Burns flight simulator Quin Adopt a Southwest Pilot – Traci Farley Build a Plane Come Fly with Me Build A Plane Build A Plane donates actual airplanes to schools across the United States for students to build or refurbish. Visit … Continue reading aviation

Week 10 62 A Massive Crater & Myriad Cenotes An early trip took us to Cancun, Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula. One of the most striking features of the geology of the area is that there are lots of cenotes – more than 6,000. Many are easily seen from the air. A cenote is a natural hole in limestone bedrock – a sinkhole – with water at the bottom. Some cenotes are small and shallow, while others are very large and deep. SCUBA divers from around the globe go to them to explore the underground water world. Maybe someday I’ll get … Continue reading Cancun, Mexico & More

Week 9 56 Our  “Road Map” It may be hard to believe, but this photo shows the oceanic plotting chart we used for our entire trip across the Atlantic. As the flight progressed, we recorded altitude and course changes and other conditions of flight. In graphic form, this chart shows much of the information contained in our approved Flight Plan, which contains specific details about the planned trip. Before each flight it is the the captain who files the required, formal flight plan with Air Traffic Control (ATC). Once airborne over land, we must stay in constant radio contact with … Continue reading Lisbon, Portugal & More

Week 8 51 My First Air Ambulance Flight This is a screen capture from the Flight Aware website, of my first flight as a member of the air ambulance team. The top map shows our route and the bottom chart shows our altitude and speed at given points along the way. Our mission was to pick up a patient in Europe for transport back to the U.S. To get there we went from Brooksville, FL to St. John’s in Newfoundland, and then across the Atlantic Ocean eastward to Lisbon, Portugal. On a flat map this route may seem to bend to … Continue reading St. John’s, Newfoundland & More

Week 7 45 My New Home in the Sky I was hired by Global Jet Care, an air ambulance service that flies all over the world from its base in Brookville, FL. Instead of transporting injured people over roads in traditional ambulances, we transport them by jet aircraft equipped like ambulances. The company arranges 24-hour worldwide service. Medical staff members consult with a patient’s physician and assemble the appropriate medical team and equipment. I was really proud when my company received the 2019 International Life Sciences award for its excellence in the field. The planes we use are all the Learjet … Continue reading New Job & New Home

Week 6 38 Celebrating Success Between 2017 and 2019, I worked through the following steps on my quest to become a commercial airline pilot: Completed my Instrument rating in Cessna 172 on October 30, 2017 in Port Orange, FL. Earned my Multi-engine Commercial license in a Geronimo multi-engine commercial on March 21, 2018 in Port Orange at MC Flyers, where I later worked as an instructor. Achieved a Single-engine Commercial license in Milwaukee, WI on September 10, 2018. Became a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) for Single-engine aircraft on September 24, 2018, also in Milwaukee. Became a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) … Continue reading New Job – Training in Tucson

Week 5 Friends – Furry and Not I really love dogs, but didn’t have one of my own while training at the Spruce Creek Fly-In. However, I was excited to spend time with Riley, a Sheltie, who is a certified therapy dog. In addition to visiting hospitals and nursing homes, he has also served at Burns Sci-Tech by listening to kids practice their reading skills. If you look closely you can see that I’m wearing a shirt that has the Women of Wings (WOW) logo on it. WOW is an organization of Spruce Creek women who are interested in  aviation. … Continue reading Making New Friends

Week 4 26 Student? Teacher? Both! After getting my Instrument rating, I earned a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) rating for single-engine aircraft. Tech and I posed in front of the Cessna 172 that I often used to teach others to fly. When I did that, I was able to “build time” or add to my total number of flying hours even as I was flying with them as an instructor. Building time is important to anyone wanting a career in commercial aviation because the major airlines require at least 1500 hours of flying experience. In the background you can see … Continue reading Building Time

Week 3 20 My First Florida Home In the summer of 2017, I moved to the Spruce Creek Fly-In community in Port Orange, FL to continue my training. As you can see, Sci and Tech had already become a part of my life. The houses in the community are built around an airstrip once used by Navy pilots to practice touch-and-go landings. Many of the homes include hangars where owners can keep their own planes. Some of its roads are named for famous: Flyers such as Rickenbacker. Earhart, Borman, Roscoe Turner, Wiley Post, Cochran, Dolittle, Lindberg, Mitchell Aircraft such as … Continue reading Moving to Florida