Seatbelts Anyone?

Ever wonder why the FAA allows us take our seatbelts off during flight? To wingwalk, of course!  These crazy nuts are from Red Stewart Airfield in Waynesville, Ohio. What a place! I earned my tailwheel endorsement  with Dave at this airport. It's definitely one of the things I miss most about my three years in the Midwest.  I mean, what's not to love? It has a grass strip lit up with lanterns at night, Piper Cubs, Citabria's, Gliders, Music, a great dog, friendly people, history and a real love for aviation! 

 Happy Tuesday Everyone! 

DIY – Getting Into The Swing Of Spring

For a while now I've been wanting to do a “DIY” project. I have plenty of them on the to-do list, but recently I just haven't “felt” the inspiration to complete one. I blame the weather, and I guess you can say , the long winter has finally had its affect.

At heart, I'm a dual personality – half homebody, and the other half, outdoor adventurer. Usually I am content to sit on the couch with a nice book or a Hulu episode and enjoy the down time, but being a “dual personality-type,” I need balance (not to mention, sitting on the couch is not doing my ass any favors.). Flying hasn't been an option now for many weeks, so a lot of my excess energy has been spent running the dog and painting walls! Well yesterday, I hit a limit – the dog's.

There's only so many times you can drag my dog through a storm before he decides to protest. In the middle of a giant puddle he ambushed me in a play-fight. After leaving two giant claw marks the size of my fist with matching bruises on my right leg, he decided to walk me home. I sat for the rest of the day pondering my boredom and wondering if it was possible to out-wait a storm, sort of like you out-stare someone in a staring contest. As I perused the internet with mild disinterest, the dog at my feet in peaceful slumber by the heater, it suddenly came to me! -- via a blog by Tim Ferriss called the 4 Hour Workweek. Finally, a DIY project. And I was going to do it today.

It's not like this project is something I hadn't thought about before. My husband first turned me onto Tim Ferriss years ago. Honestly, until now, I never gave his blog much interest.  I did like the idea of a supplementing my running with some core training though, and a Kettlebell sounded like the perfect tool to help me. With pointers from Tim Ferriss, I would be able to build my own. So I leashed the dog, grabbed an umbrella and off to the supply shops I sloshed.

Four hours later, most of that being a weather-enhanced hike with 30lbs of iron cradled in my arms, I completed my Kettlebell. You can access how-to videos directly from the 4 Hour Workweek, but here is all I needed: 1 t-bar, 1 flange, 2 pipe nipples, 1 pipe, and a bushing (which I needed because I couldn't find the right size flange). I also purchased 3 weights to start off with. In total, it cost me $45.00, and can be converted to any weight of Kettlebell I want – a huge savings if you plan to use it to build strength. Note: I could have gone cheaper by buying parts online, or getting a different type of iron, so this is something to keep in mind if your on a budget.

After the walk home with the dog, an umbrella, and what felt like five bowling balls worth of iron in my arms, I was happy just to assemble the darn thing. Today I will put the “spring in my swing,” but was so excited, I had to share the news immediately. I mean just look at it!

It can be used indoors or outdoors. It can be made of recycled parts to make it Eco-friendly. It can also travel well, disassembled, which is important for me. Finally, it looks slightly “steampunk” too, which is another huge interest of mine. I couldn't be happier to “weight”-out the storm now. Ha ha.

What have you done as a DIY project this winter? Any tips for the rest of us? I'd love to hear about it!

What Happens in Reno.....(is just the beginning of the story)

A few weeks back I attended my first Women in Aviation Conference in Reno. I've wanted to go for a very long time. I had this feeling that, somehow, just by going I would find what I was looking for that would propel me into the next phase of my aviation career. What it did, was something I never expected – it inspired this blog.

For many people, being a part of professional organizations is a professional move. It's a way to network, find mentors, and get funding for that next rating. For me, although I am definitely open to these other opportunities, it was a personal motivation based on finding “community.” I think I thought that just by pure association I would find this, and in some ways I have. What I am finding though, is that just like learning to fly, finding “community” is subjective, and just as I expected the conference to be social it turned out to be much more a personal journey.

I recently wrote an article for the Bay Cities Chapter of the Ninety-Nines (an International Women Pilot's Association) about my experience. You can access a PDF copy of the “Foghorn” newsletter with my article here. (My article is on the last page)

I highly encourage anyone to check out some of the organizations out there. I am a part of many different communities. Here are just a few links to get you started:

Women in Aviation http://www.wai.org/

International Ninety-Nines http://www.ninety-nines.org/

Freelancers Union http://www.freelancersunion.org/

Civil Air Patrol http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/

Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance http://www.awam.org/

AMT Society http://www.amtsociety.org/index.jsp

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association   http://www.aopa.org/



Are there any organizations that are invaluable in your life?  Share with the rest of us!!

Feeling the “Rush” of the Gold Country – Destination Columbia

I've done a few cross-countries in my short flying life, many alone and some even across state lines. Despite my initial jitters, I grew to love them. After all, flying isn't about staying in the traffic pattern, it's about exploring new destinations, experiencing challenging airports, and navigating new routes. I was good at this! Or so I thought.

