alps

2 months later and not too much more wind under my wings – perhaps only 5 hours more, partly due to bad weather, partly due to my early departure. Annecy and the alps are spectacular spectacular. But I want to come back with a cell phone and a car. And maybe a place to reside. And perhaps with intensions to learn French along the way. Would certainly help in my integration with this community if I’m to spend more time in this here alps.

I bought myself a new harness, an altix supair. And I’m enjoying ground handling and carrying it around a hell of a lot more. And I bought a reserve to boot. Except for that newfangled modern gear like vario and gps, I’m good to go for a while.

With the lack of training this summer to date, I’m almost considering holding off from buying a new wing for the fall. 50 hours don’t seem to be coming unless I make a concerted effort to find the time in America. And my mind is drifting from this gungho pilot identity a bit. But perhaps its because the going has just been so slow? Even with this being high priority, I’m just not getting the hours that I was hoping for. Perhaps because I’m not spending time in the right places at the right times? These may be broader issues that I’m dealing with. Though I’m wondering if running a school is really something that I want to be doing?

God was calling me for a visit the last day I went flying. Sucked up into the clouds, and my nerves didn’t find the edge of my wings to big ears and speedbar my way down. I felt more comfortable to b-line my way down to an emergency top landing, and pinched a nerve in my right ring finger. When I touched soil, I kneeled to the ground and touched the grass felt firmly below. great that I’m alive and another controlled scare. Almost amazing this hasn’t been a crash course.

Took a tour of annecy lake. The little tour. And dipped my body into a cloud. Had my first real cravat. Lots of good experience. Even my takeoffs are feeling confident – those takeoffs in india are not for a wee beginner like meself.

I feel like I need to:

• do some good reading
• practice all my maneuvers 10 times each (big ears, etc.)
• groundhandle with gloves.
• Get:
• Gloves
• Vario
• Gps working in air.
• Cell phone.
• Saw.

May be a great idea to try and bring people to learn in the fall. Setting up people to learn may be a great responsibility for me to have to re-invigorate me with the prospects of spending time in india.