Sedona

Went to KSEZ (Sedona) with one of my private pilot students. These moments give me pause and remind me that God is so creative.  Interesting runway, calm winds, will land runway 3 and depart runway 21 due to the slope.

Life as a CFI

I've really enjoyed working as a CFI in Phoenix.  I work out of Deer Valley airport, one of the busiest airports in the nation.  We have a fleet of 35 aircraft and counting.  It is not uncommon to be the fifth airplane waiting for takeoff or number five in the pattern on one of the parallel runways.  Due to the density of traffic our practice areas have been divided into sectors based on prominent landmarks.  Heading west from KDVT you can contact Luke Approach and receive traffic alerts within a Special Air Traffic Rule area while you practice maneuvers...something I had never heard of back in the midwest.

We are moving across the country!

I just passed my CFII check ride Wednesday!! It's amazing how much one event can completely change your anxiety levels.  So much was banking on this timeline.  I accepted a job with Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix, AZ with a start date of September 21st (10 days away), with an apartment lease start date of September 13 (2 days from now) and with my family joining by plane on the 15th (4 days from now).  A fail could have really messed everything up... but God's got it.


My buddy Chris is making the trip with me and Sara and Isaac will follow by plane next week. Time for an adventure! It was nice to see our stuff again too, it's been in storage for a while.

Young Flyers Camp

This summer I've been able to combine my teaching background and aviation knowledge to teach a Young Flyers camp at Thunderbird Aviation.  Each session the kids have been so enthusiastic about learning to fly.  I wish I could have had this experience at their age.  Their background knowledge ranges quite a bit...I think some of these guys know more than me!  But we've had a fun week learning some of the basics about flying. As I continue in my career I'd love to keep finding ways to help educate kids about aviation.

80/20: The CFI Checkride

Study, study, study

It's common knowledge within flight training that the fail to pass ratio for the CFI check ride is 80:20.  That is, 80% fail the first attempt.  Up until this point, I've passed each check ride. Unfortunately, I have joined the 80%.

In all honesty, I was underprepared and unable to correlate multiple subject areas into one cohesive lesson, as expected by the examiner.

Over the next week I was able to really focus on the areas in which I needed to improve, and was able to come back to attempt #2 and pass. Although I felt stressed about it, it was actually a neat check ride.  I created a plan of action with the examiner in which you decide a sequence of maneuvers and who is to fly the airplane during each maneuver. I was expected to instruct through every maneuver.  Much like my private pilot check ride, everything fell into place.

Officially Homeless

After our trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago we had to make a decision about whether or not I would keep my job at the university.  After much prayer and weighing of all our options, I decided to resign.  Today we moved out of our apartment on campus and moved all our belongings into storage.  For the next X number of weeks we will be living with different family members as I complete flight instructor certifications.

Arizona Trip

This past week Sara, Isaac and I took a multi-purpose trip to Arizona for both vacation and to see if it's someplace we could see ourselves relocating to when I become a flight instructor.  My buddy Conor, who got me into this whole deal, is working down there at Westwind School of Aeronautics.  I basically just do whatever he does... so there we went to check it out.

Sara's dad was kind enough to book a room for us at the Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria resort
with his Hilton points (he's a points guy). But back up... first of all, it was HOT.  Stepping out of the airport was just like people warned us it would be: a sauna... a dry, water sucking, sauna.  We flew Southwest.  It was my second time being on a commercial jet since becoming a pilot myself.  I did geeky stuff like looking up our flight plan on Flight Aware and then viewed it in ForeFlight while in flight.

My friend Conor let me backseat one of his student's lessons and I got to see Phoenix from the sky...  It truly is a desert!  The man made lakes and green golf courses are easy to spot.  It was really neat to see Conor in action and see the G1000 up close in the Cessna.  Westwind seems like a great place to be a flight instructor.

Sara and I also looked at a handful of apartments...just in case we make a move :) We also got to spend some time at the pool and in the sun.  We caught the US Women's National soccer team games on TV, celebrated my birthday, checked out Scottsdale Bible Church with a friend of Sara's family, Isaac slept like a champ while we were there, and overall had a great time.

