I Can Teach You How To Fly!
Greetings all!
Summer has FLOWN by and September is moving along quickly as well. Speaking of flying, I have been very busy with all things related to aviation.
Cycling back to July, my family and I attended the annual EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For those unfamiliar, it is the largest fly-in event in the world. Or so they claim... It's a massive event nonetheless with thousands of airplanes and people coming and going throughout the course of the week. Last year, my dad, boyfriend and I attended for the last few days, so it seemed only proper to stay all 7 days this year. During those 7 days, through the thunderstorms, blistering sun, and non-stop F-22 low passes, my mom, dad and I unanimously agreed that next year we'd stick to about 4 days.
However, the less-than-ideal conditions did not stop us from enjoying ourselves and the spectacle that is Oshkosh. The airshows, education sessions and the aviation community made the event incredibly worthwhile and just plane fun :)
Here are some photos from the trip, and a video of me flying my first Oshkosh arrival! I was instructed to land on the pink/orange dot. [Context for those who are curious: Oshkosh arrivals are like no other. The influx of air traffic is unfathomable and controllers clear each plane to a designated runway AND clear us to land on a specific colored dot on the runway. It is precision landing at its finest and you would be surprised how many pilots can't do it...even though precision landings are a requirement for many flying tests. I would be lying to say I nailed my spot, but I got pretty dang close and the controller told me I did a great job, to which my dad responded, 'Thanks.' I told him he was FOUL for taking credit for my landing.]
Throughout the week, I attended many educational sessions and met some very cool people. I made some connections with a company that shall remain unnamed for the moment, but will likely transpire into an incredible job opportunity for me. However, the highlight of the week came when one of my dad's Fedex friends took me up in his TB-30 Epsilon (a French military training aircraft) to do some formation flying and aerobatics. I took some awesome photos and didn't stop smiling the rest of the day...
On our final day at Oshkosh, my mom and I ran our first 5K together! She has been a superstar runner the past few years and has always wanted to race together. I dislike running but this seemed like a cool opportunity to do a race. We had a great time and BOTH ran personal bests!
Moving along into August, I knew I needed to start working on my next certificate, Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). I had been dragging my feet on this one a little because of the sheer amount of work and dedication it would take to complete. I was also confronted with the feeling that I wasn't good enough to succeed in an instructing role and that my inability would hinder the safety of flight. Without making this a therapy session, it is safe to say that I was fighting some intense battles with myself as I began to study for one of the hardest tests in the aviation world. I was also still traveling quite a bit for racing events (which I'll cover in the Speedy Shenanigans section...), so finding quality time to study for the CFI test was hard. The culmination of these things did not help me at all. However, I knew what would: deadlines.
Being an athlete, it should be no surprise to you that I am extremely deadline-oriented. Meets don't get postponed because you aren't ready. You have to be ready no matter what. So I set some deadlines for myself knowing that that was the only way I would get this done. On top of that, I knew of a place I could go, with people I knew would help me get into my best 'shape,' both skill-wise and confidence-wise. I shipped myself back off to Southport, North Carolina, where I had recently completed my Multi-Engine training back in June.
Before I left, my checkride (big test) had been scheduled. I had about 2 weeks to be completely prepared. Deadline set. Cue the anxiety. Thankfully, I had been chipping away at the material for a few weeks at that point, but there was still a mountain of material to climb. I sat in my beautiful, newly finished basement for 8+ hours at a time, only emerging for food and occasionally a walk outside. I felt like some type of burrowing mammal and probably looked just as disheveled...
I'll save you the rest of the boringness and let you know that I arrived in Southport well-prepared but still anxious. I had about a week until my checkride and was focused on flying the required maneuvers whilst 'teaching' my instructor how to do them as if he were my student. Up until now, I have flown in the left seat because this is usually where the Pilot in Command (PIC), or the Student Pilot sits. As an instructor, though, you must learn to fly sitting in the right seat. Let me stop you right there and say, the 2 feet to the right makes a bigger difference than you'd think. Not only has your sight picture changed, but now all of your instruments, as well as your throttle, mixture and ignition are all in opposite places. Instead of flying with your left hand and right hand on the throttle, the instructor must fly with his/her right hand and adjust the throttle with his/her left. Think trying to drive stick in the U.K. Yeah.
The flying went fairly smoothly and pretty soon I was becoming used to operating in the right seat. The checkride was quickly approaching and pretty soon it was time. As I was pre-flighting the plane, ready to take it to the test, my instructor came in to let me know that my examiner had canceled on me. I wasn't really sure what to say. For context, this checkride typically takes 6-8 hours and, for that reason, it is extremely difficult to schedule. My instructor had already begun to call around to see if anyone could help me out before I had to leave for Michigan. Long story short and 2 years off of my life, my instructor worked some type of magic and got me rescheduled for the next day, which is honestly unheard of and will definitely go down in history. I pushed my flight and rental car reservations back a day and took the rest of the day off.
