Being a flexible/laid back personality is helpful most of the time, but 1) there are times it hurts you more than helps you and 2) sometimes even the most flexible person gets tired of things being flexed. ;)
It hurts more than helps when you're so laid back you lose out, miss out. That (1) may be about to happen again. We'll see. Meanwhile, (2) was almost today. Today's original plan was a lesson from 10:30-11:30, lunch at Glenndale, then I was going to come to OKK and exercise the Cub, and maybe Gumby, in case we can fly tomorrow. It's supposed to be lovely weather today. Instead, the weather is marginal, and the .8 I spend in the pattern is marginally legal VFR, but at least we got it done. I even enjoyed "pulling" the engine after takeoff and having them re-land on the remaining runway. Always a good time. Lunch was delicious and large enough I'll be having a light snack for dinner. However, then Kaylee texts me that she needs her garment bag by this evening. So instead of the airport, I go to Target, and pick up what she needs. Another student was supposed to fly tomorrow but the weather is bad so wanted to go this afternoon. And I'm open, so I can, so I do. I have 2 hours, so I go out to the Cub anyway. I get it pulled out, but as I do I notice it's too heavy. Sure enough, in the daylight, the tires are obviously too low. So I push it back and text the maintenance guy. Then Kaylee texts me. She has to have a gift to give to her partner by 7 pm tonight. I run to Meijer and get her the gift. Now I've got 45 minutes left. I go to Gumby, and an airplane is apart in front of it. The PT is too much effort to get in and out of the hangar alone or unless you have lots of time. The paint guy is working on the Citabria so no opening the big hangar door. There's a Champ in the way of the T-6, but I'm guessing that would be easy to move, but that's not where I was going anyway. My guy who wanted to fly this afternoon is 20 minutes late and counting. So, my flexible-ness was about all flexed out.
And then.
My guy showed up and we did some checkride prep stuff. Maneuvers, including a stall out of a 50 degree bank (no he didn't have to do that, he just did), various takeoffs and landings, etc. You know, checkride maneuvers. And we had a good time of it. And then the sun was that perfect color, the golden hour of beautiful photography. When we got back, the guys had cleaned up the airplane in front of Gumby. So I opened the door, pulled out the airplane that was in the way, pulled out Gumby, and invited my student and another guy who was there to hop in and go along. It had been awhile. I didn't stay up long once I realized I needed to spend some time on the avionics. I can figure out how to put in frequencies, move to the map or the FMS, but I can't figure out how to load a flight plan or an approach. So that answers the question of whether or not I could take it tomorrow to southern Indiana if it's IFR. :)
When I landed, not on the centerline, I pulled up and there were two more teens waiting outside the hangar. So two of my students are with me, two more teens are outside, I pull up and turn around, and the entire Glenndale Gang was coming out of the hangar. Chuck, Judy, Jim and Shirley K., Sam, and Jim and Marsha K. They were all there checking out the Citabria paint job. So it was a regular party out at OKK after dark tonight. :)
And just like that, the flexibility was back, and the tension was gone. Aviation Therapy, complete.
Taken by my right-seater.
The rest were taken by a line guy/student pilot.
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