Before today I had never been to New York City. We flew into Teteboro for the weekend, which is a very popular airport for corporate aircraft on the east coast in New Jersey. I caught one of the earliest buses I could catch over to Manhattan and met my friend Alex from FlightSafety Academy. We immediately headed toward the Empire State Building. I had never been in a skyscraper (I don’t know if the space needle counts). I was hoping for a spectacular view of the city but the visibility was zero. So Alex and I found a bench on top of the Empire State Building and caught up on what was going on. After about an hour of waiting for the clouds to clear we gave up and headed back down to find breakfast. We proceeded to walk to Ground Zero, then to Battery Park, followed by Wall Street, the Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, Little Italy and caught a subway to the Upper West Side where I met Jenni, a good friend from high school. Jenni recently landed her first position as a performer in an off Broadway musical and had gotten herself an agent. After catching up with Jenni on her one free hour of the day between meeting with her personal trainer and going to her musical’s rehearsal, Alex and I moved on to Central Park and Time Square to have dinner. By the completion of dinner Alex and I had decided that we had had enough sight seeing, so we said our good-byes, he headed back toward Long Island and I headed back to Jersey. What a great city, unlike any I had ever been to, and it was great to see and few good friends. But man was I happy to climb into my hotel bed and get off my feet.11 Nov 06
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Autumn in Michigan
This may have been the last weekend the sun will shine on the state of MI until May, and with Dave in town, we experienced a Midwest Fall to the fullest. Friday night we drove out to the sticks to possibly become part of a Dateline Special Edition at a haunted corn maze. Not only were the last five miles on a dark gravel road to god knows where, but also it was sleeting. (Some girlfriend I am – great idea huh?) We actually turned around to begin driving back the 45 minutes it took to get there, and then decided we had made it that far we had to get scared to death now. The end result was that I was the one that was scared to death, screaming at guys with fake chainsaws and other monsters jumping out at Dave and I as we made our way through the dark cornfield. Dave on the other hand was probably scared to death because I clutched his arm so tight that his circulation was cut off, but I think he thoroughly enjoyed laughing at me being such a scared-y-cat. The rest of the weekend was gorgeous filled with more autumn activities of orchards, cider and apple pie. Then on Monday, as if on cue, rain and an overcast layer of clouds moved in. I can officially say good-bye to warm weather and blue skies. Is it May yet? 15 Oct 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Sleeping Bear Dunes
One of the perks of being a corporate pilot is that you go to some interesting places (you just don't always have time to leave the airport). Today Steve and I flew to Frankford, MI where we would be spending all day waiting for our passengers to finish their business before returning to Detroit. The airport manager was nice enough to hand over the keys to an eighties model Honda Prelude. We drove north to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. Lake Michigan was gorgeous and who knew these amazing sand dunes existed on a Great Lake. The water was so clean and clear (not to mention kind’a cold) and the dunes ranged from normal size to so gigantic you couldn’t believe this large steep hill in front of you was a live moving dune. I can only imagine how beautiful Lake Michigan on the shores of Sleeping Bear Dunes in autumn. Hopefully this will be one of the many beautiful places I go while I am working in Detroit. 24 August 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
My New Job as a Lear 45 Pilot
The 45 I am flying still in the hangar, earlier this week before we pushed off for Naples, FL. She sits up to nine people. All glass in the cockpit, which is a tight fit. Her range is 1800 NM. She's a little sports car in the sky and my first jet. I love this airplane.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
FlightSafety Going Away Party
I work with so many amazing people at FlightSafety, they are all going to be missed! These two characters are Chris and Bill - a few of my many favorites at the FlightSafety Atlanta Center.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Congratulations Britta & Sean!
Today was one of the first of many weddings to come from White Bear Lake’s graduating class 2000. This afternoon, Britta Torgerson and Sean Jabbar became Mr. & Mrs. Jabbar in St. Paul, MN. Every moment of the wedding had touches of influence from Britta, from the programs handed out at the wedding ceremony to décor on the tables at the reception. Britta, as usual, looked stunning and maintained her usual serenity. It was great to see close friends, Rummel, Jenni, and the Dickson and Torgerson family as well as Alyson and Katie Johnson. Britta, what an amazing ceremony! Congratulations sweetie and I wish you and Sean only the best! 10 June 2006
I want to win a million dollars.
