Rachels Blog

Author: hemispheredancer06

  • SOARING!!!

    Last week, I was sitting at Panera working on some scholarships for my Saturday morning. Funding is always a stressor in the Flight School world, so I am constantly looking for new and creative ways to fund my training. Ive been trying to spend a few minutes everyday focusing on things that make me feel better about my current situation (serenity to accept the things I can’t change, right?) and one of those is working on scholarship applications and looking for some side jobs. At any rate, I had been at Panera for a few hours already and my brain was tapped. I did the ultimate no-no and told myself I would check facebook “real quick”…5 minutes max.

    I open the app and the first thing I see is a post on the Treasure Coast Ninety-Nines facebook page from Kaye, whom I had met at the EAA Young Eagles Event last month. She posted “Soaring anyone? Come join me today at New Hibiscus Air Park” and my interest was peaked. I live about twenty minutes from that airport, and had been feeling bummed at being weathered out of 5 flights that week. Ive never been soaring, and other than the usual “when I have all my ratings ill do the add ons” (ie seaplanes, gliders, etc) I really hadn’t considered it as feasible due to prioritizing my money toward this training. I messaged her and asked if I could come visit, and she said yes!

    I headed to the airport and met up with Kaye. The airport is a tiny glider field, and a few members of her club were there. Everyone was super welcoming and genuinely excited about soaring. The weather was a little rough that day; we had been in a thunderstorm pattern for a few days already, but they thought we might have enough time to squeeze a flight or two in. Kaye and Eileen went up for a test flight to make sure the winds were safe enough to go soaring in, and then Kaye came back to pick me up!

    I was a little nervous to get in the glider just due to the fact that there was not an engine. I was worried it would be a little scary to be up there with what I perceived as no control… LET ME TELL YOU, IT IS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!! Kaye is a total bada$$ and was so calm and collected the entire time. We were towed by the “Yellow Gorilla” up to altitude, and then we released the tow. Kaye is an excellent pilot, and was talking me through the whole process so I could learn what she was doing. It was a quick flight due to the weather but it was SO MUCH FUN!! I just can’t believe she gets to do that all the time!

    If anyone is ever on the fence, I highly suggest you try it. I am totally sold! It was such a neat feeling to feel the plane literally soaring, without any means of propulsion. All you can hear is the wind whooshing past you and everything below just looks so peaceful. It was exhilarating!

    Needless to say, I am adding soaring scholarships to my to-do list!

  • Private Pilot’s License!!

    If you can believe it, I FINALLY earned my license last Wednesday!!! Quite possibly the best day of my life!! I was quite worried going into it, as I hadn’t flown in quite some time due to multiple weather cancellations. Plus, the usual check ride anxiety as previously discussed! I was fortunate enough to be assigned a fantastic flight instructor, and despite my nerves, it was actually a really fun flight! I haven’t had an enjoyable flight in a while; I’ve been struggling a bit to find my niche with certain maneuvers, so when I had flown, it was always a stressful and difficult time. However, I went into this check ride feeling confident and ready for once! I was still super nervous about the flight but for whatever reason, it all seemed to click that day and it was an enjoyable flight!

    My check airman really switched things up a bit on me. I had my Plan of Action all drafted up and ready to go, and had practiced that specific sequence quite a few times already. He basically threw that plan out the window, and had me fly to the northeast instead of southwest, and had me fly to a practice area I had never been to before, so I was pretty nervous about that. We were fortunate enough to leave the airport when we did; apparently after we went north, a storm rolled through and the airport was temporarily shut down for a period of time while it passed. We saw none of it while we were up, thankfully! Despite the change of scenery, once we started the maneuvers it was just like any day of flying again! We had a great time up, and he was very calm and clear about what he would like to see. I can’t emphasize enough about how much FUN it was.

    I keep seeing posts on the facebook discussion groups I follow about how discouraged people are and how difficult flight school cam be. I read them all the time and find myself nodding and thinking “exactly” a lot. Ive been worried that this has been so difficult that I may not enjoy getting to fly anymore once I go my license. It has been a (self imposed) stressor I have been experiencing the past few months. I am happy to report that I did enjoy my flight even though it was scary and nerve-racking, and I am extremely happy to have that love and passion back in my bloodstream again! So for anyone else out there who is struggling and feeling discouraged, just hang tight! It will all be worth it in the end!!

  • EAA Young Eagles & 99s Event!

    Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the EAA Young Eagles Event with the Treasure Coast 99s Chapter! The Young Eagles Event was an opportunity for youngsters to get to experience flight for free! There were over 20 pilots at this event who volunteered their time (and airplanes) to make dreams come true for over 200 children! I was fortunate enough when I was younger to fly at this event and I remember it well!

