Flying and Personal Life

Last weekend, I had something very traumatic happen to me. After this incident, I spent days at my house surrounded by my friends and family. Today was the first day I've flown since then, and it was one of the hardest flights I've ever done.

(Piper Archers always look good with a sunrise in the back)

I won't get into details about what happened, but I had to cancel my flight I had scheduled after this incident occurred. This is why it's so important to have a safe and friendly flying environment where flights can be cancelled when personal life comes up. UND is really good about this, letting the students cancel with their instructor for any important reason. Of course, there are going to be policies in place to combat the negatives that can come with these guidelines. Student will get charged if they don't show up without contacting their instructor, but most instructors are understanding that life gets in the way once you contact them.

Personal life does get in the way of flying, and it is something I've struggled to balance. The emotions of life come into the plane with you, whether you like it or not. Over the past couple days, it's been hard for me to focus and be present enough to get things done. I've been zoning out during class and my workouts, thinking about what happened instead. This is not a quality that a pilot should have while flying, which is why it's so important to check in with how you are feeling personally before you take off. After getting some good sleep and a nice cup of coffee, I felt focused enough today to fly. My flight went okay, with a couple weak areas still needing work. I was very happy to just complete the flight, and proud of myself for being able to focus up and not think about what happened for a couple hours. It may be hard right now, but I know that this is just a low point in my training. With dedication and hard work, I can continue to get better and focus.