Heating Up

Along with half the rest of the country, it is getting h-o-t out here.  Sunday I did indeed take off, and it was marvelous. I slept in. I did house chores. I hung out with Kaylee.  I paid bills. I played phone games. I chilled.

Monday I got up early and had one flight in the 172RG with a guy who is working on his instrument rating very slowly.  He's mostly got the ILS down, and has been going up and practicing it hand flying and autopilot both.  But yesterday the ceilings never lifted, so we went up and I filed IFR for real and we shot an ILS into Marion, then an RNAV circle to land back into Kokomo.  It was 500' overcast at Marion, and 800' broken at Kokomo, so he got some good real world experience at it. Said he was too old to figure all this stuff out, which I disagree with him on, but it does take some time.  :)  The rest of Monday I also took off.  I watched a movie called "Only", which is about a virus that wipes out the earth's population of women.  A handful of women who safely quarantined chat while they hide, while the government offers a $2 million reward for any woman found not sick still alive, because they need to repopulate the earth and are trying to do experiments to figure out how to do successfully do that without women. They phrase it as "do your part, turn yourself in to save humanity" kind of thing.  Yeah, no.  In the end she's the only one left, and she basically exposes herself to the disease because she'd rather die than be stuck as a prisoner with her loving boyfriend forever, and they go out and go to some hiking exploring thing at a big beautiful waterfall for her last wishes.  It was weird, interesting, and I always watch things I know Steve wouldn't like if I'm home alone wanting to watch something, and that would have fit the bill.  lol

Then Monday evening, Steve and I watched "The Engineer", based on a true story from the 90s about a hunt (the biggest hunt in Israeli history) for a famous Palestinian bomb maker.  It wasn't fast paced for the most part but it kept you entertained anyway. Also kind of shows the pointlessness, because you cut off one head, that guy, and it didn't stop anything, more heads grew up, as they, evil, always will.

This afternoon I had one flight. It was in the T-6, with a friend's daughter, who is a new Private Pilot who did it in the Super Decathlon, Monica.  I had her fly from the back seat, but I had her do it all.  Takeoff, even came in and talked her through a landing that I didn't have to touch.  Now I'm going to brag a little bit here.  The T-6 isn't an easy airplane to land, from the back seat, and if you don't give anyone any coaching, it isn't going to go well. The part where I can talk even pretty new people safely through a decent landing makes me feel pretty good about it, except for the part where they then think it's no big thing.  lol  Usually it gets more sporting when I quit talking and let them start figuring it out. Or if they don't listen. But funny thing--women usually listen pretty well.  ;) We had fun though, and she did great, and we got Go Pro video of it, and I took a couple photos, too.  

Then I had a conversation with the young lady who has taken over most of what Steve does as far as answering phone calls, scheduling, setting up students with instructors, organizing all the airplane cleaners and volunteers and other workers, selling things on eBay, social media, etc.  She works 40 hours a week and she stays busy the entire time.  She wants to start a family, doesn't want to fly while pregnant, and doesn't want to work, even from home, while pregnant or a new mom, doesn't want any 'outside stress' during her pregnancy or early motherhood. This is not great for multiple reasons but mostly for Steve. He's really come to rely on her, and I don't know how or who will take over everything she's been doing.  I can't, he can't.  *sigh*

Me and Monica in the T-6