Now that I've closed out the other posting pages and combined them with this, I'm posting all the updates from those pages here. From now on all nursing, aviation, writing, film-making, photography, etc will be posted here. Following is all the posts I made on the aviation page since I started (newest to oldest)...
September 26, 2011
So continuing the "quick version" from yesterday. Everyone had a blast at the airshow. Me and my parents got there at 8:00 am just as the gates opened so I could help set up the Mach 5 booth. After working there for a while talking to people, we met up with all the kids from church and tramped around the airfield. The kids had great fun clambering in and out of every conceivable kind of aircraft, and I got a few pictures. Then came time for the Pearl Harbor reenactment. I and my little group planted ourselves at the very front of the flight line, up against the fence, straining to catch a glimpse of the Japanese"Zeros" and "Bettys" that had taken off a few minutes before. It seemed the announcer rambled on and on as every little eye was fixed on the formation that took forever to get together and make their approach. Finally, the dozen or so planes zoomed low and headed for the field in perfect formation, the combined sound of the engines making an unnerving rumble that overpowered our pounding hearts. Suddenly, the ground directly in front of us exploded into a wall of fire! The planes broke away and careened wildly through the smoke, climbing, twisting and diving again and again in their "bombing" and "strafing" runs. The kids watched with huge eyes, some ducking behind the fence as the ground shook and heat waves from the pyrotechnics rolled over us. The throaty roar of the planes blended with the wail of air-raid sirens and the announcers barely-audible voice, while black clouds of smoke rolled over the crowd. After what seemed like an eternity, the "attackers" peeled away and departed, leaving a sober little group staring at the still-smoldering field. We walked away with about 25 quarts of adrenaline per kid, all week-kneed and jittery. I don't remember what the announcer said after that, I was watching the receding planes and smelling the last drift of smoke. I sure learned something that day. Though I'm not quite sure what, I know it'll stay with me a long time...
September 25, 2011
Whew! Ok, I have exams in every class this week and it's been totally bugging me that I have no time to write!!! So you are going to get the quick(?) version for now.
The Thursday before the airshow (Sept.11) I was helping wash the planes that were being flown to Mather for display. After scrubbing a tiny homebuilt, blue-and-yellow open cockpit I went to hanger #1 to help my new friend Bob clean a gorgeous N3N bi-plane that was flown by George H. W. Bush in 1943. It was great fun chatting with Bob as I carefully sprayed the shiny, smooth, fabric surfaces and wiped them with a cloth. Bob is a friendly man in his 70's who loved flying but never was able to learn, so he comes to the airport every chance he gets to learn how to care for the planes and catch an occasional ride. He told me all he knew about the N3N and showed me how to get in the forward cockpit. Apparently I was the youngest person to attempt this in a long time, for he spent the rest of the time exclaiming how easy I made it look, and wondering at how dexterously I clambered in and out! After about an hour, I heard a plane taxi toward us; it was one of the owners of Mach 5 in the little homebuilt I had just washed (and fallen in love with at first sight). He parked the plane and walked toward us, calling out that he was going to take me for a short ride. I stared in disbelief. Not only was the best pilot on the field going to take me up in one of my favorite planes, he was taking time out of his airshow-dominated schedule to do it! This guy is such a good pilot, that he flies the majority of the old planes to the airshow for display. He flies one down, then someone drives him back and he takes the next plane down, repeated as often as necessary. My thoughts were interrupted by him telling me to hurry, he had to get this plane to the show soon. Bob handed me a leather helmet and goggles from the N3N, and I squeezed into the tiny "cockpitette": six instruments in the panel, the stick between my knees. Sputtering to life we taxied to the runway and took off. Instantly the roar of the air increased, and I took deep breaths of the gale rushing over the plane. My head practically touched the wing above us and I reached up to feel its soft fabric, vibrating with the wind. Sticking my head and arm over the side, I watched the trees and houses gliding past. It was a great sense of freedom, to be actually IN the air feeling it interact with you and the plane. As we descended, I had difficulty pulling my arm back in as the force of the air discouraged motion! All to soon we touched town. "Whaddya think?" he asked me. "Wow, I will never fly in a closed cockpit again!" I exclaimed. He laughed heartily (this must have been amusing to him, as it has become my complete biography to everyone he introduces me to!) Finally we came to a stop in front of the hanger. Pushing back the goggles, I peeled off my leather helmet and clambered to the ground. Running my hand over the now-warm cowling, I looked up for a last glimpse of that wonderful sky. I felt like a real aviator.
