My Forever Friend

My heart feels very heavy today as I found out my past flight instructor, Larry Ferren, passed away this morning. I don’t know how to put into words how great of a man Larry was. He made such an impact on my life and I am so blessed for that. I am so blessed to have ever known him let alone have him as an instructor, and a good friend. Larry taught me all of the basics of flying and inspired me to choose aviation as a career and something to pursue for the rest of my life. He was the kind of man who was extremely down to earth and chose to do things the way he believed was the right thing to do (He didn’t take crap from anyone) and I loved that about him. He believed in me even when I wasn’t sure if I believed in myself and helped me to accomplish things that I never imagined achieving before. The first time I mentioned flight lessons to my mother she remembered Larry who she used to fly with when she worked as a flight attendant. So, we drove out to his house sat on his back porch and talked about how flight lessons would work and what I was really getting myself into. He told me he would take me in his ErCoupe to see if I liked it and then I could decide if I wanted to pursue lessons. Of course I came back smiling ear to ear after my first flight and he knew what my answer was… It was a decision for Larry to make as well considering he was in his seventies, but still flying! He surely didn’t have to say yes and take me on as a student, but he did and I will be forever grateful. Larry recently won the Wright Brothers Aviation Achievement Award that recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years. I am so glad this award finally came through and is something that will always honor Larry. I will never forget all of the memories, stories, laughs, and adventures with you and our friend Skip. I will never forget you old man. Thank you for everything you taught me that will continue with me for the rest of my life. Until we meet again, fly high and soar with the angels my forever friend…

Love You Larry
Monday, February 23, 2015

Snow Everywhere!

These last few days on campus have been pretty laid back. We have had two snow days in a row and I just found out that all classes before noon tomorrow are cancelled as well. I’d say we have around ten inches of snow here in Richmond and are expecting to get hit with more tonight! My instructor, Dalton, texted me late Sunday night and said, “Guy on the news is saying we’re going to get the most snow of the past fifteen years. Probably goes without saying we won’t be flying tomorrow. Stay safe.” I simply replied with, “Oh great. Haha thanks” I have had the worst of luck trying to get flight time. It’s actually quite hilarious at times. Like, “the most snow in fifteen years.” Last week, I had a lesson cancelled due to a new engine… Our lesson was working on reviewing short field and soft field takeoffs and landings in N92LC and they listed on flight schedule pro, No maneuvers/ Touch and Go. I guess they wanted to break the engine in. Dalton texted me and apologized considering it was a pretty day and all other aircraft were checked out so we weren’t able to fly. I have had some pretty bad luck, and It stinks because I feel so close to finishing… This weather has made me super anxious for summer! I do realize this weather is uncontrollable, and crazy at times here. We just had a beautiful sunny day not too long ago! On the bright side, all of this bad weather has helped me to get ahead on my homework and work on ground school. I am not complaining at all on having a few days off! It is nice to relax sometimes. I also attached a picture of my poor little mini cooper buried in the snow here in Richmond. Just wanted to give everyone an idea of how bad it is… I think President Benson made a good call.

Officially a Ninety-Nine !

This past Saturday I attended my second ninety-nines meeting and found out that I am officially a member! I have quickly found out that all of the ladies there are very supportive and are very interesting to speak to. Best of all everyone loves to fly! They talk about what they want to do and they make it happen! The agenda was all about scheduling and organizing for our Girl Scout Aviation day on March 21st at Bowman Field in Louisville. My friend Tori and I volunteered to have our own booth to talk about Private Pilot training. Tori participated in it last year and asked me to join and help her present this year! So I am super excited to volunteer and help as a new member of the ninety-nines. ☺ After the meeting everyone went to grab some pizza down the road. We had a nice lunch and continued to talk about our exciting ideas. The best part of lunch came later when everyone went around the room and shared what all aviation adventures they’ve had in the last month. I shared how I have only completed one cross-country due to cancellations, but on the bright side I had received and email that I was an official member of the 99’s! So everyone was very supportive and excited for me. After everyone shared, all members voted whom they would like to see win the “rotating aviation award.” The award is a fancy looking airplane trophy that gets passed around each month to whoever the chapter votes for. They chose me!!! I was extremely shocked and honored to take it home for the month! I now have it sitting right dead center on my desk. I am proud to be apart of this tradition and I can’t wait to see whom I’ll be able to pass it onto next month. ☺ It feels great to have so much support from such wonderful ladies who also love aviation.

