Shame on you Dr. Ishihara!

I go tomorrow for a flight physical. I have been getting flight physicals with the same doctor since I was 15 years old. My old Doctor retired. The new doctor gives the Ishihara test for color blindness. I am a marginal red-green deficient person and Ishihara plates are the worst possible test for me. This Sucks! I've not been sleeping well for the last month or so because I'm worried about all of this. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If I don't pass then night flying will not be allowable for me until I can somehow circumnavigate the FAA in this matter. I love flying a night. The stars are very brilliant and the cities can sometimes be seen for sixty miles or more especially on cold winter nights. PS. Dr. Ishihara may shame fall on you for inventing this dreadful test. You have singling out us poor deuternopes and making fun of us for years. Shame on you!

A Big Day For Me

Howdy! One of these days I'll let you all know how I got the nickname of "Boyhowdy" which has over the years been shortened to Howdy. Well yesterday I made my solo cross country in a helicopter. I can sum it up in three words, Thunderstorms, Thunderstorms and more Thunderstorms. The shortest distance between two points was definitely not a straight line yesterday. The storms were scattered all over the Midwest and I am convinced if you had to fly anywhere that you would have to deviate. I still had a good trip and built a lot of confidence in the process. I didn't get any pictures of the event cause...Well...I was solo and you just don't let go in a helicopter like you do in an airplane. I'm so completely stoked!

Thanks for the Comment!

First of all I must say thanks for the very first comment to my blog. This means that someone has actually looked at my blog and identified with what they saw. Way Cool! In regard to Sabik's comment I would like to say that at least I know I'm not alone with the whole Pilot vs. Height Phobia thing and must also admit that I'm a bit jealous because Sabik can actually get to the third rung of the ladder. I enjoy the view from a lofty perch but there has to be the feeling of absolute security or I'll freak. Last year the family and I went on our annual fall foliage drive and came across a fire tower that I attempted to climb. Four flights up, right at the tree line, My legs froze and I had to carefully make my way back down. My legs were so tensed up that they hurt for the next four days. Cristy will not let me live it down.

Major Time Building

Today was a big day in my life. I got to solo a helicopter this morning. First I looked over the logbook to see if there were any problems there. I looked at the status sheet to see if any inspections or components were coming due. I performed a complete preflight. Documented the preflight. I Started the helicopter and ran it up. I then picked it up and flew all the way to my destination...across the airfield. That's right .1 hrs. total...Six minutes baby.

Another First

This is Josh's first day of kindergarten. He is a little apprehensive. Mom is a nervous wreck. I know he'll be O.K. but I'm not so sure about Cristy. We are fortunate that Cristy can be a Stay at Home Mom, but separation anxiety is at a maximum.

Facing My Fears

I have a phobia of heights, which is extremely weird, considering I'm a pilot and all. Look up the word weird and my picture will be there. Me and Hannah road this huge Ferris wheel this weekend. Hannah seems to fear nothing which I think goes with the territory of being three years old. I on the other hand was clutching the pole in the center of the compartment with all my might, which is an indication that I may be a wus. But Hey! I'm O.K. with being terrified with something that a three year old little girl does without any fear.

Self Portrait

My life hasn't been very interesting lately, so when that happens I go through my archives to find something to post. Today the posting is a self portrait from my moonlight collection. I know, I make it sound as though I am a serious photographer, but that is a fallacy. I have always had the ability to take something of little significance and describe it as something grand. Some people call that the gift of gab while others describe me as being full of bovine poo. I think the latter of the two is right on the mark. Notice that this image is composed with me being in silhouette to the moon causing a lack of detail on the subject (me). Trust me, that lack of detail is for your benefit.

More Memories

My world has been very hectic lately. I was out of the office all day on Friday but as a result I was able to get my helicopter solo endorsement renewed...way cool. I got to fly into the Thayer airport Friday night. I haven't flown in there for several years. Thayer is were I took all my primary flight training and soloed back when I was 15 going on 16. It's funny how something as simple as flying into an old airport can bring back so many memories. Then something very ironic happened which really took me back. My mom picked me up at the airport but this time it was different because, I am now 32, and also because my son was with her. When I started flying I couldn't drive myself so mom would drive me to the airport and then pick me up after the lesson. My friends back then always said that I was doing some pretty cool stuff for a 15 year old but I didn't realize it because flying airplanes was ordinary for me. As I look back at it Mom and Dad must have had nerves of steel. I'll never forget when Dad and Me were looking at an airplane he had just bought when he tossed me the extra key and said here put this on your key chain. A couple of years later he traded one of the airplanes for a Corvette...He didn't let me have the extra key. I still haven't figured that out.

Chip off the Old Block

When I was seven years old my dad took me to the airport with him. Dad asked me if I wanted to put the inspections panels back on the airplane he was working on at the time. I said yes and my interest in airplanes and aviation was sparked. I had already been exposed to airplanes when dad was building the airplane in the basement but when I actually started working on them I was completely hooked. Yesterday I took Josh to the airport with me and asked him If he would like to put the inspection panels back on the airplane I was working on. He said yes. It was just like I had stepped into a time machine. Up to this point I didn't understand how dad could stand by an let me work on an airplane with all the worries of messing something up or breaking a very expensive part in the learning process. I now understand that it worth the risk to pass something that I love to my son. When I was putting the panels back on my first airpane I felt ten feet tall but now I realize the dad felt twenty feet tall.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Are you wondering why the exposure is a little dark? There is a real good reason. I took this a midnight last night. The moon was especially full and bright and I was feeling like messing with some timed exposures. Fuji S7000 400 ISO 15 Sec.

One Potato, Two Potato....

Josh and his Grandma dug the potatoes they planted in our back yard in the early spring. His mind went to work thinking of the way these two very special potatoes would be cooked. It's nice to be able to watch a child as they discover something absolutely amazing to them. Some children grow up and never get to experience something as simple as growing a potato and as I think about it I realize that we are indeed fortunate to be able to spend time with our children in happiness. Two potatoes from the grocery store, $0.50...A child making a lifelong discovery, priceless.