Who doesn’t? After watching a few seasons of Survivor, being intrigued by the challenge (and the money) and being told by numerous people that I would be perfect for the show, I decided I would go for it. I was going to be in Minnesota this weekend anyway for Britta’s wedding, so why not come in a day or two earlier to try out in Becker, MN? So last night I finally caught the last flight out of Atlanta into Minneapolis on standby, Mom picked me up and early this morning we found ourselves on the way up to Becker to meet with WCCO’s camera teams for an opportunity to be in front of a camera for 2 minutes to make my argument for why they should choose me. Mom also decided to interview as well. I don’t know if I really presented my character very well on film (and I accidentally swore), so who knows what will happen, but I did have a blast spending some quality time with mom and meeting some other great candidates that were trying out as well. I will know more come early August…but if I don’t get a chance for the next round of tryouts, I am definitely going to tryout again next time. Wish my mom and I luck! 9 June 2006
Bill’s Blue Angels
There is something about men named Bill in my life that have this love of air shows, primarily the Blue Angels, and share the love of aviation with me. Previously in my blog I have introduced many of you to my dear friend, mentor and hero, Bill Chervenak who exposed me to Alaska last summer, took be to my first Blue Angels Air show among many other life experiences, but I have yet to introduce my fellow coworkers at FlightSafety Atlanta. Since January I have been an intern on the Lear 45 of which contains a close-knit group of instructors that happens to be good friends. Luis is the program manager for the 45, and the instructors include Randy, Buzz, Regina, and Bill. Bill immediately took me under his wing and has been such a support while I have been at the Atlanta Center, and as you may have guessed we went to see the Blue Angels at Dobbins field together with Regina. I have to say a little more about Regina as well. Obviously being a pilot and a female, Regina and I hit it off right away, she helped me though the bumps I first experienced with learning my first jet and over the past few months we have become good friends. She is an excellent cook and is always inviting me over for a meal, although after the first meal I was invited to a table cloth went up in flames on the deck I can’t believe she invited me back (don’t ask, basically female pilots, though great cooks, shouldn’t always be allowed in the kitchen). Anyway, Regina, Bill and myself were given clearance into Dobbins Air force base to see the practice routine, which as usual was spectacular. After the air show we walked around looking at all the military aircraft. The funniest part of the day was Bill and I walked over to a Delta 767 that was on the ramp and earlier had been allowing people to go into the cockpit (Bill flew in the military and then for Delta until forced retirement). As we approached, a Delta captain was at the bottom of the stairs and informed us that they were no longer allowing tours for the day. Bill responded, “Well that’s too bad you have a future Delta pilot here” at which the captain turned to me and replied “Well you just continue to study hard in those math and science classes.” I giggled a little that the captain thought I was a high school student and told him politely that I had already graduated from college, at which Bill realized what had happened and he put his hand on my back and told the captain “This little girl flies a Lear 45.” After we shocked the Delta captain Bill, Regina and I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon looking at more airplanes. I really have enjoyed working at FlightSafety so far, everyone from the Lear 45 program, to marketing, customer support and many many others in other programs and administrative positions have been wonderful. I really feel that even though my immediate family is not present in Atlanta that I have begun to have a home away from home. I think I may be staying here for a while. 28 April 2006
Back to Vero in Style
Some of the perks of being a pilot are that you know a number of other pilots, of which work for corporate companies, airlines, etc… Well, Jen, as some of you may remember was my flight instructor for my instrument rating and commercial single engine certificate. I was hoping that I would have her for my multi-engine commercial add on but while I was running around Europe last June, she was hired by Sun Aviation in Vero Beach flying a Beechjet. Fortunate for me I still see her once in a while (though not nearly enough) because her boyfriend, Sean, is based out of Atlanta working for ASA and because Sun Aviation does their maintenance at an airport just outside of Atlanta. This particular week she had been up for maintenance and would be flying back to Vero Beach with out any passengers. She was a sweetheart to invite me down to Vero via the beechjet and stay with her. How could I turn down such an offer with such a good friend? So this weekend I was lucky enough to fly the true definition of first class with one of the best pilots I know and spend the weekend with a great friend. I cannot thank you enough Jen and hopefully I will be in Florida again soon! 27 March 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Meet the Boyfriend
I have received many requests to meet the boyfriend. I was hoping for a more recent picture, but that has not worked out as planned…I have failed to remember the camera, so I apologize for the delay. So for those of you that have not met him in person, or seen probably this picture, this is Dave. Dave and I began dating late last June, we met at FlightSafety almost exactly a year ago, so yes he is a pilot as well, in fact he was my Zlin instructor and now works for ASA based out of Atlanta…hence the majority of the reason I moved from Florida. Many of you have already been told about this amazing guy that I am dating because I constantly gush about him, but for those of you that haven’t, I am glad to introduce you. I really feel luck to be dating such an amazing man, even if he kicks my ass on the racquetball court, playing both lefty and righty. I love you Dave..
