I'm sitting here at the airport this morning, having a cup of coffee and listening to chatter on the control tower frequency. This is going to be another good day.
As of today, I've been a CFI/CFI-I for two weeks. I'm actually much busier this early in the game than I thought I'd be. So far, I've given about 6 introductory flights, 2 flight reviews, and have one full-time student. The full-time student is working on his instrument rating, so doing the CFI-I is definitely paying off. It's still weird to think that I was working on that rating less than 6 months ago!
I think it's made a huge difference just being here to answer the phone, and we're seeing more business already because of it. We're getting an ad ready for October's issue of the Wacoan, and expect to see more business out of that too. Really, this is a matter of doing discovery flights and bringing students on until we reach a critical mass---for me that would mean flying 8 hours a day---and I expect that should happen sometime near the end of this year.
And, my demand is building at more than one airport! I've already given one flight review in Victoria, and the Cub will be ready very soon for me to begin giving tailwheel endorsements. I'm seeing some good, serious interest in that already, and I think that will only increase.
So far, I've seen some beautiful mornings and some equally beautiful sunsets, flown with some interesting people, and some interesting airplanes (the flight review in Victoria was in a Cessna 175 Skylark---very cool airplane if you've never seen one). And we're just two weeks in!
Alisa and I leave on the 5th for a much-needed vacation. She's put up with a lot this year, and I've done nothing but work since January between grad school and making my seemingly ridiculous progression through my pilot ratings. We're going back to Germany to see some of our best friends, and it's going to be great! What will be even greater is that fact that, this time, I can actually look forward to what I'm coming back to. It will make the vacation even more of a vacation!
I'm off now to walk down to the FBO (Texas Aero's office) to meet another prospective student for a discovery flight. It's clear outside today, and not blazing hot yet, so it should be fun. With any luck, I'll get a student out of it!
"All flying involves risk. That is part of the glamour of flight, but reducing the risk does not reduce the glamour."
-Sparky Imeson
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Livin' the dream
Well, I did it! I have officially packed about 3 years of flight training into less than 8 months!
This morning went well---I don't know that I got to demonstrate very much to the examiner, because he's all about showing you how to do stuff his way. The oral was about an hour, and he was on the phone with a fellow Continental pilot for a good 20 minutes of it. Very basic.
We split the flight up into two parts: the maneuvers in a C-172R, and one takeoff and landing to demonstrate proficiency in a complex airplane using a C-172RG. The flight did have an interesting moment; thinking that it wasn't enough that I'd earned my spin endorsement (see previous blog post) in an aerobatic Decathlon airplane, he proceeded to spin me not once, not twice, but three times from about 2,500 feet.
Is that the real world? Most definitely---it'll happen with my students, too. Is that the safest thing for an Examiner to do? Absolutely not. The PTS (Practical Training Standards) pretty much spells out that an Examiner shouldn't be touching the controls unless the student does something unsafe or becomes incapacitated. I digress.
In the end, we taxied in, cooled off, and he handed me my temporary airman certificate adding "Airplane Single-Engine Land" to my Flight Instructor privileges. That's good enough for me :).
I noticed when I logged into the blog account today that this will be my 41st post. That's a lot of damn writing about a topic that probably sounds like a heap of jargon to most of you. Thanks for riding it out. Just in case you haven't been keeping up with your scorecard at home (you're all good baseball fans, right?), I thought it would be fun to look at the past 7 months and 12 days by the numbers.
In 2009, I have:
-Flown 162 hours (almost doubling my aeronautical experience in the span of 8 months)
-Performed upwards of 60 Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs)
-Flown 7 different types (make and model) of aircraft
-Operated into and out of 30 different airports
-Flown with 4 different instructors
-Taken 5 FAA written exams
-Taken 4 FAA checkrides
-Earned 2 new certificates and 2 new ratings
This last part of the process, actually becoming a CFI, began on June 1. Gary was a good mentor, but there's no such thing as a fast track to becoming a flight instructor. If you see one of these somewhere and you think you want to be a CFI, take it with a grain of salt. Come to think of it, add about 2 months to that estimate. You'll preserve your sanity!
