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Back in a Small Airplane

Other than two rather meaningless flights a little over a year and a half ago, I took my first flight in a small plane in about four years last night.  This was the first flight in my journey to become a CFI, and it went quite well.

I actually felt much more comfortable than I expected to based on how those other two flights went.  As I think about it, there were a number of factors that made that so.

The first thing I really appreciated was an excellent instructor.  He is a very experienced instructor that has a presence that I really appreciated as well as a simple way of explaining things.  I also really liked how he gave me very precise parameters to hit, which always makes the maneuvers so much easier to execute.

Another factor was flying in an area I am much more familiar with.  Having done my private pilot certificate in this area, I was used to being in a small plane here.  I have also flown extensively for work in the area, along with flying directly over my house which just adds to the comfort level.  There is just something about flying where you feel at home that makes it all feel better.

It also was simply stunning weather.  Spring evenings in the high desert can be so beautiful.  It has been really windy here recently, but gratefully it calmed down and it was a smooth and beautiful evening.  Sunsets are always more beautiful from the air.

When I was first talking to my CFI about working on my rating I told him I would rather do the loops and split-s that we did at pilot training than basic maneuvers because that is what I had done more recently.  I was pleasantly surprised with how easily I got back into the private pilot maneuvers.  It’s amazing how quickly things like that came back, even after a few years.

The one area that is going to take some more work is getting back to landing a small plane.  The sight picture is pretty different from a C-130, and the feedback of the controls is a little different as well.  It will come with time though.

For the next flight, we will be going through the commercial maneuvers, which will be a little different for me.  As part of military training, we don’t do chandelles or eights on pylons, and lazy eights are a little different in a T-6.  I am excited to do some new stuff, and make sure I am actually ready to go and teach these maneuvers as well.

I am so glad I finally got this next step done in the process of becoming a CFI, and with how comfortable I actually felt.  It will be a couple of days before we get to fly again, and I am anxiously waiting to keep going.

May 5, 2022 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Becoming a CFI

Patience is not always something that I am very good with, but I have had to practice a lot of it these last few months while I wait to have the time to finish my CFI.  Unfortunately, I still have to wait a few more weeks, but at least I have a few things to keep myself busy.

I completed the written tests a year and a half ago but was simply too busy to get the flying in and prep for the checkride.  Over the next three weeks I get to go to some interesting Air Force Safety training, but that also means that I have nights free to buckle down and do the ground prep so that I will be ready to fly when I get back.

I have already read through most of the things I could find suggested online, so now I will be prepping my lesson plans and building my CFI binder.  I plan to build it in a digital format that will make it easy for me to update as well as transfer them to students.  I also think it will be a valuable way for me to refresh myself on the things that could come up on the checkride.

I do have a few things that I am worried about on the checkride.  The ground eval is always a stress for me on any checkride.  There is simply so much information that could be covered.  You can know 90% of the information, but if they ask you about the 10% you don’t know, then you look stupid.  On the flip side, you can know 10% of the information and if that is what they ask, you look like a genius.  All I can do is study and prepare with confidence that I will study the right stuff.  I also think my previous experience instructing will make a big difference.

However, I also know it will be different instructing at the controls as opposed to standing behind the pilots like I did on the C-130.  I still feel pretty confident that I will do alright as I actually had a tendency in pilot training, including my private certification, to talk my way through the maneuvers I was doing.  I was told to never do that on a checkride, but I prefer to demonstrate what is going through my mind as I fly.  I think this is actually going to help on this checkride.

I do have a couple of concerns when it comes to the flying.  The first one will be remedied with time.  I only have two hours in a small plane in the last four years since I finished my private, and as you would expect, it is a little different than the T-6, T-1, or C-130.  Putting in some hours in a small plane will get me back to being comfortable again.

The other concern of mine is performing commercial maneuvers that I either haven’t done at all, or that I haven’t done in a small plane.  A lazy eight in a T-6 is a little different than a lazy eight in a 172.  The thing that makes me the most uncomfortable is the lack of a buffer in performance, but I am probably just psyching myself out.  Everything that I did in the T-6 I could get out of by putting in the power and climbing away, but mentally it isn’t the same in a smaller plane.  We also didn’t do stuff like eights on pylons or chandelles.  I would honestly feel more comfortable doing loops and a split-s, which makes me laugh as I think about it.

Finishing my CFI is kind of an important part of starting a flight school, and one that I am increasingly excited to finish.  It has been three and a half years since I left to start pilot training and one of the things I have missed the most about being a navigator is the chance to instruct.  Having the opportunity to teach somebody something you love is so incredibly fulfilling, and something that I miss terribly.

If I am being totally honest, a side motivation is to build hours to be eligible for the airlines, but I am also not sure if that is the path I want to take.  I will have my C-130 flying to get my low-level/airdrop fix, just not nearly the number of hours I would like.  That is one of the awesome things about aviation.  There are so many different paths you can take that will get you where you want to go.  You don’t ever have to settle on just one, you can keep trying new things, keep getting new ratings, and always work on being a better aviator.

I am super excited to have the opportunity to help people who are just starting on this incredible journey.

March 24, 2022 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Night Flying Tips From a Military Pilot

I gotta say, it still feels weird saying I am a military pilot, but I guess I need to better embrace what I am in a lot of aspects of life.

Anyways, after flying a couple of nights ago I thought it might be useful to mention some of the things I have learned about flying at night that may be useful to others who don’t do as much night flying.

One obvious difference between what we do in the Air Force and most, if not all, civilian flyers is that we use NVGs when we fly at night.  We do still practice approaches and landings at night without them, but if we are doing low levels or airdrops at night, we always wear them.

If you ever get the opportunity to try some NVGs I would recommend trying them out on the ground because it is cool, but DO NOT try to fly with them unless you have been properly trained.  There may be this idea that they make it almost like daytime, but that is not the case.  They do dramatically improve your ability to see at night, but they also completely change your depth perception and how your straight ahead vision interacts with your peripheral vision since one is using NVGs and the other is not.  Again, do not try and do anything with NVGs unless you have been trained.

So what are some things you can do to make flying at night more safe?

Physiologically, make sure you are well rested when flying at night.  It can be easy to have a normal day and then head out to the airport to get some night flying done, but be very cognizant of how you feel physically.  During the summer you may try to fly more in the evenings when it starts to cool down so you need to be honest with yourself about how tired you are.  Especially if you are going out after the sun has set because it sets so much later in the summer.

