The Olympia Pilot is Back!

After almost a year away from flying, the Olympia Pilot is back at it!

Many friends and fellow pilots told me that it's quite common for someone to suspend training due to discomfort, busy-ness in other parts of life, or for a host of other reasons. Also after I posted my "final" entry last May, several pilots left comments that the discomfort, especially with turbulence, would get better if I'd give it time and challenge myself to overcome fear and uncertainty.

I don't regret the decision I made last May to stop. Turbulence bothered me, things about the aircraft I was flying bothered me, and frankly I burned out. Those of you who know me, know that I tend to jump into things with both feet and go at full speed. I did that with flying, and after two months of intensive pushing, it wasn't fun anymore. Mix all these ingredients together, and it makes sense to me why I stopped.

But gradually the gravitational pull of aviation started to have its effects in the intervening months. Pretty much every day since May 24 I've read the Pacific Northwest Flying Blog, and through it have kept up with the adventures of other pilots in this great part of the country. I've continued reading and studying, and visiting airports. I began to grapple with the issues that led me to stop. I gained a better understanding of what causes turbulence, and I thought about staying within my limits without compromise--weather limits, challenge limits, and aircraft operational status limits. And most importantly, as I eventually made the decision to resume training, I promised myself I would take it easy, have fun, and maintain a reasonable pace.

My understanding, supportive, and loving wife got me a flight experience for my birthday in February. The purpose was just to see how I felt about flying, and to enjoy some time in the air. I took Joel to lunch and we agreed on these simple goals for the flight. The Saturday after my birthday, Joel and I went to Hoquiam (KHQM), and did some slow flight on the way back. It was a perfect day for flying--smooth air, good visibility--and I really enjoyed just going for the fun of it, with no pressure. I did almost all the flying (Joel just needed a couple of corrections here and there), and I landed once at KOLM without his input at all. I felt like I didn't lose much in the past 10 months.

Soon thereafter I broke the news to Deb that I was still hooked on flying, and wanted to resume training. Again she was very supportive and understanding. So I put things in motion, and have officially been back on track for nearly a month.

In my next post, I'll talk about my three flights since that trip with Joel to Hoquiam. But let me close this one by saying, the year off was good. It provided lots of time for reflection, and to confirm my interest and passion for aviation. I have a plan for overcoming the factors that overwhelmed me last time.

Time will tell how it all works out, but right now I'm feeling great about it. More soon!