One thing leads to...

Four weeks ago I was beginning a training course in preparation for the Airlines. It was a one-week simulator, jet course (Regional Jet Standards Certificate). During that intense training I was offered an opportunity to interview with American Eagle (AE) Airlines. Prior to my interview my employer at the time, ATP, provided a free seminar in preparation for applying with AE. Although I was not thinking of AE as a future employee, I decided to pursue what was right in front of me.

Another New Job

I have a lot for which to be thankful.

I've been with this company now for 4 days. The new job is a pilot (First Officer) for American Eagle (AE) Airlines...no, not the clothing company, but the Regional Airlines associated with American Airlines. I interviewed for the job on the 19th and they wanted me in training a week later. It all happened pretty fast. I had to fly from the interview in Dallas back to LAX, then drive north, to pack up my belongs in Sacramento, and move them back to Minneapolis before I flew back to Dallas. (I will be based in Chicago, which will only be a 45 minute commute from MSP, but training is in Dallas.)

Because the interview was before Thanksgiving, I had the chance to be with family for that holiday. That made me and the fam happy. I drove straight through from Sac so that I could surprise my mom just before our turkey dinner. That was fun, but the drive over was crazy.

The aircraft I will be flying is a 50-passanger jet (Embraer ERJ 145). It's a big upgrade from a 4-seater Piper Seminole! I will be in training to fly that aircraft for the next 6 weeks. They say it's like drinking from a fire hose. There is a lot of material to cover.

I'm excited about the new challenges of flying for the airlines. I don't know where it will take me, but I know that as I trust God he will lead me towards the next assignment. Right now it seems to be that I need to become the best airline pilot I can be. When I returned last Spring to pursue some of my aviation goals, namely acquiring jet-time, I didn't expect to able to fulfill that one so soon. I'm grateful for this opportunity. I'm also thankful for my family and friends who have been supporting me towards the next step. Perhaps next time you fly AE you can glance inside the cockpit and see if you notice anyone you know. It might be me. My new office will be quite a bit higher and twice as fast. I'm looking forward to that.

Office Window

The view from my office is usually this pleasant. It's also convienantly portable and I often get to check up on my crash pad (temporary apartment) from the location of this shot. The apartment is right along the Sacramento river. Great for jogs.

Change From Pastor to Pilot

A friend asked what it's been like to make a 180 degree career move, switching from a Christian environment for most of my existence and to a predominately "secular" (non-Christian) culture. The change isn't that strange. It has actually been a gradual transition. In addition, some time ago I had wondered if God would bring me into a more mainstream line of work. Some would think that it would have been natural for me to walk in my father and grandfather's foot steps, and in part it has, yet I had never dreamed of becoming a pastor. Being a shepherd was good, and I even found that it fit, however I wasn't completely at home in it. I have always known that I have been assigned by God to some form of cross-cultural ministry. This is the way I am wired. I am naturally inclined to people of different cultures. I would rather be overseas. But it was kind of God to allow me to be a missionary in my own backyard. It's a good training ground.

So the gradual transition from pastor to pilot happened when I got back into construction work a couple years ago. I took a leave of absence from leading Extreme Life (XL) church about two years ago. During that time I found a job doing carpentry and property management. When I came back to XL I kept the "secular" job while also pastoring. It was about a year ago that I felt like I was supposed to step down from leading XL. It was soon after that that aviation came back on the scene after receiving an invitation from a friend. He wanted me to join a start-up company which would have a flight department. This got me thinking about flying and by late winter 2007 my aviation goals were being pursued again.

When I attended the grad school, it was to fulfill some training and education goals. I did not attend seminary to become a pastor. However, even though I never dreamed of leading a church, I felt quite comfortable pastoring after a while. God wanted this for me. Today I have thought at times what it would be like to go back to preaching sermons, leading small groups or worship, or doing anything pastoral. And it's scary to think that that is a comfort zone for me now. My tempation is to fantisize about "full-time" ministry. But I can't go back. I'm in a different place. I can't go back to that way any more. Not just because of where I believe God needs to take me, but also theologically and philosophically I can't go back to the way of church that I was doing and leading. It's not adequate for the place that God wants to bring His church. But that's a different subject.

So I actually like the challenge that I have right now--working with people of different religious or non-religious backgrounds. Yet my work is fairly demanding that I barely have enough time to think and pray about how to respond to the daily barrage of ethical or moral or character issues. In this new environment I realize how difficult it is to be a positive, godly influence, while still being normal and personable. I also have realized how much of a Pharisee I can become. I've been so caught up in "my religion", even though I don't quite consider it religious. I've become addicted to church, the worship, the meetings, the pastors leading--all of which is good but I just got too used to others doing church for me, even in the midst of starting a church.

