Fireworks!

I spent last night in Bangor again, and had the opportunity to walk down from the hotel to the waterfront to watch the fireworks display. I don't always get to see fireworks, because I'm usually working. Meaning not only on the road, but actually flying. You can actually see fireworks from altitude, but not the way you might think. If you're several miles in the air and the fireworks only a thousand feet up, you have to look down to see them (it's not like you're flying through them). So you can just look down and see bursts of color on the ground. Cool, but not as impressive as watching a fireworks display from the ground.

Happy Independence Day!

p.s. Wikipedia has a great article on the names of the different bursts. Name your favorite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks

Lost baggage

Well, it finally happened. After ten years of flying for regional and fractional airlines, the commercial airline that brought me to the airplane for this week's tour neglected to send my suitcase all the way along with me. I know it's safer to carry all of your suitcases on the plane with you, but it gets so tiring lugging that thing around and maneuvering it down the aisle. So usually I just check it. I had to change airlines on my commute from Cleveland to Monterey, so I should have known it would get lost in the shuffle.

Since we had to fly the airplane to Pendleton, OR, there wasn't a way to get my bag other than have it, my suitcase, travel to Bangor, ME (on the redeye, no less), so it could meet up with me the next day. I spent a night in the hotel without all of my gear. Makes you wonder why you pack so much stuff when you can see what you can do without. OK, maybe for just a night. I didn't have my workout clothes with me, and I try to work out every day, that includes on the road. Plus two days in the same shirt is hard on the other pilot (or at least his olefactory glands).

I couldn't work out this morning either (couldn't being a relative word), because we had a 4AM show at the airport FBO to sit standby. I couldn't get up any earlier than 2:45. Seriously. Sometimes you just have to concede to human's propensity for sleep. I don't know how long we'll be sitting here, but since there is no wireless (usually standard in most FBOs) the time is going to go a lot more slowly....

The July Girls With Wings eZine is out!

Just in case you aren't yet subscribed to the eZine, we just wanted to let you know about some of the great stories in there...

For example, congratulations are in order for GWW Kim, who received her commission as a Second Lieutenant (2LT) in the USAF Air National Guard last week. She will soon be attending flight schools in Mississippi and Texas for over a year and will be returning to the New York Air Guard's 137th Airlift Squadron, 105th Airlift Wing, flying the C-5A "Galaxy." She will be updating her bio soon to let others know how they might follow in her footsteps. We are so proud of you, Kim.

I was honored to administer her oath to the State of New York. I had to drive roundtrip from Cleveland to Knoxville to do it (this 8 hour trip that really took 10 each way, what with construction and rain, not that I'm complaining...), but was honored to have been invited to attend the ceremonies. Kim has been an active, visible, and dedicated volunteer with Girls With Wings from the start. She found the website while she was just looking in to flight lessons, and we GWWs shared in her quest to find out all of her options and opportunities. The Air Guard is looking for fewer and fewer pilots, so her acceptance into officer school and flight school is a reflection of her great qualities, intelligence, maturity and personality just to name a few.

Her parents, seen pinning on her 2LT rank at left, were understandably proud. Her daughter was just one of a handful of women in her training class. I spoke to the captain in charge of her training, and she said Kim had a "steep learning curve," going from a straight civilian to an officer in just six weeks. We both think Kim is destined for great things. I hope that you will drop her a line to wish her well and stay tuned to the website for updates on her training in the T-6A Texan and T-1 Jayhawk.

Lynda and Brenda

I was so lucky my first tour to end up at KVNY (Van Nuys, CA) on my first tour. The airport is just a few minutes away from the home of the first ever Girls With Wings Scholarship Winner: Brenda!

The 2008 Scholarship will be announced next month. We are always looking for donations - we seek to encourage more new pilots: the only requirement is that the applicant cannot have yet received her private pilot's license.

Wherever I go, I try to keep in mind who's in the local area. Unfortunately, at my job we never know where we're going too far in advance and it's always subject to change. Once we get to our intended destination there's no telling how long we'll be there. If we are the back up for another trip, we might have to do a "quick turn," grabbing fuel, supplies, and our clearance and go! That's why I love this kind of flying. I got bored with the scheduled commercial airlines. Going the same places, everyday, at the same time... The only difficult part of this job is getting everyone I know to understand I am completely unable to answer the question, "Where are you flying to tomorrow?"

Getting to know the Citation X

I have completed my first tour of IOE (Initial Operating Experience) and it was so nice to get into the real airplane. Of course, every successful flight begins with a good preflight, so here we go...

Yup, that's our airplane way out there on the ramp. This is Florida, mind you, so that walk across the ramp undoes my recently completed shower and subsequent primping.

We check the outside, and we check the insides of the outsides, and then the inside inside. There are many panels to be opened up and examined, to include one that the captain I am flying with is standing up in. His legs are to the left.

Once we are through checking out the airplane, we can get it towed closer in. This particular airplane has an inoperative APU or Auxiliary Power Unit (isn't that what I wanted the Citation X for?), so we will have to adapt. An APU usually powers up the aircraft in two ways. First, the APU is started by an electric motor, with power supplied by a battery or external power source (ground power unit). After the APU accelerates to full speed, it can provide a much larger amount of power to start the aircraft's main engines, either by turning an electrical generator or by compressing air.

APUs also have several auxiliary functions. Electrical and pneumatic power is used to run the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems prior to starting the main engines. This allows the cabin to be comfortable while the passengers are boarding without the expense, noise, and danger of running one of the aircraft's main engines. Electrical power is also used to power up systems for preflight checks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_power_unit

Since we don't have our APU, we get towed closer to the hangar so we can take advantage of the GPU, or ground power unit and their Huffer cart, an external engine that creates large volumes of pressurized air used to start large gas turbine jet engines on some types of aircraft. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huffer The captain has been flying this airplane for more than ten years and has never had to use a Huffer cart. I guess this makes me a bearer of good luck. Well, anyway, at least it was good training.

A Great Start!

I am back from my first tour with my new employer. I had a great time and am really looking forward to getting back on the road. I take it as a good sign that my first stop was Jacksonville, FL, where I airlined in and grabbed a shuttle over to the FBO. There were a lot of policemen there (no, that's not the good sign), and I over heard someone say that a certain well known someone was on his way in.

More Motivation

Sometimes when I'm explaining the mission of Girls With Wings to people, they kind of look at me funny ("wait, you want to encourage girls to have an interest in aviation... uh, why...??"). Every once in a while, someone shows me that not only am I right on track, I may be a little behind. As in, some girls are way ahead of me here.

As evidenced in this letter I just received:

Dear Ms. Meeks,

Thank you so much for your wonderful program, website and webstore. I bought my daughter 2 shirts and a pair of airplane socks for her birthday and she LOVES them - you can tell it's Monday at our house (the day after laundry day!!) if she is wearing her airplane shirt. Needless to say it has withheld many washings. I found your site looking for an airplane shirt for a young girl and I found so much more. Thank you so much for providing this to all girls, myself included. We have just sent her name to the moon thanks to your site, I would have never have heard of that program on my own. My daughters love of planes started young, around 2, and is growing right along with her. She is currently sleeping with a playschool plastic plane filled with little planes instead of stuffed animals. Her dad and I started out not knowing a lot about aviation two years ago and have enjoyed learning with her. She wore one of your shirts on her birthday trip to Pensacola to see the Blue Angles, who were so wonderful with all of the children and signed autographs (we don't wash that shirt!). They took the time to chat with them about flying, I was impressed and would recommend both the museum and your website to anyone interested in flying!!!

Thank You!!
Warmest Regards
Kristen and Zoe of Mississippi