Montana Spring Goose Migration
The goose migration to Freezout Lake has always captured my attention, so when the weather cleared I figured it was a good time to head on over to Choteau, Montana and check it off my bucket list. The flight from Missoula to Choteau is quite spectacular crossing the Continental Divide over Bob Marshall wilderness area. Here is a photo of the back-country paved strip Benchmark, tough to spot but it is just off the tip of the wing.
Once you cross the Continental Divide land flattens out for miles and miles. This is where thousands of snow geese take a break on their long journey north every year. The proceeds from gun and ammunition sales provide funding to help manage this waterfowl area.
Can you spot the geese? What looks like a sheet of ice from the air is actually thousands of snow geese.
Freezout Lake pictured from the air. The farmland around Freezout provides geese with grain and nutrients for the rest of their journey north.
Grain silos outside Choteau
Trumpeters swans on Freezout Lake with the Rocky Mountain Front in the backdrop
Choteau airport is a pilot’s dream. They have two paved and maintained runways, fuel, and a courtesy car you can borrow to get you to town for some home-made pie. They even let us take the car all the way down to Freezout Lake to make friends with some geese. The nice flat farm land surrounding the airport is also a welcoming change of scenery as an optional landing spot in the rare case of an engine out.
We enjoyed a beautiful day spotting Snow Geese and hanging out with the laid back small-town folks of Choteau and were ready to head back home to Missoula. The early spring sun provided a beautiful spot light on the landscape as we departed Choteau airport. We said goodbye to all the geese flying north, and continued our route west for the evening.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of Montana from the air as much as I did.
Flying around Montana provides some amazing views and access to backcountry terrain seen by few. Check back for more Montana adventures from the air.
Scouting For Morel Mushrooms From The Air
One of the most interesting aspects of being a private pilot is meeting new people through aviation. And you just never know who will end up on your doorstep. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I had the lovely experience of meeting Western Montana Mycological Association guru Larry Evans. If you are anything like me, the word mycologic isn’t in your vocabulary. For the layman, it means Larry loves mushrooms. He is one of Montana’s most active and knowledgable mushroom guys around.
We met Larry through a mutual friend and he was interested in taking a plane ride over the burn areas in Southern Montana to scout out potential morel mushroom growth this spring. Morel mushrooms are like fungal gold in Montana. Larry is one of the best people to know if you want help figuring out where to find morels. He was excited to get an aerial view of the landscape so when he asked us to take him up, we were more than happy to oblige.
Above is an aerial photo over the Bitterroot mountains taken on the flight.
The image above is a rough outline of the flight path with Larry.
The following is Larry Evans full Morel report which can be found at WMMA website here.
Montana Morel Report
This year I was able to fly over the burns, as well as my usual drive-by ground truthing of the aftermath of the fires of the long hot post summer of 2012. With over 300,000 acres burned in our local region, western Montana and Idaho were not unique last year. California, Oregon, and Washington all sustained equally hot and dry fire seasons, and the results will be weighed in this spring.
Generally, the forest burned too hot. I saw slopes that were totally decimated of trees, and broad swaths of moonscape over the Bitterroots. Still, with such a large area burned, there is bound to be some good habitat out there.
We should have a pretty good early season if the weather stays cool, many places the snow is still blocking access, and this will probably continue for another couple of weeks or a month at least, check your snotel readings. I expect the end of May is looking pretty good still. We have certainly had cool snaps then, and I remember more than one Memorial Day Hunt dampened by snow.
Feedback about our morel hunt offerings has told us one thing about our membership, which we suspected: nobody cares about staying in a motel, or eating a gourmet dinner. You just want to get out in the field! So, we have CHANGED our approach, to try to best reflect the interests of our members! We won’t be sponsoring any dinners or package tours.
Starting on Memorial Day, we will be taking people out to hunt for morels twice a week, on Saturday and Tuesdays, starting in the mornings at 9am. We will announce the location of carpooling locations in Missoula on the website here ahead of time. Suggested donation is $20 for nonmembers; Check out the many ways to become a WMMA member and get free gifts on our Membership Page.