Monday, February 27, 2006
In the City
I’m beginning to get settled in Atlanta. The transition has not been an easy one but I am glad that I made the move. The complications of not having health insurance, not knowing the area, only knowing more than a handful of people, and suddenly working 40 to 60 hours a week is a little over whelming at times. But I am working for FlightSafety (I do have a job) and they chose the Lear 45 for me to be an intern on. I am currently completing my SIC (Second in Command) in the 45 and looking forward to being a FO for the clients. It’s been a great opportunity to spend time with my aunt and uncle, and my cousins Kendall, Kyle and Liz. Also, it’s nice to be near Dave. Imagine that…I moved for a guy. I really enjoy Atlanta, and I wouldn’t mind spending some time here…but in the aviation industry you never know what will happen. Always hoping for the best.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Good-bye Little Civic
I love my Civic.
In 1991 Mom bought a brand new car.
This little car would go incredibly far.
It was a two-door hatchback, teal with gray interior.
Rachel and I thought Mom’s car was superior.
As a kid I sat in the backseat.
Because of Rachel and I, it was never neat.
Wrappers and clothes scattered the floor.
Chewing Gum was even stuck in the door.
Friends and family climbed in and out.
It wasn’t very big, so there was no need to shout.
No radio made us tell mom about our day.
It was a great car to get us where we wanted to play.
My sophomore year in college it went with me.
Mom and Dad had given me the key.
Traveling between the twin cities and Winona.
Singing “My Sharona”
I realized I did not belong on American Idol.
A stereo system was installed so that I wouldn’t need Midol.
Unfortunately other people like music too.
And robbers broke my window twice; I needed to get a clue.
It was nicknamed “The Little Green Monster”
It roared when it was revved but it was no rocket launcher.
First gear was really sticky
And reverse sounded icky
Then one day, I was driving down the road
And Bambi jumped out in front of me like a toad
I hit it going seventy miles an hour on the freeway
I was lucky it that deer didn’t take my life away
Fortunately my car survived the crash
I was forced to spend a lot of cash
Not long afterwards I drove it to the Florida sun
Without Minnesota’s cold weather that little car sure could run
It broke 200,000 miles while I complete my flying
Then moved all my belongings up to Atlanta without dying
Today, on my way home from work my car wanted to go to sleep
I am not going to lie, it made me weep.
Good-bye little Honda.
You helped me to’Wond’a…for 15 years, for 210,000 miles, all over the country.
I love my Civic.
In 1991 Mom bought a brand new car.
This little car would go incredibly far.
It was a two-door hatchback, teal with gray interior.
Rachel and I thought Mom’s car was superior.
As a kid I sat in the backseat.
Because of Rachel and I, it was never neat.
Wrappers and clothes scattered the floor.
Chewing Gum was even stuck in the door.
Friends and family climbed in and out.
It wasn’t very big, so there was no need to shout.
No radio made us tell mom about our day.
It was a great car to get us where we wanted to play.
My sophomore year in college it went with me.
Mom and Dad had given me the key.
Traveling between the twin cities and Winona.
Singing “My Sharona”
I realized I did not belong on American Idol.
A stereo system was installed so that I wouldn’t need Midol.
Unfortunately other people like music too.
And robbers broke my window twice; I needed to get a clue.
It was nicknamed “The Little Green Monster”
It roared when it was revved but it was no rocket launcher.