"The Teaching Gig"

I remember after graduating from college with my education degree and speaking to an acquaintance. "Ah...the teaching gig," he said.  "I was a teacher once too."  Between those lines something rubbed me the wrong way, as though it might just be a "gig" for me too.  Nah man, I'm a lifer. 

I had always envisioned my career trajectory as a teacher, staying at one school, and eventually becoming a head football and/or track coach.  I love having an active lifestyle and was eager to promote a new kind of Physical Education--different from the stereotypical gym teacher in movies who rolls out the dodge balls and then checks out.

I am passionate to see all kids grow in their love for physical activity and living a healthy lifestyle.  I don't want to create an environment where only the athletic students succeed and others feel shamed.  For example... One way I promoted this culture was having the class do push-ups for 30 seconds, instead of trying to do X number of pushups.  That way no one is left watching the "slower" or "weaker" student... everyone is working hard together to improve themselves.

My career started at College Prep Elementary school in St. Paul, MN.  I was the lone full time Phy Ed teacher in a converted strip mall. If I jumped, I could touch the ceilings of our "gymnasium."  The room was decent in size, but carpeted.  It was an exciting way to start my career because I was able to create a program from scratch.  I found such satisfaction in the job and had wonderful working relationships with the staff.  But I kept my eyes peeled for other positions as the job didn't promise to increase too much in salary and the hours were so long there was no margin for coaching.

Teaching at Heritage Middle School

After two years, I interviewed and accepted a part-time position in West St. Paul.  The job was expected to grow into a full-time role.  I got plugged into coaching football right away as a running backs coach for the Varsity squad.  I loved working within a Phy Ed department and actually having co-workers who taught the same things I did! That year I coached wrestling and track and field as well. To our surprise, the following summer, an ESL teaching position opened up at my school.  Sara applied for it, interviewed, and was offered the job.  Now here we were, both working at the same school and starting to envision our careers and lives in this community.  But then things changed.

Baby.  We were expecting Isaac! Now this didn't change much of anything at first, except for Sara's frequency of popcorn cravings, but it eventually led her to find a different job in which she could work full time from home, able to stay at home with Isaac (our son) and still bring in a comparable salary as to what she had been earning as a teacher.  She was so excited about being able to be home with Isaac, but I will never forget the day last summer we went to school and she packed up her classroom.  She had come off such a successful year with her students and felt so invested in the community already.  Walking from her old classroom back to our car, she cried.  Am I doing the right thing?  Am I a failure for choosing not to teach?  She had a lot of doubts, and yet we both knew this was the next thing, and it was right for her.

The big news of this post is that I've recently learned that my teaching position is not being renewed next year due to budget cuts district-wide, and it seems the decision has become quite clear.  I feel frustrated leaving on someone else's terms; my pride would have much preferred that I be the one to make the final choice about leaving.

So for me, I guess teaching was just a gig.  One of the most intrinsically valuable "gigs".  It's been a privilege for me to be a teacher and a coach because of the many teachers and coaches that raised me.  I feel like teaching gave up on me.  There are serious systemic issues within education as it relates to teacher tenure and lack of societal value of non-core subjects like the arts, music, and physical education and health. I will always be an advocate for these areas to be more valued in education.

Practicing with my Flight Sim

Now that I'm onto my CFI training, I have to switch seats!  Up until this point, I have been flying from the left seat (PIC...Pilot in Command).  Now as I learn to be an instructor I have to fly from the right seat, which is where I will be now for probably a long time.  I set up my Saitek flight simulator to do some practice and get used to the controls being on my left.

Multi Engine Check Ride

Today was a long day.  I went in early this morning to get a haircut at Gents.  I took the day off from school because it was one of the only times available to cross off my multi engine check ride. Before my check ride, I had exactly 15 hours of multi time (which is the minimum; therefore also the cheapest!).  This was definitely my favorite check ride yet.  My instructor for this rating said he loves being an MEI because its more like coaching at this point in someone's training than instructing.

