Two months ago, when I asked myself what I wanted to do next with my life, I could have never guessed that it would be getting my private pilots license. Well the journey continues as the path reveals herself to me.
After what feels like a way-too-short amount of practice (2 months), I have just taken off, for the first time, in an airplane, SOLO. Holy shit this is exhilarating, terrifying, and exactly where I need to be right now. I don't believe there's any amount of preparation that can FULLY prepare you for solo Pilot-in-Command flight. There's a mental switch that turns on that says, "you're all alone dude, don't fuck it up." So with 0 margin for error, you grab the bull by the horns and ride. The experience reminds me of a quote from my favorite book, 40 Rules of Love. "Don't just go with the flow, be the flow."
And as proof that my training has paid off, I am writing this journal entry right now. The tree of aviation will just continue to grow, as her branches can take me in any which direction. I'm thinking instrument training, then commercial license, then multi-engine, then sea plane and finally mountain flying. As I accumulate more and more hours in the cockpit, the lessons of flying continue to reveal themselves. They say that "experience is the hardest teacher, because she gives you the test first and the lesson second." Something that I will keep in mind every time I take off the runway.