September 4, 2011
Ok, so I AM working at the airport on Mondays and Thursdays. 1:00-5:00. A lot of fun! And, as I mentioned on the nursing page, I'm going to be at the California Capital Airshow helping out at the Mach 5 booth. Now that I've become a regular at the airport, the nagging problem of flight school is bugging me more. Being there has made me as a "grasshopper in mine own sight" as I constantly rub shoulders with these incredibly skilled hour-laden, multiple-plane-owning pilots. CHP, CAP, aerobatic, bush, and vintage aviation, each with their cluster of master aviators, presents both inspiration and desperation! With my meager bank account and limited schedule, I am sometimes tempted to get discouraged, but laying under a plane scrubbing grease off the belly gives me plenty of time to think, and this is what I have concluded: "What I lack in resources I make up in sweat", "I'm short on money, but not on muscle". Doing my best in whatever is given to me, be it small or great, will not fail of aachieving results. I don't know how the Lord will work it all out, but I know He can. In the great scale of life work, mopping floors and dumping used oil will prove just as important as mastering cross-wind takeoffs. Granted, I still hope and pray for a way for me to accomplish all the training I want, but even the seemingly mundane work will help me towards that goal. Whether the resources come from scholarships or elsewhere, no opportunity will be unused to climb the ladder of experience. And PLEASE don't tell me, "You're still young, you've got tons of time." Why take 3 years or more to get a PPL or become a mediocre pilot, when I can strive to make and improve every opportunity to excel in the same amount of time? So in short, I'll be working hard. How does the song go? "Never look back, never look down, and never let go..."
August 16, 2011
Well, now that college has started I can begin to figure out my work schedule. The big thing right now is that I recently applied for the AOPA Flight Training Scholarship and sent out two online recommendation forms; now I am praying they will be submitted on time! The deadline is August 19, this Friday...this scholarship will probably make or break my plan to get my licence anytime soon, if I don't get it, I'll have to wait to save more money and my FAA written will expire...can you tell I'm learning to trust the Lord? I know he has a plan:)
August 12, 2011
Exciting news! Last Thursday was my last day volunteering at the airport for a while because I'm starting college, but before I left, they called me into the office of the flight school and told me they were really appreciated my work and thanked me for helping them. Then they told me that I could help out at the California Capital Airshow on Sept.11...Then they offered my a job at the school!! I told them that my college requires me to work 16 hours a week to help defray the tuition They said they would love to have me for the whole 16 hours, but I wasn't exactly sure of the details of the work study program, so I have to get back to them after college starts on Monday so we can work out an employment plan. I am praying that we will be able to get everything in order...how great would that be to be at the airport year-round! I will keep you updated as things are happening...
September 26, 2011
So continuing the "quick version" from yesterday. Everyone had a blast at the airshow. Me and my parents got there at 8:00 am just as the gates opened so I could help set up the Mach 5 booth. After working there for a while talking to people, we met up with all the kids from church and tramped around the airfield. The kids had great fun clambering in and out of every conceivable kind of aircraft, and I got a few pictures. Then came time for the Pearl Harbor reenactment. I and my little group planted ourselves at the very front of the flight line, up against the fence, straining to catch a glimpse of the Japanese"Zeros" and "Bettys" that had taken off a few minutes before. It seemed the announcer rambled on and on as every little eye was fixed on the formation that took forever to get together and make their approach. Finally, the dozen or so planes zoomed low and headed for the field in perfect formation, the combined sound of the engines making an unnerving rumble that overpowered our pounding hearts. Suddenly, the ground directly in front of us exploded into a wall of fire! The planes broke away and careened wildly through the smoke, climbing, twisting and diving again and again in their "bombing" and "strafing" runs. The kids watched with huge eyes, some ducking behind the fence as the ground shook and heat waves from the pyrotechnics rolled over us. The throaty roar of the planes blended with the wail of air-raid sirens and the announcers barely-audible voice, while black clouds of smoke rolled over the crowd. After what seemed like an eternity, the "attackers" peeled away and departed, leaving a sober little group staring at the still-smoldering field. We walked away with about 25 quarts of adrenaline per kid, all week-kneed and jittery. I don't remember what the announcer said after that, I was watching the receding planes and smelling the last drift of smoke. I sure learned something that day. Though I'm not quite sure what, I know it'll stay with me a long time...