    After the event, we had an informal sit-down with the Treasure Coast Chapter of the Ninety-Nines! It was wonderful to meet all of the fantastic women who are in this group! I am so honored to be a part of the circle, filled with airline pilots, STEM teachers, and a Guinness World Record holder for Circumnavigating the globe! I am amazed at all that they have accomplished and are still accomplishing! It is extremely inspiring to be around such accomplished and ambitious women!

  • Checkride Anxiety & Scholarship Winning!!

    Hello Again!! Happy May! We made it so far! I am currently awaiting my PPL Checkride and feeling ALL of the emotions as I wait. I was on reserve last week (where you get to do your oral/checkride if there is time/other people cancel) and was unable to fly due to thunderstorms. I was able to complete my oral exam and PASSED! Which, despite all the months I spent studying, I was still nervous for! I was scheduled on reserve again this Wednesday, but had to cancel due to the winds and cloud deck. SO frustrating because I am just so excited for some forward momentum! But that’s ok, it will all come in due time.

    In the meantime, I got some FANTASTIC news!! Andrea called me from Women in Corporate Aviation, and informed me that I was the scholarship winner from Flight Safety International Paris for the Emergency Initial Training Course and I could not be more excited!!! I am hoping to make it out to EBACE (European Business and Aviation Convention and Exhibition) in Geneva, Switzerland to receive the award, but am currently unsure of the possibility as it is so soon! If anyone is attending and would like to meet up there, let me know! I’d love to meet some fellow aviatrix’s!

  • First Post//International Women in Aviation Conference

    First Post//International Women in Aviation Conference

    Hello, friends! Welcome to my first post and thanks for stopping by my page! My dad initially mentioned starting this blog, and I was pretty hesitant at first. I kept pushing the usual self-doubting thoughts around in my brain; “what do I have to say” and “I have no experience” and blah blah blah. You know the drill. At any rate, I went out to the International Women in Aviation Conference about two weeks ago and my whole view changed! I was surrounded by hundreds of talented, intelligent, strong, and fiercely-motivated women (and some men!) all with one goal in mind: sharing their love of aviation! I have been so inspired these past few weeks, and have been using that motivation to propel me forward as I wrap up the last of my PPL!

    The conference itself was fantastic! There were hundreds of booths set up with everyone from the Coast Guard to Delta Corporate Jets to Boeing to Desert Jet and even Uber! Speed mentoring events, educational sessions, club meetings and hiring seminars were just a few items on the agenda!

    The speed mentoring event was a success and I HIGHLY recommend attending any and all similar events in the future! I was lucky enough to talk with 5 different women, all of whom had different perspectives on life and aviation. It was wonderful to be back in a group of like-minded women, all wanting to lead and inspire. It was a camaraderie that I didn’t realize I had been missing and needing since departing the Coast Guard. Having the ability to talk with women of various backgrounds reminded me that we are all pretty similar! More importantly, it reminded me to step out of my comfort zone and ask for help! I have been needing some motivation and inspiration for this final push of my license, and being at the event gave me the courage to step up and ask these fine women to be a part of my journey! The best part is, EVERY woman I asked to help mentor and guide me said YES!

    The educational sessions were impressive to say the least. One session we attended was “An Aviation Marriage” in which Dr. Janette McMurtrie discussed the challenges of being a pilot and maintaining a healthy homelife. Her presentation was both insightful and informative. Being unmarried, I hadnt given it much thought to how my future career could potentially impact my husband/family down the road. She gave some great tips on how to balance both successfully, as well as ways to realize when your relationship may be under duress so you can catch it early. We also sat in on a presentation about “Imposter Syndrome”, which was eye opening. If you haven’t read about this phenomenon, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read up on it, as it DOES have an impact on your day to day (hence my initial thoughts of “what do I have to say?”).

    During one of the hosted luncheons, Gwynne Shotwell, (President and COO of SpaceX) spoke to the conference about SpaceX’s attempts at having rockets land themselves upon returning to earth. She showed up a blooper reel of all of their failed attempts at having the rockets land back on earth. While it was supposed to be a funny video, it was a reminder that even the best and smartest people are still having to work through all sorts of struggles to get to the end goal. Which brings me to the greatest thing I heard the entire conference: “Have absurdly ambitious goals”. When she said that, it really hit home. All my self-doubt and second guessing kind of came to a halt for a split second. WHY am I always doubting myself and thinking I can’t do it?! They are literally sending machines into space and then having it land itself back on Earth! If they are doing that, why can’t I become a pilot?! The answer is that I can! And I will! It just may take a bit longer than I planned and be a bit harder than I thought, but thats just part of having absurdly ambitious goals!

    This was a bit all over the place but I’m glad to have somewhere to start! More on the WAI conference, my aviation journey, and having absurdly ambitious goals later!

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