Here in Arkansas right now it doesn’t really get dark until after nine o’clock so to get some night time in you have to stay up much later than in the winter when the sun sets around 5-6.  If you typically stay up until midnight or later this may not be a big deal, but if you are an early to bed kind of person you need to be honest with yourself about how tired you are, and may want to consider an afternoon nap to give yourself a little more pep when the sun goes down.

It is also common to use some sort of stimulant like coffee or energy drinks to give you a little boost at night, but be careful with how much of that stuff you use.  Too much can make you jittery and effect your night vision, which is obviously pretty important.  There is also a chance of having that big drop off when the effects wear off, and you don’t need that late at night.

Next, it is really important to get to know the airport and area you will be flying in.  Even if it is an airport you use regularly, it will look different at night than it does during the day.  Having a clear picture in your mind of where you will be on the ground and what to look for in the air will help to alleviate some of the confusion that is inherent with flying at night.  This is especially true when you are flying as the sun is setting because you will start to get strange shadows that can mess with your head in terms of depth perception and things looking unfamiliar.

For that reason I recommend getting night practice on a regular basis so that you add to your mental picture of how things look in all different light conditions.  Three landings every 90 days is not enough to be safe flying at night.  Now if you just choose not to fly at night at all, that is your decision, but you do miss out on some amazing sights and peace that can only be experienced at night.  You also never know when you may need to fly at night and you don’t want to find yourself unprepared, and in turn, unsafe.

Part of getting to know your airport is learning the important altitudes around it.  Outside of pattern altitudes, a lot of other altitudes seem to be more related to instrument flying, but as you will learn, there is a lot of crossover from night flying and instrument flying that will keep you safe.

Understanding what the highest obstruction to flight around your airport is can be vital information.  There is so much peace of mind when you have an emergency of some sort in knowing that if you climb to a certain altitude you are safe from hitting anything while you diagnose the problem.  There could be buildings or towers or even a mountain near your airport that you don’t want to be worrying about while you are troubleshooting.

This also applies when flying at night away from your airport.  I recommend you stay as high as you feel safe at night, within reason, because it eliminates many of the risks of terrain and towers that can be lower.  Your depth perception at night is also not the same as during the day, so having that extra buffer is a huge blessing.  Looking at your route of flight on at least a sectional before you fly will help you to know what a safe altitude is.

This may seem like it is more important in mountainous areas where there are more obstructions, and that is a valid point, but I have seen 1000’+ towers in relatively flat terrain that will ruin your day just as fast as a mountain if you aren’t aware that they are there.  We always try to see and avoid whether day or night, but it is more challenging to do so at night, so understanding the hazards along your route will always keep you safer.

Even though we fly on NVGs in the military, we still prepare all of our charts with safe altitudes, factor obstacles that may still be dangerous if we are low to the ground, and study them as a crew to make sure we are safe.  If we have any kind of an emergency, or even just an unexpected situation that requires extra attention, we always climb to those safe altitudes so we can safely divert a little attention to whatever the problem may be.

In a similar vein it is also important to check the NOTAMs for your route of flight.  These can help you identify significant towers, and maybe more importantly towers that may be unlit.  These are not extremely common, but not being able to see a tower that you will be flying towards is incredibly unsafe.  They could go out for any number of reasons, and you want to know that before you go.  Also bear in mind with towers that they may have wires sticking out from the sides for support that you will never see at night, so just stay far away from them.

Tools like ForeFlight can also be invaluable at night, but do not just use them as a crutch.  Learn the proper skills and do the proper preparation which will allow you to operate safely. Those tools can be used on the ground for all of the things I mentioned.  Then you can have all of that information in one place and they will be the asset they can be instead of just a crutch or distraction.

Outside of all of the preparation I have mentioned, you need to fly at night regularly to stay proficient.  It’s not enough to go knock out your three takeoffs and landings and then have your friends jump in to go for a flight the same day.  You may technically be legal, but you are not proficient.  The only way to get good at night landings is to practice them regularly, just like landings during the day.

The sight picture is so much different, that only experience can really prepare you.  Your depth perception and peripheral vision are such important parts of flying, and they are dramatically affected by operating at night.  It’s also important to go to different airports if you have the option.  They all have unique lighting on the runways and surrounding areas that allow you to learn even more and expand that tool bag of knowledge that you build with each flight.

It may also be worth mentioning that one of the most common misconceptions about flying at night is that airports are really bright places, when in actuality they are generally the darkest patch of ground in an area because runway and taxiway lights are not very bright, and they don’t need to be.  So if you are having trouble finding an airport at night, look for the dark areas with straight lines of lights running through them.  If it is a smaller airport, pilot controlled lighting can also be a game changer with finding the airport.  That many lights turning on at the same time is pretty hard to miss.

Flying at night is such a fun and unique experience.  During the summer it is great because it is cooler and the air is generally a little smoother.  It gives you a unique view of the places that you see regularly, because everything looks different at night.  I find it to be more peaceful because not as many people fly at night.  I also really enjoy being at the airport late at night because they are unusually quiet.  There is something really calming about sitting in the darkness of an airport with only the runway and taxiway lights on.  It’s probably because there is often so much noise around an airport, but at night it is just peaceful when not many planes are around.

So get out there and fly at night.  Experience something different for a change.  If you aren’t proficient then take another pilot with you who may be more proficient, because flying with friends is almost always better anyway.  It really can be an underappreciated part of flying, but one that requires extra vigilance on your part to be able to enjoy it safely.

June 24, 2021 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

My First Flight as a Pilot in the C-130

Aviation is a really funny industry.

For so much of my life so many aspects of the industry have felt completely out of reach.  Even after all of the experiences I have had and people I have met, I still feel like there are so many things I will never get to see or experience.  The reality is that there are so many experiences I would like to have that there is no way it would be possible for me to experience them all.  I have made the mistake of ignoring the cool things I have done because I spend so much time looking ahead to the things I would really like to see and do.

In some ways that is what I did a few weeks ago when I didn’t take the time I should have to enjoy a moment that I waited almost a decade for, and which less than two years ago I would have told you would never happen.  Despite my delay I would like to share just how special an experience it was for me.