Our annual Memorial Day Morel Hunt will be held in the Missoula area. Hope to see you there!
Stillwater Splash-in
Stillwater Splash-in 2012
A seaplane rating for pilots is a bragging rite of passage. If you hold an endorsement to fly a plane onto water it trumps all landlubbing pilots. No matter the age, experience, or caliber of aircraft flown, nothing beats the freedom of being able to fly over a body of water and just point. There, I want to land there. And then you do.
“There” has a name. It’s Stillwater Landing, a small lake in northwest Montana and every other year seaplane pilots near and far gather for a weekend of airplane camping, live music, and flying fables. This gathering deemed “Stillwater Spash-in” has been taking place since the inaugural get-together in 1994.
Meet the host, Bill Montgomery. The man behind the curtain of this great event happens to be the most down to earth, generous, fun-loving music and aircraft enthusiast around.
Since the sixties Montgomery has been enjoying his little piece of Montana heaven on the shores of Stillwater just west of Whitefish. And like any true Montanan, no piece of the Last Best Place can be truly enjoyed without sharing the tranquil beauty of our borders with others. Well, Montgomery goes above and beyond the hospitality of your average Montanan, or even fellow pilot for that matter. Every two years, and a few events in between, he opens his 40 plus acres of land, twelve of which are shore front, to pilots, musicians, neighbors, and heck anyone just driving or flying by, to camp out and enjoy quality live music on his property.
It is apparent from the first view of his hangar, custom log outdoor stage with sound system, and floatplane campsites that line the water on his property; this place was built for gathering.
Being a pilot does come with some downsides, one being that pesky God complex. So of course when we flew into Stillwater it wasn’t hard to fathom Montgomery invited talented musicians just to entertain us pilots for the weekend.
But then I started talking to some of the artists. Montomery always draws sparkling high-caliber talent to his property; it seems his passions between music and aviation run equal. He has built not only an empire for seaplanes, but castle for musicians alike. The soundstage at Stillwater is envied for the open-air stage, grassy stadium seating, and quality sound-recording equipment.
So, as much as us big-headed pilots think the musicians came for us, they have just as much street cred to know that any planes flying in may just have shown up for the music. That my fellow pilots, musicians, friends, neighbors is the beauty of Stillwater Landings. We are all drawn together to enjoy the good life. Thank you Bill for all the great memories! Looking forward to many more.
Please enjoy our video and photos from the weekend. Hope to see you next time!
Our airplane a 1975 LA4-200 Lake Buccaneer.
Mission Mountains on our way up to Stillwater.
Falls in the Missions.
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We found a big brother to our Lake Buccaneer.
Outdoor stadium seating perfect for twilight picnic.
Pancake breakfast.
Two Parks, One Challenge
Keep Em Flying Challenge
When Airplane Owners and Pilots Association president Craig Fuller presented a challenge to members four months ago my ears perked up; I’m not one to turn down a challenge. The challenge? Pilots need only fly as pilot in command for five hours to five airports located at least 50 miles apart—in any kind of aircraft—and take any Air Safety Institute online safety course in the next four months.
“There are many ways for AOPA members to make a difference, including this challenge,” said AOPA President Craig Fuller. “The more people who fly, and do their part to help others discover the value of general aviation, the easier it will be to ‘Keep ‘em Flying’ for generations to come.”
Any pilots willing to step up are offered an entry into a drawing for a pool of cash prizes. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you I am more than enthusiastic about sharing my new-found love of aviation. I’m pretty sure most of them actually want me to shut up already. So if AOPA is willing to pay me to keep flying and keep talking, I accept.
FIRST AIRPORT: Glacier International: KGPI
We departed Missoula and headed north. This was my first flight as pilot in command of our beloved Cessna Skylane after receiving my high performance endorsement. A big thanks to our airplane partner and bestest CFI Steve!
On the way up we had a great view of Kerr Dan, a concrete gravity-arch dam located on the Flathead River which controls the size of Flathead Lake, the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi. In the spring all the gates in the dam open up to control spring run off.
Passed the majestic Mission range in the Flathead Valley.
