The Week On A Roller Coaster

What a week. Quite a roller coaster of events took place. Let’s start from the beginning. Friday night after Tropical Storm Fay passed I went over to some friend's apartment to play some Wii and to finally hang out post Storm. We were up late until around 0100 when I decided to head home and get some sleep. I'm still not quite familiar with my surroundings and it’s only around 2 or 3 miles away from my apartment, however I still rely on my Garmin Nuvi to get me where I need to go. On the way to my friends place I remember driving parallel to the freeway and my Garmin had me turn one road too early. Thinking that I knew better than my GPS , I turned right to get to the road where I thought I should be.

This is where the trouble started. As Karen, the Australian accented voice I have chosen to guide me through the roads of the U.S. kept repeating "Recalculating…. Recalculating… Make a U-turn… Recalculating." By this point I had already started to drive through what appeared to be a little water on the road that Fay left in her wake. Next thing I knew my car has quit and won’t start up. As I sat there trying to start the car, I feel the carpeting in my car getting moist. I start to panic a bit and open the sun roof. My first call is to AAA. And even though my Garmin (in my opinion) was the cause of my present situation it proved to be very useful, as I had no idea what road I was on. I gave the operator my GPS coordinates and she sent someone on their way.

1 inch of water in the bottom of my car.

I crawled up through my sun roof to sit on the roof. I was fortunate that it was a clear night and not raining anymore. I started text messaging friends to see if there was anyone that was awake to talk to and keep my mind off of the rising water in my car. I then started thinking about possible alligators that could be lurking about, but fortunately I did not see any. I called AAA back to find out how much longer it would take for the tow truck to get here. At least this was my cover story to see if someone would stay on the line and talk to me to keep me occupied during the wait.

4 inches of water in my car.

Later I saw a spot light from a car on the main road. It appeared to be two police cars with the AAA truck behind them. The truck forded the mini lake, hooked me up and pulled me out. The two police officers seemed very suspicious as to why I was in the water. They asked me what I was doing there and I told them. I volunteered my I.D. to try and make them less suspicious of me. As it turns out the road I was stuck on was a very bad part of town. As they explained to me that this road was where drug deals and shady business takes place, a man came around the corner that appeared to be intoxicated. His pants were down to his knees with his boxers hanging out and had a wife beater tank top shirt on. As he got closer one of the officers called out to the man "Leroy… Go home." This apparently startled Leroy and he stopped, almost fell over and replied "How’d you know my name?" with a drunken slur. The police let me go on my way and the tow truck took me back home. I was told that it wouldn't be surprising if my Camry would start up the next day.

The next day was a warm one. I figured the car had time to dry up and I went down to start it up. No go. She certainly did try though. I was a bit relieved to hear the stereo was working fine. I'm not a mechanic but I figured that meant there was no electrical problem. AAA was called again. I turned my car over to the Toyota Dealership and I explained how much of an idiot I was. They told me not to be so hard on myself. Even though I was from Nevada and may not know any better, there were at least 8 other cars that came in today from people that did the same thing who were Floridians. I couldn't help but chuckle. I of course had to get a rental while my car is being worked on. This particular dealership is almost like a lounge, with a deli and plush seats to watch tv on 2 or 3 LCD screens. They also have a Toyota rental car desk. I personally believe they have quite a scam going on. MY car is an 06 Camry. They rented me an 09 Camry. They can keep my car as LONG as they want because I do NOT want to give this one back. Its such a tease to give you a nicer car than the one you brought in for servicing! It makes me want to look at the used cars they have on the lot. Although... I will say I would probably look for a truck with a higher ground clearance if I were to do that!

Monday came, and our instructor (first class after a week off from the Trop Storm) pops a quiz on us. I was not impressed with my performance. It was somewhat okay but he isn't going to count this one. That's a relief.

