06/01/02 Heading Home - I've packed up and I'm going home tomorrow without my instrument rating. I know, I know... I'm so close... but this is getting ridiculous. I don't want to spend a fourth extra week here when half of it is going to be stormy. My internship in Oshkosh was supposed to start today already. My plan is to come back here soon on a weekend to finish up (hopefully I can fly down and not have to drive). I'm starting my internship on Monday. My next dilemma is finding somewhere to live where I won't have to commute an hour each way every day. I'm going to try to tackle that problem this week. All I know is that right now I'm feeling a little flying withdrawal syndrome. I would have taken a plane out tonight if I wouldn't have been so busy packing.

06/05/02 Started Internship - Yesterday (Tuesday) I started my 10-week internship at Pioneer Airport. I did the paperwork and got some training, then was turned loose to work. I just happened to start on the right day too: I met Lane Wallace, a writer who writes for Flying magazine among other things, like I want to do someday! I also got to watch Microsoft employees photograph, record sound from, and fly two of our airplanes which will be featured in a future version of Microsoft Flight Simulator. The past two days have been fun and I can tell that this summer is going to fly by. Now, if only I could start doing a little flying myself soon... I might spend the weekend back in Dubuque flying and getting closer to that instrument checkride.

06/09/02 No Trip to Dubuque - Okay, now I'm really feeling flying withdrawal syndrome. I haven't flown in a couple of weeks and I see airplanes practically every day. I didn't go to Dubuque to fly this weekend because there was some miscommunication and I couldn't get an instructor. I hope I get to fly soon! I am going to start looking for a plane to rent. By the way, my internship went well last week and I'm sure this week will pass just as quickly.

06/12/02 Irony - Why is it that Oshkosh, the center of all things aviation, has no airplanes for rent on Wittman Field except for flight instruction purposes at one place? I want to rent a Cessna 150, 152, or 172 to have some fun with and I'm out of luck. 

06/14/02 Finally Flew Again, in an Interesting Way! - I flew in EAA's Flightstar IISL ultralight today! I have never done anything quite like this. The fact that I hopped in without hesitation proves that I'm willing to do just about anything when it comes to flying! The plane is basically a bunch of tarps stretched over pipes. It has a Rotax engine that seems like it belongs on a snowmobile. The two-seat "cockpit" has a windshield but no sides. It seemed like the four-point harness was the only thing keeping me in there, and I had to wear a helmet and make sure I left my loose valuables behind! On the ground, I could reach outside and touch the grass. In the air, I stuck my arm into the 65 mph wind. Now I know why they say "low and slow is the way to go." We flew for about 20 minutes. I flew a little and discovered that on a bumpy day, the plane is a challenge to fly! The wind cleared out my brain! I thought it was a lot of fun and I would like to do more ultralight flying. I took pictures and I'll post them when they get developed.

This weekend is Ultralight Days at Pioneer Airport. Ultralights are flying in Saturday. There will be competitions Saturday evening and the planes will leave Sunday morning. This is all weather depending, of course! I plan to be there tomorrow.

06/15/02 How Did I Survive Without This? - I finally, finally, finally flew the Super Decathlon with my airline pilot friend again today for the first time in almost two years!!! I had a BLAST! After being reminded how much I love this airplane, I don't know how I have managed to live without flying it for so long. We flew out of Oshkosh, made a stop at Brennand field and flew around Fond du Lac. I flew most of the time from the back seat. We had some fun... I swear I will own one of these some day. I logged 1.5 hours.

06/20/02 GlaStar Flight - It was a hot and humid afternoon at Pioneer Airport today. I felt like I never sat still and I drank probably a gallon of water. We were busy with a lot of Young Eagles flights and Travel Air rides. At the end of the day, I took a quick ride in the GlaStar with a Young Eagles pilot who needed to get familiar with the airplane again. I flew it for a few minutes and did a takeoff and landing. This was the first time I flew it on wheels instead of snow skis. Fun! It humbled me, too!

06/25/02 Like Riding a Bike - Over the past 24 hours I have covered a lot of territory. I flew a Cessna 172SP from Clintonville - Wisconsin Rapids - Madison - Central Wisconsin - Clintonville. I flew the first and second legs of this trip from the pilot's seat and even did an instrument approach. I rode the rest of the way. The SP is very similar to the regular 172s that we fly at school except it has 20 more horsepower. It felt like an R-model with extra zip. And even though I hadn't flown a Cessna in nearly a month, I was surprised how much it was "just like riding a bike."

06/27/02 Open Cockpit Joyride - This morning I got my first ride in the 1929 Travel Air E-4000 open cockpit biplane at Pioneer Airport. I got quite a fun ride with several maneuvers! I now have a new sales pitch for this great airplane, and for one of its pilots!

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