- A Day of Firsts -
Yesterday was a day filled with firsts. The biggest being I flew my first solo job (quite the milestone)! It actually wasn't near as nerve racking as I had expected. It was about a four hour flight to the east. I shot the towns of Twin Falls and Mountain Home (time to break out the Atlas, kids). And after checking the film today, I'm proud to say that all of the shots are usable.
It was also my first time to fly up at 17,000 feet, which if you're familiar with the aircraft I trained in, they don't even come close to that. And since I was up that high, I had to use oxygen (another first). It's a little annoying because it tickles your nose and really dries you out, but a life saver none-the-less.
The plane is equipped with tip tanks, which allow for extended flight in the 7 hour range. This being said, the fuel tanks outlast my bladder by several hours, which brings us to our final "first". I peed in a Gatorade bottle - thank God for the wide mouth openings!
Anyway, today was another full day of flying, thanks in part to the gorgeous weather we're having - nothing but clear skies and sun! I got five hours in today and flew all of southern Idaho, all the way over to the eastern border. Today, I shot the towns of Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Both of which I'm predicting will turn out better than film from yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed!
It's exciting to see how quickly the hours rack up when your doing 3, 4, and 5 hour flights on a daily basis. Not to mention, finally getting paid for what you love to do. It's a great combination. I can't take all the credit though, God has definitely helped me with the learning curve. If you told me a month ago that I'd be this far along I would have never believed it. But after today, I can finally see myself getting the hang of this and am starting to feel like maybe I can contribute.
On a side note, I took my digital camera up today, but sadly the USB cable is at home, so you'll have to wait for the pictures. So sorry!
- Welcome to my version of the mile high club
Yesterday was a day filled with firsts. The biggest being I flew my first solo job (quite the milestone)! It actually wasn't near as nerve racking as I had expected. It was about a four hour flight to the east. I shot the towns of Twin Falls and Mountain Home (time to break out the Atlas, kids). And after checking the film today, I'm proud to say that all of the shots are usable.
It was also my first time to fly up at 17,000 feet, which if you're familiar with the aircraft I trained in, they don't even come close to that. And since I was up that high, I had to use oxygen (another first). It's a little annoying because it tickles your nose and really dries you out, but a life saver none-the-less.
The plane is equipped with tip tanks, which allow for extended flight in the 7 hour range. This being said, the fuel tanks outlast my bladder by several hours, which brings us to our final "first". I peed in a Gatorade bottle - thank God for the wide mouth openings!
Anyway, today was another full day of flying, thanks in part to the gorgeous weather we're having - nothing but clear skies and sun! I got five hours in today and flew all of southern Idaho, all the way over to the eastern border. Today, I shot the towns of Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Both of which I'm predicting will turn out better than film from yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed!
It's exciting to see how quickly the hours rack up when your doing 3, 4, and 5 hour flights on a daily basis. Not to mention, finally getting paid for what you love to do. It's a great combination. I can't take all the credit though, God has definitely helped me with the learning curve. If you told me a month ago that I'd be this far along I would have never believed it. But after today, I can finally see myself getting the hang of this and am starting to feel like maybe I can contribute.
On a side note, I took my digital camera up today, but sadly the USB cable is at home, so you'll have to wait for the pictures. So sorry!
- Welcome to my version of the mile high club
posted by Nathanael Litter at 7:23 PM
4 Comments:
God is so good! You are my hero and the best pilot that I know. I knew you would catch on quickly.
question, why did you have to use a wide mouth bottle?!!!!
You do the math...
Tweezers and magnifying glass!
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