This Runner is Flying!

No really, literally, I am flying! 

So, I finally listened to my husband, who has been telling me to do this for the past 20 years, and started flying again, more about that in a minute. 

Rewind... it has always been a dream of mine to get my private pilots license (PPL). I'm not sure when or why the flying bug bit me, but I just have always wanted to fly. When I was young I thought the only thing a pilot did was fly for the big airlines, so that was my dream. 

When I was 15, for Christmas my parents gave me ten-hours of flight lessons at the Glendale Airport in Arizona. My instructor was amazing and said we would prepare me to solo in that time. I did solo in just under 10-hours, the day after my 16th birthday. I was in love, not only with flying but my instructor too. ;)

He went on to fly for an airline and I moved on to a new instructor. The new instructor and I did not see things the same way. I didn't understand him and where he was coming from. His teaching style and my learning style just didn't click. Shortly after getting the new instructor my mother had a health issue that stopped my flying. I missed going to the airport, I missed flying, but dreamt of returning one day. 

Fast forward a few years... I married into a hot air ballooning family. What fun! Ballooning has been a great environment to raise our kids, and the side benefit of crewing you can take lessons too! I did take lessons and was close to soloing but a life insurance thing conspired against me.  

Fast forward again... brings us to November 2011, the Saturday after Thanksgiving and my first flying lesson, again.  This time I am at the Chandler Airport still in Arizona, flying with Chandler Air Service. 

It was very surreal to be back in the cockpit and the right seat. My instructor this time is a very nice young man (gee I feel SO old).  I've been away from it for so long I'm starting over, and now that I'm older and  *cough, cough* wiser, I think I know too much of what can go wrong. However, we are working on that and I think I'm getting better. 

The goal is to get my PPL then work my way to my CFI (certified flight instructor).  Between the PPL and the CFI I hope to get involved with several different groups that help out around our state. For example, there is a group that transports people and/or medical supplies and a group the relocates homeless animals that are being adopted. Besides that it's fun to fly to different airports and meet up with other aviation enthusiasts and have breakfast!

Tailwinds and Blue Skies...