KGPI is only a few miles from my mom’s house and it was only a few days before Mother’s Day, what a great opportunity to take her up for the first time! Glacier International Park is her backyard playground. It is where she spends long sweet summer days exploring its peaks, and escaping on skis for some blustery winter solitude. We took a scenic tour over the park; it was satisfying to see her beaming as she pointed out all the peaks she has climbed.
We spotted Ryan Field, a private airstrip on the outskirts of Glacier Park.
http://theraf.org/ryan-field-pilot-info
We could see plows working to clear the road through Glacier from the air.
This picture was taken from Glacier np Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps/7221783166/sizes/m/in/set-72157629725011599/
We got a great view of the Seeley-Swan mountain range while enroute back to the airport. You can see Hungry Horse reservoir in the background.
SECOND AIRPORT: KMSO
SSFF to KMSO 129nm 1.4 hours flight time
I have been feeling the need to repay my CFI Steve since the ink dried on my high-performance endorsement, so when he asked for a ride back to Missoula from Felts Field near Spokane, the answer was clear. He shares ownership of our 182, so I felt honored when he let me be pilot in command. I also hit 100 hours flight time in my logbook on this flight!
Our flight path took us over the craggy Cabinet Mountain range.
Approach to KSFF
Departing Felts Field
Back home!
Here is a view from the left downwind for runway 29. It is one of my all-time favorite views. Missoula is where I completed all my flight training and any time I fly back from a cross-country the familiarity of KMSO pattern eases my travel woes. I spent a lot of time hating this pattern and have ended a few flights in tears while training, but after so many hours getting to know this airport I now condiser it an old friend. Whether it is straight in for runway 11 or left downwind 29, the sight of Missoula’s landmark Mount Jumbo and Mount Sentinel, and the river that runs between them means the end of a journey and the comfort of home.
THIRD AIRPORT: Boeing Field KBFI
Some flights are inspired by good weather. I woke up, looked out the window, then called in sick. I wasn’t necessarily sick per say, but the weather was urban dictionary “sick” and I was ready to fly somewhere. Anywhere. Seattle has been on my bucket list since I heard about Boeing Field and all the lovely FBO’s willing and ready to help make your weekend a dream. Seattle is also just far enough away to make it a royal pain in the butt to drive for just the weekend, but a nice 3 hour leasurely flight in a small aircraft. We called up some friends who were really good sports about letting us crash at their house last minute, then we fueled up and pointed her west.
On final for 31L at Boeing Field
After landing, Aeroflight let us use thier courtesy car to get into the city where we enjoyed checking out the Pike market and eating fish & chips at Ivars Fish Bar.
We picked up our friends and took a scenic flight out to the San Juan Islands. This is a view of downtown Seattle from the air.
Most islands in the San Juan’s have an airstrip or airport. We opted to land at Friday Harbor.
Midfield crossing over Friday Harbor’s airport. You can just barely see another airplane has just landed at the bottom of this photo.
“Friday Harbor traffic, Skylane 7557 Sierra turning a right base for runway 16, Friday Harbor.”
Walked into town and enjoyed some oysters on the Harbor. Now that’s a $100 hamburger if I have ever seen one!
After departing Seattle we had a great aerial view of Snoqualmie Falls just outside the city.
FOURTH FLIGHT: Morgan County Airport 42U
My dad invited me down to Utah to enjoy a Utah Symphony concert in Park City featuring the band Kansas. How could I say no? A little time with family, a little Kansas, a picnic on a resort lawn? Does Morgan have an airstrip? We can all see how this story ends. I carried my wayward self on down there in my 182.
Here is a screen shot of our flight path south. Can you tell where we are?
Showers over Idaho.
Reservoir near approach to Morgan County Airport.
Snow Basin ski area, a good reporting point when navigating to Morgan.
Me and my dad with Park City in the background.
Outdoor concert venue for the Symphony. Not too shabby.
