Enrolling in flight school was a wonderful idea. I sat through three hours of flight school tonight despite a runny nose and being sleep deprived, and I can't wait for the next class. I was sad that I have to wait a week for the textbook to arrive--I wanted to start reading all about how to fly.
The instructor reminds me of a gentler version of Chris Farley's "...in a van, down by the river.." character. He had me cracking up during the whole class. What a treat to have a funny instructor! It inspired me to be a bit more lively when I teach, just like the good old days when I used to possess a soul for teaching. Thousands of students (literally) later, and my soul has been sucked dry.
I think I was the only one taking notes furiously. I'm a nerd, so this is expected. I was rather proud of myself for taking 5 pages worth, complete with short notes in the margins, dates, page numbers, and a list of the handouts I received. Yep, I am anal retentive. That's what got me through school in the first place.
The instructor told me that no one has ever asked him the types of questions I posed: "Is the FAA single engine pilot's certificate good in all states?," and "Will we learn how to predict weather conditions using temperature and air pressure readings?"
He laughed in a convivial manner, meaning he wasn't trying to be a dick, and said to me and the class, "That's what the instruments and GPS are for."
To this I replied, "But what if I am in a region where I cannot get GPS readings or I don't get an internet connection?"
"Then you don't fly there."
"But what if I find myself in a region where I cannot connect to the outside world?"
"You mean, what if you were, say, in the Sahara desert and a camel stepped on your laptop?"
"Well, I WAS in the Sahara last month and I can tell you that internet is spotty out there."
That stopped him in his tracks. (I am not making this up...too funny).
During our break he pulled me aside and asked me what I planned on doing with my pilot's license.
"I was thinking of flying to remote areas to do disaster relief missions."
"Okay then, well, I'll teach you how to read the weather by sight. That's a normal part of the training."
"But what if it's dark...?"
"Then you don't fly."
"But what if I need to do an emergency evacuation?"
He realized he's going to have his hands full with me, and I realized I'm going to have to teach myself a bunch of things on my own since I do expect to find adventure when I fly.
So with that, I end my report on the first day of flight school.
The instructor reminds me of a gentler version of Chris Farley's "...in a van, down by the river.." character. He had me cracking up during the whole class. What a treat to have a funny instructor! It inspired me to be a bit more lively when I teach, just like the good old days when I used to possess a soul for teaching. Thousands of students (literally) later, and my soul has been sucked dry.
I think I was the only one taking notes furiously. I'm a nerd, so this is expected. I was rather proud of myself for taking 5 pages worth, complete with short notes in the margins, dates, page numbers, and a list of the handouts I received. Yep, I am anal retentive. That's what got me through school in the first place.
The instructor told me that no one has ever asked him the types of questions I posed: "Is the FAA single engine pilot's certificate good in all states?," and "Will we learn how to predict weather conditions using temperature and air pressure readings?"
He laughed in a convivial manner, meaning he wasn't trying to be a dick, and said to me and the class, "That's what the instruments and GPS are for."
To this I replied, "But what if I am in a region where I cannot get GPS readings or I don't get an internet connection?"
"Then you don't fly there."
"But what if I find myself in a region where I cannot connect to the outside world?"
"You mean, what if you were, say, in the Sahara desert and a camel stepped on your laptop?"
"Well, I WAS in the Sahara last month and I can tell you that internet is spotty out there."
That stopped him in his tracks. (I am not making this up...too funny).
During our break he pulled me aside and asked me what I planned on doing with my pilot's license.
"I was thinking of flying to remote areas to do disaster relief missions."
"Okay then, well, I'll teach you how to read the weather by sight. That's a normal part of the training."
"But what if it's dark...?"
"Then you don't fly."
"But what if I need to do an emergency evacuation?"
He realized he's going to have his hands full with me, and I realized I'm going to have to teach myself a bunch of things on my own since I do expect to find adventure when I fly.
So with that, I end my report on the first day of flight school.
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Good luck with flight school... although it sounds like luck will not need any factoring in.