Breakup

How do you break up
with someone you love?
Where do you reach
inside
to find the strength
to say
"it's done"
when the last thing you said
and then heard
was "I love you"
and "A lot".
What will you say
to yourself
in old age
when the one that you want
is long gone
on a path of their own
even though you both
wanted to grow old
together?
Which of life's chances
will you remember
the ones that you took
boldly
followed your heart
or those of the calculated
measured approach?
Why does it hurt
so much?
Why does it hurt
so much?
Why does it hurt
so much?

(I wrote this a few days ago, and the pain is subsiding, but wanted to share)

Switching Flight Instructors

So I had a falling out of sorts with my main instructor, Matt. I wrote a long email to him yesterday telling him of my various frustrations, namely:

1) my cost of training had gone up nearly 30% in two months, due to the merger of my school with the neighboring one, resulting in an across-the-board 10-15% hourly rate increase, coming on top of the cheapest 172 and the one I was training with going out of commissions and their decision not to fix it.

The rate increase is particularly incensing, as the only way they could do it was by allowing one to take over the other, thereby eliminating competition and allowing them monopoly power.

2) more importantly, I'm just not "gelling" well with my primary instructor. I have to admit that I'm a little afraid of him. But the main point is that I am on edge when we fly together, as I continually try to satisfy his very strict requirements, and as a result I perform poorly. Sure, it's my problem, but at the same time, if I can fly with someone that I can feel more relaxed with, I know I'll do better.

On the other hand, switching right as I'm training for the check ride is difficult. I really want to finish the course. But it keeps slipping away from me, and it's driving me nuts.

I just want this to be done.

Theory done. Dummy checkrides next.

So yesterday was my FAA written (theory) test.

I went to the testing site in the morning as scheduled. I got there a bit early, which turned out to be a good thing, as they couldn't get their system running. I waited 45 minutes, then asked them to send me somewhere else. Another 45 minutes later, I arrived at the new place, with about 45 minutes available to finish the test (see a pattern here?).

Nothing like a bit of stress and time pressure to make these things more fun.

Ended up finishing the test in about 25 minutes. Just before I hit submit I changed my answers on 3 questions. After grading, turned out all my original answers were right, and the changed ones wrong.

slaps forehead

So instead of getting a 93, I got an 88. Oh well. Still a decent passing score.

I also had a solo in the afternoon... had a weird thing happen that totally freaked me out. On my last landing, it finally went really well - smooth, perfect positioning, perfect directional movement, the whole thing. As I am congratulation myself on a nice landing, maybe a second later the plane suddenly jerks violently to the right, nose moving 20-30 degree and I'm suddenly headed to the grass at 50 miles an hour.

Yikes.

I must admit my initial reaction was not the best - I pulled the mixture all the way out to kill the engine. Not sure why I reacted that way; I think my brain was screaming "stop the car... er, plane!"

Of course, a split second later I realize what I just did (as I am working the rudders and breaks to go back to centerline) so I push the mixture all the way in... and also the throttle.

Little planes get up to take-off speed pretty quickly.

Anyway, I did manage to get off the runway eventually without an inadvertent touch-n-go at about two thirds down the runway. My heart was thumping and I was feeling deeply embarrassed. They did go and check to make sure nothing was wrong with the breaks (it felt like the right wheel locked spontaneously), but it seems like the plane was fine. So this had to be put down to idiot error (the idiot being me). Best guess is a sudden severe gust of wind or even some wake turbulence (tons of planes today, including a couple business jets, on two parallels) moving across the runway. Live and learn for next time.

Next up - starting tomorrow, I will be doing dummy checkrides. All my requirements are met at this point except for a couple solo hours I'll get out of the way doing just landings and takeoffs.