January 28, 2011 - Surprising Lari
There’s something to be said for diversifying your investments a bit… after two flights and a very practical ground brief with another instructor, I returned today to Lari for circuits and consolidation of landings.
The complication of losing my voice and having my headset crap out on me had the added benefit that Lari made all the radio calls, allowing me to focus on the task at hand: Proper circuit etiquette and ideal approaches/landings.
Flying with another instructor made my return to Lari seem really “easy” – although I still had lots to focus on, my brain felt really “in the zone” because he and I share a good chemistry in the cockpit. (Tatiana’s a great instructor, too, don’t get me wrong, but she and I just don’t know each other that well, so things are still a little tense compared to my relatively developed comfort zone with Lari. Which was kind of the whole point of taking a few lessons with her; kind of like practising Kabalesvsky's "Galop" solo for xylophone faster than it is tempoed on the page, so when you play it live with the rest of the orchestra, it seems "easy". And it seems to have worked!!)
I can’t say all my approaches and landings were perfect… L’s sudden decision to simulate engine failures from various heights and locations was a bit unexpected, and a really great way to teach such a thing (and yes, I was once again distracted by his ingenuity as a teacher, where I should have been focused on flying the plane --- arggh!! Will I ever be able to kick that? What is WRONG with me?!) And having no headset to cut out background noise was really taxing on my ears after a while. I am so auditory; noise sensitivity is a big thing for me. (But it was kind of neat to fly “au natural” – felt kinda’ “naked” the first few circuits.) Nevertheless, I did manage to pull of a few decent landings on my own. Overall, it was clear that I was not a complete moron in the plane today.
I think Lari was pleasantly surprised at my progress (as was I!) since we last flew together. It was fun to observe that. Maybe he’ll finally see me as teachable and intelligent, rather than purely pain in the ass and an irritating but necessary source of income. (It really is no joke about some people having absolutely no aptitude in certain areas… it’s just that unlike me, most engine mechanics don’t take up ballet!)
To end on a poetic note, it’s quite an exhilarating feeling, really, to line up an approach and bring a plane down to the ground after having flown… how is it that I am actually doing that?! Amazing!
The complication of losing my voice and having my headset crap out on me had the added benefit that Lari made all the radio calls, allowing me to focus on the task at hand: Proper circuit etiquette and ideal approaches/landings.
Flying with another instructor made my return to Lari seem really “easy” – although I still had lots to focus on, my brain felt really “in the zone” because he and I share a good chemistry in the cockpit. (Tatiana’s a great instructor, too, don’t get me wrong, but she and I just don’t know each other that well, so things are still a little tense compared to my relatively developed comfort zone with Lari. Which was kind of the whole point of taking a few lessons with her; kind of like practising Kabalesvsky's "Galop" solo for xylophone faster than it is tempoed on the page, so when you play it live with the rest of the orchestra, it seems "easy". And it seems to have worked!!)
I can’t say all my approaches and landings were perfect… L’s sudden decision to simulate engine failures from various heights and locations was a bit unexpected, and a really great way to teach such a thing (and yes, I was once again distracted by his ingenuity as a teacher, where I should have been focused on flying the plane --- arggh!! Will I ever be able to kick that? What is WRONG with me?!) And having no headset to cut out background noise was really taxing on my ears after a while. I am so auditory; noise sensitivity is a big thing for me. (But it was kind of neat to fly “au natural” – felt kinda’ “naked” the first few circuits.) Nevertheless, I did manage to pull of a few decent landings on my own. Overall, it was clear that I was not a complete moron in the plane today.
I think Lari was pleasantly surprised at my progress (as was I!) since we last flew together. It was fun to observe that. Maybe he’ll finally see me as teachable and intelligent, rather than purely pain in the ass and an irritating but necessary source of income. (It really is no joke about some people having absolutely no aptitude in certain areas… it’s just that unlike me, most engine mechanics don’t take up ballet!)
To end on a poetic note, it’s quite an exhilarating feeling, really, to line up an approach and bring a plane down to the ground after having flown… how is it that I am actually doing that?! Amazing!