Wednesday came around and I was excited! Mythbusters was coming on at 21:00 local time and I was crossing my fingers that I would be on it. Zero G had Adam Savage and Jaime Hyneman come aboard to help bust the conspiracy theories that NASA pulled off the biggest hoax of all time of landing on the moon. Our particular myth was whether walking on earth could be slowed down with a high speed camera and duplicate how walking on the moon appeared from the footage of Neil and Buzz. I had seen myself up on the silver screen during the Regal Movie Theater First Look when I saw Dark Knight, and friends of mine had reported the same thing to me at other films. TV commercials for the big event were on during the week and my phone had not stopped ringing from people saying they had seen me on them. 21:00 came around and the last segment with Zero G I spotted my unmistakable bald head. WOOHOO!!! There went my 15 minutes of fame!! And with Mythbusters no less!! But I must say the planning involved and the setbacks with NASA's scrubbed launch really threw wrenches into the plans. Originally we were to take off from the SLF (Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center) as we normally did. However when a Shuttle Launch is scrubbed all airports in the vicinity shut down for security reasons. The closest airport we could fly out of was MCO (Orlando). Working with Mythbusters is one of the highlights of my life so far. For me it even surpasses the planning and meeting of Prof. Stephen Hawking for his historic Zero G Flight, and meeting Buzz Aldrin… but it's a very, very close 2nd and 3rd… practically tied.

Man!! I have had ENOUGH of water!!! Too much water in my car… and now my AC unit is leaking. At first I thought my cat had peed on the floor in the laundry room but as I went to sop it up with a towel I noticed the drip from the vent. Because the hot water heater is located directly under the Air Conditioning duct I could not get a bucket underneath it. So I used the plastic lid of a large Rubbermaid box and duct taped it under the leak at an angle to let the water run down the lid and collect into the large box. I went into the apartment's management office to let them know the problem. Since then the AC has quit working altogether making it absolutely miserable in my apartment. I ended up going to HAL-mart (that's a pretty obscure reference to the computer "HAL" on 2001 A Space Odyssey. WHO by the way got his name from IBM. Take each letter of IBM and move one letter back in the alphabet. Has anyone else but me noticed that Wal-Mart is just one letter off from being HAL-Mart?) to buy a floor fan.

Our first test in class was Thursday. If we don't pass the test with 80% or higher, we could be academically grounded. Reviews in class were done to make sure we knew what to study. As the tests were handed out you could hear people start to chuckle as they read over the questions. The questions were word for word from our study guides in the back of each of our chapters. I think maybe one or two people in class didn't get 100%. I am very proud to say I got a perfect score.

As I sat at home trying to keep cool, I received a phone call from my assigned CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). I am to meet him at 20:00 the next night. Upon meeting my new North Carolina teacher, he put me through the ropes of what to do prior to signing in for a flight and or Simulator (sim). He took me out to a plane to show me how to do a preflight inspection and to go over a few more details. This all took about 3 and half hours. Around 23:30 I went back to my kiln of a home and was greeted by a complaining cat. Wow… if she's complaining then you KNOW it’s bad!!

I couldn't wait for Saturday. This was the day I was to get in a sim for the first time and hopefully, weather permitting, my first flight in the left seat of the Cirrus SR-20. Saturday morning I got to DCA about an hour and a half early. I'm notorious for being WAY too early for everything! I waited for my CFI by looking over manuals and equations that we had to learn for preflight rituals. I headed to the sim building where I found my instructor and sat in the sim cockpit of the Cirrus. For an hour I sat there learning the do’s and how to's of this expensive high tech video game. For the life of me I could NOT get the plane to fly straight and level without concentrating with all my A.D.D. inflicted brain. Each 5 minute interval my instructor asked me to go through some checklist which I would do, however I would always have to spend another 10 minutes to get back on the heading, altitude, and speed he wanted me to be.

Toward the end of the hour he jumped my plane to the landing sequence. I was instructed to take my eyes off the instruments (which I had been focusing on for the last hour) and keep the "landing bars" dead center of the screen. I was doing great! Flaps at 50% the nose dips… slow the speed more, flaps to 100%. The closer I got to the runway the sketchier my flying became. Form my first sim landing I killed myself and all the passengers on board. I love having a reset button n this plane!