First gear was really sticky
And reverse sounded icky
Then one day, I was driving down the road
And Bambi jumped out in front of me like a toad
I hit it going seventy miles an hour on the freeway
I was lucky it that deer didn’t take my life away
Fortunately my car survived the crash
I was forced to spend a lot of cash
Not long afterwards I drove it to the Florida sun
Without Minnesota’s cold weather that little car sure could run
It broke 200,000 miles while I complete my flying
Then moved all my belongings up to Atlanta without dying
Today, on my way home from work my car wanted to go to sleep
I am not going to lie, it made me weep.
Good-bye little Honda.
You helped me to’Wond’a…for 15 years, for 210,000 miles, all over the country.
I love my Civic.
Friday, December 16, 2005
CFII
Almost a year later I am leaving Vero Beach, FL with my Instrument Rating, Commercial Single Engine and Multi Engine, CFI and CFII. Thanks to many instructors I am now moving on with a career in aviation. I was offered a job to flight instruct with FSA or to do an internship with FlightSafety International. I have decided to take the internship in Atlanta. I have made so many new friends, I really feel fortunate and now I am moving on where I have family and friends. I am looking forward to meeting new people and continuing on in aviation, but I will miss those who will not be in Atlanta as well. I truly have made some wonderful friends and I hope that we stay in touch, if not I know our career choice will force us to run into each other in some airport in the country, who knows maybe outside of the country as well. I will miss everyone in Vero. Enjoy the skies.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
I'm a Flight Instructor
As a kid I saw high school-ers graduating from high school and college students graduating from Universities. At the time I looked up to those students because I had the same goals, I wanted to complete high school and graduate from a university. And although I longed to achieve those degrees, as a kid you never think it will ever really happen, how could I ever be THAT old and have obtained THAT much knowledge? The further I get into my twenties, I realized that I have said the exact same thing for many other accomplishments in my life, in particular the pilot certificates that I have earned in the past five years and I said it again today when I earned my CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). As a student pilot, my hero had become my flight instructor, Brandon; I was in awe of him because he knew EVERYTHING. And, as I did as a high school and college student, I craved to obtain my flight instructor certificate. I learned along the way, as a flight instructor you don’t know everything; you know what you need to get started and have obtained a license to learn. Like everything in life, your knowledge and expertise expands with experience, immersion and continuing education. We all had to start somewhere regardless of what career path we have chosen. So I have graduated in a sense. I have to admit it felt like I was obtaining my masters degree.
I do want to say thank you to all my previous flight instructors: Brandon, Tim, Greg, Nick, Kevin & Jen. Now that I have gone through obtaining my CFI I have that much greater an appreciation for these educators and thank them for passing along their knowledge and expertise.
A special thanks to my CFI instructor, Willis, who turned me into his protégé for this certificate. He literally poured all the knowledge and skills he had into me, helping me perfect briefs on maneuvers and other aviation topics that I will someday teach to my student pilots. I know that he gave me everything he had and then some to accomplish my goal of becoming a CFI and although there were days I would have loved to throw him out of the plane he has become one of my closest friends. Thank you Willis.
Next on my agenda is that I am currently going through the interview process at Flight Safety to possibly work for them as a CFI or enroll in their Business Jet Direct program. I will be starting my CFII at the end of the month and hope to be flight instructing full time by the New Year.
I already have one flight student lined up…anyone else care to take a lesson?
I do want to say thank you to all my previous flight instructors: Brandon, Tim, Greg, Nick, Kevin & Jen. Now that I have gone through obtaining my CFI I have that much greater an appreciation for these educators and thank them for passing along their knowledge and expertise.
A special thanks to my CFI instructor, Willis, who turned me into his protégé for this certificate. He literally poured all the knowledge and skills he had into me, helping me perfect briefs on maneuvers and other aviation topics that I will someday teach to my student pilots. I know that he gave me everything he had and then some to accomplish my goal of becoming a CFI and although there were days I would have loved to throw him out of the plane he has become one of my closest friends. Thank you Willis.
Next on my agenda is that I am currently going through the interview process at Flight Safety to possibly work for them as a CFI or enroll in their Business Jet Direct program. I will be starting my CFII at the end of the month and hope to be flight instructing full time by the New Year.
I already have one flight student lined up…anyone else care to take a lesson?