I loved training in the Seminole.  Being a complex aircraft, and just so much faster, I had to be faster.  Shooting the instrument approaches, setting up, and anticipating just made me feel on my game.  I'm going to miss flying a light twin for a while.  I'm not planning to get my MEI...at least not yet.  We'll see.

The actual check ride was the least stressful yet.  I was also fortunate to have the same examiner from my commercial check ride, so I already had expectations for his style of exam.  All in all, it was a good day.  The only thing I'm not happy about is the length of time it has taken from my Commercial check ride to this multi check ride.  It's taken 3 months to fly 15 hours.  No one's fault really... just Minnesota spring with low cloud ceilings, maintenance repairs, and my limited availability.

Onto CFI!

Flight Date

I finally got my wife to come on a flight with me!  Haha, we saved up some extra cash to do this date.  I got to fly her around on a scenic tour of the Twin Cities while her parents watched Isaac for us.  She had fun but wasn't interested in taking the controls... maybe someday!

Minneapolis Skyline

St. Paul Skyline

Yep, that engine is off

You can actually see the prop in this picture because that engine is off.  Yikes! Haha, that's what training is though! Simulating emergencies and learning how to recover.  Identify, Verify, Fix or Feather.  That's all I've been saying on my long drives home from the airport.

Field Trip

Today I got to go on a "field trip" with my class from Academy College to some of the hangars at MSP.  It made me feel really excited about the possibility that if I continue in my training, I could fly this CRJ someday!  That's what I love about aviation, goals can be so tangible!

Commercial Check Ride

Whew.  Have I got a story for you!  Monday this week I had my commercial check ride scheduled.  The day started at 5am and I had to take the plane from KMIC (Crystal, MN) to KMKT (Mankato, MN) to meet the examiner.  I've been so nervous about this check ride.  Most people compare it to the private pilot check ride with a few differences, yet I felt overwhelmed...still not feeling proficient in my knowledge on some of the aircraft systems.  It was also my first check ride at a different airport which just added on a lot of details not necessarily related to the check ride.

Ten miles out from KMKT I heard an emergency declared over the radio.  I had to fly past the airport for a few miles to stay out of the traffic pattern before entering.  Not sure the result of that situation, but hope everyone was alright.

Finally got inside the terminal at Mankato and got to see Mankato State University's setup with Redbird Simulators, which look sweet.  I met my examiner--he was really approachable and made the check ride start off smoothly.  I passed the oral exam after a couple hours and then it was time for the flight.  My aircraft had been in the hangar thankfully, to keep it out of the cold.  Had a hard startup, but didn't think too much of it at the time.  We taxied out to the runway and started our run-up when I noticed the faintest illumination of the alternator annunciator backed up by the slightest discharge on the ammeter.  The examiner asked me what he thought we should do and I said, "I think we should discontinue the flight and head back to the ramp."

With some further inspection, we found the alternator belt sticking out of the cowling.  My wife
asked me later, what's the big deal? Well... basically the alternator provides electricity to the aircraft.  So if we don't have the alternator we will lose the electrical system once the battery dies...which means no lights, no radio, landing gear won't retract, etc.  Not good.  We discontinued the check ride and I had to wait in Mankato for the chief pilot and another instructor to come rescue me.  The sweet thing was that they picked me up in the Seminole, which is what I'm looking forward to training in next.

On Wednesday, I finished the check ride flight with the examiner and glad to say that I passed!

Onto Multi...

Renting a Plane in Wisconsin

Today was pretty special when I really think about it.  Sara and I are in Wisconsin this weekend to visit family with Isaac.  I've been wanting to take up Tim on a flight, who has been like a dad to me since high school.  We also had Kayshawn staying with us this weekend and he's never been in a small airplane, so it was a pretty fun experience for everyone.  I went early to FDL Skyport (Fon du Lac, WI) to complete the checkout process of renting one of their aircraft (since I don't have my own!).  We flew around the area and I flew Tim over his house in Ripon.  We got Sara, Laurie and Isaac to step outside and wave to us too.  Good memory that I won't forget anytime soon!  Commercial check ride approaching...