In the distance turboprops drone….
What have I been doing to move my life in aviation forward in the past two weeks? Adding thrust? I’d say, keeping to the course.
I’ve been handling the logistics of the mid-March Women in Aviation Conference, only a month-and-a-half away. I found a cute and affordable VRBO a 2 mile bus ride from the conference center and a roundtrip flight from Reno to Long Beach at a reasonable price. I also reached out to the conference organizers about getting an invite to the newbies coffee hour as well as getting on the minute mentor meetup waitlist. This is beginning to feel so real, so possible, and I am not even feeling the vibes of being surrounded by women aviation enthusiasts yet.
To prepare what questions I want to ask a potential mentor or conference boother, I have a “serious talk about a career in aviation” with a pilot friend who has been flying commercially for 15 years. Going into the conversation my palms were sweating, but what he had to say was very helpful. He gave me time frames and essentials to setting myself up for success, such as securing funds to finish flight school before I begin. We talked used pilot gear and how often to fly. We talked about a pilot’s lifestyle, from traveling and being away from home on holidays and birthdays to the living near a company hub or major airport. It felt good to hear that at 42 he thought I still had time for a aviation career. In the end, I hung up the phone, but not my ambitions.
I immediately followed one bit of advice and joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Founded in 1939, the AOPA advocates for the aviation community, offers flying resources such as trip planning, pilot gear and flight publications, and membership includes legal counsel when you need it, among many other things. Did I mention that my pilot friend also mentioned getting a life insurance policy specifically for pilots? Reality, baby. Okay, for now, I am postponing that particular reality.
As it is, without an hour of flight time to my name, I am a member of Women in Aviation International (WAI) and AOPA, and it feels so right. I am investing in my future and also getting a cool hat and informative aviation magazines to boot, with pictures of airplanes for me to ogle.
In the meantime, I have made it to page 87 and chapter 3 “Airplane and aerospace structures” in Van Sickle’s Modern Airmanship. I am learning to draw planes that look less like sharks and more like, well, planes. My seven year-old daughter says they're good. As I have heard Bette Midler quoted as saying, “I have my standards. They’re low, but I have them.” That is only true for me for drawing planes, but, obviously, not flying them.
Back to flight training videos on YouTube!
(Originally published 2/8/19 by author on her blog The Passage.)