Omnipot

Since I got my private pilot's certificate, I was so happy I wanted to fly everyday. At the same time, I wanted to practice more with landings, so I was doing touch-and-gos.

But unfortunately (again), C152 had trouble with the engine and it was docked for a week. When it was fixed and available, then bad weather sat for a week, and I couldn't fly at all.

So now it's already December!

Some days were really warm like 26C, I could go out with a T-shirt. However, we suddenly had this extreme cold front, and the next day we had big snow! I checked the temperature and it was -7C. Jesus. (This is quite impossible to happen in Tokyo.)

The snow started to melt away 2 days later, and we finally got C152 out of the hangar. I haven't flown for nearly a half month, (which made me little nervous) but once I got in the cockpit, I could manage everything alright. That was good.

Toshi flew again with me, this time just for fun, and he taught me about chandelles and spins. I realized that I still have so many things I don't know about the aviation. Everything seemed to be so interesting, even with a tiny aircraft like C152.

I still wanted to practice more and more, so I would never forget about flying. Until now, I was so busy thinking about passing the checride, but it didn't mean I tried hard to be a better pilot. Now I wish I could be the one, but I don't have much time left...

If there's one thing I regret, that's the one.
I've been staying here since June, and it's timeout. I have to go back to Japan real soon.

Written Dec.4 2006 Naoko

My last day in Ardmore, everyone gathered in boy's dorm.
Yoshi sang wild songs with his unique costume, which was very fun.

Twelve hours later, I was boarding Boeing 777 and departed Dallas Fort Worth airport. Carried into 30,000 feet altitude, I was looking down the terrain of Oklahoma where I have been flying for almost half a year.

I saw small airports where I did touch-and-gos.
I saw a winding river where Toshi demonstrated bush piloting.
I saw a town where I landed for my fist solo cross-country flight.

The scenery from 3,000 feet was familiar to me, but from 30,000 feet, it looked so different. It was hard to believe that I used to be part of this scenery, flying like a little bug.

I said good-bye to Ardmore and everyone. Thank you for all the wonderful memories.

When I arrived Narita airport, my father came to pick me up, somehow with a luxurious Toyota.

Naoko "Hey, what happend to the car?"
Dad "Good question. I bought this really cheap from my colleague. Look at this GPS."

It was really cheap. I thought it was even cheaper than my motorcycle...

And when I'm back home, I met a new family member. A little poodle named Amelie, looking so cute but I'm not gonna be fooled by your appearance. (I like dogs though.)

So, I'm finally back home.

Written Dec.23 2006 Naoko

Somehow I was lucky enough to get back to the office where I was previously employed. This is very unusual case, considering such a long absence...

I used to work for this company as a part-timer for several months. Then I was gone for more than five months, which normally meant quitting. Once you're gone, you're usually unable to come back, and that's the unspoken rule.
But when I saw my desk still there, and my employers told me "We left everything there for you", I lost my words for gratitude.

This was quite unlikely to happen.

I also found a decent apartment just 3 minutes away from the station.

Actually, I didn't have much savings left (no wonder after months of training) but I couldn't wait to move on. While I was flying, I had so much to think about. I needed a place to start new things and meet people.

Now I'm glad with all these procedures. I'm broke now, but I didn't have to worry since these were all positive outcomes.

Written Jan.8 2006 Naoko