I’m Gonna Be A Pilot
So this is my first aviation training blog. I’ve been waiting years to officially pull the trigger on starting this life changing event. My wife and I agreed to complete a number of milestones first before aviation. We’ve checked them all off the list and so here I am, ready and excited.
Background: I first became interested in aviation in 2016 when a private pilot friend of mine shared some details with me about how aviation is accessible to everyone, not just the rich. I never had much interest in aviation before then, but then again, I never had any other individuals in my life involved in aviation. This was eye opening to me. It wasn’t too long there after (probably in the order of hours) that I took my first discovery flight out of Martin State (KMTN). This was thrilling (as I supposed most individuals would think) and I was now even more interested.
I did my research. I wanted to be frugal with the cost of flight training, but most importantly, be as safe and proficient of a pilot as possible. Part of my research revealed just how significant of a time commitment it is to learn to fly. At that time in my life, sadly, I just couldn’t responsibly commit to the training thanks to my own schedule. Fortunately, finances never seemed to be a cause of delay.
Over the years, I thought the time was getting close to pulling the trigger, but alas, another priority became evident. I wanted to stay involved as much as possible, so I built a flight simulator, purchased online training (with a lifetime subscription), purchased as much equipment as I could foresee would be needed, listen to podcasts, and got involved in online groups.
The ground school I’ve chosen is Sporty’s Learn to Fly course. It’s completely online and web based. Over the years, I’ve gotten about halfway through the entire course, but I knew all along that it wasn’t my time to dive in completely. Now I must restart from the very beginning and take it seriously.
As for flight training, I live about 1/2 mile from Clearview Airport (K2W2), which is very convenient (and also something I secretly planned when shopping for the home we live in now). I’ve met with their primary flight instructor, talked through the in’s and out’s of my plan. At this point, I’m a member of the Clearview Flying Club, but only as a “Social Member” and not a “Flying Member”. The club bylaws only allow a maximum number of flying members, which they are currently at capacity. My involvement with the club right now is such that I’m getting involved with helping the club and also awaiting an open flying member position. So, I’ll complete my ground school now.
My goal as a (future) pilot is to enjoy aviation as a fun hobby, maybe generate some new skills I can use during retirement, like become a flight instructor, and to be safe and have fun. I have no expectation or ambitions to replace my career as a systems engineer to become a pilot, however, I wouldn’t be opposed to aligning my everyday engineering work more closely with aviation.
The title of this blog is the sign-off phrase used by Bill Williams, author of the Student Pilot Cast, a podcast about his own flight training. I’ve spent countless hours listening to Bill’s podcast, his in-flight cockpit audio, and reflected that on my own future training. Bill – thank you for you great content!