I have about 1600 hours as a navigator on the C-130H, and I enjoyed every single one of them.  To stand on that flight deck in countries all over the world, to airdrop supplies to people who needed them on the ground in Afghanistan, to deliver patients to hospitals where they could get the care they needed, or even to return them home, to dangle my feet off the ramp flying low over the islands of the Pacific and see what has to be the bluest water on earth.  All of these experiences were life changing in their own way, and I fully anticipated making more of the same memories over however many years I remained in the Nevada Air National Guard as a navigator.

But then the opportunity arose to attend pilot training and ultimately take the controls of the C-130.  As I look back on what it took to even be given that opportunity I am overcome with gratitude for the willingness of leaders to support me, and others, in that pursuit.  I am forever indebted to a family that continues to sacrifice every day so that I can chase my dreams.  None of it would be possible, nor would it be worth it, if I didn’t have their love and support.

This is the first C-130 that I ever got to fly as a pilot and it was life changing.

After about 21 months of training, I finally got to sit in the pilot’s seat for a flight on the C-130.  The first time I got that chance was honestly less than exciting.  For various scheduling and training reasons, I only got in the seat for the second half of the flight, and I didn’t actually get to manipulate the controls once.  That being said, it was still incredibly memorable for me, and in some ways is still a little surreal that it actually happened.

A few days later I was able to get in the seat for the entire flight that was actually based around pattern work so I got a ton of takeoffs and landings.  Some people may be surprised to learn just how much time Air Force pilots spend working in the pattern and doing takeoffs, approaches, and landings.  Those are skills that remain important no matter what level of flying you get to.

As I took the runway for that first takeoff at the controls I felt like my whole body was smiling.  In a less professional environment I may have squealed like a child with excitement, but I kept all of that inside.  Logically, the sights and sounds of that takeoff were not significantly different from any of the thousands of others I had experienced from six feet further back in the plane, but I will tell you that it felt like the first time I had ever experienced it.  It is amazing to me just how different it feels in that seat compared to the one I used as a nav.

The rest of the flight was spent working on landings, and the weather was certainly giving me a hearty welcome with a significant crosswind the entire time.  (It made future flights seem much easier when the winds were significantly less challenging.)  As the flight progressed it was exciting to watch myself get better with each landing.  Slowly putting the pieces together of how to apply rudder, aileron, elevator, power, trim, etc. to set that plane down where it was supposed to be.  I still have tons to learn, but even in those couple of hours it was exhilarating to see my improvement.

Sunsets from the air are just so much more beautiful for some reason.

I have since had a handful of flights spent mostly on tactical flying, and they have been a lot of fun, but nothing really compares to that first time you take the controls.  As I finish up my training here in Little Rock I have so much to be grateful for.

I don’t think I am alone in sometimes feeling that as I approach 40 it is easy to forget about my dreams and feel like the time has passed to chase them.  You tend to resign yourself to the life that you have.  Don’t get me wrong, I have been really happy with my life.  I have a job I love, with an amazing wife and stellar kids.  I have had incredible experiences with my work, and my family, and I know that those will continue, but I still have moments where I feel like there are so many things I want to do that I never will.

At times like those I have to remind myself how many dreams I have already successfully achieved, and that if I stop chasing new ones I have only myself to blame.  Being realistic, my dream of playing professional baseball has sailed, and that’s okay.  I still love the game, but it was probably never realistic anyways.  However, other dreams, like getting my tailwheel endorsement, teaching my kids (and maybe wife) to fly, and backcountry flying, are all still very much attainable.  They aren’t even that far from my reach if I just make them a priority.

Like so many other dreams, they are not just going to fall into my lap without effort.  I will likely have to make sacrifices and not pursue things I would like to do if I am to accomplish the things I really want to do.

When I was a kid living under the approach/departure path to DFW I vividly remember having the dream of becoming a pilot, but I never thought it was a realistic possibility.  I had no idea what the path was to get there.  When I enlisted in the Marine Corps I thought I had started on that path and would reach my goal in just a few short years.  Turns out it was more like 18 years, but dang it, I got there.

I think I have confused my own impatience with something being impossible.  It is easy to compare yourself with others and say they just got lucky or they have the right rich parents, and some of that is true, but who cares what someone else’s path was?  If you really want something bad enough and continue to focus on it, you can get there, and make it a reality.

It is really fun to be able to say now that I am a C-130 pilot, especially because I never thought it would happen.

June 21, 2021 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Is Money Really the Reason People Don’t Learn to Fly?

Money was always the reason I said I didn’t learn to fly, and I know that is the reason most other people give. Some say time and that is a valid reason because it does take a significant time commitment to get your ratings.

The more I think about it, and the more I hear other people talk about it, money should never be the reason someone doesn’t learn to fly.  If someone says money is the reason they can’t learn to fly, I think the real reason is lack of education or understanding, which I think is the only real reason people don’t learn to fly.

That may seem abrupt or too short sighted, but at the heart of most reasons is a lack of understanding.  Let’s look at money first since that is the most common reason.

Money can certainly be a stumbling block, and make it take longer to earn a rating, but there is no reason it should stop anyone.  Most of us could find things to eliminate from our lives and save money.  We could not go to Starbucks as often, or not eat out everyday for lunch.  We could even sell our car and ride a bike where we needed to go or take the bus.  All of these things can be done if someone wants it bad enough, and if you don’t, that’s fine, it just means you would rather have your coffee than fly, as long as you understand it is a choice.

Beyond that there are a lot of different scholarships out there designed to help people get their ratings.  You may not get the first one you apply for, but if you keep trying then you will eventually find a way.  Like many things it is not just a matter of trying one time if you truly want it.  You have to keep trying and you WILL find a way.

While I don’t recommend it unless you intend to make flying a career, there are even loans you can take out if you decide that is right for you.  Take great caution though because you don’t want to end up with more debt than you can handle.  This was originally my plan, but after more than $3,000 I had only logged 7.5 hours and I knew that wasn’t sustainable.  So just make sure you are staying very aware of what you are spending and what you are actually getting if you decide to take out loans.

Now what about time?

I have very quickly learned that the older I get the less free time I have.  Between work and family I have to be much more selective of how I spend the other time I have.  But, when I am honest with myself, I waste a ridiculous amount of time watching TV and playing video games.  I enjoy doing those things, and have come to realize that it is a choice I am making, that I am trying to change within myself.