It's been a long fun ride, and it isn't over yet. I'm going to try and keep up with this blog as a I start instructing (which will happen very quickly---I have two Discover Flights with possible students scheduled already, and several people lined up for tailwheel endorsements). I've tried to thank a lot of people publicly on this blog and I know I've missed a few. I've you've had a direct impact on me getting all this done, you know who you are, and I'm grateful.
I'm going to go pack my stuff now, go spend some time with Alisa, convert our dining room back to its original configuration from the little temporary flight school I had to set up, and sleep in my own bed. And, of course, live the dream.
I know I have gotten into the habit of ending on a quote, but today I think this signature is just as cool as any quote!
Aaron Dabney, M.S.Ed, CFI, CFI-I
This morning went well---I don't know that I got to demonstrate very much to the examiner, because he's all about showing you how to do stuff his way. The oral was about an hour, and he was on the phone with a fellow Continental pilot for a good 20 minutes of it. Very basic.
We split the flight up into two parts: the maneuvers in a C-172R, and one takeoff and landing to demonstrate proficiency in a complex airplane using a C-172RG. The flight did have an interesting moment; thinking that it wasn't enough that I'd earned my spin endorsement (see previous blog post) in an aerobatic Decathlon airplane, he proceeded to spin me not once, not twice, but three times from about 2,500 feet.
Is that the real world? Most definitely---it'll happen with my students, too. Is that the safest thing for an Examiner to do? Absolutely not. The PTS (Practical Training Standards) pretty much spells out that an Examiner shouldn't be touching the controls unless the student does something unsafe or becomes incapacitated. I digress.
In the end, we taxied in, cooled off, and he handed me my temporary airman certificate adding "Airplane Single-Engine Land" to my Flight Instructor privileges. That's good enough for me :).
I noticed when I logged into the blog account today that this will be my 41st post. That's a lot of damn writing about a topic that probably sounds like a heap of jargon to most of you. Thanks for riding it out. Just in case you haven't been keeping up with your scorecard at home (you're all good baseball fans, right?), I thought it would be fun to look at the past 7 months and 12 days by the numbers.
In 2009, I have:
-Flown 162 hours (almost doubling my aeronautical experience in the span of 8 months)
-Performed upwards of 60 Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs)
-Flown 7 different types (make and model) of aircraft
-Operated into and out of 30 different airports
-Flown with 4 different instructors
-Taken 5 FAA written exams
-Taken 4 FAA checkrides
-Earned 2 new certificates and 2 new ratings
This last part of the process, actually becoming a CFI, began on June 1. Gary was a good mentor, but there's no such thing as a fast track to becoming a flight instructor. If you see one of these somewhere and you think you want to be a CFI, take it with a grain of salt. Come to think of it, add about 2 months to that estimate. You'll preserve your sanity!
It's been a long fun ride, and it isn't over yet. I'm going to try and keep up with this blog as a I start instructing (which will happen very quickly---I have two Discover Flights with possible students scheduled already, and several people lined up for tailwheel endorsements). I've tried to thank a lot of people publicly on this blog and I know I've missed a few. I've you've had a direct impact on me getting all this done, you know who you are, and I'm grateful.
I'm going to go pack my stuff now, go spend some time with Alisa, convert our dining room back to its original configuration from the little temporary flight school I had to set up, and sleep in my own bed. And, of course, live the dream.
I know I have gotten into the habit of ending on a quote, but today I think this signature is just as cool as any quote!
Aaron Dabney, M.S.Ed, CFI, CFI-I
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Take 'er for a spin
I've been in Houston again the past week and a half, preparing for the CFI add-on checkride. This adds to my certificate the privileges needed to train Private, Commercial, and theoretically, single-engine ATP pilots. Sounds like it would be a difficult checkride, but in the real world this one is done with a Designated Examiner, not the FAA. If you follow that train of thought, the DE knows that you've already showed you the feds that you have the "right stuff," so this is really your ticket to lose. It may in fact be one of the easiest rides in my career.
