening, which is shouldn't), it fell out of the plane.
So now I'm frustrated, grouchy, worrying about if I'm going to have to pay this $500 to get this fixed (ruling comes MONDAY!! gahhh!!!) and once again thinking about switching schools. I know, I know - I keep going back & forth on this. My mom even said to me today, "Don't you think it's time to switch schools?!?! How many signs do you need??". If they make me pay it, I will, but that will finish my time with them. I realize they have to pay for their planes and repairs, but it was a freak accident. NOTHING I could have done could have prevented it (safe switching planes when I first saw it) and NOTHING I did caused it.
Woke up this morning and skies were clear with wind at 4 knots. I was relieved because I had heard there would be storms all weekend. Considering I've been chomping at the bit for the last two weeks, this was a welcomed surprise.
The clouds began closing in on my way to the airport. No, no, no, no, no, NO! Not yet... just gimme two hours, please?!?! I need to go fly!
The weather behaved itself and I got started on the pre-flight. My instructor told me to go ahead and he'd bring the paperwork later. Halfway through, my instructor comes out and tells me we are switching planes. He does the pre-flight because we are running out of time and he wants to make sure the students in the afternoon have a chance to fly, so we need to hurry.
I'm not comfy letting him take over. It's my job to make sure that plane is airworthy, afterall. I start to go behind him and let him know it's not because I don't trust him, but would like to do it. He says there's no time and we need to go. So I at least ask about how much gas we have available. The last plane I was in the process of pre-flighting only had 1/4 of a tank. I wanted to know if I had to fill up this one too.
He laughs (not meanly, but "oh, isn't that cute?" sort of laugh) and says it's fine because he just checked it. I told him that I knew he did, but I was just making sure because as the Pilot in Command (PIC), I should know these things. To which he said I was correct and then quipped "Going to ask me about the oil levels too?". More rhetorical than anything, but again, as PIC, it's something I should know. So I said, "As a matter of fact... yes." Not cheeky, not talking back, just need to know. He laughed again and said we were at 5 quarts.
We take off... and granted faster than I would have liked. Rushing is NEVER good. NEVER. It's not the end of the world if the person behind you gets delayed - DO NOT put your safety at risk. And if there is a need to rush, then it's probably better to cancel the lesson altogether.
So we taxi out, radios handled beautifully (and the tower guy was REALLY cheerful - made me smile), and did the pre-take off check. Everything looks great. We have a little window in the canopy to circulation, and to yell out of (if need be). I had mine open and went to close it. It was broken so it was difficult to close. No big deal - report it when we land. My instructor told me to use both hands to close it because it was soooo difficult! We both saw it close completely and we were off.
During takeoff, my instructor tells me that he has a really bad headache and is naseous. Not good. I jokingly check to see how he is - "Not going to throw up in my plane, are you?" and he said he wasn't, but his head just hurt. That unsettled me a little... and even moreso when I got back on the ground. I mean, I've been prepared to fly with a headache before, even though I really shouldn't. But I justify it (not that it makes it right) by saying that if I got into trouble, at least my instructor would be there to take over if need be. Headaches slow your reaction time and impair your judgement. Now him flying with a headache is even worse. If I got into trouble, he may not be able to react as quickly or his judgement might be off. Not good. For either of us.
Anyways, we're taking off. I concentrate really, really hard - trying to put into practice what I've studied so hard lately. (I've been doing touch & goes in my office at lunch - chair flying) Doing well so far and we get parallel to the runway. All of sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see a fluttering and feel a draft - the window is gone. I mention it to him and he utters an expletive. I'm not entirely worried because during the summer, we fly with that thing open all the time (no AC in the plane). But he makes me stop and we land the plane.
On the ground, he tells me that the little tiny window costs $500 to replace and unfortunately, because the person ahead of me didn't record that it was broken, it looks like I'm responsible. He called the main office guy and explained what happened. He told him that it was already broken, and stuck when I tried to close it. Fortunately he was there to tell them that I didn't touch it after that and even though it has a safety latch on it (which SHOULD make it fall into the plane in the off-chance of this ever happening, which is shouldn't), it fell out of the plane.
So now I'm frustrated, grouchy, worrying about if I'm going to have to pay this $500 to get this fixed (ruling comes MONDAY!! gahhh!!!) and once again thinking about switching schools. I know, I know - I keep going back & forth on this. My mom even said to me today, "Don't you think it's time to switch schools?!?! How many signs do you need??". If they make me pay it, I will, but that will finish my time with them. I realize they have to pay for their planes and repairs, but it was a freak accident. NOTHING I could have done could have prevented it (safe switching planes when I first saw it) and NOTHING I did caused it.
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