Sunday night I abstained from hanging out with any of my friends. I went to bed at 9pm. I woke up at 5:10, after a nightmare that I had slept through my alarm and woken up at 7:30. I got out of bed, and drove to MEPS to be there at 6am (it's by the airport, Columbus International). I got in, listened to instructions, and then went to see the Air Force coordinator. He said that the internet was down, but that we should sit anyway, and maybe it would come up and we could get our physicals then. Now...first of all, last I checked, a doctor doesn't need the internet to check someone out. But apparently they DO need the internet to label urine samples and input personal data for individuals. Fine. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And talked to this really nice guy who is getting an Air Force scholarship to go to medical school at Boston University. Fun! So we got some coffee in the waiting area, and kept chatting. At 8am (2 hours after getting there and essentially sitting and waiting) the Air Force coordinator called us in and said, "Hey guys, internet isn't coming up, you should just go home, no one is going to see you today." Ugh. I still scheduled myself for the next day though, in the event the internet came up. I mean, I leave here Wednesday, so I figured I might as well try to get the physical in.
I was also supposed to have a flying lesson Monday. Didn't happen. Again too windy, and my instructor was stuck in Pennsylvania (plane issues). Argh! I felt like it was a very unproductive day, relative to all the things I had planned. Although I did read a book called "Amsterdam" which was quite good, and I also finished chapters 4 and 5 of the FAA Manual.
I went to MEPS again this morning, again forfeiting another opportunity to see my friends on Monday night (well, I saw one. And I got to hang with my sister, which is always great). This time, when I was instructed to see my coordinator (around 6:45) he told me straight up "No point in you staying. The chances of you being seen are slim to none. You should just do it in Boston." Ooooookaaaaaaay. Another wasted drive, albeit not as much as yesterday! And the good news is, I got to FLY today too! Out of 3 scheduled lessons, I got to go to one. I flew at Capital City Aviation at the OSU airport. I had called ahead and told them that I fly a Piper Tomahawk, so if they could give me something like it, that would be grand. Boy, did they ever (sort of). The plane I flew is called a Diamond 20, and like the Tomahawk, it is small mid-wing two seater. And the similarities end there.
My little Tomahawk is from the '70s. It's rickety and old. The Diamond 20 is described like this:
"Imagine taking your favorite sports car and adding wings. That's the feeling you get when you strap into the DA20 and take to the skies. Sporty, sleek and exciting, the DA20 offers outstanding performance and impressive economy."
Apparently, if I get Air Force, I will learn in a Diamond 20 or Diamond 40...This Diamond 20 is a 2009. It doesn't have a steering yoke, it has a joy sick like thing in the seat. Here, I'll show you:
Inside the cockpit, the controls:
The lovely bucket seats:
Best of all, the visibility! You might not be able to tell, but this plane essentially just has a glass pod enclosing the cockpit. The visibility in this thing is amazing. And even just opening and closing the cockpit is pretty freakin cool! Also, everything is automated and streamlined and gorgeous. And it's fast.
I stalled it, landed it, practiced slow flight, steep turns, and flying in the pattern. One thing that was good was getting another instructors opinion on how to land. I liked this guys approach, and I will try to tell Mike and maybe try it in the Tomahawk too...Hopefully it will work. I can't wait to get my private pilot license. Hopefully it will be before the next time I go to Ohio. I want to take my sister or a friend up in this thing and fly around. It's just so much fun.
Don't worry, I still love the Tomahawk. I asked Pete (my other instructor) for a video that he took of me stalling the Tomahawk. It's best seen by turning the volume WAY up and going full screen. you can hear the stall horn (the beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep) hear the engine shake, and you can see the tail shake. And you can hear me giggle in the background a little. :))
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