Show up on time, look professional, don't screw up too bad, act like every piece of advice the DE gives you is the most awesome thing you've ever heard, and then taxi back in to shake hands and accept your temporary certificate. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not too much if I take any stock at all in the words of the two colleagues who have just completed this ride with the same DE I'm using.
That checkride is tomorrow, and I'll post the results here. I expect to have a good day :). After that, it's open for business.
Onto spins. On Friday, I did my required CFI spin training at Harvey-Rihn Aviation in La Porte (near Galveston and Kemah). Most pilots are scared of spins for the same reason they're scared of other things---they're the unknown. At Harvey-Rihn, we went up in a Decathlon (a 180 HP aerobatic plane---I want one!) and explored every aspect of spins, including the feared accelerated spin. I did very well and loved it, so much in fact that we had time to throw in some introductory aerobatics. The picture at the top right of my blog page is right after we landed, and I think the grin attests to how the flight went.
I now have my "inverted wings" after performing my very first barrel roll with the instructor's "hands-off" the controls. I'll be back for more of that. I think that some further aerobatic training and some casual (Introductory Level and then maybe down the road Sportsman Level) competing may be in my future.
Harvey-Rihn, incidentally, is co-owned by Debbie Rihn-Harvey, who has more aerobatic awards than I can list here. I'll do a seperate blog at some point later about meeting her at a fly-in in La Grange where we saw her put on an impromptu performance.
That's all for now...I have some last-minute chores to get done for tomorrow. After tomorrow, maybe I'll have to change the blog name to "Keeping the dream on track!"
"Keep the ratio of happy airflow to pissed-off airflow acceptable."
--James, an aerobatic/spin instructor at Harvey-Rihn
Show up on time, look professional, don't screw up too bad, act like every piece of advice the DE gives you is the most awesome thing you've ever heard, and then taxi back in to shake hands and accept your temporary certificate. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not too much if I take any stock at all in the words of the two colleagues who have just completed this ride with the same DE I'm using.
That checkride is tomorrow, and I'll post the results here. I expect to have a good day :). After that, it's open for business.
Onto spins. On Friday, I did my required CFI spin training at Harvey-Rihn Aviation in La Porte (near Galveston and Kemah). Most pilots are scared of spins for the same reason they're scared of other things---they're the unknown. At Harvey-Rihn, we went up in a Decathlon (a 180 HP aerobatic plane---I want one!) and explored every aspect of spins, including the feared accelerated spin. I did very well and loved it, so much in fact that we had time to throw in some introductory aerobatics. The picture at the top right of my blog page is right after we landed, and I think the grin attests to how the flight went.
I now have my "inverted wings" after performing my very first barrel roll with the instructor's "hands-off" the controls. I'll be back for more of that. I think that some further aerobatic training and some casual (Introductory Level and then maybe down the road Sportsman Level) competing may be in my future.
Harvey-Rihn, incidentally, is co-owned by Debbie Rihn-Harvey, who has more aerobatic awards than I can list here. I'll do a seperate blog at some point later about meeting her at a fly-in in La Grange where we saw her put on an impromptu performance.
That's all for now...I have some last-minute chores to get done for tomorrow. After tomorrow, maybe I'll have to change the blog name to "Keeping the dream on track!"
"Keep the ratio of happy airflow to pissed-off airflow acceptable."
--James, an aerobatic/spin instructor at Harvey-Rihn
Friday, July 31, 2009
Certified Flight Instructor
Checkride. That term doesn't exactly conjure up pleasant feelings among most pilots, especially when it involves an inspector from the local FAA Flight Standards District Office (we call them the "fisdo"). However, I went into this one pretty confident and came out victorious. This was the easiest, weirdest checkride I've ever taken.
The day started early. I was up at 0500 at and the airport a little before 0700 getting all my documents and the airplane staged. The FSDO inspector showed up at the appointed time, 0800. The first words out of his mouth were "nice shirt. It's more comfortable untucked. Kohl's, $11.00, right?" The guy was wearing the exact same shirt. I told him, "actually, $8.00." He replied, "how the hell did you get it for 8?"
