Yes, it all started much longer ago than I can really go into. So we'll stick to the nuts and bolts for this one.
Like many budding pilots, I spent my time puttering around in Microsoft's various flight simulator worlds. I've never tried the latest incarnations, having decided that simulation only gets you so far. Playing FS2002, I have found that I probably will end up in the category of students who begin training with a fairly substantial knowledge of instruments and basic maneuvers. Of course, the physical tasks, the weather, and the looking outside (among many other things) will all be major learning curves. But I have read that students who have spent at least some time playing the games arrive more prepared for some of the steps. The same goes for those who have been flying in a small plane before, which I have done quite a bit of. So I am optimistic that my training time will at least be average (60 to 70 hours compared to the required 40).
I have subscribed to AOPA Flight Training magazine for about two years, so I have been gearing up for the real thing by reading articles and familiarizing myself with the FAA regs. I have also bought several books (which I will describe next time), downloaded countless books and publications online, and have generally tried to absorb as much about flying as possible without actually operating the aircraft myself. We shall see how much of this pays off and how many bad habits I'll need to unlearn.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
It's Time
So I'm ready to do it.
The money is almost in place.
The time is becoming more and more free.
Work is not the attention-deficit-disorder inducing circus that it once was.
The spouse is slowly overcoming the fear and loathing (or is it just shock and awe?)
The school has been shopped around. The instructors have been questioned. The planes have been sufficiently gawked at and caressed.
It's time to fly.
It's also time to give some voice to my background and experiences that have led me to this point and to my upcoming flight training. Undoubtedly, there are many blogs on this subject, and many real books as well. Indeed, I have already purchased many of them. But if you are a true student of flight, you have probably already discovered that there is no such thing as too much information. There are always new avenues to explore and new lessons to be learned (hopefully at someone else's expense).
It is always fun to observe the progress along one's own and others' paths. This is my purpose. With luck, this online journal will fill in the emotional and other non-flying gaps in the logbook to allow me to see that I am moving forward. I expect that there will be a few plateaus along the way, and I hope they do not become too discouraging. I have already done more reading than my friend who already has his certificate. I think it will work out all right.
The money is almost in place.
The time is becoming more and more free.
Work is not the attention-deficit-disorder inducing circus that it once was.
The spouse is slowly overcoming the fear and loathing (or is it just shock and awe?)
The school has been shopped around. The instructors have been questioned. The planes have been sufficiently gawked at and caressed.
It's time to fly.
It's also time to give some voice to my background and experiences that have led me to this point and to my upcoming flight training. Undoubtedly, there are many blogs on this subject, and many real books as well. Indeed, I have already purchased many of them. But if you are a true student of flight, you have probably already discovered that there is no such thing as too much information. There are always new avenues to explore and new lessons to be learned (hopefully at someone else's expense).
It is always fun to observe the progress along one's own and others' paths. This is my purpose. With luck, this online journal will fill in the emotional and other non-flying gaps in the logbook to allow me to see that I am moving forward. I expect that there will be a few plateaus along the way, and I hope they do not become too discouraging. I have already done more reading than my friend who already has his certificate. I think it will work out all right.
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