Winter Setbacks

Hello bloggers. I’m sorry it’s been a while since I posted last. I am finally getting used to my new routine. Since the last time I posted I was hoping to get another cross-country in. The weather FINALLY allowed me to go! We flew to Monticello, Wayne Co. again KEKQ just because it’s my favorite airport to fly too that is just over fifty-three nautical miles away. We always fly just over fifty-three nautical miles to allow my flight instructor, Dalton, to get back for his next lesson. It felt great getting back on the controls! It had been so LONG since the last time we were able to fly together. Everything was fine until we were arriving at KEKQ and the airplane got ahead of me a little bit because I was late on getting the descent checklist done in time and everything prepared for our landing. Therefore, I was rushing a bit in the end, which is NOT something you should do. I will admit, that is the biggest thing EKU has taught me is how to prepare and be more of a professional pilot. I have had to discipline myself more in order to be a better pilot for EKU and myself. It will definitely benefit me in the long run. I am still working to make myself better everyday. After our last flight I was scheduled to fly again that following Friday and had to cancel due to the weather. It has really been a struggle and I cannot wait for summer to come around. It would really help our lessons keep on track. It has been really bothering me having to keep picking up where we left off every two weeks or more and getting the feel for things again. I just want to get my license! It feels like I have been training forever… Although this cold weather stinks and is setting me back, I know summer is just around the corner and I am keeping a positive mind knowing that one day Ill be able to hold my own license.

First Day of Spring Semester

I cannot believe it is already my second semester of college! Where has the time gone? It is literally flying by. Today, Tuesday, January 20, 2015 I had my first day of the spring semester here at Eastern Kentucky University. My day consisted of me waking up around seven this morning. I got ready for my eight o’clock class and then attended three more after that. My Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty busy now. Monday and Wednesday I have my instrument ground class at nine, humanities around eleven, and then I am able to FLY! Tuesdays and Thursdays I attend a computer, English, and Math class. On the bright side I don’t have class on Fridays now and I am able to just go to the airport and fly! I have had a pretty easy day today. Every class I have attended so far the professor has handed me a syllabus and explained what was on it. Although, I did have my first quiz of the semester in Math and homework assigned in every class. I’m trying to get it done today so I don’t have to worry about it tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a new day and I’ll actually have an aviation class. Those classes are much more interesting. Hopefully I’ll also be able to fly with weather permitting. It has been way too long! We have had wonderful weather today and yesterday with the temperatures in the upper forties and lower fifties. It’s really nice to see and feel considering I had to drive here on salted roads from the snow we received in West Virginia. This warm weather really makes me excited for summer flying at I39. Until then, I guess I’ll hold out through the cold. Hopefully Ill be able to fly tomorrow and blog about my progress and post some new pictures!

Penguins Game Fun

Hey everyone! I have had a wonderful break. I was able to enjoy Christmas and New Years with friends and family, go on mini vacations with my family, and relax before starting back to school. This past Tuesday my family and I were able to attend a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game. I had never been to a hockey game before. I had always heard they were really exciting. The rumors were true! I had an absolute blast! On our way to Consol Energy Center I kept spotting airplane strobe lights in the air knowing that Pittsburgh International Airport was near. Growing up in Shinnston, Pittsburgh was always and is our closest major airport. Located two hours away, it was always so exciting when we were able to fly somewhere and head to Pittsburgh. I still had the excitement at nineteen that I can remember as a child when getting near the airport. My head was glued backwards looking into the sky the rest of the car ride. It really made me anxious to get back to flying at EKU. After arriving at the Consol Center my head was focused more on hockey and the excitement ahead of me. My Mom actually got a really good deal with our tickets on EBay. Our seats were awesome! Lets just say I’m a huge hockey fan now! The Penguins ended up winning seven to two, so it was an exciting game with lots of goals. We ended up staying in Pittsburgh that night and explored the city the following day. It was a very exciting trip and I would LOVE to do it all over again! I’m home now and starting to pack up for the new semester. I hate leaving my family, but I am ready to get back in the air.

Christmas With My Family

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas break! My Christmas vacation has been a good one so far! All accept the fact that I came down with the flu a few days ago. It has really been kicking my butt. I have lost six pounds in two days. I was finally able to eat something today and I am starting to get back up on my feet. Before this whole sickness I was able to enjoy my Christmas with my family. We woke up that morning and instead of opening presents we decided to wait until that evening so we could help Mom get ready for our family holiday lunch. It actually worked out great! We had our family lunch and then opened presents with all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandma. We decided to wait till everything was over to cause less stress for my Mom so when it was our time for our family to open presents it left some excitement at the end of the day! It was great to be with my whole family again. Every year we play “Yankee Swap” where everyone brings a gift worth twenty-five dollars and then chooses a random number out of a hat. We then go in order with the numbers and you have the option to open a new present or you can steal a present that has already been opened. So that makes it fun. We decided to do this a few years back when we realized it was just easier and more fun then trying to buy everyone in our family a gift. I received my Sporty’s trifold made for my mini iPad but Santa also included a mini clipboard that fits in the bands for my maps so it works out great! My grandma bought me a new watch for flying and some highlighter tape and pencils from Sporty’s as well. I can’t wait to try them out and get back into the air! It was another great Christmas not only for the presents I received, but the reason for the season and how blessed I truly am.