Monday, October 31, 2005
Hurricane Wilma
I am happy to report that hurricane Wilma did not sweep me or any of the aircraft at Flight Safety out to the Atlantic Ocean as it passed through as a category 2/3 hurricane. I appreciate that many of you called, concerned that I would be in Florida as it passed through. Thankfully I was not.
The craziness began the Wednesday before when discussion of evacuating Flight Safety planes to Lakeland, FL and Dothan, Alabama. It was am immediate reaction, students began to buy tickets to go home, the grocery stores by Thursday evening had only a few bottles of water remaining on their shelves and everyone was preparing for the worst. I went to Orlando with Dave in hopes to dodge Wilma, which was unsuccessful, although I had a great time meeting his parents and a few of his aunts and uncles. I spent Saturday with Dave’s mom and two aunts, during which they enjoyed interrogating me and told me a few incriminating stories about him. Wilma was originally supposed to pass through Florida on Saturday and was now forecasted to pass through Monday morning after it’s previously caused damage to the Yucatan Peninsula. Dave had to return to Atlanta for work, so we flew out together. Wilma struck the following morning. I then flew to Dothan, AL to return home with my flight instructor, Willis and roommate, Melissa. When I showed up, to my surprise Flight Safety needed me to fly a Seminole back home. Melissa and I were thrilled because it would be just the two of us in a multi-engine on a cross-country flight, and the best part about it was that we didn’t have to pay for the 2.4 hours it took us to return…free multi time, a rare thing.
When we returned I understood what fall is in Florida, the amount of branches and trees that were down was amazing; already people had piled the fallen brush at the end of their driveways. No major damage was done thankfully. Our flightline had a few new skylights, and about 50% of the area was without power, but all in all, Wilma was nothing like the hurricanes Central Florida endured the previous year. Going to the grocery store has been an interesting experience all week. The Wednesday that followed Wilma, the shelves were bare with NOTHING in the dairy, meat, or frozen sections. And for the few days that followed, those shelves remained bare, as soon as food came in, its shelf life was so short that it was gone by that evening. But now one week after this natural disaster, things seem to be back to normal. Everyone has power again, the flight line is up and running and I can go to the grocery store and have no problem buying a pint of ice Ben and Jerry’s. As for my life, by the next time you hear from me, I should be a certified flight instructor.
The craziness began the Wednesday before when discussion of evacuating Flight Safety planes to Lakeland, FL and Dothan, Alabama. It was am immediate reaction, students began to buy tickets to go home, the grocery stores by Thursday evening had only a few bottles of water remaining on their shelves and everyone was preparing for the worst. I went to Orlando with Dave in hopes to dodge Wilma, which was unsuccessful, although I had a great time meeting his parents and a few of his aunts and uncles. I spent Saturday with Dave’s mom and two aunts, during which they enjoyed interrogating me and told me a few incriminating stories about him. Wilma was originally supposed to pass through Florida on Saturday and was now forecasted to pass through Monday morning after it’s previously caused damage to the Yucatan Peninsula. Dave had to return to Atlanta for work, so we flew out together. Wilma struck the following morning. I then flew to Dothan, AL to return home with my flight instructor, Willis and roommate, Melissa. When I showed up, to my surprise Flight Safety needed me to fly a Seminole back home. Melissa and I were thrilled because it would be just the two of us in a multi-engine on a cross-country flight, and the best part about it was that we didn’t have to pay for the 2.4 hours it took us to return…free multi time, a rare thing.
When we returned I understood what fall is in Florida, the amount of branches and trees that were down was amazing; already people had piled the fallen brush at the end of their driveways. No major damage was done thankfully. Our flightline had a few new skylights, and about 50% of the area was without power, but all in all, Wilma was nothing like the hurricanes Central Florida endured the previous year. Going to the grocery store has been an interesting experience all week. The Wednesday that followed Wilma, the shelves were bare with NOTHING in the dairy, meat, or frozen sections. And for the few days that followed, those shelves remained bare, as soon as food came in, its shelf life was so short that it was gone by that evening. But now one week after this natural disaster, things seem to be back to normal. Everyone has power again, the flight line is up and running and I can go to the grocery store and have no problem buying a pint of ice Ben and Jerry’s. As for my life, by the next time you hear from me, I should be a certified flight instructor.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Congratulations Mom
All my life, my mother has worked for Northwest Airlines. In fact she worked for Northwest for 33 years. She has lived all over the country from New York to Alaska working for Northwest as in many different positions from air freight, to the counter at the airport, to an international sales agent and city ticket agent. All through the good and the bad of the past 33 years mom worked for Northwest. But this past September, Mom decided to put in for retirement earlier than desired (although two years after she could have) and probably would have continued for many years.