It was a sunny Saturday, the skies were clear, and weather charts suggested nothing more than some strong winds aloft, and the possibility of haze. My flight was planned, and coming along to navigate with me was my friend and fellow pilot, Tracy. What could go wrong?

There's nothing more jarring for me than to start a pre-flight feeling the warmth of the air and a smooth breeze against my face, only to be suddenly blown over by a swoosh of cool air that in my mind seems to roar as it rocks the plane, causing it to squeak in places I can't see. "Gusts! I hate wind gusts," and these were blowing the wind-sock straight out with fierce determination. Tracy suggests we chock the wheels, and we discuss a go-no go decision. We decide to go.

What once was a solid excitement for cross-country, started to turn into self-doubt. It's been a while since my last cross-country and I had not done one alone in California. Even though I knew Tracy was a much more experienced pilot than me, I was the one flying this bird – and I was a little anxious. We made it to the taxiway. A slight navigation error on the ground didn't help my nerves, but on the upside, I got to know the tower a little better! Finally finished with run-up, we were ready for take-off and we made our final go-no go decision.

We're off!

I heard from many pilots that Columbia was a great destination. A destination rich with local history, an airport within walking distance to town, plenty of restaurants, hiking trails, shops and a hotel. Not to mention a couple fantastic candy shops. I also heard that it was hard to find! When pilot friends knew I was planning the flight for the first-time, they'd smile knowingly and say “Columbia? Great place. Don't get lost.” We'll we did.

I blame the haze. About 30 NM outside of our destination, we were sitting on a layer of haze that reminded eerily of the twilight zone. No longer was it easy to differentiate between horizon that should have been sitting out in front of us, and the haze that seemed to be enveloping our plane. I could see the sky above, so that was good, I determined. “We just need to stick to our heading and use our instruments. After all, this area on the chart was a literal no-man's land with little ground reference anyhow,” I thought to myself.

We started to see ground, and then an airport. However, it was not Columbia. All the waterways seemed to mock us with how similar they looked to the ones we had planned to overfly. Did we actually enter the twilight zone? We figured we were North, off the chart and decided to fly for about 20 minutes  south before turning back so that we would have enough fuel to get us safely home. We had already been in the air about 1.2 hours for a route that was only to take 1 hour. After about 15 minuets, just when we were going to head westward home, I looked over my left shoulder behind me, as if saying farewell to the route we were flying. My gaze focused onto a long hard-surface runway with a grass strip intersecting the south end. There it was. We had flown passed it! Columbia.

Tracy and I both let out a “whoo” and exhaled so hard it was if the whole time we were trying to keep the plane up by mere lung power alone. After a near perfect landing, we stepped out onto ground, feeling the blood rush back into our feet. We discussed what we could have done better, but even more so, applauded our ability to stay calm in a tough situation. When flying, you're always learning something new. This was a big lesson for us both. It would have been so even if we had turned home, but it was nice to have the satisfaction of getting to our destination.

I'd like to say that the adventure started once we got to Columbia, like so many of my previous cross-country trips have started. But I guess since we were visiting a “Rush” town, it's only fitting that I should experience a whole different meaning to that description!

I plan to go back to Columbia many more times. Maybe next time to even overnight in the hotel. It's definitely a place see, whether you fly or drive. 

For more information on Columbia Airport,  or Map and Driving Directions, or Local Interests (including State Park information), click the associated links. Happy and Safe Travels!

Charting a New Course

Ever since I was a child I have wanted to be a pilot. It was a dream that seemed so fantastical but natural, I was sure one day it would happen.

In a way, much of my younger years was devoted to aviators. Many of my first pets were birds. My family was known to take in injured animals. I nursed some fledglings back to health and saw many pass on to bigger skies. My first real volunteer job was with a wildlife rehabilitation center for Pelicans. Without my own wings, I somehow found ways to support others in their journey to flight. later, I would work for the airlines in customer service, just to be close to something I always felt was like home.

After many years, and many paths, I finally earned my wings on a snow covered runway in Bluffton Ohio. I started my lessons in Oakland CA. It wasn't till I moved to Ohio, that I caught on to a culture of aviation that truly connected too -- wide open skies, family-run shops, and people with a home-grown love for aviation that surpassed just professional interest.

Now that I am back in Oakland, I miss that connection. Sure, there is a wealth of aviation history here, but most of what I come across now, can best be described of as "aviation business." For a while, this made me question just what I was looking for in aviation, and whether it was really he right place for me.

Aviation is a huge part of my life. So, I stopped searching for the right "culture" to belong. It has always been here -- in my heart.

So I'm charting a new course. This doesn't mean that I am "inventing" a new aviation culture, but rather creatively adding to ones that I feel are becoming more grounded in todays fast paced aviation world. And, then again, there may be a few inventions too.

I welcome you to join me in my adventures as I learn, explore, create, share and mend. And thank you for reading!