FIFTH AIRPORT: West Yellowstone WYS
On the way back from Utah we had to dodge some rainshowers and decided a stop in West Yellowstone was in order. I have heard good things about the airport, like courtesy bikes, pilot campground, nice restaurant. They were all true. If you ever have a chance to fly into West Yellowstone…DO IT! POTUS Obama landed there with his family in 2008. If WYS is good enough for airforce one, its good enough for me.
On final at WYS
The campground for pilots was impressive! Clean, spacious, private, and they even have showers!
Took a two mile ride to the town of West Yellowstone on the courtesy bikes!
Enjoyed an order of “Rocky Mounain Oysters” at the airport. I love that they had them on the menu, clearly for the tourists. It’s a Montana thing. Yes, they are bulls balls. Yes, they taste like chicken. Yes, I lost a bet.
Upon departure we built up some altitude and took a scenic loop around Yellowstone National Park.
The view of Grand Prismatic Spring from the air is breathtaking. This is one of Yellowstone’s iconic landmarks.
And here is a view of Yellowstone Falls. Spectacular!
This is the area referred to as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
From Yellowstone to Missoula we flew over the Berkely Pitt in Butte, Montana.
The city of Butte from the air.
Thanks for the inspiration AOPA! It’s been fun.
First Passenger…Ignorance is Bliss
I was driving my best friend Melissa to the airport headed for yet another monumental milestone in flight training: first passenger. We were just about to the parking lot of my FBO when she pointed out a cool airplane stopped on the tarmac. Naturally I turned my head to check it out, and took my car straight off the road. After a sharp swerve that brought us abruptly back onto the asphalt, I sheepishly looked over at her and said, “Are you sure you still want to go up in an airplane with me at the controls?”
Fortunately I am a better at flying an airplane than I am at driving a car. And due to the fact that I carpool to work, I have spent at least twenty times more hours in the left seat of an airplane than a car since starting flight training. I am also lucky to have a friend that is an up-for-anything adventure hound who will let you know she’s having fun by flashing a full-toothed smile I’ve deemed the “perma-grin”. I looked over in her direction. Perma-grin was on. Flight was a go.
The most surprising part of the flight was how relaxed my passenger was, and how relaxed I wasn’t. She had her seat scooted all the way back and was casually snapping photos; I was nervously chomping away at my gum and sweating bullets like a bookie. This was the first time someone else in the airplane wasn’t interested in fighting me for controls or shadowing my rudder input. That’s when I realized that another person’s life was completely in my hands. It was up to me to follow the careful training and strict regimen my instructor taught me and his instructor before him, all the way back to the first flight schools developed a little over one hundred years ago.
Our flight was just under two hours and consisted of a short familiar route north with a stop in Ronan. I realized Melissa’s headset wasn’t working very well when I told her that I wanted to land in Ronan and check out this cool barn. When I reached the end of the taxi-way where the barn sits and pointed to the historic landmark she had a puzzled look on her face, then said, “Oh, BARN! I thought you said you had a cool BAR you wanted me to check out…I was kinda wondering about that.”
That’s right Melissa, Montana may have its fair share of cool back-road bars, but its eight hours between bottle & throttle, not eight inches! Once again Mel proved to just go with the flow and let me be in control of her fate, even when she thought I was taking her bar hopping on our flight!
Her blind trust and calm demeanor made me recall my first flight as a laissez faire passenger in a Cessna 172 right after my husband Travis got his private pilot license. I must say, if I knew then what I know now that flight wouldn’t have happened the way it did. I tracked down a post he put up in a student pilot forum right after our flight. I also blogged about the flight and posted all the fantastic pictures I took on the trip which you can read here. I remember everything being so adventurous and thrilling I wasn’t asking concerning questions like, “Where would we land in the middle of the Continental Divide at night if we had engine failure?” That is a question that might cross my mind now as a pilot, and likely make me convince my extremely competent, but less conservative husband to bend from the direct-to route. Here is his post from my flight as first passenger:
I finally took the wife up on our first trip to a small town 150 k miles away. KMSO –> 79S
We took off at 9:30 am and started out over the Rocky Mountains on a direct route. I have not spent much time flying a long leg over mountains so it was a little nerve racking being over them for a good 45 minutes until we hit the flat lands on the other side. But I have to say it was an amazing sight and the air was amazingly smooth with not even the slightest bump in the sky!