With Mom working for Northwest I was not only allowed to travel all over the country but it influenced my career decisions building a strong desire to work in the travel industry. She had me on a flight when I was 6 months old and flying to see relatives by myself when I was seven. She always figured out my flights, made sure I got to or from where-ever I was going connecting through whatever airport that could possibly get me where I was going. Thank you mom, especially for getting me home today so I could play a part of your demise.
Tonight, in honor of Mom’s retirement, Dad threw her a wonderful surprise retirement party. Many new and old friends, coworkers, and family showed up. Dad did a wonderful job; in a short amount of time he gathered as many numbers out of mom’s cell phone when she wasn’t looking and doing all the planning and preparation sneakily behind her back even though he couldn’t get rid of her (after all she is retired now). Dad even took care of getting her out of the house by using my coming in town for a day as an excuse and that he had a private party at the restaurant so that when we returned from picking me up at the airport she wouldn’t suspect anything. He pulled it off, she had no clue, it was great, and he even made her favorite meal, crawfish etouffe.
Congratulations Mom, enjoy your retirement!
With Mom working for Northwest I was not only allowed to travel all over the country but it influenced my career decisions building a strong desire to work in the travel industry. She had me on a flight when I was 6 months old and flying to see relatives by myself when I was seven. She always figured out my flights, made sure I got to or from where-ever I was going connecting through whatever airport that could possibly get me where I was going. Thank you mom, especially for getting me home today so I could play a part of your demise.
Tonight, in honor of Mom’s retirement, Dad threw her a wonderful surprise retirement party. Many new and old friends, coworkers, and family showed up. Dad did a wonderful job; in a short amount of time he gathered as many numbers out of mom’s cell phone when she wasn’t looking and doing all the planning and preparation sneakily behind her back even though he couldn’t get rid of her (after all she is retired now). Dad even took care of getting her out of the house by using my coming in town for a day as an excuse and that he had a private party at the restaurant so that when we returned from picking me up at the airport she wouldn’t suspect anything. He pulled it off, she had no clue, it was great, and he even made her favorite meal, crawfish etouffe.
Congratulations Mom, enjoy your retirement!
Friday, August 05, 2005
Multi Commercial Rated
It’s final. I can now fly an airplane that has more than one engine. Dad still thinks that I should join the flying circus, he’s probably right about me fitting in just fine. But sorry, to disappoint you dad I am going to continue on with my training (and spend more money) to become a CFI. No, Dad, that does not stand for Clown Flying Instructor, it means I am going to be working towards my certified flight instructor certificate to teach others that are interested in aviation. In fact I already am. Ground school began this past Monday and will be another two and a half weeks and then I will start the flying portion which means I am going to be flying in the right seat instead of the left and I am going to teach an instructor who will be acting like a student. It should be a lot of fun.
But back to my multi-engine completion… I would like to thank my instructor Kevin Bennett for aiding in my completion of this check-ride, which was my first Part 141 ride. We had a lot of fun in the brief time we flew together. We flew to the Keys to have dinner with Nicole and Paul on a long cross-country and had some gorgeous late evening flights that allowed us to see a few beautiful sunsets as we climbed out of the plane on the ramp. But most of all I got to fly a multiengine airplane about half the time in single engine ops. Thanks Kevin for all the fun flying the Seminole and all the knowledge you passed on to me.
But back to my multi-engine completion… I would like to thank my instructor Kevin Bennett for aiding in my completion of this check-ride, which was my first Part 141 ride. We had a lot of fun in the brief time we flew together. We flew to the Keys to have dinner with Nicole and Paul on a long cross-country and had some gorgeous late evening flights that allowed us to see a few beautiful sunsets as we climbed out of the plane on the ramp. But most of all I got to fly a multiengine airplane about half the time in single engine ops. Thanks Kevin for all the fun flying the Seminole and all the knowledge you passed on to me.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Day 7: The Super Cub Pilot
At the crack of dawn I found myself amazingly awake. I knew that today I would fly in a Super Cub. Bill and I had come back down to Anchorage and stayed with Ron and Mary Ann in Anchorage, two close friends of his that took good care of me. We drove up to Palmer to meet Gary Bishop.