We headed over to the Operations building where we signed in for our airplane. I could feel myself getting more and more excited for my first flight. I began with the weight and balance equations and even though it took me a while to do… I was dead on with all my numbers - well within balance for the Cirrus. I could hear a bit of commotion outside the small interrogation room I was using to crunch my numbers. My instructor called to me and showed me how to call in for weather reports. It wasn't good. Some airports were not reporting, and with hurricane Gustav heading into the gulf we were getting some nasty weather. My first flight was not looking like it would take off. I kept collecting the numbers I would need such as various V or top speeds like… Top speed for flaps at 50% and 100%. Top cruising speed, never exceed speed etc. There's A LOT to memorize. At this point my CFI came in and had me sign a form which indicated we were canceling our flight due to weather. DAMN! My heart sank. I kept thinking better safe than sorry. (I wish I remembered that when I turned my car into a submarine.)

So this week was certainly a day at 6 Flags over Florida. Quite a few dips and a few peaks here and there. I know this is just the beginning. I'm sure I will have more difficult weeks and some easier ones. I just have to keep my eyes and heart on the prize. Next week starts our Radio Communications class, and hopefully… HOPEFULLY! I will finally get in the air!

Grounded

I wish I had some exciting tales of flying or learning for you this week. Alas with my first encounter with a Tropical Storm (Fay) and potential hurricane, classes have been canceled. On Sunday night all students received an email from our fearless leader stating classes would be “go” for Monday, however, DCA will be closed on Tuesday and resume as normal on Wednesday. As the week progressed, every night a new email would come from our (not so fearless anymore) leader stating more closures. Today, Thursday, we got the big one. DCA will remain closed until Monday. Now most of you are probably thinking; “That’s not so bad, that’s just Friday. Classes CAN be opened up on the weekend if conditions are right.” In fact, there are discussions about soon going back to a Monday through Saturday schedule. Currently, we attend class 3 hours a day. This will change to more full time as we progress. So now I’ve missed out on 15 hours of class. I know these will be made up somehow, whether it be an extra hour in class each day or some other way. I recall as a child growing up in Southern California praying for snow days like those lucky kids from snow encrusted states such as Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and New York to name a few. Now I'm upset that I can’t go to class because this is something that I actually WANT to do!

On Monday, as we trudged into class and sat, our instructor came in and took us to various internet sites showing us how to read the maps from the weather services. One of my classmates announced he would be going surfing at Cocoa Beach before the real storm hits. I just hope he’s not THIS idiot.

When I got home I started collecting information from friends who are veterans of Tropical Storms and Hurricanes to know what to do. I figured I would get better information from friends than I would googling the subject. I received a ton of information. Everything from buy a radio, to fill the bathtub with water, to topping off the gas tank every chance I got. So my next trip was to Radio Shack. Rule number one when going into Radio Shack. Never go in and say... "This is my First hurricane.... What do I need?" For a brief moment I think I actually saw dollar signs flash in the salesman’s eyes. We first walked straight over to the radios. I don’t think I’ve seen so many different kinds. All of them had the emergency channels broadcast by NOAA. The differences were that some could alert you for your area only or for everywhere. Some had hand cranks, therefore, not needing a constant supply of batteries. Some even had flashlights built into them. Some had regular radio but you couldn’t have it interrupted by the warnings. I opted for a plug in type with battery backup that would only alert me for Seminole and surrounding counties. As the salesman said, "This model won’t wake you up if there’s a warning or watch in Miami or Orlando." Sounds good to me! When it comes to flashlights, I think I'm set. I already own an Inova X5 and two Mag lights from my camping days in Oregon. Batteries were of course something else I had to stock up on. Let’s just say that the salesman made his quota. After stocking up on food, I headed home to set up the radio and get ready.

