Two Pilots & an LSW: Beating Feet

This day was non-stop crazy until about 8 pm, and then it was too late to do anything else, so it all calmed back down. After I got up, I raced to drive down to Frankfort, to take the Conquest up for the first time in months and with a new full panel, because the next flight in it will be out to Colorado, and it would be better to check it out first. But everything kept delaying me. By the time I got down there, I walk out, and the headset I'd kept in the plane (I thought) wasn't in the plane. So I walked back to my car to get mine. Walk back out, climb in, the plane won't start. I walk back and throw my headset back in the car and text the guy who tells me he disconnected the batteries. I walk back to the plane and figure out that I can reconnect the batteries myself. Get that done, get inside and flip on the batteries, and it works. Now I have to walk back to my car and get my headset again. By now I have 15 minutes before I have to leave. I throw myself in the air, shoot one RNAV approach into Frankfort all autopilot coupled, press buttons, and think I have it halfway figured out. Land, park it, run to my car, and drive off to get to my next appointment. I was getting a pedicure because I'm wearing open toed shoes at the formal wedding. I really needed my actual fingernails done but they didn't have any appointments for that, so I got my feet first and am trying to get my fingers tomorrow. Crossing my fingers somebody will get me in in the morning, because I have a trip to NY and I have to leave Kokomo by 11 am, and I won't get back until they're closed, most likely, and then I'm hosed with some gnarly looking hands. Anyway.

I drive home first, because I can't go in there with jeans, socks and shoes, right? I have never done this before, but it seems like I need to have 1) shaved legs, 2) flip flops, and 3) shorts so they can have access to the feet. I wasn't sure I'd be able to have people touching my feet, either. But I ran home, changed clothes and shoes, and away I went. It wasn't bad. I still don't like people filing on my toenails, or finger nails, it feels gross to me, but my feet weren't in bad shape to begin with, and now they have a fresh coating of "champaign" neutral color on them. I had thought I was going to have matching green, but Kaylee said "Don't do that for a formal event. Do blush or nude or something". So I asked the nail tech, and she said "Oh, she's right, this champaign here will be perfect". Well, learn something new every day, eh? ;)

I left there, and went through McDonald's because I hadn't had time to eat all day yet, and it was already 2:30 pm. I was in line over 20 minutes before I yelled into the board "Seriously guys?" and then a few minutes later "Okay, you win, I'm out of here!" and drove off mad. Went home, changed clothes again, and now I'm hungry on top of being stressed out. Not a good combo. I got some food on the way out to the airport, where I flew with Cameron in the Champ.

Cameron wants to be a tailwheel CFI, and he's been working pretty hard at it. Today I had him do crosswinds, wheel landings, three-point landings, slips to landing, and then I did a few, I bounced a wheel landing and he had to take over and do a go-around, and then it took me 3 tries to botch a 3-point landing, because it's harder to do that on purpose than you think! Finally, last lap around, I pointed the plane at the runway, heard an "AAAAHHHHHHHHHH" in my head as I dove for it, and then pulled it up but not enough, bounced it, and he re-landed it from the back. Then he did his own 3-point and did a really nice job with it. So I declared him cut loose on the world as a new tailwheel CFI, will set him up with someone who is already a decent pilot, not someone who doesn't know anything and is starting in the Champ, or someone who is a real challenge. Always start easy; I told him the terror was still coming, but hopefully he'll get some experience behind him first. I told him most of my grey hairs have come from tailwheel instruction, and he said he found a grey hair on his leg, so he thinks he's ready. Made me laugh.

After that, I had a gent for a T-6 ride. He was scheduled for a Father's Day ride out of Indy Exec, and the event got canceled for weather. So he tried to come up here for weekends, and every weekend the weather was bad or I was gone or the T-6 had an oil leak. So he was finally able to come up today, and we just did it. He'd had a stroke not long ago, and is currently fighting cancer, and is unsure of his long-term time left, so he said this was on his bucket list. I took him up for 36 minutes when it's supposed to be a 20 minute ride, but hey... We went up, I let him fly (he's not a pilot but flies a simulator at home), then I asked if he wanted to do more aggressive stuff or leave it as is. He said he wanted me to do some stuff, so I told him what I was going to do, and said if he didn't like anything, just to let me know. I got about 60 seconds in and he said "Okay, I think the gentle stuff is good for me", so I immediately rolled wings level, opened my canopy (more air flow back there), and went dead smooth. He didn't get sick, fortunately, and we had a good easy time the rest of the flight. He loved it, stuck around and talked, and watched us all put all the planes away before heading out.

Steve, Cameron and I met Kaylee at Pastarrific for dinner and drinks, and separated to do some more work. The rest of my day was still busy, though, filling in the blanks.

I stopped at Staples to drop off Steve's return for him. My phone was blowing up with people needing things and me trying to figure out things. Logan needs to go to Kansas on the 23rd, when I was hoping to be in Oshkosh. Nick needs to go to Ohio on the 21st. That's fine. I'm working on responding to those two about those two flights. I've got a trip to Syracuse, NY tomorrow in the Meridian, and I'm texting Caleb about that. I also had to file my flight plan into NY early, so that if there was any traffic management system in effect or any troubles, my flight plan would be in early. So had to figure that out and file it. I've got a trip to Colorado on Friday, and I'm texting with Ethan and Nick about that. I've got more trips, but those were the ones who were texting me all day just TODAY. I'm trying to figure out when and how I can get to Oshkosh. Talking to Steve about that. So all day, I'm trying to figure out what's going on, when, and how, and respond to everyone quickly. It was a little overwhelming for awhile there, actually. And having my nails look like this when I have other things looking nice bothers me so I hope someone can get me in tomorrow.