September 25, 2011
Whew! Ok, I have exams in every class this week and it's been totally bugging me that I have no time to write!!! So you are going to get the quick(?) version for now.
The Thursday before the airshow (Sept.11) I was helping wash the planes that were being flown to Mather for display. After scrubbing a tiny homebuilt, blue-and-yellow open cockpit I went to hanger #1 to help my new friend Bob clean a gorgeous N3N bi-plane that was flown by George H. W. Bush in 1943. It was great fun chatting with Bob as I carefully sprayed the shiny, smooth, fabric surfaces and wiped them with a cloth. Bob is a friendly man in his 70's who loved flying but never was able to learn, so he comes to the airport every chance he gets to learn how to care for the planes and catch an occasional ride. He told me all he knew about the N3N and showed me how to get in the forward cockpit. Apparently I was the youngest person to attempt this in a long time, for he spent the rest of the time exclaiming how easy I made it look, and wondering at how dexterously I clambered in and out! After about an hour, I heard a plane taxi toward us; it was one of the owners of Mach 5 in the little homebuilt I had just washed (and fallen in love with at first sight). He parked the plane and walked toward us, calling out that he was going to take me for a short ride. I stared in disbelief. Not only was the best pilot on the field going to take me up in one of my favorite planes, he was taking time out of his airshow-dominated schedule to do it! This guy is such a good pilot, that he flies the majority of the old planes to the airshow for display. He flies one down, then someone drives him back and he takes the next plane down, repeated as often as necessary. My thoughts were interrupted by him telling me to hurry, he had to get this plane to the show soon. Bob handed me a leather helmet and goggles from the N3N, and I squeezed into the tiny "cockpitette": six instruments in the panel, the stick between my knees. Sputtering to life we taxied to the runway and took off. Instantly the roar of the air increased, and I took deep breaths of the gale rushing over the plane. My head practically touched the wing above us and I reached up to feel its soft fabric, vibrating with the wind. Sticking my head and arm over the side, I watched the trees and houses gliding past. It was a great sense of freedom, to be actually IN the air feeling it interact with you and the plane. As we descended, I had difficulty pulling my arm back in as the force of the air discouraged motion! All to soon we touched town. "Whaddya think?" he asked me. "Wow, I will never fly in a closed cockpit again!" I exclaimed. He laughed heartily (this must have been amusing to him, as it has become my complete biography to everyone he introduces me to!) Finally we came to a stop in front of the hanger. Pushing back the goggles, I peeled off my leather helmet and clambered to the ground. Running my hand over the now-warm cowling, I looked up for a last glimpse of that wonderful sky. I felt like a real aviator.
September 4, 2011
Ok, so I AM working at the airport on Mondays and Thursdays. 1:00-5:00. A lot of fun! And, as I mentioned on the nursing page, I'm going to be at the California Capital Airshow helping out at the Mach 5 booth. Now that I've become a regular at the airport, the nagging problem of flight school is bugging me more. Being there has made me as a "grasshopper in mine own sight" as I constantly rub shoulders with these incredibly skilled hour-laden, multiple-plane-owning pilots. CHP, CAP, aerobatic, bush, and vintage aviation, each with their cluster of master aviators, presents both inspiration and desperation! With my meager bank account and limited schedule, I am sometimes tempted to get discouraged, but laying under a plane scrubbing grease off the belly gives me plenty of time to think, and this is what I have concluded: "What I lack in resources I make up in sweat", "I'm short on money, but not on muscle". Doing my best in whatever is given to me, be it small or great, will not fail of aachieving results. I don't know how the Lord will work it all out, but I know He can. In the great scale of life work, mopping floors and dumping used oil will prove just as important as mastering cross-wind takeoffs. Granted, I still hope and pray for a way for me to accomplish all the training I want, but even the seemingly mundane work will help me towards that goal. Whether the resources come from scholarships or elsewhere, no opportunity will be unused to climb the ladder of experience. And PLEASE don't tell me, "You're still young, you've got tons of time." Why take 3 years or more to get a PPL or become a mediocre pilot, when I can strive to make and improve every opportunity to excel in the same amount of time? So in short, I'll be working hard. How does the song go? "Never look back, never look down, and never let go..."
