3/31/2019
Two years ago I was in between projects and looking for a new goal. I always like to keep something in the works to further myself personally. I don’t know how I chose flying, as I had only been mildly interested in aviation in the past. Not coming up with any better ideas, I began my search for a flight instructor.
Leaning to fly is a big commitment, both in time and dollars. As I am at a point in my life where family responsibilities, work and finances didn’t constrain my ability to commit to the goal, the same thing, age, did challenge my ability to absorb the knowledge and acquire the skills I needed to actually reach the goal. If you want to humble yourself, attempt this activity when you are in your 60’s. You will quickly realize that your brain isn’t quite as elastic as it was in your teens, 20’s & 30’s.
In her younger days, my wife was a skydiver (I never did it myself. I wanted to be the guy flying the plane that the skydivers were jumping out of). Through that activity she made friends in the aviation community, one of which is currently a Captain flying 747s for UPS. I called her and she put me in touch with a guy who knew a couple of instructors. Called them both and left messages. Only one called back and we scheduled my first lesson. Thus began my 2-year journey to pilotdom and an ongoing friendship with my instructor, Jim.
Jim is a proud, but humble (if that’s possible) tailwheel pilot. He has worked as an Air Traffic Controller and has flown everything from ultra-lights to DC-9s. His passion, however, is for the tailwheel airplane. Most general aviation aircraft are of the tricycle gear variety, with the wheel that steers the plane while taxiing in the front. Also referred to as nosewheel airplanes. A tailwheel airplane has the steering wheel at the tail. It is harder to steer while taxiing and more difficult to take off and land than a nosewheel airplane. The benefit to the student pilot that comes from learning to fly one of these is better rudder control under all conditions. It’s also a bit of a rare certification. Ask a random licensed pilot if they are tailwheel certified and there is a better than 90% chance that they will say no.
So, I didn’t pick the easiest plane to learn to fly in. My next challenge was to learn to manage a completely unreasonable level of fear. Flying scared me. More specifically, taking off scared me, but landing had me leaving dark stains in my boxers. It took a long time for me to reach a reasonable level of comfort and an understanding of what was going on during the landing process. That said, it’s an ongoing challenge. Landings will always be something to be improved.
Thankfully, Jim is a great instructor with enormous patience. Whereas most instructors are young pilots trying to build time in their logbooks by teaching, Jim does it because he wants to. For him, besides family, there is no greater joy than producing competent pilots. I consider myself very lucky to have had him as my instructor.
It hasn’t all been a trudge through the standard student pilot curriculum, however. Through Jim, I’ve had opportunities to log hours in several different aircraft and have been invited to accompany him on long cross-country flights when he has picked up ferrying jobs to move airplanes. Included in the 200 or so hours recorded in my logbook so far are some interesting adventures. Here’s a few:
Flew a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub from Daytona Beach, FL to Springfield, OH.
Took a Piper Cherokee Warrior from Daytona Beach to Kansas City, MO
Ferried a Cessna 177 Cardinal from Hinton, MO to Palatka, FL
And the most interesting and challenging so far…
Picked up a 1947 Republic RC-3 Seabee amphibious airplane in Seattle, WA and flew it all the way back to Palatka, FL (I could write a book about this one. LOL).
So, after two years and 200+ hours of flying, I finally passed my check ride on March 21, 2019. It was a triumph, for sure, but a little sad too in that, at least in the near term, I wouldn’t be spending as much time with, Jim, who I now consider a friend.
That said, there will be more training, as I want to become instrument certified. AND, there is an airplane out in Seattle that I have my eye on. I have a feeling that there are more adventures to write about ahead. How about it, Jim?