Not everyone wastes their time away on meaningless entertainment, and some people genuinely do not have any extra time to pursue a license.  The question there is if they could afford to work a little less and possibly live a less extravagant lifestyle?  Could they sacrifice a huge vacation and instead get their license?  This is not always the case as some people genuinely have to work that much just to survive.  But the vast majority of people could find something to sacrifice if they really wanted to fly.

I guess what I am getting at is that there are opportunities out there if only people knew what reality was.  Some people think that the military is the only way to become a pilot.  This may seem ridiculous for someone in the industry, but for someone who doesn’t actually know someone who is a pilot they may not realize the opportunities that exist. 

They may not realize that sometimes you can trade labor like plane washing for flight lessons.  There are also jobs to be had at the airport fueling planes and moving them around.  I for one thought there was some experience to be had to get a job like that.  Come to realize most of those people are in their late teens and early twenties with no experience whatsoever when they start.  It can be a great way to meet pilots and find opportunities to fly that you can only find through meeting people.  Not to mention making some money to spend on flying.

There are programs like EAA’s Young Eagle where you can get into a small plane for a flight to see what it’s like.  There is Civil Air Patrol if you want to learn more about aviation and maybe get some flying in as well.

Honestly, when you are young is the best time to learn to fly if you can be disciplined about it.  You don’t have a lot of bills to worry about other than maybe a cell phone and some sort of transportation.  You also don’t have a lot of other responsibilities to take up your time.  You just have to decide if being on five basketball teams is more important than learning to fly, and if it is for you then awesome!  Just don’t complain about not becoming a pilot.  You can make it happen if you choose to, but you have to be disciplined and really want it.  Otherwise, you may put off your dream for 20 years like I did. 

I know it’s a cliche phrase, but it really is true that “where there’s a will there’s a way”.  It likely will not come easy, and will take significant time and effort, but it can be done.  You can find a way if you have the guts to do it.  You will likely have to ask for help from others, but don’t be afraid to ask, and just do it.  So many people are willing to help in aviation that if you don’t ask, you have only yourself to blame.  That doesn’t mean to just ask people for money, but they may be able to give you advice or point you in the direction of a scholarship or job opportunity. 

I’m not writing this to judge people for their choices as much as I want people to realize it is possible, something I didn’t realize until I was in my mid 30s.  There are opportunities all over the place.  If you are in the industry you can help by talking to people about it.  You can tell them your story, which was likely just as full of sacrifice along a winding path as most other pilots.  You can help someone get into the military if that is what you know.  We can all do more to help people follow their dreams, and I know almost all of us are willing to do so.

If we can only educate people of all ages about the options they have we can grow the community which will only help all of us.  Then we will have more people to share this thing that we love.

If there is anything I can do to help please let me know and I will do all I can.  Helping other people learn and grow is one of my favorite things to do.

January 9, 2021 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Musings After Completing Air Force Pilot Training

Do you ever feel like months or years at a time go by and you know that a lot of things have happened, but when you stop and think about it, or sit down to write about some of the cool things you have done, you really just don’t know what to say?  That’s kind of where I am at right now.

As you are likely aware, I attended Air Force Pilot Training over the last year or so, which I completed back in September, earning my wings, and furthering my lifelong dream of being a pilot.  I still count finishing my private certificate back in 2008 as when I became a pilot, but this was a big deal and an even bigger step on my career path, wherever that may lead.

There is no reason to give a play by play of everything that happened at pilot training, especially since I am sure someone else already has, and they probably did it better, but I figured I would put some of my own thoughts and experiences down for my own benefit, and maybe it will help someone else in the at the same time.

One of the things a lot of people ask is how they can best prepare for pilot training.  The reality is that every single person is different and would benefit from different preparation.  The one thing that I feel is universal is getting as much aviation experience as you possibly can.  Ideally that means spending as much time in any flying aircraft you possibly can.  There is simply no substitute for time in the seat and in the air hearing and seeing and smelling and feeling all of those different inputs.  That may not be feasible in many cases, but beg, borrow, or steal your way onto any flight in a cockpit you can get.  It doesn’t have to be formal training.  It could be bumming a ride for a $100 hamburger, or just beating up the pattern, but any time you can get in the air will help you.

All of my experience in the Air Force flying was a definite advantage in many aspects of the training.  If nothing else I was familiar with many of the terms and expressions that made me feel more comfortable in the environment as a whole.  I am not saying you should spend 8 years as a Navigator before going to pilot training, though honestly it is not a bad way to go, but

Right before I took the T-6 solo in formation. What a ride!

I am saying that every little bit of comfort you can gain from experience is worth it to help you get through what will inevitably be an uncomfortable year.

In the theme of the Thanksgiving season, I am incredibly grateful for the chance I had to fly such a dynamic plane as the T-6.  I realize what a special opportunity it was to fly an fully aerobatic, complex, turbine, bad-A airplane.  I even got to fly it by myself, which is even more cool when I look back on it.  The one part I was really not looking forward to was the formation phase because frankly it is uncomfortable being that close to another plane doing the maneuvers we do.  By the time we finished the phase and I had the opportunity to solo in formation I had a little idea what I was doing and I actually really enjoyed it.  It was a huge confidence builder for me, and just a great time in the air.

All of that being said, I am perfectly content never flying the T-6 again.  That probably sounds a little contradictory, but it is just not my type of flying.  Sure it would be fun to go out with a buddy and range around for an hour in the mountains with such a high performance aircraft, but having to fly with an instructor with syllabus items to accomplish would not be as fun.  I’m also old and grumpy and having to wear all of that extra gear is not my style anymore.

View from the backseat of the T-1 enjoying my time with a crew.

Moving onto the T-1 after the T-6 brought me back to my type of flying.

I LOVE flying with a crew.

I love being able to interact with other crewmembers.  I love that we are there to back each other up and keep each other safe.  I love the more laid back environment where we get the mission done, but we can also have a good time doing it.

The T-1 is a massive pig compared to the T-6, but it was still a lot of fun to fly.  I had to keep reminding the people in my class how lucky we all were to get this training.  Not many people in this world get the opportunity to fly a business jet with less than 100 hours of experience, but that’s what we were doing.  It is not the flashiest plane, and like I said, it flies like a pig, but it was still a great time learning a more complex aircraft and adding to my skillset.

