Two Pilots & an LSW: Balls in the Air

I woke up at 6 am, which didn't make me super happy since I didn't have to wake up until 7:45. But hey, what's a brain to do. :p

First up for the day was an IFR cross country with Morgan, and we actually got to go through and above some clouds for the first time. I had her take her foggles off so she could see it 'for real'. It took us 2.4 hours, and we did the whole thing including two approaches, and a missed approach to a VOR hold at Marion. Good stuff.

After a quick lunch break, I went with Isabel to work on getting her up to speed in the RG so we can start her instrument training. About an hour of takeoffs and landings, and both of us had a low grade headache and stopped. The barometric pressure was super high, a weather system is moving in, the baro has already dropped 30 points, and my head does.not.like.that. But I've been okay so far, just low grade bleh.

I had a little time after flying with Isabel, so I ordered a sandwich from Miller's for Kevin, ran home, fed the cat, fed Ann, sat down on the couch for a few minutes to try to relax since I was up so early, already had flown 3.5 hours, and had a long night ahead of me. But Michelle was here, she cleans the house once a month, had injured herself a few days ago and it was taking her awhile to finish up, so there wasn't really a rest there. So instead I planned the day's trip (piece of cake), and went and got my own sandwich and chips for dinner for later. I had two little coolers inside the house. One was Victoria's Secret and all hot pink. The second was IU and red. I'm flying Purdue's basketball coach around, so I took the IU cooler just because. In honor of Steve, I guess. ;)

The flight over to Lafayette was weird. I was VFR, it takes like 12 minutes to get there. (It's an hour drive). Tower lady is overwhelmed and has completely lost situational awareness. She's saying things like "WHO is on final?! Which one of you is doing the 360 on downwind? Where is xxxxx?" When I call up to come in, she says "Remain clear of the class delta and call me back in 5 minutes!" I've never had a tower tell me in a 12,000 lb turboprop to stay out and circle around at 2000' while waiting for them to get their shit together before. Then they cleared me to land on the short runway. Also not where you usually send the heavier twins/turboprops. But it's 4200', and the Cheyenne can do it just fine, and she was already down the rabbit hole, so I just did it. lol

Kevin and I picked up Coach, then took off and headed to Kentucky. It was a little place called "Kyle-Oakley Field" in Murray, Kentucky, because it was either that or Kentucky Dam airport, and Kentucky Dam airport is a much shorter runway (under 4000') and doesn't have any instrument approaches. Or after hours access. This school we were visiting was huge, and it was literally in the middle of nowhere. So we went into this small airport and had someone from the school come pick us up and drive us to the school. The guy who drove ran the local hardware store, and his 12 year old son was in the back of the car, speechless, because he'd just watched the coach on TV the night before at a Purdue game and here he was sitting in his car. :D It was cute.

We all went to the game to see the kid he was looking to recruit. They had us sitting at a large table on the court, right up front, with a sign that said "RESERVED PURDUE UNIVERSITY". The kid he was looking at hit 8 3-pointers, which is apparently very impressive even if it was out of 15 attempts. I know nothing about basketball. I'd think a 50% success rate wasn't great, but apparently I am wrong. :D Anyway. We were on display up there. And right in the action. I had three balls fly at me, and I swatted or threw them back onto court. I had one player crash into the table next to me and have to be helped off, and another player who half landed on top of my table. You have to pay attention to the game if you're going to sit there, and don't wish to be blindsided by a large sweaty kid moving fast or a hard ball going at what looks like bullet speeds. That's really a very aggressive, fast paced game in person. I told Kevin I'd hate it even more than I thought I hated it, because they are all over each other, in the face, bumping, waving, trapping, grabbing. I'd be like "GET OFF OF ME". Anyway. That was kind of fun, and the game went fast. Four 8 minute quarters without a bunch of stopping and time outs and reviews and stuff. It was actually over in a reasonable time frame.

When we'd walk in, everyone who came over to Coach would shake his hand enthusiastically, look at Kevin and say "You must be the pilot!" and shake his hand, and he'd be like "yep", and then they'd glance over at me and keep moving. I usually smiled and lifted my hand and said "Laura" as they walked on. It was funny, and eye rolling at the same time. It happened three or four times. It would be weird and cumbersome to say "Actually he's the owner, I'm the pilot", because it doesn't matter and nobody cares, and because he didn't say it, so me saying it would make it a thing when it shouldn't be a thing. That was a lot of serious looking-through-you-like-you're-not-there action in one evening though!

Flight home was uneventful, we dropped him off at Purdue and ran back to Kokomo. Landed around 11:30, was home by 12:20 or so, couldn't go to sleep until after 1. Successful day though, busy, with students and a trip, started early, ended late, but was full of interesting and enjoyable things.

Tonight we're supposed to take him back to Atlanta, but tonight's weather is nothing like yesterday's weather. Winds up over 40 knots, low level wind shear, IFR, possibly very low IFR, though I don't know that that will happen, rain, all sorts of icky things. So after the 1 pm forecast comes out here, we'll take a look and see if we want to do it or not. Or if HE wants to do it or not. Or maybe I'll see if the pilot want to do it or not. ;)

Roadie is doing okay. Eating less, sleeping more, but seems content. Sure does pee a lot, too!

Okay, I should go get some things done...