Now, feeling like I was ready to get it over with, I showed up to my checkride the next day. Still nervous knowing that this was probably going to be one of the hardest things I'd do for a while, I tried to relax and mentally prepare myself for the two-part test: a ground portion and a flying portion. There really is only so much you can do, and after about hour 4, I was feeling pretty beaten up. I took heart that the hardest part was over and we just had to go flying now. The flying portion went incredibly well and the examiner was impressed with my ability to teach the maneuvers I was asked.
We landed, he shook my hand and told me congratulations. I started to tear up because I was so relieved it was over and that I had accomplished something I NEVER thought I could do. The examiner asked me if I was okay and I blurted out, 'I'm just so happy it's over!' to which we both started to laugh. About that time, I opened the door of the plane to greet my instructor who was eager to hear the outcome. He saw me, crying and laughing and the examiner laughing so hard he was crying. I would have killed to know what my instructor was thinking at that moment. After all of that and after I received my CFI certificate, I packed up my stuff and headed back to the airport to get ready to leave in the morning.
I have been home for a few days now and I am already contacting flight schools near me to see if they are hiring CFIs. I am very eager to start working!
Speedy Shenanigans:
Never underestimate how much I can manage to pack into a few months. I am surprising myself at this rate.
The week after Oshkosh, Garrett and I shipped out to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in, well you guessed it, the middle of Ohio. We met up with the rest of the crew there for another fun Gridlife weekend. In the week leading up to this event, the RX-8 had been down for some fuel system modifications, just getting done in time to load it onto the trailer. Read: the first test drive of the new system would be the out-lap on the track. Also read: not ideal.
So, as I watched Garrett take off on the first lap, I was relieved to see him make it around the track. Fast forward about 1 minute and 30 seconds later, as I am expecting to see him cross the start/finish line again, he is nowhere to be found. I wait another minute. Still nothing. Hmmmmmm... About that time I see a caution flag waving and a tow truck take the track. Cue the little Mazda being towed back into the paddock and not moving under its own power. Oh boy.
Initially, the fuel system was the prime suspect. But after a quick investigation of the engine bay, another culprit appeared. Scattered about the engine bay were these white, cobweb-looking strings. All eyes went to the alternator belt which had taken the liberty to strip itself into pieces and shear some wires. Not great. But, not the fuel system. Luckily, a fellow RX-8 friend and driver had an extra belt. It got swapped in and Garrett was good to go! Thankfully, no other issues arose during the weekend.
As always, it was a blast and many good times were had. Karaoke was a big hit on Saturday night. So big, I don't have any pictures. Here are the two photos I managed to take over the course of the weekend.
Next up was a big one. We were traveling and towing the car to Limerock Park in Connecticut, which was about an 10.5-hour drive. This was a new track for most all of us and it was set to be a great weekend. Additionally, I had never been to Connecticut, probably because there aren't many swim meets there. The park is set in a beautiful valley with the Appalachian mountains surrounding it. Just the setting itself was worth the trip.
It was so exciting to watch Garrett cut down time in almost every session as he was figuring out the track. Although I wasn't able to ride along with him, I did manage to get myself in a drift car, which was something I had been trying to do for a while. Not every Gridlife event includes drifting sessions, but this one did. WOW, is the only thing I can say. The video doesn't do it justice but it's still awesome. Take a look...
The weather cooperated well and it was just a brilliant time. Sunsets were plentiful, friends were many and karokoe was a hit (again)...turns out the 'I can't sing in front of people' mentality goes away after a few drinks with friends.
Here are some photos from the weekend...
Race season is coming to a close with no more scheduled events on the horizon for the year. It was a little bittersweet for me, as I anticipate my work schedule next year may not allow for such flexibility as I have had the past two years. However, I do plan on starting work on my own race car at some point this winter (hint: it's not the WRX).
Recipe Roulette:
Whew. All of that reading requires some good eats. Take a snack break and enjoy these Everything Pepper Boats!
Everything Pepper Boats
Assortment of bell peppers
Cream Cheese (Original and Chive & Onion are great options)
Everything Bagel seasoning
Lunch meat or shredded turkey/beef/chicken
Directions:
Slice your peppers into 3 - 4 'boats'
Scoop a tablespoon of cream cheese into the crevasse.
Season with Everything Bagel seasoning.
Place your meat toppings!
As always, thank you for reading. With the CFI now under my belt, I am sure to have some exciting flying updates to share soon.
Cheers!
Olivia Carter