It is worth mentioning the importance of the people you go to pilot training with.  I had the unfortunate experience of being at pilot training not only during Covid, but during massive class shifts at UPT.  Shortly after starting pilot training my class was split up into multiple classes with me personally rolling back three classes.  Over the next year or many of those people changed classes again both backward and forward.  As it turned out I ended up graduating with only 2 of the 22 people that I originally started with.  No one graduates with the exact class they started with for any number of reasons, but it was a real bummer having the whole thing blown up like that.

One of my last flights at pilot training. Enjoyed getting back into the low-level environment.

At the same time, all of the people I had the chance to interact with were exceptional people.  We had great laughs, and worked hard, and got through to the end together.  It was truly a pleasure to work with such exceptional people, and I look forward to following them all through the rest of their careers.

UPT was also a unique experience for me because of my own personal circumstances.  I have mentioned it previously, but being 38 when most of your classmates are in the early 20s made for a slightly different dynamic.  I also was married with three kids, one of whom is almost a teenager, added to the dynamic.  I am also a winged navigator with a fair amount of experience.  Not to mention that I am also a Major which meant I outranked almost all of my IPs.

Some of these things people said were a disadvantage, and others an advantage, and they are probably right.  There is no such thing as a normal UPT experience, and everybody has their weaknesses and areas that require special effort.  At the end of the day, getting through UPT is all about your attitude and your effort.  Anybody can be taught to fly, and anybody can be taught to fly the Air Force way, if they are willing to put in the time and the effort.  It was amazing to watch the effort that some of my classmates put in to become pilots.  Like anything in life it was easier for some people than for others, but at the end of the day we all walked away with our wings, and we all get to have one of the coolest jobs in the world: pilot.

Hello again beautiful!

This last week I got to start my C-130 specific training back in Little Rock.  It felt a lot like coming home since I was stationed here about five years ago.  We still have some friends that never left, and others that we got to know during our time in Japan that have since moved here.  It is so awesome going somewhere that you already have friends.  On the first day of class we went out to walk around the plane, and it was a beautiful reunion to be back with my beloved C-130.

I will spare you the love story which you can read about in previous articles I have written (here, here, and here), but suffice it to say I am thrilled to be back here on the plane I love.  There is still a lot of work to be done to learn a new job on the same plane, but I already feel so at home in so many ways.  I think it is one way of knowing you are where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing, when it feels like coming home after far too long apart.

Hopefully, I can do a better job putting my thoughts down because I know it is good for me, and I hope that others can benefit from it too.  I have said it before and I will say it every time I write.  If there is ever any question I can answer, or anything I can do to help you in your aviation journey please don’t hesitate to ask.  We are all a part of the best community in the world, and it is the people that make it that way.

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving, and get the chance to get out and fly as much as possible.

November 22, 2020 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

We Lost a Great Friend Yesterday

Flying is an inherently dangerous business.

I have often heard, and experienced, that the longer you are in this business the more likely you will lose a friend.  For what was unfortunately not the first time, I lost a friend in an airplane accident yesterday.

Ian McBeth was one of the pilots on the Coulson Aviation plane that crashed while fighting fires in Australia.  Ian was a consummate professional, and one of the best pilots I ever had the opportunity to fly with.  He was an expert in his craft and one of the most respected pilots in the firefighting community.

On top of working for Coulson, Ian was also a member of the Montana National Guard and before that the Wyoming National Guard, also flying the C-130 as an expert on the MAFFS mission.

I got to know him because over the last year or so he regularly flew with us in Reno as we continue to get spun up as the newest of the MAFFS units.  He was an exceptional instructor in what is arguably the most dangerous mission the C-130 executes.  He was always calm and collected as our pilots learned this dynamic and essential mission.

I will always remember his cool demeanor, and his ability to mould our pilots into even better pilots.  Ian was always a pleasure to be around and he will be truly missed.

This whole thing frankly sucks, and is a good reminder to all of us aviators that what we do is dangerous and unforgiving.  We will all learn from this tragedy and improve the safety of this mission in any way we can.

As I talked with my fellow classmates here at UPT Icame to realize one of the amazing characteristics of pilots, and more specifically Air Force pilots.  We have an incredible amount of resiliency.  We have terrible tragedies like this, we take the time to mourn our friends, and we will certainly never forget them, but then we get back to work and take care of business.

That is what our friends would want.

Ian was doing what he loved, and that is a great example for all of us to commit ourselves to something as important as fighting fires, and more importantly to commit fully to whatever it is we do.

To all of our friends that have gone before…a toast.

You will be missed Ian.

January 25, 2020 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

How Can We Increase Funding in Aviation Training?

So many of us want to grow the aviation industry.  Check that, so many of us want to get more people excited about flying.  I want people to get out and experience how much fun it is to be at the controls of an airplane.  To feel what it is like to lift off into the air when you are the one taking the plane there.  To be cruising along at 10,000 feet by yourself, land at a few different airports, and realize that you too are a pilot.

I see so many people talking about this all of the time, but we see very little change in the numbers out there.  The number of pilots has gone down by roughly 25% over the last 40 years, and the number of female pilots has remained stagnant during that time at somewhere around 5-7%.  AOPA put together an interesting “State of General Aviation” report that gives a lot of numbers that show the decline of interest in aviation, which just makes me sad.

With so many of us talking about it, and wanting it to happen, why aren’t we seeing more change?

I don’t know.

But I do have a few thoughts that have been running through my head.

It seems like most of the stuff I see written about is how to make flight training less expensive which is definitely one side of the coin.  Unfortunately, I don’t see the cost of training going down anytime soon.  The cost of gas isn’t going to plummet all of a sudden.  As there are fewer serviceable planes, the cost to rent them will continue to go up.  And, as the supply of instructors remains low, they will continue to demand relatively high fees.

The problem with most of those things is that it would take action by the FAA to change them, and they have not shown much interest in making changes in that direction, so we probably shouldn’t count on that.

So if we can’t find ways to significantly lower the cost, then the other option is to find more sources of funding to get people flying.  There will always be those who want it so bad that they will find a way, and we need to find more ways to support them.  There are a handful of scholarships out there to help people with training, and while they are super helpful to the few that get them, they are not going to make a massive dent in the shortage that already exists.

The problem I see is how do we attract more people who may be more on the fence about becoming a pilot.  They think it would be interesting or fun, but they either have never looked into it because they assume it is so expensive, or they have looked into it and they don’t know how they would ever have enough money to follow that path.

