Update while I slack, waiting for a build to install
Big BIG personal news is that my green card came through - so I don't have to juggle visas and travel documents anymore, and I can lose my job and not be deported. Big relief. I can also make money selling goofy phone apps, so that's going to start up in earnest now. Oh, and I can quit my job! Lucky for MS my current team is awesome, though if I hadn't gotten out of my old team I'd be packing my stuff and sending out resumes.
I got a call from my uncle Dick asking about the flight lessons! So here's the pilot's license update:
Flight school is _expensive_.
Also, since I didn't have my permanent residency when I started there was some hassle and delay and extra cost.
Anyway: I'm through most of the ground school and sadly only through 3 of the 8 lessons required to solo. I've done time in the trainer practicing emergency scenarios while we were clouded in. I can proudly say that my instructor was _unable to kill me_ despite throwing a failed fuel pump, absurd storms/wind/clouds, and a total failure of electronics at me.
As far as the real plane goes, I've done, on my own, (nearly) everything - landed, communicated with the tower and ground controllers, taken off, taxi'd, preflight checklist. I'm still afraid of the ground and flare too early, and my rudder coordination needs work, but the basics are there. Just need to practice crazy things like slips and get my turn/speed precision and radio chatter down and I'll be good to solo. It'll take a while though. At $120/hour for the plane, and $80/hour for the instructor, it adds up fast. There's nothing like it though.
I got a call from my uncle Dick asking about the flight lessons! So here's the pilot's license update:
Flight school is _expensive_.
Also, since I didn't have my permanent residency when I started there was some hassle and delay and extra cost.
Anyway: I'm through most of the ground school and sadly only through 3 of the 8 lessons required to solo. I've done time in the trainer practicing emergency scenarios while we were clouded in. I can proudly say that my instructor was _unable to kill me_ despite throwing a failed fuel pump, absurd storms/wind/clouds, and a total failure of electronics at me.
As far as the real plane goes, I've done, on my own, (nearly) everything - landed, communicated with the tower and ground controllers, taken off, taxi'd, preflight checklist. I'm still afraid of the ground and flare too early, and my rudder coordination needs work, but the basics are there. Just need to practice crazy things like slips and get my turn/speed precision and radio chatter down and I'll be good to solo. It'll take a while though. At $120/hour for the plane, and $80/hour for the instructor, it adds up fast. There's nothing like it though.