First Solo!

OK, it's been a long time since I posted last. Apologies to anyone following me for the lapse. I thought it would be a good time to talk about my beginnings. In my flight school search, I was looking for a school that flew airplanes that A, didn't break the bank too much, and B, were somewhat familiar to me. Since the Cessna 150 is not exactly new anymore (last one produced in 1977, see below),

The last Cessna 150 ever built, owned by C.J. Sury.

very few flight schools have them in their fleet. With my father's machine tucked away in the garage waiting to be restored, I decided the Cessna 152 was a reasonable replacement, and went looking for schools that had them. Horizon Aviation has 2. Also, they are based at TF Green Airport, which is busy enough to be considered Class C airspace. This was an added bonus because it meant in order to fly there, I would have to know how to  work the radio and other important gadgets, since I would always be talking to Air Traffic Control.  I went for an Intro Flight on December 14th, 2008, and I was sold! I began my training in earnest on January 13th, 2009. I tried to fly once a week initially, but weather in New England can be unpredictable, as anyone from the area can testify. Anyways, by mid-March, I was ready to solo! I flew up to North Central State Airport in N4900H

4900H, as photographed by Joe Roy, an instructor at Horizon.

with my instructor on March 14th, and after a couple practice takeoffs and landings, I was on my own! 3 times around the pattern later, I was certified to fly solo! My parents came to watch my solo flight and took videos from outside the airport fence.

Few things are as exciting as flying an airplane on your own for the very first time!

Side notes: The picture of the last Cessna 150 was taken from the Cessna 150-152 Club website. The man who owns it also owns the first Cessna 150! There was an article on it in the February 1997 AOPA Pilot magazine. unfortunately, the online link doesn't include the pictures from the magazine, but I promise you they were great.

The picture of 4900H was taken by Joe Roy, one of the instructors at Horizon Aviation. 

Video was taken by my father on top of his pickup truck.

How I Got Off the Ground

So, for pretty much my entire childhood, I dreamed of becoming a pilot. I would  go to airshows,

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, NY (I beleive this picture is from 2001)

build models,

Cole Palen, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's founder, signing the landing gear of my Sopwith Camel built from a Sterling kit. This was in September 1993, and I was 11. Dad took the picture.

  go for rides at places that offered them, 

Old Rhinebeck again, this time in 2005. I've grown a bit.

and the most influential part of all, flying with my dad in his Cessna 150 Aerobat.

My dad's 1974 Cessna 150 Aerobat.

I learned the controls of the airplane at around age 8, but other than that, I didn't pursue any formal flight training. I went on through elementary, middle, and high school with just the occasional flight with Dad. I went to college to become an elementary teacher, planning on starting flight training for myself after having been a teacher for a few years and having the chance to save up a bit. Well, I graduated college, and got a job as a part-time high school music teacher. Fun  job, but not much in the way of money. plus, in my third year, the community downsized our school's budget, so I was out of a job, and no closer to flying. I found another teaching job that unfortunately paid much less, so still no opportunity to save up. Finally, I got tired of waiting and checked out Horizon Aviation based out of T.F. Green airport in Rhode Island, and after taking out a Career Loan (basically another college loan), I was well on my way! I trained in Cessna 152s, which are nearly identical to the 150, and that gave me a huge advantage by already being familiar with the airplane's systems and handling characteristics.

Me and 4900H, one of Horizon's two Cessna 152s.

I began my flight training in December of 2008, and despite battling through disgusting weather canceling lessons, still managed to obtain my Private Pilot License by October 27, 2009, 2 days before my birthday! It took me a total of 53 flight hours and $7,400 to get there. Sure, now there's more debt to pay off. But I think it was worth it. I've completed a small part of my dream, and now I have a skill that i can possibly turn into a rewarding career. That, however, is another story.

Getting Started

It's been a long time since I last kept a blog of sorts. I once upon a time had a Livejournal account (to which I no longer remember my username, let alone my password) which I last posted in 2006, I believe. Since then, life has changed a lot, and I want to use this as a way to chronicle my past and see what goals I've reached, what I've accomplished and never dreamed i would, and things I'd like to do that are still just glimmers of a spark in my imagination. The title comes from one of those glimmers; anyone who reads this is not surprised by the fact that aviation is a big part of my life. One of the wild and crazy ideas I had in my younger days that I haven't quite let go of is someday owning and managing my own airfield complete with restoration shop. It would be named Flyin' Round on account of my love of antique airplanes, with a particular soft spot in my heart for the ones with those big, round radial and rotary engines.

Picture from 'Fantasy of Flight' in Polk City, FL featuring a Fokker Dr. 1,  Fokker D. VIII,
and a Short Sunderland flying boat, all with beautiful round engines.

Anyways, that dream still has a ways to go, but I haven't given up on it yet. We're supposed to dream big, aren't we?