It is interesting to me how many people are willing to take on massive costs to become doctors and lawyers and such, but there are seemingly fewer people willing to do the same to become pilots.  This makes no sense to me, though I am obviously biased, as flying has an incredibly fun dynamic to it that I just don’t see in legal or medical concerns.

It seems like there has actually been a perception change of what it even is to be a pilot.  Has flying become such a normal part of life that pilots are simply seen as airborne bus drivers?  Yeah you can make a good living, and go cool places, but is commercial flying really that exciting?

To be fair, flying for an airline or other business aviation company is not as exciting as flying in the Red Bull Air Races.  With increasing automation and regulation it does feel like it has lost some of its sex appeal.  I am in no way trying to diminish the value of what pilots do, or their vital role in keeping air travel safe, but even as a die-hard avgeek I can see why other career paths would be more appealing.  Especially ones that don’t require so much initial investment, with relatively limited funding options.

There must be a way to offer more reasonable funding options to get more of those fence sitters to give it a legitimate try which will lead them to realize how awesome it can be.  There do seem to be more and more airline cadet programs popping up around the world where the airline pays for your training, and then you work for them for a certain number of years.  That is a great idea, but it is apparent that airlines are not actively pursuing this route, at least not at scale.

In a similar vein to something Dan Pimentel wrote about a few years back, I would love to see the Elon Musk and Richard Branson’s of the world throw their weight behind some aggressive changes in the general aviation world to help get more people excited about it.  I realize though, that their aspirations are a little more focused on the end product at the moment, and not so much the grass-roots part of the industry.

I can’t help but wonder if there is a more grass-roots movement that could be effective.

In the last few months I have watched Savannah Raskey, aka @thesavytraveler on Instagram, as she asked people to donate to a Be Kind aviation scholarship.  I recall the number starting pretty low, around $1,000, but the number quickly reached $6,000 thanks to donations big and small from other individuals.

That is one person, who admittedly has a rather large following, who simply asked people to apply for a scholarship, and other people decided to donate to make that scholarship bigger.  I realize $6,000 isn’t going to get someone all the way to an airline, but it is one heck of a start to get someone excited about flying so they find a way to get the rest of the way, or even just become a lifelong private pilot who goes out chasing $100 hamburgers a few times a year.  Either way it is a win because we need both types of pilots to keep aviation strong.

So if one person can do that much with one ask, how much more could be done if the same method was carried out at scale?

It may do even better if it was a pay it forward type of model.  You get training paid for, and then when you reach your goals you return the favor to the next person.  I know there have been models like this in other industries with varying success, but I see aviation as being a little different since there is so much more of a community of people who actually care about the other people, and not just about making money off of it.

Now, getting a major seed fund from an Elon Musk or Richard Branson would be a huge boost to an effort like this, but I think it is possible even with the efforts of the every day pilots out there.  It would naturally start small, but I feel like it could be a snowball that could just continue to grow over time as the benefits of the individual turn into the benefits of the industry and more people get behind it.

Maybe this whole idea is a little out there, but maybe we need to start going a little “out there” if we are ever going to make a change in the right direction.

January 5, 2020 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

My First Week at Air Force Pilot Training

It’s been almost a month since I last posted, and I can’t believe how fast that month has gone.  I feel like it has been much longer with everything I have done since then.

It was kind of nice to have a little bit of free time with my family for a couple of weeks after we got here, though free time is probably the wrong word.  It was nice to not have work requirements because I was able to help my wife get the house unpacked, take the kids to dance and swim lessons, and enjoy a couple of lunches with my Queenie before my life revolves around flying for the next year.

It makes me laugh a little as a type that because many people would probably say my life has always revolved around flying, but it had increasingly become more about desk work before I left.  It is super nice to just be learning about flying again, though I know that will change again when I get home, and that’s okay.

So what is the first week of pilot training like?

In a word, fast paced.  (okay, that is two words)

The first day was just briefings to get us ready for the year ahead and what the policies and procedures of the unit are.  Then starting the next day we were right into full days of academics.  With the pilot shortage they are trying to get through as many people as they possibly can.  That has led to them shortening the course by a few weeks by deleting some of the topics they deemed non-essential.  I won’t complain about getting done here sooner and getting on to C-130 training.

In the first week we have been mostly focusing on aerospace physiology, which is probably one of the least studied topics that has immense impact on effective flying, if that makes sense.  We covered topics ranging from hypoxia to G-tolerance to egressing from the aircraft.  While none of the information was new to me with my background, it was a good reminder of the importance of these topics.  It was also eye-opening to some of the guys that don’t have a background in aviation.

If we needed a reminder that this is not a take your time kind of course, our first test was a week to the day after we started and covered the full range of aerospace physiology topics.  I was happy to have done well and crossed the first hurdle in training.  I was confident about the whole thing because, as I said, none of the information was really new to me, but there is still always that little bit of fear that I won’t give something the time it deserves and I will blow it.

No time for a break though as after the test we were right back into class and CAI’s.  It is worth explaining the different ways in which we get instruction in formal courses like this.  There are basically three different methods of training: Instructor Based Training, hands-on training, and Computer Based Training.  My entire career the computer based training has been referred to as CBTs, but here it is referred to as CAI’s because why leave something alone when you can change the name for no reason.

My favorite training, like most people, is the hands-on training, but they actually have a pretty good system set up here.  Generally speaking, you spend some time learning about new topics on the computer, then you have a class with an instructor to clarify and expand on the topic, then you get into some sort of simulator, or part task trainer, or eventually the actual aircraft, to bring the whole thing together.

Now that we are mostly done with aerospace physiology, we actually have to do the altitude chamber on Monday, we have started to get into the aircraft systems of the T-6 which has been super interesting.  While we did utilize the T-6 in Nav school, that was 8 years ago, and we are going a lot more in-depth than we did back then because now I will be in control of the plane and not just sitting in the back seat.

If that sounds like quite a bit for a first week, it is, but the pace only quickens from here.  Monday will mostly be taken up by the altitude chamber, then Tuesday we have our first sims, and Wednesday is our next test.  From there it just keeps going, and I am loving every minute of it.  I’m not worried about scheduling people for stuff, or tracking training, or writing memos, or going to meetings, I am completely focused on learning to fly, and it is awesome.

