Pilots often talk about flying to anyone who'll listen, but sometimes it takes non-flyers to remind us that what we do is pretty amazing, regardless where or what we fly. I was at a party the other day and met a couple I haven't seen for years but keep in touch with via Facebook.
Circuits beckoned but I was mindful about spending another $300 on doing touch-and-gos only to find another way to stuff them up.
The first thing they said to me was how great it was that I was flying because" A, flying is a really cool thing to do and; B, I'm following my dream - which many don't do whatever that may be.
It got me thinking how lucky I was to have a dream that's relatively easy to realise. Sure, it's not simple or cheap, and the highs are often matched by some confidence-sapping lows, but it's achievable.
Many pilots lose touch with living the dream whether its the post-solo student who wants to fly cross country, the PPL who wants to fly for a living, the regional pilot who wants to fly 737s, or the A330 pilot who wishes they were an aerobatics champion.
It took non-flyers to remind me that I am living the dream whenever I push the throttle forward and become airborne, even if it is for yet more circuits.
And that's where I found myself yet again as weather continued to curtail my progress to my (second) area solo at Ballarat.
My last flight was meant to be a quick jaunt to the training area to make sure I remember forced landings and how to re-enter the circuit before going solo again. However, a 1200ft cloud base ensured that wasn't going to happen.
Circuits beckoned but I was mindful about spending another $300 on doing touch-and-gos only to find another way to stuff them up.
However I had different instructor than usual so I decided it would be a good idea to have a fresh set of eyes check out where I could improve, not that I really needed a reason to go flying.
My idea paid off with Tim noticing I was overthinking things to the point of missing some basics. Learning to fly is one of those pursuits where you can be told who to do something several different ways by different people. A case in point is turning base. Different instructors at different schools (yeah, I've been around), have shown me their preferred way method of how to set up base leg - from cutting the engine to full idle as I turn, to reducing engine speed to 1700rpm after I complete the turn. I've been doing a kind of hybrid in the Warrior, where I'd reduce speed to 1700 rpm as I turned. This of course makes the aircraft sink a little quicker meaning I'd be low on base, which made it more difficult to to set things up on final. I also got into the habit on fixating on the airspeed and trimming to that rather the aircraft's attitude.
I had most likely been told it before, but Tim's advice to simply have half sky/half ground in the windscreen at 1700 rpm couldn't have been a more timely or effective reminder.
It had a flow on effect of nice approaches to the numbers bang on 70 knots and the best flares since Saturday Night Fever.
All that's needed now is the weather gods to come to party while my mojo hangs around.