For those of you who I haven't told, I was recently hired by the University of Illinois Institute of Aviation as a full time flight instructor. It may not sound exciting to most, but its something I've worked really hard for, for several years. This means lots of flying and less picture taking. This is actually okay with me, as I am able to take only the jobs I REALLY want and am more passionate about.
Most of those who are close to me have heard the story (probably more than once) of how I've wanted to fly since I ever knew what an airplane was. My Dad is a captain for American Airlines so I grew up loving everything about aviation. If I wasn't pretending I was a co-pilot in my Mom's Saab turning the air conditioning buttons or drawing instrument gauges on the cardboard box that our refrigerator came in, I was probably making my GI JOE's take flight in a toy airplane or driving with my dad singing to "Tree Top Flyer".
Anyways, my parents and my family are the main reason I'm able to do a lot of things today. Whether it was financial help, or my Dad secretly googling the answers to my questions over the phone because he didn't want to admit he wasn't exactly sure what the answer was (love ya dad!), they were a huge help no matter what.
So when I received an e-mail from my pops this evening, warning me about the hazards of fall/winter flying and icing conditions, I realized I never really gave them and everyone else the proper thank you.
This is a thank you, although I'm not sure about the quality of it. Either way, whether it was money, googling my questions, listening to me talk in conjunctions and pretending to be interested (mom!), getting mad at me for not watching my airspeed properly, or making me hit my landing point over and over until I got it right, I am grateful.
To sign off a long and probably dry post, here are some wise words from my Dad himself.
A little icing won't cause the airplane to fall out of the sky, BUT as you know it will quickly change the shape of the wing and increase the stall speed dramatically.
Just remember what your 'ol dad has told you all of these years -
"Speed is life - the only time you're going to fast is when you're getting ready to hit something"