August 16, 2011
Well, now that college has started I can begin to figure out my work schedule. The big thing right now is that I recently applied for the AOPA Flight Training Scholarship and sent out two online recommendation forms; now I am praying they will be submitted on time! The deadline is August 19, this Friday...this scholarship will probably make or break my plan to get my licence anytime soon, if I don't get it, I'll have to wait to save more money and my FAA written will expire...can you tell I'm learning to trust the Lord? I know he has a plan:)
August 12, 2011
Exciting news! Last Thursday was my last day volunteering at the airport for a while because I'm starting college, but before I left, they called me into the office of the flight school and told me they were really appreciated my work and thanked me for helping them. Then they told me that I could help out at the California Capital Airshow on Sept.11...Then they offered my a job at the school!! I told them that my college requires me to work 16 hours a week to help defray the tuition They said they would love to have me for the whole 16 hours, but I wasn't exactly sure of the details of the work study program, so I have to get back to them after college starts on Monday so we can work out an employment plan. I am praying that we will be able to get everything in order...how great would that be to be at the airport year-round! I will keep you updated as things are happening...
July 27, 2011:
It's been a great week! I LOVE volunteering at the airport! There are about 200 planes on the field and there is a great collection of old ones as well. I got my Student Pilot certificate and am officially an "Airman" for three years, or until I get my license. According to the doctor, I have perfect eyesight, (I should at 17!) Working at the flight school has been incredible. I get to meet lots of great people and learn something new every day. Usually I do whatever they happen to need: mop the hanger floor (the mechanics make a mess!), clean the windows, vacuum, water the flowers, wash a plane or helicopter, do some simple paperwork, take out the garbage, etc. One day they were having a dinner meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and they wanted a few planes parked around the building for decoration. Someone asked me to help get the planes and tow them back, and I happily obliged. Imagine my excitement when the hangers opened to reveal a red-white-and blue Piper Cub, and Yellow Navy Stearman, and a Stinson Reliant, all in pristine condition! I was beside myself with joy, and many a kid later heard of my encounter with these vintage classics!
Well enough of that, yesterday I finished my work early and decided to explore the field, I watered some flowers and met a few people, all of whom were surprised and delighted to see a young person getting involved with aviation. Nearly everyone asked, "Why are you volunteering?" Which led to a quick recount of my story; "Took my Young Eagles flight last year, did the online Sporty's courses, passed the written exam, got a scholarship from EAA and applying for two more, got my student certificate this morning, and started volunteering here!" My rounds finally took me to the airport manager, who enthusiastically listened to my introduction and struck up a conversation. "That's amazing, " He finally said, "I'm so proud of you! Since you care so much, follow me and I'll tell you everything there is to know about this airport." Turns out the building right next to Mach 5 is a man in the avionics business, he has several contracts with the military, including some of the night flying equipment used in the recent raid on Osama bin Laden. Next to him is the family-owned Nella Oil, the company that owns all the Flyers gas stations (so named because the owners are pilots) Next time you see one of these think of me:)
The manager told me to go to each of the businesses and introduce myself. "They are great folks, and they might have something for you to do. If you ever need anything, just come to me." he said. I thanked him gratefully, and left.
So now you know how excited I am! There is so much more I could say, but time is short, you'll have to wait till the next post! Please keep me in your prayers!:)
July 12, 2011:
I received the $1,500 scholarship from EAA! (Experimental Aircraft Association) I am very excited! Since I only have two weeks before school starts, I won't be able to get my private pilot's licence this summer, but here's the good news...I talked to my chosen flight school, Mach 5 Aviation in Auburn, CA, and they said I could come anytime and volunteer! So starting Tuesday, July 19th, I will be going there twice a week. I'll even get to sit in on some ground school classes! So come tuesday, I will find out more about what they want me to do around the airport.
Also, I just joined AOPA so I could apply for their scholarship, (deadline August 19). In order to apply I will need to get a student pilot certificate. Thankfully, a friend of mine who goes to our church is an AME. Getting closer!
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