LESSON # ???
So, due to weather I missed many FLYING lessons – I’m basically done with the ground school my instructor is going to give me (but I still have paper/computer work to do on my own). Therefore, I have lost track of what “lesson” I’m on – but finally last week I was in the air again!
Any day you fly – life is GOOD.
But before I talk about my last flight – I need to brag on what my amazing husband did for me last week….he bought a flight simulator!!!!!!
One thing I am VERY AWARE of is my brain’s inability to remember things. I’m the girl who uses SIRI on her phone daily to remind her of things she SHOULD be able to remember but can’t. THANK GOD FOR SIRI!!!
Unfortunately, SIRI can’t help me remember how to fly a plane….and, I’m pretty sure age hasn’t helped me in the remembering department either.
Therefore, when I miss a lesson or FOUR (due to weather and such), I feel like I’m back at lesson one – which is very frustrating! I gave my husband this analogy – I used to take piano lessons as a kid, but I also had a piano at home that I would practice before my lesson, then at the lesson I could show my improvements to my teacher. With flight school, I’m practicing in front of my teacher and I suck! So, my beloved got online, found a flight simulator for sale on eBay, bought it and then DROVE TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE to pick it up for me!!
People….this is love.
The night he got home, (at like 8:45 pm) we unloaded it, put it together and “flew” it before we went to bed….at midnight. Waaaayy past Jaime’s bedtime!!! But oh, what fun it was and still is!!
And, so very helpful! Case in point, there are a lot of times when flight instructors tell you to “chair fly” – basically, sit in a chair, close your eyes and visualize the plane. Go through your check list in your brain or practice maneuvers from memory. While that sounds good in practice, you know how much easier it is to remember those things when it is RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU?!! Honestly, the pre-flight check list is something that still hangs me up so much. But this last week, I memorized 3 lists – and it was so much easier because I had my simulator.
What’s even more, we now have our oldest son enrolling in flight school as well and this will help him too. I can truly see how this will all come together for us much better because of the sim.
Here’s a picture of what we got – it’s the whole package – yoke, lights, foot pedals, etc….you name it.
Tuesday I was up in the air again. It was so gorgeous. Even though it looks like most of the snow is gone, I’m amazed how much snow is still on the ground when we are in the air. It’s beautiful to look down upon. Tuesday, Matt (my instructor) told me we’d do a few basic maneuvers and then head over to the Seward airport and try landing. What’s cool/interesting/nice about the Seward airport is there is no tower and no air traffic. Therefore, we can basically just land over and over again without being interrupted by other flights. However, it is a common courtesy to use what is called CTAF which is COMMON TRAFFIC ADVISORY FREQUENCY. Basically, you’re just on a radio frequency saying “Hey guys, I’m that white plane flying over Seward practicing landings – don’t hit me if you’re in the area – or at least let me know if you’re getting close so I can watch for you too.” Pilots do this to be safe at non-towered airports. Anyway, Matt took care of CTAF and then had me practice landing. When it was all said and done, I landed 4 times!!! Now, this is with an INSANE amount of help from Matt, but we are at least at that point in my instruction to begin that portion.
Which is nice, because as much as I love to fly eventually I’m going to need to know how get back to the ground. Plus, I hear passengers aren’t fans of crashes.
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