It really hit me this week just how blessed I am to be here.  I am 37 years old, when the age limit was 30 when I was selected.  I started this journey to become a pilot 16 years ago when I enlisted, and now I am here.  Don’t let small hiccups or speed bumps get in the way of you getting where you want to be.

To be clear, there are some things that there is nothing you can do about, like being blind or something of that nature.  But, if something like money, or age, or scores, or even just doubt are holding you back, then don’t give up.  You can find a way, and you can get there, just don’t give up, and ask for help.

There are doubters and haters out there, but there are also a ton of people out there that would love to help and return the favor for the help they received.  So reach out to anyone and everyone and figure out how to make it happen.

If you have any questions about the stuff we are learning or how you can get here too, let me know and I would be happy to help you.

September 14, 2019 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

How I Became a Pilot: Part 6 Becoming an Air Force Pilot

You probably thought this stream of posts was over, but there is still more to this story.

I was pretty disappointed about not getting the pilot slot, but like I mentioned before, I was not overly surprised.  The board had even recommended to hire both of us, but leadership decided they couldn’t afford to lose both of us.  Again, that was totally understandable, and they said they would reassess in six months or so.

I went about my work trying not to think about it much, but one of the unique dynamics of the National Guard is that the majority of your people are not around all of the time, so when they do come to town they all want to know what has been going on.  I’m pretty sure I told each one of our part timers individually that I had not been selected, but that they would reassess in six months.

I really just used it as a sign that people care.  On any given day, when I was frustrated with other stuff, it would get annoying, but for the most part I was grateful that people took the time to ask.

The summer went by rather quickly with a few trips to fight fires and some quality time with my family. There is almost always plenty to do with my job, and that was even more the case after some personnel changes that happened last summer.  It’s okay though because I like to stay busy.

As we got towards the middle of last year I had given up hope that it would happen before our deployment in October, but then about six weeks before we were supposed to leave, our Director of Operations (DO) said they were going to have another board in the next week or so.  There had been a change in leadership and the new leadership felt we could afford to send more people.  We also were realizing that the process was not short, and that it would likely be 18 months or more to get any of us out the door, so why not get more people headed in that direction.

So, I got my stuff together, which was easy because I had already done it, and turned it over to him.

I was surprisingly carefree going into the board because at this point I felt that either way it was what was best for me and my family.  While almost nothing had gone the way I wanted in my military career, it had always worked out for the best. I had no real expectations for the board, though I felt good about my chances, and had hope that I would be able to get what I wanted.

The day of the board came and I felt good about everything I had said because it was my truth.  I was also more familiar with the people on the board because I had been in the unit for another four months and gone on a few trips.  At the end of the day I knew that I had presented myself the best I could, and that it would all work out.

I don’t recall if it was that same day, or the next day, but I was called into the office of our new commander and told that they had decided to send me to pilot training.  That they would hate to lose me for a year and a half, but that they wanted to support people in their dreams, and that in the long run it would be what is best for the unit.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not generally a very outwardly emotional person.  Sure I started to cry at the end of Toy Story 3 when the toys all almost die, and the last Avengers movie got me more than once, but I am not someone who gets overly excited about much.  It drives my wife crazy because she feels like I should be more outward in my expression of excitement.  It’s just not me.

At the risk of getting too off track, I think it stems from when I was in high school and my mom told me I was taking sports a little too seriously, so I reigned in my competitive edge a little, and I think some of my excitement was killed with it.

I thanked my commander repeatedly for the opportunity and had a nice little chat with him about some other stuff before leaving his office.  I then went to call my wife to give her the good news.  As you may have guessed I had to toy with her a little, but she is used to that by now.  She was screaming in the phone, and had it posted on Facebook before I could tell anyone else.  I guess it is good that one of us can be a little more excitable.

Now it was time to get the process going, because like I mentioned, it was not a short one, and I would need two ETPs (exception to policy, which is essentially a waiver).  I immediately went back to my desk and submitted a request for a FC-1 flight physical which are only given at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and are not usually easy to get scheduled.

Because I work in training it was a little unique because I was making the request for myself, but it also allowed me to be a little more pushy about getting a date ASAP.  Unfortunately, I was told that they need the request at least 30 days prior to the appointment in order to properly scrub medical records and prepare for the physical.  I was making the request 29 days before I was leaving for a deployment so it would have to be delayed by four months.  What can you do?

In the mean time I prepared all of my other paperwork so that it would all be ready to go once I had returned from deployment and completed my physical.  I was fortunate that we had sent a few people through the process recently and I had a decent starting point to prepare my stuff.  The only real inconvenience is that the offices that the paperwork would go to like to change their processes every few months and not tell anyone, so there were a couple of speed bumps along the way.

I left on my deployment excited about this new opportunity, but at the same time frustrated that I was having to delay the whole thing four months because I am not getting any younger, and I wanted to get to it so I could get back and stabilize my family again.

About half way through the deployment I sent a message to the person who schedules the physicals just to make sure I was still on his radar since it had been a few months since we submitted it.  He reassured me that I was still on their radar and that I should receive a date after the first of the year.  True to his word, that first week after New Years I received a date to get my physical a couple of weeks after returning home from deployment.

Having that on the radar made it both easier and harder to get through the last two months in the desert.  On the one hand, my next step was scheduled, but on the other, I didn’t want to wait three more months to go take care of it.  One of the good things about that wait was that I had plenty of time to get in a lot of good workouts and make sure I was in as good of shape as possible for the physical, because not passing would ruin the whole thing.

Deep down I wasn’t too concerned because I had just renewed my flight physical right before the deployment, but I had also known a few people who were extremely healthy that had not passed the physical.  It is such an in-depth physical, in particular in relation to your eyes, that it is common for people who have never had issues to discover a problem there.  One of my friends discovered that he was mildly color blind after living for 25 years with no problems.  Some people refer to that office as the place where dreams go to die, because you just never know until you walk out of there with a clean physical.

After completing my deployment, and enjoying a much-needed trip to Hawaii to reconnect as a family, the time came for my physical and really feeling like I was on the road to getting this thing going.

You check in the night before the physical and are told where you will be staying, which was a simple little hotel right outside the gate.  You have to show up the next morning fasting to take care of your blood work similar to many physicals, though they take more vials than most physicals I have had.  You then proceed to get a chest x-ray before heading over to the main building where the rest of the physical takes place, which is on a completely different section of the base.