Gary is a good friend of both Bill and his son Paul and they arranged this amazing opportunity for me. One of the pictures Bill gave me long ago, that I have never parted with was a picture of a runway that was quickly made so that Gary and his super cub could get Bill back to civilization. But this runway did not look like a runway at all…it looked like a swamp. This is a typical place for Gary to place his little cub. I quickly learned that Gary began his career in aviation in Oklahoma as a crop duster in a super cub and as a beginning pilot was given the opportunity to fly from New York to England to deliver a Cessna 172 with his flight instructor. He now lives on a beautiful little private airstrip outside of Palmer and runs a Part 135 operation.
Gary willingly took me up and showed me everything that a Piper Super Cub could do. We began with steep turns, using the bars as visual reference on the horizon, which was a 60-degree bank turn. He then showed me the advantages of vortex generators and how the cub, as long as it was coordinated would not have the abrupt stall characteristics that most airplanes have and it just oscillates. We then continued on and saw many moose and landed on a few gravel bars and a mountain. There is almost nowhere you can’t put a cub down as long as you are aware of what the wind is doing. As we took off from the mountain, it was sloped down hill and we had a tail wind all of a sudden we ran out of runway and dropped off a cliff about 30 feet and nosed the airplane over to gain airspeed and off we flew through the crevice of the mountains. There is so much more to this flight, but all I can say is anyone that has any interest in aviation should fly in a Super Cub some day.
Once on the ground, Gary told Bill and I a number of aviation stories over a cup of coffee. My favorite was when Gary had experienced 40 knot winds, stepped on the brakes and applied full power and just after the tail of the aircraft had lifted off the ground the cub without moving an inch lifted off the ground and flew.
Unfortunately, it had come time for Bill and I to part ways. He is remaining Alaska for a few more days and I must return to Florida to complete my multi-commercial and begin CFI ground. I already miss traveling with Bill and look forward to meeting up with him and Jojo in the Twin Cities some time soon. As for Alaska, I know that I will be back, hopefully to fly a beaver on floats in Kodiak.
Gary is a good friend of both Bill and his son Paul and they arranged this amazing opportunity for me. One of the pictures Bill gave me long ago, that I have never parted with was a picture of a runway that was quickly made so that Gary and his super cub could get Bill back to civilization. But this runway did not look like a runway at all…it looked like a swamp. This is a typical place for Gary to place his little cub. I quickly learned that Gary began his career in aviation in Oklahoma as a crop duster in a super cub and as a beginning pilot was given the opportunity to fly from New York to England to deliver a Cessna 172 with his flight instructor. He now lives on a beautiful little private airstrip outside of Palmer and runs a Part 135 operation.
Gary willingly took me up and showed me everything that a Piper Super Cub could do. We began with steep turns, using the bars as visual reference on the horizon, which was a 60-degree bank turn. He then showed me the advantages of vortex generators and how the cub, as long as it was coordinated would not have the abrupt stall characteristics that most airplanes have and it just oscillates. We then continued on and saw many moose and landed on a few gravel bars and a mountain. There is almost nowhere you can’t put a cub down as long as you are aware of what the wind is doing. As we took off from the mountain, it was sloped down hill and we had a tail wind all of a sudden we ran out of runway and dropped off a cliff about 30 feet and nosed the airplane over to gain airspeed and off we flew through the crevice of the mountains. There is so much more to this flight, but all I can say is anyone that has any interest in aviation should fly in a Super Cub some day.
Once on the ground, Gary told Bill and I a number of aviation stories over a cup of coffee. My favorite was when Gary had experienced 40 knot winds, stepped on the brakes and applied full power and just after the tail of the aircraft had lifted off the ground the cub without moving an inch lifted off the ground and flew.