That was the tone the day started on, kind of a friendly banter, and it stayed that way. After doing the paperwork to check out my application, the plethora of logbook endorsements required to be a CFI, and the aircraft records, we got started. The actual questions were very straightforward. "Talk to me about the characteristics of learning. What are some responsibilities of a CFI? What kind of anti-ice and de-ice systems does your Cessna 172-S have?"
Then there were the tangents. We established early on that we were both history buffs. The bulk of the oral ended up being a very detailed discussion of the history of the Catholic church (the guy is a very conservative Catholic) and how, at least if I'm a Protestant, it's a good thing I'm a mainline protestant. We also talked about our common dislike for the current Presidential administration, my love for tailwheel airplanes, and a lot of his life history. I embraced this as a tactic---if he went on a tangent, I'd follow him and encourage it. The oral was three hours, but we might have done 1.5 of actual "work." It didn't just kill time...it was the first oral exam in my career that I really count as "fun."
The day continued. The northwest part of the greater Houston area must have gotten more rain today than in the past month (I should know, I've spent 20+ days here this summer). So we waited. And waited some more. It's a funny scene to see a CFI applicant and an FAA examiner kicked back shooting the bull, but that's what we did. He even ran to his house (he lives on the field at Hooks) to grab a history book he wants to loan me. It's in my flight bag, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
The guy is quirky, a little sarcastic, has a dry sense of humor, and likes to sing "We're in the Money" on the intercom in the airplane, and I'll be damned if I didn't come out of the day liking him. This guy loves what he does and wants to actually get to know his applicants. The FAA does have some good guys, and if I lucked out getting him I'm cool with that.
We finally found a weather window to go flying at around 3:30. True to what I'd heard about his style, the engine start checklist wasn't a biggie...I was hardly even strapped into the right seat when he's started the engine and we were taxiing while he talked to ground. He's really a "kick the tires and light the fires" type. I think if that tactic on startup doesn't get you behind the airplane (and it didn't me), then you're not going to fail the flight portion.
I taught him through an instrument check, and off we went. He did about 80% of the flying, which is nice because I could actually focus on teaching. Two ILS approaches at Conroe, a couple of unusual attitude recoveries (I got to fly and teach those), a couple of steep turns, and a GPS approach at Hooks (I got to fly most of this and make the landing) later, he sticks his hand out as we taxi in and says "congratulations. You do good work." It was official...I'd passed my initial CFI checkride!
I ended up having to stay in Houston tonight...there was some weather between here and Waco this evening that N2150G and I didn't feel like messing with, so I'll fly home in the morning. I wish I could celebrate with Alisa and our friends, but that will happen tomorrow night.
This has been an incredible journey so far. I should have the sign-off in probably two weeks or less to take the CFI-A add on and I'll be done. Done. First part of January, I don't think I could center a VOR needle. Now I'm an instrument instructor. Crazy. Just goes to show what you can do with support and motivation.
Alisa has put up with me being gone way too much, and the Mendiolas have gone out of their way to feed me, lodge me, drive me to the airport and back, support me, and generally (happily) put up with the inconvenience of my comings and goings. But I'm almost there, and it's about to pay off for everyone!
Time to go relax some more...no studying tonight!!
Aaron Dabney
Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument
The day started early. I was up at 0500 at and the airport a little before 0700 getting all my documents and the airplane staged. The FSDO inspector showed up at the appointed time, 0800. The first words out of his mouth were "nice shirt. It's more comfortable untucked. Kohl's, $11.00, right?" The guy was wearing the exact same shirt. I told him, "actually, $8.00." He replied, "how the hell did you get it for 8?"
That was the tone the day started on, kind of a friendly banter, and it stayed that way. After doing the paperwork to check out my application, the plethora of logbook endorsements required to be a CFI, and the aircraft records, we got started. The actual questions were very straightforward. "Talk to me about the characteristics of learning. What are some responsibilities of a CFI? What kind of anti-ice and de-ice systems does your Cessna 172-S have?"
Then there were the tangents. We established early on that we were both history buffs. The bulk of the oral ended up being a very detailed discussion of the history of the Catholic church (the guy is a very conservative Catholic) and how, at least if I'm a Protestant, it's a good thing I'm a mainline protestant. We also talked about our common dislike for the current Presidential administration, my love for tailwheel airplanes, and a lot of his life history. I embraced this as a tactic---if he went on a tangent, I'd follow him and encourage it. The oral was three hours, but we might have done 1.5 of actual "work." It didn't just kill time...it was the first oral exam in my career that I really count as "fun."
