Bittersweet success - I landed an airplane!

Well, I did it.
I landed an airplane.
The good news...we survived!

My flight instructor suggested we go out with a bang. He wanted me to practice landing procedures and perform what's known as a "touch and go." It's where you land, then take right off again. We climbed into the plane and took off - no problem whatsoever. I still love flying and that won't be changing anytime soon!

Then we "landed" in the air - slowly practicing a traffic pattern while descending from 3000 feet to 2000 feet to "land." The first time going through we would have crashed and burned. I ended up at 2000 feet well ahead of the designated "runway." However, after more practice I got better. Then we headed back to the airport to practice the real thing.

I got to bring us down while my flight instructor did the actual landing, then he gave it back to me and I took off. It was SO cool. The second time we went through the procedure, I brought us in and he was ready to take over if needed, but I LANDED THE AIRCRAFT!!! Oh yeah. It was great.

Update about my instructor. He got the job he wanted and will be leaving for training next Monday. I know he is going to be incredible. The good news is when he completes training he'll be back in the area because he'll be flying out of Des Moines. I might get a chance to see him from time to time and I know his family and girlfriend will be happy to have him in the area too. It's nice to be close to home, yet able to do what you want to do for a career.

A big plus for me - when I talk to him I can pick his brain about flying the big jets. Who better to talk to for research than an airline pilot? :-)

Thanks for being such a super teacher, Ryan and good luck. See you around!

My Flight Instructor is moving on!

I went flying today and it was a blast, except for ONE thing. I found out my flight instructor is leaving! What am I gonna do without my teacher! Waaaaaa!

Now on the plus side, he's decided to follow his dreams to become a commercial airline pilot. I really admire anyone who goes after their dream and takes a risk. I may be a bit prejudiced, but in my not so humble opinion, any airline that snaps him up is going to be very happy and should be highly smug.

Not only is he a good pilot, but he's a very patient, calm, and funny flight instructor. I'll find out more next week because - funding or not - we're flying together one last time before he leaves!!

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down....

It's been raining for days, and I for one, am sick of it! I mean, I know April showers bring May flowers, but this is ridiculous! And what purpose do May showers serve, I ask you?

Oh, now I admit it can be fascinating. On Friday, April 27th I went flying. It had been raining for nearly a week straight and the South Skunk River had flooded (probably still is for all I know)! So in the air we flew toward a lake that wasn't normally there. It looked VERY cool from the air.

The funniest part was there is an adult bookstore near here right off the interstate. It has been dubbed "Porn in the Corn." The building and the road running to it were passable, but it was surrounded by its own little moat. God help us if our porn became inaccessible. LOL Also, let no one say God wants to smite porn, because if he did - there wouldn't be a moat. There would be a lake with the porn store solidly at the bottom. ;-)

Anyway - more rain during the weekend complete with a tornado and flooding in Iowa. Enough already! My honey pots are already as high as they can get!

I thought I was done with homework!

Okay, so I go to school for YEARS. I get my associates degree, my B.A. and then finally, I get my Master of Arts in Library Science. I figured I was all done with homework at that point. Au contraire, mes amis. And I did it to myself! I thought learning how to fly an airplane would be confined to climbing into the cockpit of a plane with some take-offs and landings for entertainment.

Nope. I have ground school! I go to the airport, sit with my instructor and other students and go over a textbook and test questions! We play flying jeopardy - thankfully my instructor is much cuter than Alex Trebek (much younger and has a girlfriend too, but that's another column). The weird thing is...I enjoy ground school. I like learning about charts and air space and weather because it's cool. You know I actually learned about how an engine works? I'm forty-something and I didn't really get how engines worked until now. I drove my car with nary a clue to what made it go - other than putting expensive gasoline in so the engine would run.

I finally understand what they mean by "use it or lose it." My brain is starting to work better since I've been forcing myself to learn new things. I'm remembering better, this from a woman who'd been worried about her brain leaking like a sieve, and it feels good. I hesitate to admit it, but I feel younger too. I don't LOOK younger, but I feel younger which is a nice feeling.

I went flying!

I’m so excited I just had to share with everyone. I went flying on Saturday, November 25, 2006. Mark it on your calendar! No, I don’t mean I got high - like the Harry Chapin song.
I got in a small aircraft (a piper) and went 2500 feet into the air accompanied by a trained pilot. It was the COOLEST thing! I got to taxi around the runway, handle the yoke and rudder during take off, and fly the plane while we were airborne! I love flying! When I scrape the cash together, I’m planning to take lessons.

I can hear you out there - okay we’re happy for you, Cesca, you went flying. What the heck does this have to do with writing? Ah, my friends, much. I can now have a character take flying lessons, or pilot an aircraft. When I write a scene about flying, my writing will have the authenticity of having done it.

Doing some activity or skill you plan to have your characters do helps you get in touch with them more deeply. By flying, I can share the excitement of the first flight with readers through my character. The moment when you leave the ground in a small craft is so totally different then in the commercial craft. You can feel it more and it’s so much more immediate. After all, it’s just you and the plane-and the instructor. I let him land. Hey, my mama didn’t raise no dummies.

My flight instructor said he’s been flying for several years now and it never gets old. He still loves it. That’s knowledge I can use. Also, I now know someone who might be willing to let me pick his brain about an aviation business if I want my characters to be part of one. The knowledge I gained by flying isn’t just what I’ve read or seen on TV. I’ve experienced it and damn its cool!

I’ll keep you posted about my flights. You’ll definitely hear when I get to solo for the first time.

Hot damn, what a ride!