Over all the flight over was uneventful, just beautiful views and smooth air. I located the little airstrip in Fort Benton and tried calling to get the automated weather but all I got was static, for some reason I could not get the weather on the radio or the cell phone?? So thats fine because the ATIS for a nearby airport had calm winds, so there should not be a huge difference 30 miles down the road right? Well I did a fly over to double check the sock and noticed a pretty stiff direct cross wind to the only paved runway, thats fine, I can handle 10-15 knot x winds. Well on final I knew this was going to be interesting because the wind was gusting pretty bad and I already had full rudder input and still could not get straighten out all the way. I figured I would float it in and make a go around decision if I was not comfortable. Every thing looked good on short final with just a little extra speed for the gust factor so I set her down. Well the upwind wheel hit first but quickly after the other side settle down and the winds tried pushing me off the side of the runway! I got on the brakes and got it straighten out and noticed that my wife was filming the whole thing and she didn’t seem to think it was too bad, thats good because my palms were sure sweating. Anyways I walked in the unmanned airport office and noticed the weather station and saw that the winds were in-fact 20g25 kts direct x winds!
Anyways, we had a great day exploring this historic little town and did not end up heading back to the airport (in the courteous loaner car) until just before sunset. I kind of wanted to do the flight back in the daylight but on the other hand I wanted the wind to die down a bit. So we took off just as the sun was setting and had the best seats in the house as we climbed up to altitude. Once the sun had set the night started getting darker and darker, I knew I had all the proper training needed for night x countries, but the nerves started setting in knowing we were going to be flying back over the mountains in the dark! I just flew the victor airway straight back, got on my radial and flew a straight line. Once the nerves calmed down I started to really enjoy the flight! Again there was not a bump in the sky and the night views were amazing.
The night landing back at our airport was perfect, we floated down and settled down onto the runway as gentle as you can, and thats when she observed what a landing is suppose to feel like!
So 3.9 on hobbs and an absolute great beginning to my new life as a Pilot!
Thanks for reading and hopefully I can share some of the great pictures and videos
I pulled up that video of his landing I was filming as a passenger and now have a whole different view of the actual conditions as a pilot. You can see where without proper wind correction on the ground we were being scooted quickly off the runway. You can view my entire post on the Fort Benton airport link at the top of my blog or click here.
My husband has a lot more confidence than I do as a pilot, but my conservative side makes us a great team. I was so glad to see my first passenger have just as much trust in me as I did on my flight with Travis. It may not have been the audacious adventure I experienced as first passenger, but Melissa was enthusiastic and I was a proud pilot excited to document our time together in my logbook soon after landing. And I couldn’t help but notice the giant perma-grin pasted on my face the rest of the day.
The Checkride…We’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe?
First Solo Cross Country Flight
My flight training finally reached the point where I had to complete a solo flight to another airport at least 50 nautical miles away. And like every other milestone in my training, my instructor knew I was more than ready. But that didn’t stop me from procrastinating! First the airplane I preferred was taken, then the weather wasn’t good, then my horoscope said to lay low that day, then I just plain chickened out. THEN…well, then I ran out of excuses.
The plane was booked, weather good, logbook endorsed, the only thing missing was me. It was time to step up and put my training to the test. I set out from Missoula on a beautiful Sunday morning for a round-robin flight to Kalispell (KGPI). This route is a fantastic first cross country that takes you through Flathead Valley next to the majest Mission Mountain range, and along the edge of Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake this side of the Mississippi.
The beautiful scenery helped settle my solo-flight jitters, and these dramatic landmarks also made for some fabulous hard-to-miss checkpoints. I was also able to take some great video of the flight. Please enjoy!
Solo Cross Country Route
Tower Tour
Okay let’s be honest here, talking on the radio as a student pilot is scary. Once you press that mic there’s no turning back, the panic sets in and you must do your best to communicate the four W’s. Or was is five? And worse yet, its out there for all other traffic to hear (and likely smirk at).