The day continued. The northwest part of the greater Houston area must have gotten more rain today than in the past month (I should know, I've spent 20+ days here this summer). So we waited. And waited some more. It's a funny scene to see a CFI applicant and an FAA examiner kicked back shooting the bull, but that's what we did. He even ran to his house (he lives on the field at Hooks) to grab a history book he wants to loan me. It's in my flight bag, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
The guy is quirky, a little sarcastic, has a dry sense of humor, and likes to sing "We're in the Money" on the intercom in the airplane, and I'll be damned if I didn't come out of the day liking him. This guy loves what he does and wants to actually get to know his applicants. The FAA does have some good guys, and if I lucked out getting him I'm cool with that.
We finally found a weather window to go flying at around 3:30. True to what I'd heard about his style, the engine start checklist wasn't a biggie...I was hardly even strapped into the right seat when he's started the engine and we were taxiing while he talked to ground. He's really a "kick the tires and light the fires" type. I think if that tactic on startup doesn't get you behind the airplane (and it didn't me), then you're not going to fail the flight portion.
I taught him through an instrument check, and off we went. He did about 80% of the flying, which is nice because I could actually focus on teaching. Two ILS approaches at Conroe, a couple of unusual attitude recoveries (I got to fly and teach those), a couple of steep turns, and a GPS approach at Hooks (I got to fly most of this and make the landing) later, he sticks his hand out as we taxi in and says "congratulations. You do good work." It was official...I'd passed my initial CFI checkride!
I ended up having to stay in Houston tonight...there was some weather between here and Waco this evening that N2150G and I didn't feel like messing with, so I'll fly home in the morning. I wish I could celebrate with Alisa and our friends, but that will happen tomorrow night.
This has been an incredible journey so far. I should have the sign-off in probably two weeks or less to take the CFI-A add on and I'll be done. Done. First part of January, I don't think I could center a VOR needle. Now I'm an instrument instructor. Crazy. Just goes to show what you can do with support and motivation.
Alisa has put up with me being gone way too much, and the Mendiolas have gone out of their way to feed me, lodge me, drive me to the airport and back, support me, and generally (happily) put up with the inconvenience of my comings and goings. But I'm almost there, and it's about to pay off for everyone!
Time to go relax some more...no studying tonight!!
Aaron Dabney
Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Musical Checkrides
Well, after having my checkride moved from the 31st to the 30th, and then to the 28th, I get a call from my FSDO guy today and it's back to the 31st. The good thing is that it's a Hooks, with which I've become very familiar, in N2150G, Parker's C-172 that I've done a good 85% of my flying this year in, and with an inspector who I have lots of intelligence on.
There won't really be any surprises. He's already told me we'll start at 8 and I can expect to be out of there at 2. I already know the approaches he expects me to teach in the airplane (I didn't even have that kind of intel ahead of my Instrument checkride), and I already know that the ground lesson I'll teach in the oral exam is the published hold at ALIBI (see http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0907/05573IL14.PDF). He's also big on the fundmentals of instructing (kind of helpful to have that M.S.Ed. in my back pocket) and instructor professionalism.
I'm not saying that this is going to be a cakewalk, but oddly enough I've been more nervous about checkrides than I am about this one. More than anything else, I'm going stir-crazy to get it done. I'm ready to start flying for a living already!!
There won't really be any surprises. He's already told me we'll start at 8 and I can expect to be out of there at 2. I already know the approaches he expects me to teach in the airplane (I didn't even have that kind of intel ahead of my Instrument checkride), and I already know that the ground lesson I'll teach in the oral exam is the published hold at ALIBI (see http://www.airnav.com/depart?http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0907/05573IL14.PDF). He's also big on the fundmentals of instructing (kind of helpful to have that M.S.Ed. in my back pocket) and instructor professionalism.
