Sudden Summer Storms

Well, no flying so far this week. It was looking great for last night... until this crazy line of thunderstorms popped up. As I drove out to the airport, I started noticing the dark clouds. Then I started feeling the car get pushed around by the wind. If wind can do that to a car (even a lightweight one like a Prius), think what it would do to a light airplane with nice long wings to act as sails. I was surprised to see planes in the pattern-- but figured I'd go on to the airport since I was almost there anyway.

So M and I verified the crappy conditions by looking at the radar. Another instructor had just come in from flying and had tales of extreme winds and 90 degree inadvertent banks (not a good thing in an airplane). So we decided to do a little bit of ground review instead. We went over a bunch of different things-- basically he just asked me stuff as it popped into his head. I think I did pretty well-- I knew most of the things he asked, though I didn't always understand his questions at first. All in all, I'm not too worried about the oral portion (though, as soon as I say that, I'll completely blow it!).
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It's funny... I knew I was really hooked into flying when I started using flying analogies to describe everyday things (my boss is a pilot-- though not current, so we make a lot of jokes like, "we're coming in high and fast on this project-- better throw in some flaps", etc.). But I've just had my mother explain something to me using a flying analogy.

My dad, who had a triple bypass 4 months ago, had to go in for an unexpected procedure today. Apparently one of the graphs didn't take, and another one needed a stent to open it back up a little. So she used the analogy of a twin engine losing an engine. He's fine, and can still fly-- but he's lost some of his backup. She got the analogy a little wrong (because she doesn't know that much)... but it made me think about how much a part of my life flying has become if even my mother is using it as an analogy with me! (For the record, I didn't stop and tell her that it depends on what kind of twin and some other stuff as to whether the pilot of that plane would think it fine to be flying along on one engine. I guess a better analogy would be us losing the standby steam guages in our plane-- the G1000 should do just great, but we better not have an electrical problem or we could be in trouble.)

Maybe I could write a book, All I ever needed to know, I learned in flight training... hmmm.... :)