This last week I have been pursuing an adventure that began over 20 years ago. This last Sunday I started private pilot training.
I want to share these experiences with you- at the same time I don’t want the podcast to be focused on only one type of adventure… my flying adventure… my challenge is going to be balancing the podcast because I know I will want to share this with you- but you will want to hear about other adventures as well… so lets see how this goes.
Since I was very young I wanted to learn to fly. I remember my dad taking me out to watch airplanes land at Sky Harbor Airport when I was growing up in the valley in the early 1970’s.
I also had a brief stint with the Civil Air Patrol and then in my military service brought me closer to aircraft.
Ironically- I tried to join an Aero club at McGuire AFB, NJ in 1994. At the time I was a single SSG assigned to Ft Dix and was in need of something to keep me occupied. I had some money that was burning a hole in my pocket and was looking for adventure. The pilots there were complete jerks to me. I walked out of hager and drove about a mile to a dive shop where I signed up for lessons. 18 months later and with over 500 dives under my belt I became a dive master and then in 1999 I became a dive instructor…
Again I attempted to undergo pilot training in 2005 when we moved to Boise- but again I could not get any one to return my calls or came across overly arrogant when looking for lessons.
The past few weeks I have been working as an advisor for some general aviation pilots and once again the opportunity to get my license came up again. Now contractually I cannot discuss the details- but I am again pursuing my flight career.
This last week I joined a local aero-club and Sunday morning my new flight instructor and I checked out a Cessna 152 and began my lessons.
The take off was incredible. Since it was overcast skies in the valley, the was very little traffic. We pretty much had the entire sky to ourselves. I had a chance to practice turns, descents, and accents. My instructor and I agreed that I would take care of “Take – off” and he in turn would take care of the landings…for now.
This next week I will fly on Thursday and Sunday if weather permits. We have been getting lots of rain and low-level cloud cover. I also have some ground-work to do prior to class. I was getting mixed advise on how much ground work to do prior to the class- but for me- I like to have a little knowledge before going into a situation. I purchased the Sporty’s on-line tutorial and bought a set of books recommended by another instructor. In addition I purchased a flying manual put out by the FAA. Surprisingly it is a great resource.
So thanks for listening, I will keep you updated on my new aeronautical adventures and the direction we are heading—you and I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
BTW- please check out my podcast at http://www.adventureiq.libsyn.com or subscribe through itunes
Adventure IQ 