Whether the Weather

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By now, you’ve all heard about the lovely Blizzard of 2010 here in the Nation’s capital. The snow barreled in and buried pretty much everything. I was snowbound for a few days, and even when I could get out, it was a bit of a struggle. On the upside, I got to watch a whole lot of episodes of “Dexter.” (I’m in the middle of season 3. No spoilers, please.)

On the downside, I haven’t been near an airplane since my solo on January 11th. And I still need to complete Stage Check 1.

Flight training can get discouraging, and if you’ve been reading the Flight School Diaries, you’ll know it’s a struggle to overcome weather, mechanical issues and my own confidence.

Fortunately, Flight Training Magazine, a publication of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, this month has an article all about what to do if you’re feeling discouraged. This could not have come at a better time for me.

So onward.

Now that the snow is no longer crowding the skies, I can get back to training. And with the encouragement of friends, family and the AOPA, I’ll be back in the cockpit in no time!

It will be interesting to learn how perishable the flight skills are after 5 weeks of no flying.

Stage Check 1 – Attempt 2

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Today was supposed to be the second attempt at Stage Check 1. Alas, it was already snowing in the practice area and at surrounding airports. Since Stage Check 1 can’t be accomplished in the vicinity of the airport, today was yet another weather cancellation.

And with more snow in the forecast at the available times and days, I think this isn’t going to happen any time soon.

A Cat Named Email

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emailI am just devastated at losing my cat, Email, to the ravages of advanced kidney disease. I know it was the right decision to put him down, and I had given it thought long before it was rightly brought it to my attention.

I’m still losing my friend who let me cry on his fur night after night, and made me feel warm and welcome when he curled up next to me on the massive expanse of my empty king sized bed. Even though those were the only times we were ever really close, I needed him to survive the night when loneliness went from painful to agonizing. On those occasions, he always offered me a furry paw, a thimble full of drool and a good purr. I always felt bad he wasn’t comfortable sharing the bond once I went home.

He is missed.

Rescuing Charlie

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charlie4sIt’s been awhile since I posted about Charlie. It damn near slipped my mind that today he’s been living here for precisely one year. He’s come a long way, though he still exhibits the characteristics of an abused and neglected dog.

A few months ago, his breath started smelling really foul again, indicating that his remaining teeth were decaying fast. So off to the veterinarian he went to have a look. According to the vet, yes, some of his remaining seven teeth would have to be removed, but she didn’t know how many until they got in there and had a look around whilst he was under anesthesia.

A week or two later, he goes in with seven teeth and comes out with none. All of his remaining teeth had to go. Just broke my heart to hear that.

But he adjusted rapidly — far more so than I would have expected. He’s back to his normal, timid self, but he’s definitely not in any pain. Nor is he experiencing any difficulty eating. Most dogs swallow their food whole anyway, so it was expected to have minimal impact.

The only side effect from his lack of dental stature is that his tongue hangs out the side of his mouth when he’s not paying attention, which is most of the time:

charlie5s

Other than that, he’s really doing well, considering his origin. He’s still timid around loud noises and barks far too often at trivial things. But his meds have helped a little, and I have high hopes that they will help in the long run.

He’s such a dear, sweet guy and I am delighted that he’s done so well in his first year here. So Happy “Birthday” Charlie!

Good boy!

*scratch, scratch*

charlie6s

Stage Check 1 – Attempt 1

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No aviation joy today, unfortunately, even though today’s weather in northern Virginia is amazingly aviation friendly. The phone rings about 7:26 this morning, and the caller ID photo of Dulles Aviation shows me that the school is calling me. Of course, I answer and it’s Tom, the aforementioned Chief Flight Instructor. Here’s how the conversation went:

“Good morning, Sir!”

“Good morning, Dan. This is Tom. Guess what?”

I peek through the venetian blinds (Q: How do you make a venetian blind? A: Poke his eyes out.) and see a clear blue sky surrounded by motionless trees. So my response is a little confused.

“Ummmm…. we’re on schedule to fly today?”

“The aircraft has a cracked muffler and there’s no other aircraft available.”

Poop.

We discuss options, including seeing if there’s an aircraft open for tomorrow. I change my mind and tell him I’ll call him later and schedule something for mid week. This way, if I choose to stay out late tonight, I won’t be penalized with being groggy from lack of sleep. Plus, looking at the terminal aerodrome forecast, or TAF (the long way of saying the weather forecast), it’s gonna rain tomorrow anyway.

He says “Sorry.”

I tell him “No worries. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, I’ll be having a pretty good day. Thanks much! Bye.”

And that’s that. Back I go for another couple hours of somnolent bliss.

The downside is that I haven’t had a lesson since I soloed on the 11th. The upside is that I have more time to review the classroom material before Tom quizzes me. Given my past record as a student, I need all the help I can get!