It is a unique situation because you go through the physical with an entire group of people.  Our group was about 20, but apparently they are often twice that large.  There is also a whole range of people going through the process.  We had ROTC cadets, other National Guard Members like myself, and even a Navy pilot that was crossing over to the Air Force to fly RPAs.  With the variety of backgrounds, it makes for some interesting discussions throughout the day.

Once everyone is there you start knocking out all of the things you would expect in a physical like height, weight, blood pressure, and health history.  Then you add in stuff like dental, sitting height and leg measurements, and basic eye tests like depth perception and color.

About halfway through the first day (yes it is a multiple day thing, in some cases as many as 4-5 days) I was told that there was something in my blood that hadn’t checked out and I would need to take a sample again the next day.  I was reassured that when this happens it is usually because they forgot to take a vial, or that I simply wasn’t hydrated enough and they needed another sample.  So that night I drank water like a fish because I was not going to have that keep me down.

The second day is one of major mixed emotions because of what takes place.  The first half of the day is a bunch of psychological tests that are not in any way graded, but are a way for them to set a baseline to study, and to compare against if you ever had an accident or injury that they need to go back and compare it to.  They are not hard tests, and they don’t disqualify you, so it is pretty laid back.

On the other hand, the second half of the day is when they start to check your eyes, and since that is what knocks out most people, it is also the most stressful part of your time there.  After a few basic eye tests, as well as some super interesting ones like mapping your eyes, they dilate your eyes in preparation for the doctor to take a closer look at them.

Now most people have probably had their eyes dilated at some point, and all of us have experienced it even when you spend a long time in a dark room like a movie theater and then step out into the sun.  Most eye exam dilation lasts for about 6 hours at the most, but due to the nature of this test, they tell you that it can last up to 48 hours.  During which time you won’t be able to read or see anything close to you and you will be extremely sensitive to any light.

I have had this done a couple of times and it is incredibly weird to have an optometrist tell you that your eyes are perfect only to not be able to see a paper that is directly in front of you.  It is also practically impossible to call or text anyone so you better make sure you have any important numbers properly loaded before they put in those drops.

It does take some time for the drops to take effect, so I took advantage of that break, and the fact that I hadn’t eaten all day, to run over and get my blood work redone.  I was happy to learn a few hours later that it had been a non-issue and I was clean.  I was also able to use this time to clean up a few of the stations I had not been able to get signed off earlier.

Then it was back to the office to wait for my turn to get my eyes checked.  It is a really weird sensation to have your vision slowly go blurry.  You just start to notice everything not being as crisp and then before you know it you go to look at your watch or something, and you can’t even read it.

When it comes time for the doctor to actually check you, you really start to question how good your eyesight is as he flips all sorts of different letters and numbers in front of you with a combination of different lenses and asking which one looks clearer.  There is no gaming the system as you have no idea which one is supposed to look clearer, so you just answer honestly, and hope for a positive result.

After maybe 15 minutes or so he cleared me off and said that everything looked great.  I went back to the main office and was told that there were no issues found and that I was good to go for the entire physical.  Let me tell you what a relief that was.  Knowing as many people as I do that didn’t make it through, I was super excited to have crossed the first big hurdle.

As prepared as I was, I immediately messaged my commander and told him that I had passed the physical, and he could sign the forms and send them up, having emailed them to him before I left.  Turns out the process had changed as I previously mentioned, and it took a week or so to get it cleared up so the forms were prepared properly, and it could be sent to the General for signature.

After he signed it commenced the long wait to see if my ETPs would be approved.  I needed one because I am 37 and the age cutoff at the time was 30 (this since has been raised to 33 so I would still need one), and a second because I had been a commissioned officer for more than 5 years (this too has been raised to 8 years, but I have been commissioned 9 so I still needed that one).  I was told that it would be about 5-6 weeks before I would get a response.

Talk about a painful 5-6 weeks.  Every single day I would check my email in the hopes that I was lucky and had gotten a response early.  After the fifth week I decided to check in and was told very simply that it had not come back yet.  I tried to ask again the following weeks to no response.

Then as fortune would have it, two of my commanders were headed to DC for a conference and told me they would check on it while they were there.  When they went to the office that approves the ETPs they were told that it was approved, and should be signed by the end of the following week.  While this made me happy, I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to this stuff so until I had a signed document, I wasn’t going to believe it.

The end of the following week came and went without any signed document.  I was starting to get a little nervous, but that was really just my own paranoia.  I had no reason to believe that it would not come through, but it did make for a long weekend.

Monday morning came and I got a text from my commander asking who we needed to send the approved ETP to, to which I responded that I was the one that would send it to the people who give out class dates, once we got it.  His response was simply, “Check your email.”

At that moment I spun around in my chair and saw the email pop up on my screen that my ETPs had been approved.  It honestly made me happier than when I was told I would be going to pilot training because for the first time I knew that it was going to happen.  I had hoped previously and I knew that I was being well supported, but once I saw that signature on that piece of paper I knew for sure it would happen.

Sadly I didn’t have the time to call and talk to my wife because of other work issues, so I simply took a picture of the letter and texted it to her.  She was probably more excited than me as this whole process has tested her patience immensely.

This all took place last Monday, so it has been a week since I finally knew my dream was going to go even further.  Within minutes of getting the signed letter I had included it with the rest of my paperwork and sent it back to DC to request a class date.  I had been told that all of the classes are filled through next summer, but there is always hope that there will be a fall out class that I can get into earlier.

So stay tuned for me getting a class date and heading out on another adventure.

So there we are, coming to a close on this chapter of my story, which is really just foreshadowing into the next.  I have been approved to go to pilot training after starting this process more than ten years ago.  I had fully given up on this dream more than once, and genuinely never thought it would happen, but life has a funny way of catching up with you.

I kept working hard, and loved what I was doing.  I tried to do my part to contribute to the unit, and make sure that I was helping other people find a way to get to their dream.  When I least expected it, the opportunity to keep chasing that dream appeared, and I was in the right place, at the right time to take advantage of it.

Hopefully, this gives some people some hope that they too can follow their dream, and maybe rekindle that fire in some people to keep going because you never know when that break will come.  Most importantly, I hope my kids see what has happened and are encouraged to chase the things they want most in life.

Many things in life do not happen on the timelines we originally set, but if we put forth the effort, and really go after the things we want most, more often than not, we will find success in the only true form that success can come, happiness.

July 1, 2019 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.