I'm not saying that this is going to be a cakewalk, but oddly enough I've been more nervous about checkrides than I am about this one. More than anything else, I'm going stir-crazy to get it done. I'm ready to start flying for a living already!!
Flying a plane is no different from riding a bicycle. It's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.
— Captain Rex Kramer, in the movie 'Airplane.'
Thursday, July 23, 2009
An open letter from a middle-class American
I'm going to take a quick break from writing about flying and write about life in general. You, my friends, may not agree with each of these points, but I at least want you to think about each of them.
I am a middle-class American:
1. I believe that the best solutions to problems come from somewhere other than Washington, D.C.
2. I am not in a high tax bracket; in fact, I am "between jobs." However, I don't want the government to fix that for me. I'm spending my own funds, saved over the years through much sacrifice, to make my professional (and thus my family's personal and financial) life what I want it to be.
3. If we lost our insurance benefits tomorrow, we'd figure it out. Don't feel sorry for me or count me as a statistic ("uninsured Americans") and tell me what I need. The healthcare system does need to be reformed, but not in a hurried manner. I understand that the President wants to get while the getting's good, and I believe that if the current plan prevails my children and grandchildren will suffer financially and physically because of it.
4. I believe in the free market. The government does not need to intervene; brands and companies go by the wayside all the time. Do not spend my hard-earned money to bail out companies who cannot keep their affairs in order. If they cannot make a profit, their market shares will be replaced by companies that can.
5. I believe that a strong military is necessary to protect the country against its foes, and I am proud of my friends in the military and their brothers and sisters in arms.
6. I believe that spending is out of control in this country. The TSA and the TARP bailouts are both good examples of organizational theatre; they are symbols put in place to give people a good feeling and give the appearnce of doing something, when in fact they are just black holes for tax dollars. Don't waste my tax money to put on an ineffective show. I'm not stupid and I know you're decieving me.
7. I believe that excess taxation removes initiative---the initiative to innovate, to achieve, to create new companies and jobs is at the center of what it is to be American. We will surely lose any world leadership legitimacy that is left if this initiative goes away.
8. I believe that voters should be self-educated; don't vote for a feeling or a great story. Know the facts. We are beginning to see the adverse side effects of electing a reality star.
9. I believe that we deserve what we work for. If we make $20,000 or $200,000, we've earned it. In a free market, no one has a right to say what is an "excessive" salary.
10. I believe that a person can be a professional at anything. I have met janitors who are more professional than some bosses I've worked for. The trades are disappearing in this country. Refer back to my point about initiative.
Many of my views, especially after grad school, tend to be "middle of the country," and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. However, the more you push me, tell me how backwards I am, and presume to tell me what I want and need, the further to the right you push me.
I am a middle-class American. I look at America through the eyes of Frank Capra and James Stewart, and believe that there is still much good to come from our experiment in democracy.
I am a middle-class American. What I see coming from Washington alarms me. There are many like me. If you are elected to an office, you work for US. And we will be heard in 2010 and 2012.
I am a middle-class American:
1. I believe that the best solutions to problems come from somewhere other than Washington, D.C.
2. I am not in a high tax bracket; in fact, I am "between jobs." However, I don't want the government to fix that for me. I'm spending my own funds, saved over the years through much sacrifice, to make my professional (and thus my family's personal and financial) life what I want it to be.
3. If we lost our insurance benefits tomorrow, we'd figure it out. Don't feel sorry for me or count me as a statistic ("uninsured Americans") and tell me what I need. The healthcare system does need to be reformed, but not in a hurried manner. I understand that the President wants to get while the getting's good, and I believe that if the current plan prevails my children and grandchildren will suffer financially and physically because of it.
4. I believe in the free market. The government does not need to intervene; brands and companies go by the wayside all the time. Do not spend my hard-earned money to bail out companies who cannot keep their affairs in order. If they cannot make a profit, their market shares will be replaced by companies that can.
5. I believe that a strong military is necessary to protect the country against its foes, and I am proud of my friends in the military and their brothers and sisters in arms.
