Friday, September 19, 2014
Flying school
The feeling you get, the ecstatic feel when the plane lifts off the ground. the clouds, the sun abeam your horizon. the buildings, becoming all so small, and the cars become tiny ants, moving around what looks like an organized track around a piece of land. and when you are approaching to land, that nostalgic sense of satisfaction. of putting the aircraft on the centreline of the runway, the steady approach. the confidence to tell yourself it is safe to land. the flare, the constant adjustment to keep your plane straight and smooth. and when the wheels land. softly, that's a perfect day.
ever since I started flying, each flight is something I looked forward to, being prepared, reading up notes and studying some theories about aerodynamics. this feels nothing less to awesome. even now, I have been reading the A320 flight manual, just to get prepared for the next stage of Sims training during the UK phase.
Well, I did my first solo two weeks ago, felt a great sense of achievement when I managed to land it smoothly and dead on centre. probably an experience I will never forget. especially Mr Thomas Bartells, the B cat who made my life hell during the solo check, which I felt was a good wakeup call that I am never good enough, that I must work harder to correct my flaws. don't be complacent, be firm, be confident. but never complacent into thinking you are good enough. I am glad he had a go at me for all the flaws I had, something which Hamish would not do, probably because he is too nice of an instructor, or maybe it is because the Airforce mentality of instructors being mean and nasty is still in me. But that should be the case, isn't it? pilots should be able to handle stress and to learn from mistakes, not "it is ok, don't worry. " I would rather have an instructor pinpointing all my flaws and have a go at me, that makes me want to strive harder, and be a better pilot.
for now, I just hope, my medical renewal, which is in the end of the year, will go smoothly. I haven't been sleeping well ever since that day when the doctor told me I failed. Let alone this medical needs to be done every year for renewal. I guess, I will not have a peaceful rest until I get my first renewal and see what I am up against. But before worrying about things I cant control. I am doing all I can to get things I can control all in the right order.
7:39 AM