Some friends have called me during the wait to ask how I’m doing through my first Trop Storm. To be honest, it’s rather anticlimactic. All you do is wait... and wait... and wait. Nothing happened Tuesday... or Wednesday. Now I'm pumped and ready for this storm but pissed because I'm missing classes for nothing. I'm about to go outside and do my best impression of Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump at the top of the shrimp boat mast during a hurricane. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT? BRING IT ON." I think I’ve decided I prefer earthquakes because at least those surprise you. You see hurricanes coming from hundreds of miles away! And as one friend put it, "hurricanes come in a season", so the newest acronym Ive learned is BOHICA. (I'll let you look that one up)

When one doesn’t have cable tv (yet) you start to ask yourself interesting questions such as:
1. Does the mail carrier really deliver in rain, sleet and snow? Does that include a hurricane or Trop Storm?
2. Will Pizza Hut deliver?
3. This wasn’t in the Delta Connection Academy Brochure... was it?

As I sit here at home and look out the window, I'm seeing cars driving by as if nothing is going on. Here I am starting to get cabin fever and everyone else is going about their day. I’ve made some calls to friends on the West Coast and when I tell them I want to go somewhere to get out of the house they say I'm " nuts... what are you -crazy? Stay inside!" Guys... really...the poles holding up the electric and phone cables may be swaying and I may be getting tornado and flash flood warnings on my NOAA radio... but it’s not that bad.

On that note... I'm going to go out... get some fresh air... and get some wings. (BUFFALO WINGS... sheesh can no one take a joke?)

One more piece of exciting news! A little while back when I was still with Zero Gravity, I had the opportunity to work with The MythBusters on busting some NASA myths. Did we really go to the moon? Here is a link to the tv spot now running on Discovery Channel. Please check your local listings for exact time. Heres the ad. You can see me around 1:04 through around 1:07 DONT BLINK!!

Ground School

This starts week one of twelve for ground school. My class and I are sitting in classroom India, or "I" for those of you who are unfamiliar with the phonetic alphabet. This is how all the classrooms are identified, and how any letter is stated over the radios to avoid confusion with similar sounding letters. I'm fortunate enough to already have this down not only from ZG but I spent one college summer as a Park Ranger near my parent's home in North County San Diego.

Our instructor from Amarillo, Texas, began quenching our mind’s thirst with information from the fire-hose of knowledge. The pace is fast and by the end of a day's 3 hour class I'm shocked my head hasn't burst like an over-filled water balloon. Some questions asked by my classmates are answered; others are put in a good question category because as it was stated in orientation "That requires more time to discuss than we have." Basically we don't have enough time to cover what we need to know in this 12 week period to get sidetracked. A sarcastic "Great" goes through my mind. I’ve never been one for a monkey see monkey do approach for learning. I'm the guy that wants to see how a puzzle piece fits into the entire puzzle of a subject for it to really sink it. If I know the purpose of why something is, it’s easier for the other pieces of the puzzle to fit in where they belong in the bigger picture of a subject.

We have all been asked to buy two particular books from the long list we have been given. The Gleim books. Gleim's Priavte Pilot is one and Gleim's Instrument the other. These books have all the questions that the FAA tests use. Again... we are told not to try and understand the questions and answers, but instead told to memorize the questions and answers. Again... a sarcastic "Great." These are also in the computer lab on CD-ROM and we are able to create quizzes for ourselves to learn memorize the questions and answers. We have had quite a few students in the classes ahead of us tell us to mainly stay on top of homework, and to memorize the Gleim, memorize the Gleim, memorize the Gleim.

There doesn’t seem to be much competition here. No one vying for the Top Gun trophy, because, well... there IS no Top Gun trophy. This seems to be the only drawback for type A personalities which makes up the majority of pilots. I guess I'm in the minority as a type B+ personality and I am certainly not missing out on any competition.

I wish you could see all the hand outs we received on day one and since then.

I have one sheet just for acronyms to help remember different types of checklists. AVIATES to remember inspections, FLAPS for visual flying at night, ICET for different types of airspeed, but my favorite one is ATOMATOEFLAMES which must have been written by Dan Quayle with that extra "e" floating in there. Then again, the way some of these other acronyms are written, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s ATOM A TOE FLAMES or A TOM A TOE FLAMES which makes as much sense as TTTVVVNAPG for remembering other types of airspace. What this sheet reinforces is how much the aviation world LOVES acronyms.