For the non-pilots in our lives, I would say talking to tower over the radio is like asking someone out for a first date…over a megaphone.
And I’m sure all of us in training have encountered a cranky Air Traffic Controller or two. They are strict, testy, and sometimes just downright mean! It is easy to see them as the terrifying gate-keeper when starting out, but as any experienced pilot can tell you, ATC can really save your butt when you need them.
I am also here to tell you that behind those seemingly threatening voices that come through your headset, are some genuinely nice people who sincerely have your best interest in mind, and are there to help.
I found this out when my CFI arranged a tour of the tower at my local airport Missoula International.
The best part of the tour was getting to put a face to the voices I have become very familiar with in my training the past six months. I got to ask them a few questions and get a great view of what they see every day. This was hands down one of the highlights of my training. I would recommend every student pilot take a tour of your local tower if possible. One of the biggest messages they had to relay: WE ARE HERE TO HELP.
Yes, learning the correct way to communicate over the radio is important. But when it comes right down to it, you are just one person talking to another. If you have a question, just ask. They would rather you ask and allow them to help you out, than risk violating any regulations or putting yourself or others at danger. So have you thanked your local Air Traffic Controller today?
And only in Montana do even the bears want a tour of tower. Apparently one was seen wandering around the Missoula Airport recently. You can read about it in the Missoulian.
Do your radio calls need some work? Click HERE to link to AOPA’s “Say It Right” online tutorial that can go towards FAA wings program.
Have a question for ATC and can’t make it up to your local tower? AOPA has set up an online forum where you can ask ATC a question. Click HERE to see some Q&A already provided, or ask one of your own.
My First Fly-In
There are times during flight training when you start to feel alone. I’m not talking about the “man this plane takes off so much faster without my CFI in the right seat” first solo kind of alone. I’m talking about that ominous feeling that comes over you when you realize that it is all you. Nobody is out there pushing you to finish this crazy adventure called flight training. Heck, nobody pushed you into starting in the first place.
And why did we start flying? Was it that first intro-flight that hooked us? You know the one, where the airport is like some amazing foreign country you just got a visa to. Or better yet, like your first day of high school where you are the nerdy freshman and your CFI is the star quarterback showing you the ropes as if to throw his arm around you and say, “See here kid, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to be in the cool club, you just stick with me.”
Unfortunately your CFI isn’t going to be there for you every baby-step of training, and you are more than likely going to be stuffed into a metaphorical locker or two. Sure, we all start our training with the best of intentions, but as the shiny newness of flying wears off, in come all the excuses and reasons to quit.
This is especially true when you hit the solo stages of training. I miss my CFI in the right seat. The plane is not such a warm fuzzy place without him. I’ve even thought about replacing him with one of those inflatable car buddies I read about that is supposed to be a “Silent Partner to Put Female Drivers at Ease” (yes, this is a real thing.) But unfortunately the “silent partner” can’t provide the one thing I miss the most: that great post-flight feedback from another human…namely that really cool CFI you met the first day of flight training. And if you don’t have any other students to chat with about your struggles, and more importantly your triumphs, training can give you a sense of abandonment.
There is a great blog post “Stop-Loss” by Robert Goyer on this subject. He points to AOPA’s findings in a recent study that there is great pride in being admitted to an aviation “community” that shares a sense of accomplishment. Students attach importance to having their accomplishments recognized by others. Schools and instructors should facilitate this recognition.
The findings of the study showed that students expressed a strong desire to feel part of a community of pilots and not be some lone student pilot braving the inevitable struggles on their own. They even expressed a desire to be able to schedule flying to suit their needs, to be able to hit milestones that demonstrate progress.
Goyer also points out the study made clear that there was much flight schools could do to enhance the experience for its student pilots. For one, make them feel they’re a part of the gang. Barbeques, seminars, fly outs … there are a lot of community building activities that can be done free, cheap, or even at a profit. And a couple of the incentives noted prominently, like friendly, courteous help and clean airplanes, cost little or nothing.