Unfortunately, it had come time for Bill and I to part ways. He is remaining Alaska for a few more days and I must return to Florida to complete my multi-commercial and begin CFI ground. I already miss traveling with Bill and look forward to meeting up with him and Jojo in the Twin Cities some time soon. As for Alaska, I know that I will be back, hopefully to fly a beaver on floats in Kodiak.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Day 5: Mt. McKinley
My infatuation with flying has been present since I was a little girl and has only grown stronger in the past four years. And now my infatuation with Alaska flying is so intense that I am already trying to concoct ways to move to Kodiak in a few years to fly a Beaver on floats. I have had a very supportive family along my journey of becoming a pilot, but there has been one very important person in my success as a pilot and that is Bill. When I was about fifteen, I had come home from New England and declared that I wanted to become a pilot when I grow up. Most people told me that I would change my mind a number of times before I decided upon a profession, not Bill. By the end of the evening that I had declared my professional fate, Bill had handed me a book about flying and since then has encouraged and mentored me. When I became a private pilot, Bill was my first passenger and since I began, when I would come home, I would sit across from him and his wonderful wife Jojo and recount my flying tales and update him on my progress. Always enthusiastic about my chosen profession he would share with me some of the bush stories he had heard or experienced and would give me photos of runways that were in reality swamps and books about the bush pilots of Alaska. Bill has not only been a mentor to me, but a dear friend and I look forward to completing my CFI so that he can be my first student and fulfill his dream to fly. Without Bill, this trip to Alaska would not have been possible, and I am tremendously grateful for all the work he has put forth to make sure my wings were spread many times in the Alaskan sky.
But today, on top of meeting Buck and Charlene, Bill and I went for a flight around Mt. McKinley. It was the most majestic flight I have ever experienced. We flew out of Talkeetna with Hudson Air Service in a Cessna 185. Talkeetna is known for being the departure point for climbers to Mt. McKinley’s base camp. Also, Don Sheldon, a famous Alaskan bush pilot, was based out of Talkeetna. We climbed north and eventually reached an altitude of 10,200 feet and began cruising around the many peaks of Mt. McKinley. Dodging clouds and mountains Bill and I saw the beauty of Mt. McKinley and all that surrounded it. It’s greatness makes one feel pretty insignificant. We nearly circled the top of Mt. McKinley, but a cloud prevented us from circumnavigating the entire peak. Instead, our pilot Jacques decided to fly directly toward the south face of the peak, I know it made me slightly nervous because we aimed right for the south face and all there was in front of us was a mass of rock and snow that filled the windscreen. Luckily he turned and we continued on to land on Pika Glacier. As we contacted the glacier traveling up hill, it was a bumpy ride until we came to a stop with the 185 turned down hill. We all climbed out of the 185 and viewed the beauty and massiveness of the mountains that encompassed us. After throwing a few snowballs and making a miniature snowman, I climbed back into the 185, only to return to Talkeetna that much more enthralled with becoming an Alaskan bush pilot.
Bill, I know that I will say this many times, but thank you for giving me my one way ticket to Alaska, I don’t think I will ever really make it home.
But today, on top of meeting Buck and Charlene, Bill and I went for a flight around Mt. McKinley. It was the most majestic flight I have ever experienced. We flew out of Talkeetna with Hudson Air Service in a Cessna 185. Talkeetna is known for being the departure point for climbers to Mt. McKinley’s base camp. Also, Don Sheldon, a famous Alaskan bush pilot, was based out of Talkeetna. We climbed north and eventually reached an altitude of 10,200 feet and began cruising around the many peaks of Mt. McKinley. Dodging clouds and mountains Bill and I saw the beauty of Mt. McKinley and all that surrounded it. It’s greatness makes one feel pretty insignificant. We nearly circled the top of Mt. McKinley, but a cloud prevented us from circumnavigating the entire peak. Instead, our pilot Jacques decided to fly directly toward the south face of the peak, I know it made me slightly nervous because we aimed right for the south face and all there was in front of us was a mass of rock and snow that filled the windscreen. Luckily he turned and we continued on to land on Pika Glacier. As we contacted the glacier traveling up hill, it was a bumpy ride until we came to a stop with the 185 turned down hill. We all climbed out of the 185 and viewed the beauty and massiveness of the mountains that encompassed us. After throwing a few snowballs and making a miniature snowman, I climbed back into the 185, only to return to Talkeetna that much more enthralled with becoming an Alaskan bush pilot.
Bill, I know that I will say this many times, but thank you for giving me my one way ticket to Alaska, I don’t think I will ever really make it home.
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