Our instructor today was in a meeting and he sent another CFI to let us know we were taking a field trip, to the maintenance hanger.

We have been learning all the parts of the engine of the Cirrus SR20, and how they work including how it affects us as a pilot. Now we are going to see all the parts together including the electrical system. The head maintenance guy started at the nose and propeller of the plane and ended at the empennage or the tail of the plane. We also have been given information on using the CAPS system or Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. As the video shows, this is a parachute system for the plane itself, and not for the passengers. Apparently if you have a good landing and the plane isn’t destroyed, Cirrus can fix the plane. However... That would run you about $280,000 and the planes msrp is about $300,000 so you might as well buy a new plane. The maintenance team here at DCA has been awarded the 5 Diamond award by the FAA for some 15 years running. This award goes to those who meet the highest level of safety through maintenance. I’ve heard stories that the maintenance guys get more upset if a plane gets grounded than the student whose flight just got canceled because of the issue, and they are not upset because it’s more work for them. Talk about pride in the workplace. I know a certain couple of companies that need more of this.

So, in trying to learn memorize the questions and answers within the Gleim I have discovered something that is way better than sliced bread. The Gleim books on CD ROM. THIS is the way to memorize it! Create study sessions per section. Even tell the computer how many questions total you want and which chapters to pull from. Instant feedback so you don’t go an hour with the wrong answer in your head. This is the way to do it!

Here we are Friday, and we have covered about 5 chapters already.

Everything from aerodynamics to low and high pressure to how the "6 pack" or the 6 main instruments we use are actually built from the inside out. I'm starting to feel completely lost; however I'm not the only one. According to our instructor, it’s okay to feel this way, since next week we will be assigned our flight instructors who will give us a more hands-on approach. THIS is where everything should come together for me.

In studying the Gleim I have come across quite a few similarities in which the correct answer for some questions can be found. Patterns have emerged such as: If an answer has FAA in it... that’s the correct answer. If the multiple choice options are in feet; such as A) 1000 ft B) 2000 ft or C) 1500 ft. the answer is always the middle altitude, so in this case 1500 ft is the correct answer. This will help a great deal.

I am so glad Friday has finally come. I need the breather and a rest for my brain which is complete mush right now... but it’s not the weekend yet... not before midnight... It’s still Friday and I have to get back to the “Gleim stone!”

Keep the comments coming... I love to hearing from everyone!

Day One and Two

Day One

I'm excited and terrified at the same time. I'm making such a big change from the hospitality industry to entering the aviation world to become a pilot. As I sat in classroom D, I started meeting people who are in my class from all walks of life. Some are in similar positions as I; others are just out of High-school; some are even from overseas such as India, and South America.

Of my classmates a few have their private pilot's license and others like me, have zero hours. The one thing we all have in common is we have a different story of why we want to be here.

Today was a particularly easy day, mostly making sure the paper work was correct and or we are approved to fly based on the country we are from. I find particularly interesting the story of a woman coming from India who was a flight attendant for Kingfisher Air (India) and is now here in the U.S. for the first time to earn her wings. India to Sanford, Florida? No offense to Sanford but this may not be the best first time introduction to the U.S. one could have.

As we began the day Ron, one of the directors at DCA, introduced the staff and who we would be in contact with for the next year or two. He let us in on the secret of success at DCA which was more like common sense. Can I be a Professional Airline Pilot?

I CAN, was the acronym we were to keep in our heads and in front of our eyes for the duration of our training.

Investment

It certainly is expensive to attend DCA however; the investment is not just an investment in me, my career and my future. It’s also the investment of my time to treat this training as a full time job. Ron asked us to look at a day in three, 8 hour periods. One 8 hour session is for sleep. The second 8 hours for myself, and the remaining 8 hours dedicated to the classroom and studying. This investment of time also includes time with my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

Communication

Essentially this is about communicating any problems I have right away. The longer I wait the bigger the problem will get, and most of the time the challenges that come my way are a simple couple of clicks of a computer. I'm curious to find out what type of problem we are talking about. Personal, academic, or…? I'm actually intrigued to see what type of challenges they are talking about. Something that happened to me while in the hotel industry is the word “problem” was erased from my lexicon and instead the word “challenge” was its replacement. It also showed my boss I was up for a challenge instead of being stuck with a problem. Anyway... back to I CAN. Communication is going to be one of the most valuable keys to attaining my goal of a commercial pilot's license.

