Let’s Go Flying!

Last week I was invited to try out this new program to learn how to fly planes. This has always been something that I have wanted to do and now there is a program that allows women just like me to learn how to fly.

We will be taking our first lesson at Midway Airport the second week in July and I am really looking forward to it. I am bringing a camera with me so you can actually sit through my first lesson with me. I think this is SOOOOO cool!

WORLD’S LARGEST PILOT ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES NEW
LEARN-TO-FLY PROGRAM CALLED LetsGoFlying.com

It’s never been easier to find out what it takes to become a pilot, or to find a local flight school where you can take a specially priced introductory flight, thanks to www.LetsGoFlying.com, a new learn-to-fly program. Developed by the nonprofit Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the world’s largest pilot’s organization with more than 415,000 members, www.LetsGoFlying.com offers a wealth of information and resources for anyone interested in learning to fly.

Just log on to www.LetsGoFlying.com to discover just how easy learning to fly can be. You’ll learn about the fun, excitement and many life-enhancing benefits that come to those who earn a pilot’s license. And for those who are ready to take that next step, there’s a comprehensive database of more than 3,500 flight schools across the country. Many offer discounted introductory flights — typically about half the normal price. This is a hands-on experience where you actually taxi out to the runway, throttle up and pull back on the controls at takeoff, all under the supervision of a certified flight instructor. For those who decide to continue their training, the introductory flight counts as time earned toward a license.

And a growing number of people are deciding to do just that. Since 1997, the number of licensed pilots in the U.S. has increased by about 6 percent. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts a dramatic increase in both student and licensed pilots in the next 10 years: more than 108,000 students by 2015, up from 90,110 in 2005; and 271,400 licensed Private pilots; up from 245,000 in 2005. Those are increases of 17% and 10%, respectively.

So why do more than 100,000 people take an introductory flight each year?

For starters, those taking the controls have discovered that learning to fly is easier than they imagined, thanks to technological advances in flight training and computerization. It’s also more affordable than they thought. Many people qualify to fly solo with just 12-14 hours of training for just over $1,000. You can earn a Private pilot license with as few as 40 hours of training and practice flying. Even a more typical 50-70 hours can cost as little as $7,000-$10,000, depending on the region of the country. And being a pilot opens up a whole new world of fun, adventure and opportunity. There’s the feeling of personal growth and sense of accomplishment that comes with learning to fly. With miles of open sky, there’s also the freedom and independence of knowing you can fly above stoplights and bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Sharing the experience of flying with family and friends also brings you closer. Imagine flying above congested highways to a remote vacation destination, or planning a golf outing or weekend getaway with friends at a location that’s now just a few hours —not days — from home.

But learning to fly also has practical benefits, especially for on-the-move businesspeople looking for easier, more direct ways to travel to meetings with associates or clients. With more than 5,000 public airports and landing facilities from which to choose, you’re usually just minutes from your final destination after you land.

A PILOT’S LICENSE OPENS THE DOOR TO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Learning to fly can open the door to a host of career opportunities. In fact, the aviation industry is begging for qualified pilots. Consider that most of the 19,000 pilots hired last year to fill positions with the major, regional and commuter airlines were trained in General Aviation.

It all begins with an introductory flight at a local flight school. For more information visit www.letsgoflying.com

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association includes more than 415,000 members, or nearly two-thirds of all U.S. pilots and three-quarters of General Aviation pilots. Since 1939, AOPA has represented the interests of general aviation which covers all flying except the scheduled airlines and the military. Its headquarters are in Frederick, Md.

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I’m so excited I can’t wait to tell you about it!

Father or Daddy?

It is Fathers Day today and I spent the past two days with my Pop. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my Pop Pop. Both of my parents are incredibly special to me, but my dad and I share a special bond. We “get” each other. I remember when I was a baby he used to come home and throw me in their Baby Bjorn backpack of the 70’s, play his guitar and sing while I would pull on his hair (anyone who knows my father, knows he has no rhythm and worse he can’t sing.) Up until I was 18 years old and came home pregnant, I never really knew how much my dad loved me or really anything about him. It wasn’t until I became pregnant that I started to ask more questions and figure out who my dad was as a person not just my father.

I remember when my son Zachary was born; my parents were there for me. My mom took me to the hospital, held my hand in the delivery room and watched my son come into the world. My father went out and bought cigars to celebrate. My neighbors were having a party and he went with the biggest smile on his face, passing out those “just born” cigars and telling everyone he was a grandpa.