6. I believe that spending is out of control in this country. The TSA and the TARP bailouts are both good examples of organizational theatre; they are symbols put in place to give people a good feeling and give the appearnce of doing something, when in fact they are just black holes for tax dollars. Don't waste my tax money to put on an ineffective show. I'm not stupid and I know you're decieving me.
7. I believe that excess taxation removes initiative---the initiative to innovate, to achieve, to create new companies and jobs is at the center of what it is to be American. We will surely lose any world leadership legitimacy that is left if this initiative goes away.
8. I believe that voters should be self-educated; don't vote for a feeling or a great story. Know the facts. We are beginning to see the adverse side effects of electing a reality star.
9. I believe that we deserve what we work for. If we make $20,000 or $200,000, we've earned it. In a free market, no one has a right to say what is an "excessive" salary.
10. I believe that a person can be a professional at anything. I have met janitors who are more professional than some bosses I've worked for. The trades are disappearing in this country. Refer back to my point about initiative.
Many of my views, especially after grad school, tend to be "middle of the country," and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. However, the more you push me, tell me how backwards I am, and presume to tell me what I want and need, the further to the right you push me.
I am a middle-class American. I look at America through the eyes of Frank Capra and James Stewart, and believe that there is still much good to come from our experiment in democracy.
I am a middle-class American. What I see coming from Washington alarms me. There are many like me. If you are elected to an office, you work for US. And we will be heard in 2010 and 2012.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
What a difference a year makes
I was having a cup of coffee this morning, doing a little chair-flying for my upcoming checkride, and I got to thinking: what would I have been doing this time last year?
By this time last year, I (and two other highly-qualified friends and colleagues) had been turned down for a promotion so it could be awarded to a highly un-qualified friend of the position's former occupant. (This person, by the way, has gone on to make quite a name for herself on campus: people think she's an idiot).
By this time last year, I had been promised another promotion, only to have it taken away as well because the idea of a reflective, analytical, vocal male leader scared the bejeezus out of the director.
By this time last year, I was miserable. I was just over a semester away from a graduate degree, and it seemed like everyone except the people directly responsible for my career thought I should be going places. But there I was, being supervised, as I confided in some friends, more than most Wal-Mart cashiers.
*************************************************************************************
Fast-forward a year. Since late January, I have progressed through the Instrument rating and on to the Commercial pilot certificate. I have successfully obtained an endorsement to take my initial Certified Flight Instructor checkride, one that must be taken with the FAA, from the "go-to" guy on CFI training. I'm in exclusive, highly-qualified company; I've already earned ratings that less than 1% of the people who have ever lived hold, and my career is on its way to the big show.
I've maintained the respect of those colleagues and peers in the Baylor community that thought I should be "going places," and will always have a place in the academic unit where I served as a graduate assistant last spring. I proved myself as a capable leader, educator, and workhorse.
Why am I writing this blog post full of self-backslapping? You're looking at a guy who has reinvented himself in less than a year. I've gone from what turned into a going-nowhere job to pursuing a dream and a career that I had long ago thought it "more practical" to just give up.
And, I've learned some things along the way:
1. Never underestimate the importance of support. Alisa has been a driving force in this journey; she has more faith in me than anyone I know (including myself), and if it weren't for her prodding, I'd probably still be wishing I could be doing this kind of flying.
My family, full of aviation nuts, never batted an eye at this career change. They're the ones who raised me, and they probably figured this was inevitable anyway. Alisa's family has been incredibly understanding and supportive; they never questioned the changes we made and they've been with me every step of the way during this CFI training.
2. In a related vein, you find out who your friends are. I hate to repeat that cliche, but it's true. People like JT, Brandon, Dave, Anna, Troy, Tim, and Terri have only become closer friends since I left Baylor. Jerome and Blythe, who have "been there, done that," have been a constant source of inspiration. Parker keeps prodding me along, looking for "positive vectoring." Louie and Michelle, who have been through similar circumstances themselves, continue to be great friends and cheer for us.
There are definitely a few specific people who I thought were friends during my Baylor days...but I refer you to sentence number 1 of the above paragraph :).
3. The best thing for confidence in the airplane is currency. I guess the FAA's right about that whole Learning Principle of Exercise thing.