Attitude

This one I think will be easy for me. Leaving baggage at the door as I come to learn is something I had to do when I was in hotels. People don't want to hear about your problems when they are on vacation. The airplane I'm flying doesn't care about my problems, and the baggage I take on the aircraft will affect my safety. I have this one covered - no problem! Thinking positively and reminding myself why I'm here when I might be feeling down is what I taught my coaches while with Zero G. It’s all about the Fish Philosophy. I'll give you a quick run down... but for all of you customer service trainers, you should really look into this training video. It’s not just an outlook on how to give outstanding customer service but it’s really a way of life that I use every day.

Play. You have to have fun at your job otherwise you shouldn't be doing it.

Make their Day. When with your guests/customers, let them in on what you are doing or go that extra mile that puts the smile on their face. Sometimes it’s as easy as listening. I just overheard someone say they are thirsty and need water. How easy is it to get them a drink of water?

Be There. Don't just show up to work on time... be there, with the guest, listen, talk, be genuine, write down the simple things like - they love Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice-cream, that insight might make or break any sale in the future.

Attitude. Here's the one I wanted to talk about. We have all been there, waking up in the morning and we just don't want to go to work. But you know you have to. There are many tricks I have learned from people over the years to get your mind in the frame to have a productive day - whether it’s yoga, that first cup of coffee, listening to that one song that gets you pumped. For me it’s physically putting on the uniform that triggers my "here I am ready to work attitude." I hate public speaking, and I had to speak every flight day with Zero G. My answer was to create a character who is exactly me in personality but enjoys getting up in front of a group of people. Putting on my flight suit put me into the Flight Day Phil character because you can’t hide behind the logo of your company. You are a representative and people know that when they see the logo or ID badge. I was fitted today for a uniform, so my character with amazing attitude will be back in full force when I don the Delta epauletted shirt every day for training.

Never

"Never Compromise SAFETY; Never stop trying to succeed; Never lose sight of your dream." I can do that. Starting out in customer service in the hotel industry, my mind has always been programmed that customer service is the number one priority. When with ZG, Safety became number one. Though I will admit I was asked to be the “good guy” with guest requests and let the safety folks say no even when I knew it wasn’t going to fly.

So my three to four hour day today was mostly orientation and getting my head in the right place. With this "secret to success" from Ron and the tricks I have collected over the years I'm not so terrified. I'm much more confident in my success here at DCA. Tomorrow is the start of ground training.

Day Two

Mostly more orientation. Brad, one of the Chief CFIs gave us a more in depth look at what to expect during ground school. Quite a few of the rules were presented to us as well, such as appearance, alcohol policy, and even driving in your own car. Some will need to shave their goatees and remove their piercings, whether it is ear, lip, nose, or eye brow. Of course if you can’t see it... then don’t worry about it.

When it comes to alcohol, if you are a pilot and get a DUI or DWI, you might as well send in your pilot’s license and any of the certificates you hold. Going grocery shopping in uniform is okay however, if I want a bag of chips and it’s in the same aisle as the beer or wine, I am not to go down that aisle, which does make sense. And when it comes to driving your own car, the FAA may not care but the airlines you fly for do and will check your records. In the past I have had quite the lead foot, but I want this too badly to jeopardize it.

I’ve noticed myself using the cruise control in my car much more often and setting it at plus 3 or 4 of the posted speed limit. As my dad said "you can feed your need for speed in the air all you want." Again, mostly common sense stuff.

