Pre-Flight Jitters

I have had zero practice on the simulator since the last time I flew. Bad girl! I am definitely going to have to get my own simulator/software so I can log in some hours on that thing. My friend says it’s helped him a lot and Josef usually asks him if he’s spent any time on it whenever he instructs him. He’s definitely getting better and better each time he flies. Thank our lucky stars we’ve got what’s equivalent to a “Student Driver” transmitter and Josef can take over when we get into a spot of trouble.

Last weekend, Feb.13th, out in Moorpark, the wind was insane. Of course I couldn’t feel it up there but I could tell by the way the helicopter was reacting to or resisting my commands. All I could do was watch as the wind carried the Mongoose out into space. Noooo...! I was losing it and Josef had to switch over to bring it back to me. “Watch your heading!” And he has this awesome Austrian accent like Schwarzenegger so to have him directing me as I learn to fly is fun! I don’t know how else I would have learned on my own.

Well, I know… I might have invested in expensive pieces of equipment only to see it all come crashing down. Ohmigod, I would have cried.


So, tomorrow, Feb 20th, as my friend’s helicopter construction continues, we will both be taking flight lessons at the Airstar International Flight School* up in Moorpark. Rain is in the forecast.
If it rains, the plan is to spend the day at the shop- building helicopters. Cool! Every opportunity to spend in the shop is a learning opportunity for me. Hearing all the lingo fly around- like, transmitter, rotor head, pitch, hex driver, etc- it’s gotta rub off on me sometime. Right?






(Mongoose in progress! Awesome!)






Hmm…a title for my flight chronicles. RunRyder flight pro's think it's most definitely a good idea to keep a log of some kind. “Captain’s Log” is far too pretentious as I am nowhere near “captain” status. Besides, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard have already used it. Up for consideration:

Sky Mistress Chronicles
Mistress Log (Sounds like a cheap BDSM blog)
Airstar Apprentice (Ooh, I like that one!)
Flight Chronicles of the Mistress of the Sky (Too long. Good book title, though.)
Flight Chronicles (Simple. My 2nd choice.)
Flight Chronicles of an Airstar Apprentice (Lengthy but catchy! 1st Choice.)


Things to Do:

practice on the simulator
start saving for your first crash
read the assembly manual for the Mongoose (familiarize yourself with parts)
Google whatever you don’t know

Like, wtf is aileron, and did I spell it right?


*Airstar International Flight School is a fictitious educational establishment but the company is real.