4. Don't ever be intimidated by a certificate or rating. If you can pass the checkride for a Private Pilot License, I guarantee you can figure the rest of this stuff out.
5. Sometimes, it's braver to walk away than to try and stay and "gut it out" or fix something that's spiraling out of control. That ejection handle is there for a reason.
I think I've gone on long enough about this....but I'm sure I'll think of a few more things as soon as I hit the "post" button.
Bottom line: life is full of uncertainty. There's never enough money for what you want to do. And trust me, you're never going to get everyone to like you. Those are all three pretty indisputable facts, but none of them are valid excuses for not doing what you want to do. Say to hell with it, get on with making your life what you want it to be, and the Lord will take care of the details.
"For the Scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages."
-1 Timothy 5:18 (NKJ)
By this time last year, I (and two other highly-qualified friends and colleagues) had been turned down for a promotion so it could be awarded to a highly un-qualified friend of the position's former occupant. (This person, by the way, has gone on to make quite a name for herself on campus: people think she's an idiot).
By this time last year, I had been promised another promotion, only to have it taken away as well because the idea of a reflective, analytical, vocal male leader scared the bejeezus out of the director.
By this time last year, I was miserable. I was just over a semester away from a graduate degree, and it seemed like everyone except the people directly responsible for my career thought I should be going places. But there I was, being supervised, as I confided in some friends, more than most Wal-Mart cashiers.
*************************************************************************************
Fast-forward a year. Since late January, I have progressed through the Instrument rating and on to the Commercial pilot certificate. I have successfully obtained an endorsement to take my initial Certified Flight Instructor checkride, one that must be taken with the FAA, from the "go-to" guy on CFI training. I'm in exclusive, highly-qualified company; I've already earned ratings that less than 1% of the people who have ever lived hold, and my career is on its way to the big show.
I've maintained the respect of those colleagues and peers in the Baylor community that thought I should be "going places," and will always have a place in the academic unit where I served as a graduate assistant last spring. I proved myself as a capable leader, educator, and workhorse.
Why am I writing this blog post full of self-backslapping? You're looking at a guy who has reinvented himself in less than a year. I've gone from what turned into a going-nowhere job to pursuing a dream and a career that I had long ago thought it "more practical" to just give up.
And, I've learned some things along the way:
1. Never underestimate the importance of support. Alisa has been a driving force in this journey; she has more faith in me than anyone I know (including myself), and if it weren't for her prodding, I'd probably still be wishing I could be doing this kind of flying.
My family, full of aviation nuts, never batted an eye at this career change. They're the ones who raised me, and they probably figured this was inevitable anyway. Alisa's family has been incredibly understanding and supportive; they never questioned the changes we made and they've been with me every step of the way during this CFI training.
2. In a related vein, you find out who your friends are. I hate to repeat that cliche, but it's true. People like JT, Brandon, Dave, Anna, Troy, Tim, and Terri have only become closer friends since I left Baylor. Jerome and Blythe, who have "been there, done that," have been a constant source of inspiration. Parker keeps prodding me along, looking for "positive vectoring." Louie and Michelle, who have been through similar circumstances themselves, continue to be great friends and cheer for us.
There are definitely a few specific people who I thought were friends during my Baylor days...but I refer you to sentence number 1 of the above paragraph :).
3. The best thing for confidence in the airplane is currency. I guess the FAA's right about that whole Learning Principle of Exercise thing.
4. Don't ever be intimidated by a certificate or rating. If you can pass the checkride for a Private Pilot License, I guarantee you can figure the rest of this stuff out.
5. Sometimes, it's braver to walk away than to try and stay and "gut it out" or fix something that's spiraling out of control. That ejection handle is there for a reason.
I think I've gone on long enough about this....but I'm sure I'll think of a few more things as soon as I hit the "post" button.
Bottom line: life is full of uncertainty. There's never enough money for what you want to do. And trust me, you're never going to get everyone to like you. Those are all three pretty indisputable facts, but none of them are valid excuses for not doing what you want to do. Say to hell with it, get on with making your life what you want it to be, and the Lord will take care of the details.
"For the Scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages."
-1 Timothy 5:18 (NKJ)
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