Unfortunately there are not a lot of CFI’s with that kind of time commitment. Most just struggle to keep the flights they have booked and juggle students with the second job they have had to pick up. But where your flight school and local student pilot community may drop the ball in some areas, the great big world wide web is there to help us out with some other great resources, namely AOPA flight training facebook page.
I have received some of the best advice and that “atta girl” feedback and recognition all us student pilots crave from the student pilot community. Most recently when I was stuck in a training rut, I posted a cry for help and got the great suggestion from Greg Brown to attend a fly-in. What better place to find that sense of community and comradery in the pilot world? I ended up at Mineral County Airport’s first fly-in and renaming of thier airport. I had the great experience of meeting the friendly people of Superior, Montana who worked hard over the past decade to make the airport public, despite resistence from the FAA. There are a ton of recreational opportunities close to this airport, and they now have a courtesy car available. I will post more about this fun small-town airport on my Superior airport page. Until then, please enjoy the video from my first fly-in.
Fun fact on fly-ins, AOPA announced China will host the first-ever general aviation fly-in September this year. Read more here
There’s No Crying In Flying!
You know that scene in the 1992 film “League of Their Own” where Tom Hanks flies off the handle on one of his female baseball players bringing her to tears, where he then shouts “What is this? There is no crying in baseball!”
Well that has been me the past couple weeks. The sensitive, weepy, over-emotional student pilot. Put me in an airplane alone with my max cross-wind component and expect me to come back down without sweat stains under my arms and bra, a shaken ego, and watery eyes…well you would be askin’ too much of this lady. Four attempts to land two of which I bounced off the runway forcing a go-around, all performed in front of a grounded United flight that was parked on the taxi-way at the end of the runway waiting to take off for the last hour. (I’m sure I gave those bored pilots a good show). I did hold it together long enough to debrief the flight with my instructor like it was “no big deal,” but you know as soon as he was outta sight I freaked the “F” out and called my girlfriend to cry about it. A shot and a beer and a few tears later I was feeling much better, but not anywhere close to getting back into an airplane.
That’s where I think being a female, or at least speaking for myself, does us girls no justice in the predominately male driven world of aviation. When it comes to airplanes, men are more apt to talk horsepower, obsess over gps & map navigation, and generally talk shop to the tune of “Tim the Tool-man Taylor” oh, oh, oh. And I can only speak for myself here but women tend to be more emotion and relationsip driven. But there might be other reasons there are not more women in aviation according to survey results of ”Top 10 Barriers That Stop Women From Learning to Fly” conducted by Dr Penny Rafferty Hamilton.
The ones I identified with the most however, were #2 Instructor-student communication incompatibility (Mars vs. Venus)#3 Instructor Interuptus- Instructors leave flight instructing to take airline or charter service jobs often requiring the student to start over with another instructor. This is time consuming, expensive and discouraging to many female students. #4 Lack of female mentors and support systems to encourage the female student & #5 Personal lack of confidence in their ability and a “fear of flying,” especially stalling the airplane too early in the training process.
I have struggled with all of these at some point in my training and certainly thought about quitting a time or two. But this week I have really, really, really struggled with personal lack of confidence.
I get scared, anxious, and generally a bit worked up. And when this happens I really don’t like the tough love approach. I want a mentor talking to me like a friend and letting me know they can relate to what I’m going through and are going to stick it out with me until I get through it. I could care less if they are female or male, or if they are from Mars and I’m from Venus and apparently we speak a different language. Those are small issues if you happen to just find a good CFI who cares in general about their student.
And yes, because I am a woman, I depend more on building a relationship with this person. But that’s the only way I know how to trust someone; and you have to have a lot of trust in your CFI. And this trust has paid off.
I got back in the airplane with my CFI and squeeled and whimpered my way through another flight until I felt good enough to solo again. It took some prodding and encouraging words, but I got my confidence back. All thanks to some great mentors.
So, sorry Adam & Trever, I will probably call you crying a time or two. Or I will try to plan your engagement if you tell me you are proposing to your girlfriend. And I might try to be your friend on facebook. But who ever said there’s no crying in flying?
Curious about the world of women student pilots”? Check out this great blog post on teaching women to fly.