A former student currently a First Officer (FO) for Jet Blue stopped by to say hello and talk about his experience coming through the program. The more I talk to pilots the more it seems that most of the work is done before and after a flight and very little during the actual flight. I’ve heard 3 people say "Don’t repeat this to a pilot but all we are, are glorified bus drivers." This Jet blue FO also explained why right now is one of the best times to be going through the program in industry history. Even though we hear a lot about how the airlines are suffering, the U.S. will always be flying and will always need pilots. Continental will be looking at almost 50% of their pilots retiring in the next 5 years. With a lot of the baby boomers ready to retire, it will seriously open up spots for all of us. In fact there will be a shortage of pilots in the coming years.

I think a lot of you are probably wondering and have been curious to know what type of plane I will be training in. I’ve received my first homework assignment. A DVD for the Cirrus SR20 was given out today and we are to watch modules 1 through 3 and to do the short quizzes at the end of each. Upon opening up the DVD on my laptop I'm greeted with a quote by Leonardo Da Vinci, "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Even though I have yet to fly I have already found my eyes turned upward to see what the weather is like. I’ve also been checking the weather reports and averages from the last couple of years for the area. I'm hoping when I do start to fly I'm not scheduled between 13:00 and 16:00 for the next couple of months for this seems to be the rainy season for Florida.

After these couple of days I'm feeling a bit better about the choice and commitment I have made. My only challenge is there will be quite a bit of memorization. Unless they can make this course a movie (my mind is a steel trap for remembering movie plots and lines), I will be in for some long nights. Of course the DVD given out was a huge relief to me because in essence it is in a movie format.

I'm off to put in the remaining 4 hours of my 8 for studying. I will try to be in the habit of posting every Sunday or Monday. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. I'm curious of your thoughts on how I'm doing. If you have suggestions or advice, please don’t hesitate.

The Next Chapter

My new journey begins now. Last week, I drove more than 2,000 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada to my new home for at least the next two years, Sanford, Florida. My work experience so far includes seven years in the hotel industry with a very-well known luxury hotel chain and one year as the director of guest services for the Zero Gravity Corporation. After Space Adventures recently bought the sinking ZG and reorganized, I was out of a job. So how did I go from what was my dream job of floating in an aircraft like an astronaut in training to where I am now? Well, let me back up for a minute. Ever since I was 3 months old, I've been traveling the world. To date I have been to about 50 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. Being on the road is what keeps my spirit alive. Experiencing new cultures, food, music and people are the staples to my sanity. Being with ZG for a year, I was exposed to a life of traveling within the U.S. as well as the world of aviation. I want to keep traveling, and I believe the better part of Americans have no idea what it is to travel and to be completely out of their comfort zone in unfamiliar places. My goal with this blog is to change the reaction I get when I tell people about where I went for vacation from "Why would you go there?" to "Wow, I want to do that." But traveling these days can be expensive. Of course there are ways to do it. However, you still need a job with some sort of income to be able to. So for now, I have decided to go back to school. I've spoken with a few of my friends within the aviation industry, and I've chosen to get my wings. This Thursday, Aug. 7, I will be starting my classes at the Delta Connections Academy to train to be a commercial airline pilot. When I announced to my parents I wanted to do this, my father replied with, "This is our fault, this is grandpa and grandma's fault, this is your grandpere and grandmere's fault." In case you wondered, here's a bit of background on my family. My mother was born in Normandy, France. My grandpere was a pilot during WWII. During the occupation of France, he was able to escape to the U.K. where the Royal Air Force put him in an English speaking squadron. My father was born in Long Beach, California. My grandparents would look at what the next school year would bring, and they would drive my father and uncle across the country to experience the history they were about to learn in text books. This is where the travel bug became infectious with my family. If it's not an addiction, the love of travel is a gene. A bit later in my grandparents' lives, they set out and became world travelers. They traveled to about 150 countries in their lifetimes. And even though my parents have not reached 100, they are well on their way and very close to joining the Travelers Century Club as my grandparents had. So as you can see, travel and flying are in my blood. So first things first. This blog will follow me through my schooling at the DCA, and who knows where after? Maybe I will get to see more of the world, or maybe my dreams and ideas are bigger than I realize and this isn't the path to get there. Either way, there's only one way to find out how to become a modern day nomad...