nah- I'm just probably using that as an excuse for not learning how to drive until now! haha. Speaking of my Pilot School (now I just thought of something to blog with a lil more substance, and just thought of a title that would fit too! 'flying not driving'. Why not.).
Ever since tatay duped me into eating those strained peas by pretending that spoonful of mush was an airplane, I've been fascinated with aircrafts, flying, and the wild blue yonder. If I only knew how to fly, I could get away from my humdrum life (and that powerful woman who wants to dictate me all the time and won't let me play outside the house, I call her "mommy" .. haha) and fly free like the birds. But there's a problem: if I don't learn how to fly, I'll drop like a stone and crash. There are only two options: 1) become stinking rich, buy my own airtaxi and hire someone to fly me wherever I want to go, whenever I want, or 2) get a pilot's license. Option 2 is a tad cheaper and more exciting!! <- Some childhood thought.
--I could have been graduated from my first solo flight last year, had the 'fuel economy' cooperated. The gasoline price behavior was so unstable last year, and even the aviation industry was (and still is) majorly affected. The jet fuel climbed up higher and higher like crazy, thus, making it harder for me to get by with the tuition fee that actually doubled since I started. A pilot student pays for the ground schooling and pays separately for the hands on or air maneuver, applying your knowledge from ground school and actually fly that thing..... and you pay per hour. So for instance, I wanted a PPL (Private Pilot License,2 gold epaulettes
), it requires the ground course, plus 40 hours of extensive flight training (*40 hours of flight time of which 20 must be dual instruction, 10 must be solo, and 10 may be either. *3 hours cross-country training, a landing more than 50 nautical miles from the departure airport. *3 hours night training, including 10 takeoffs, patterns, and landings at an airport and one cross-country flight (at least 50 n.m. away and then back). *3 hours of instrument training -- ETC.) Of course there are other exams after completing the 4o hours (if you are good, cos it takes more with some student pilots, logging closer to 60-80 hours before their final check ride), you still have to pass the ATO General and Power plant examinations and there's a 1 hour checkride.. you must first be able to take and successfully pass both Knowledge (General) and Practical (Checkride) Tests which include an oral, written and actual flight examination. Plus you need also to pass a physical examination done by an accredited physical examiner of the ATO. There are 4 types of Pilot Licence 
., SPL (Student Pilot License), PPL (4O hrs), CPL (125 hrs), ATPL (ah this is for the senior captains, hehe.) Anyway, so "this much per hour" times 40 to get your PPL. If I had this fixed amount for my PPL when I enrolled, but the fuel price went up unexpectedly, it exceeded na from how much I was supposed to pay to complete my PPL. It exceeded my reserves and before I knew it, it was taking me longer (on the calendar) to graduate. Although one does not need to pay for all the flight training up front (some aviation school let you pay as you go), in my case I thought it was a good idea to consider whether I had the funds to start toward and reach my goal within a reasonable time period. I started full time right after my last teleseries, that's one of the reasons that kept me busy.
See, not only rotorwing (helicopters) are times 5 more difficult to maneuver than fixedwing (airplanes) aircrafts, but it is also times 5 more expensive.
While flying is certainly not restricted to the fabulously wealthy, it is nevertheless an inexpensive endeavor. I won't forget when I first inquired in an aviation school, I think I was 10 or 11 then and I forced my mom to accompany me. I was so excited, I threw all the questions I had in mind, I don't remember if we were talking directly with the owner of the school, basta she (yeah a she) was in the position to answer all our inquiries and maybe at that time she thought I was some curious crazy little girl lang, haha... Anyway, I remember asking her as she walks us outside the hangar, I asked 'mam how long po will it take for me to finish my pilot training, gusto ko asap', and I remember the exact words I got from her .... "It depends how much money you have!". Okay.... it is not a cheap undertaking.. thought so!
You know, I am sending myself to flying school without any financial support from my family, no I am not asking any single penny from my parents nor from anyone.. and that's my decision. It's not as if I have a choice though, my family was never fond of the idea, as you know human beings are not, by nature, supposed to fly, so it's natural for them to feel some anxiety at the thought of Juju taming that kind of machine, let alone learning how to do anything at 10,000 feet. HAHA. But yeah, it's all cool, I don't mind at all, since it's a gift for myself too. :)
I just want to say, like what I tell my family and friends, that while it's true that flying involves some inherent risks, it is about the safest form of transportation we have - much safer than driving. Cars are involved in 10 times as many accidents per vehicle mile as general aviation aircraft (that is, all aircraft except airliners and military).. :p
So in order for you to do anything about flying an aircraft, you must first get your SPL. And that's not even the first step, you must apply first to get a Student Pilot License, I won't go na into details but getting a pilot license is a very fun and rewarding experience but it ain't that easy. It wasn't for me, it took me awhile, and I was really nervous I wasn't sure if I would pass. It is already an achievement to hold an SPL, after all, that's where you start. :)
To many people, the concept of "pilot" brings with it a certain sense of wonder, mystery and respect - something out of the ordinary. I remember myself sitting in airport waiting lounges, staring with awe and amazement as pilots boarded their aircraft, regal in their uniform suits with braids denoting their rank, donning pilot sunglasses, braided caps, carrying briefcases filled with mysterious papers only pilots could use... and it wasn't only me who would be staring; the rest of the passengers in the terminal would be staring along with me too. I'm sure we would all be thinking along similar lines. After all, what sort of person does it really take to strap himself to a man-made contraption of metal, alloy, glass, plastic, fabric, rubber, thousands of kilograms of fuel, leave the safety of Mother Earth along with the lives of others either intrepid or foolish enough to accompany him, and be able to coax his oversized bird into landing safely back to earth? What does it really take?
It's just so fascinating to me, how at a very young age I knew what I wanted to do.. and I'm actually doing it now.. there are delays yes, but still, Thy will be done.. :)
'Til my next post.
FLY HIGH! just don't get too close to the Sun (your wings might melt). (;