I kinda threw myself into not only being a new mom, but a single mom. I spent a lot of time with my parents trying to figure everything out. I spent a lot of time with my dad. My dad instantly fell in love with my son when I brought him home. Zach was colicky and my dad was the only one who could handle his crying ‘til the wee hours in the morning. He would just lay him on his chest and sing him to sleep or himself to sleep whichever came first. Zach’s crying didn’t even phase him.

It has been 18 Christmas’s since Zach entered our lives. My father is now 84 years old. I think of all the times I have sat on the couch and interrogated him until the wee hours of the morning listening to his stories, to his opinions, to his life philosophy. He has not only inspired me, but left a huge impact on me. My father is one in a million. He is incredibly special and unique. He is one of the few people that I know that can walk up to just about anyone and start a conversation and walk away with a new friend. At 84 years old he is incredibly stubborn, his mind is very resilient, yet his heart is fragile. He has accomplished so much in his life, been through so many awful experiences for any human being to go through and has overcome so many obstacles. I am so proud of my Dad.

Up until I came home pregnant at 18 years old, my father was just a father. I loved him very much, but didn’t understand him, didn’t even really know him. There was a huge disconnect between us and no matter how hard I tried, I just didn’t get him, but the moment I came home and told him I was pregnant, he went from being “just my father” to being my daddy. He had just quit drinking and was on his road to sobriety and so many amazing changes were happening in his life. One of the biggest changes was his ability to show his feelings and turn them into words. My father was so disappointed and he cried. That was the second time in my life that I saw him cry. He wanted so much more for me and that is why he worked so hard. I didn’t get that. I just saw him as always gone. It didn’t occur to me as a child that he was trying to give us the life he never had. In spite of his disappointment, he was quick to let me know that he loved me and that they weren’t going to kick me to the curb, they would support me and my baby. My daddy never looked down on me or treated me as if I did something wrong. He holds me in the highest esteem and is incredibly proud of me. What more can a girl ask for?

My daddy will always have an incredibly special place in my heart because he made a commitment to my son at 67 years old, and raised him as if he were his own son. My son and my father share a very special bond. I can’t even begin to explain the gratitude in my heart for my dad. I know my son wouldn’t be the fine young man he is today had my dad not had such a big heart.

A few years ago I sent out over 500 requests to every person that knew my father in some form or fashion and asked them to write one thing that they will always cherish my father for. The letters were overwhelming and bountiful, they poured in over several weeks. Out of them we created a book and presented it to him for his birthday. My sister, Judi, played him a song by Natalie Merchant, called “Kind and Generous.” The words really spoke to him and the song summed up how we felt for him. She typed the words on paper and he read them as he listened to the song. As we sat in the living room of my brother’s house, my father started crying and the tears started streaming down his face, then it quickly turned into sobbing. The room must have been silent for what felt like thirty minutes as we watched the tears run down his face at each turn of the page. We summed up his life in other people’s eyes. He has always been so hard on himself, and for once he got to see exactly how everyone else saw him. There was not a dry eye in the room that day as we gave my father recognition and respect for being not only a man of great integrity, but an awesome dad.

If my father has taught me anything, it is that it doesn’t take much to make a difference. It just takes your attention to notice the people around you and just connect with their humanness. We all are somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, somebody’s wife, somebody’s mother, somebody’s friend!

Daddy I love you and want to thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given to Zachary and I. You are truly a wonderful human being and I am so proud that you are my dad! When I look at you, I get a glimpse of God.

– Natalie Merchant, “Kind and Generous”

I’m bound to thank you for it
Na Na na na na na na na na na
na na na na na na na na na na

You’ve been so kind and generous,
I don’t know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I’m in debt to you
For your selflessness, my admiration
For everything you’ve done,
you know I’m bound, I’m bound to
thank you for it….

Na Na na na na na na na na na
na na na na na na na na na na

You’ve been so kind and generous,
I don’t know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I’m in debt to you
And I never could have come this far without you
For everything you’ve done,
you know I’m bound, I’m bound to
thank you for it….

Na Na na na na na na na na na
na na na na na na na na na na

Oh, I want to thank you for so many gifts you gave
with love and tenderness,
I wanna thank you
I want to thank you for your generosity,
the love and the honesty that you gave me
I want to thank you, show my gratitude,
my love and my respect for you,
I wanna thank you

Oh I want to thank you, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you…