Preparing for Christmas

Hello bloggers! I hope everyone’s Christmas break is going well! I just got home from celebrating Christmas Sunday at Church. The sermon was a good one as well as the covered dish lunch following it. Nothing beats church dinners or lunches, they are the best!
I had an easy drive home this past weekend after I finished school. I met my family in Charleston, West Virginia, which is three hours from Richmond, Kentucky for a the state cheer competition. My family went to support our neighbor, Hallie, who cheers for the high school team at home. They ended up getting runner-up in the state so we were happy and proud for her. After the competition we decided to do some Christmas shopping in Charleston and then started to head home later that night. My sister rode in the car with me so it made the rest of my journey home much better being able to talk to someone rather than just singing to myself in the car! Ha! I have just been meeting up with friends and family, enjoying my break and trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for everyone. My Christmas shopping is still not complete… Some people are just so hard to shop for! My family has been asking me for Christmas ideas for myself. Of course, I started thinking about what I could order for flying! I started to think how I have been pulling out my cell phone for the time while “cross-country” flying. So number one on my list was a new watch. Not necessarily a fancy one, but just something I could strap on my wrist so it is one less thing to hold. Number two on my Christmas list was a kneeboard with pockets to strap around my thigh while flying. Just another tool to help me stay organized and not have a messy cockpit. I learned that the hard way while I had to ask my instructor to hold my maps while landing… Things just don’t feel all together with a messy cockpit and it could be very dangerous. So, lets hope Santa comes through and delivers me some new toys! Merry Christmas everyone!

How Can I Make an Impact?

It’s healthy to have many short-term and long-term goals for yourself. Some of the happiest moments in my life all revolved around finishing a goal that I set out for myself. For example, my high school basketball career, making it to a college of my choice, first solo, first solo cross-country, and many other things. These all made an impact on my life because I set out a goal to do something for myself and accomplished it. After making the final decision to go to school for aviation I started to dream about how I could help others in the future by being a resource for them. I told myself when I would become qualified I would help others learn more about aviation careers by effectively using social media and volunteering to speak to students in high school and middle schools. I want to eventually become a mentor and provide guidance for students (especially girls) in small towns that have less resources since this is something I have experienced first-hand to be very challenging. I have many dreams and goals when it comes to aviation, but if I had to pick or choose one that would be most rewarding to see it would be broadening the horizons of young students in my hometown. I want to show them how there is a big world out there and that it is possible to achieve and do anything that you set your mind to do as long as you have the right mindset and ability to work extremely hard. I am at the point in my life where I am happy and working hard towards my goals. I hope to inspire, instruct, and even improve others personal standards and mentality for them to never quit, and set the bar high for themselves. I will never quit.

Reflecting on Fall Semester

Hey Everyone! I finally finished up my first semester here at EKU! I still cannot believe that it is already over. Time really does fly. It flies even faster while you’re flying. I finished all of my exams and have maintained my good grades. I now have twenty-seven credit hours under my belt since I took college classes in high school. I am already prepared for spring semester as well. I scheduled my spring semester classes a while ago as well as my flight lab. I will also be staying in Clay Hall’s “flight deck” next semester. So I am set! I am not really sure if you can call it a flight deck for me though. Being a girl, I live on the ninth floor of clay when the actual flight deck is the male’s tenth floor. There are a total of three girls in aviation on the ninth floor “flight deck” including myself. The other including my roommate, Rachel, who just switched her major to Aviation Management and our friend Tori, who is also majoring in professional flight and just finished up her instrument ground and is working on her instrument rating! Before school started I was expecting how awesome it was going to be living in a living learning community for Aviation! I was expecting at least one side of the hall to be filled. Then it turned out to be just us! I don’t know why I was expecting a bunch of girls considering I chose a male dominated field a long time ago, but I do know that it is growing. So why is it that the field is still so male dominated? I really believe that lack of mentors is a big part. I also knew before I started into this field I wanted to share my love for Aviation with others back home and around my hometown and home airport, 4G7. Anyways, I think I am going to do my next blog on my future goals and how I want to make an impact so I don’t get too far off subject… I am headed back to West Virginia tomorrow and my friends have already left for home. This semester was a success and I don’t know how I would have made it without my new friends and great professors. Until next time bloggers…