So I have been on a detox program. It's kind of like a 12-step program, but for those addicted to "church religion". Church is good, don't get me wrong, but my whole approach needed to be changed. I still need to be around Christians and remain in fellowship, but it needs to be something that is dynamic. Much of what I have experienced and taught as church was too static. In fact, most of what was a true expression of church happened Monday through Saturday with friends, but for some reason that didn't seem to count. In order for something to have life there needs to be dynamic activity. This most often happens outside of Sunday morning church services. And I think I'm preaching now, so I better stop before I get wound up. It's hard for me not to talk about the much needed change I need for my church life. That's what you get for asking a former pastor a simple question.

Instructing--Full Throttle

It's almost a month later. I'm in my new job. I am working for ATP, Inc, the company with which I acquired my additional instructor ratings last spring in Long Beach, CA (see blog entries dated then). I have been here for 4 days and working for 3. I now live in Sacramento, CA. I will be here for at least 3 months, if I can stand it (more on that later).

After leaving Bakersfield in the beginning of August, I joined up with my family for vacation. I vacated a job to go on vacation! It worked out great. Before I went on vacation I sent an e-mail to ATP saying that I was available. And before I left Bakersfield I was able to get a company training date and flight school location that needed an instructor (Sac).

I spent one hard week in Jacksonville Beach, FL to pass the companies procedures and flight standards. It was long days of ground school, simulator flights in the afternoon, and practise and review until late into the evening and even into the next day (like 2am). I averaged 4 hours of sleep the first part of the week. When I passed everything by Friday I was on the first flight I could take back to my family in Orange County. I wanted to spend as much time as I could before having to move up to Sac.

Now that I am here I "get to" work long hours, seven days a week. I easily put in over 12 hours a day. They work us like dogs (but not the kind of dogs that sit at home all day doing nothing). I'm told that I could build up to 100 hours of multi-engine time per month. That is flying 25 hours a week, 4 hours a day, which means that I'm with students over 10 hours a day. (For every flight hour an instructor spends about 2.5 on the the ground.) In three months I could have over 300 hours, which would qualify me for free ATP training in their "Regional Jet Transition" program (normally students pay $6000). This will provide me an education advantage when I apply for a job with the regional airlines. But this opportunity will only come if I instructor for 300 hours at this company. With the way the schedule is currently going I don't know if I could make it a month!

Why Is God So Kind To Me?
I know God's love when he allows tests to come my way. The Bible says that God disciplines those he loves and I know that I'm being stretched and disciplined like nothing I have experienced before. As soon as I began here in Sac, I was given two instructor students that need to pass three checkrides in the next week. I have never trained instructors before, let alone doing two in one week. In addition, they must get through three different checkrides. These days I am feeling really weak because of the stress and pressure of my new job. It's causing me to turn to God for strength. I also know his kindness when he reveals his constant presence with me.

Additionally, I know God's kindness because he allowed me to be "free" of the last job right in time to catch my family on vacation in SoCal. I had a wonderful time with them and it was a good break. Besides having a family reunion, we spent time in Big Bear, one of our regular, yearly vacation spots when we lived in SoCal.

What's the Hardest Thing To Deal With?
If I can get through this week I believe I can make it through the rest. The present difficulty is doing something I have never done before--train other instructors but also at a pace that doesn't allow me to figure out how to do it! Even though I have been an instructor it's a greater challenge to train others to become one.

Once I have gotten through this week I will continue to wrestle with the fact that I'm in a worldly environment where swearing, course joking, and general unprofessionalism exists (general only among the students). This is very prevalent. A good thing is that a few of the instructors like going to church and are very professional. Hopefully, we can have a positive influence on all aspects of the students life.

Relief...but what next?

Termination is such a strong word. But it describes what happened to me today. My job was terminated. I didn't make the cut as one of the next flight instructors at the flight school. Its a definite disappointment, but perhaps more of a relief. It's disappointing in that I would have had great benefits with this company. It's a relief because even though I love to fly the kind of flying I would have done isn't my favorite. Perhaps God will allow me to venture into something that suits me best or this was just setting me up for something similiar but I needed the extra training. I came to IFTA more out of obedience than a desire. I still need to further my aviation experience and I believe the training I received (not only free, but paid) will set me up for the next gig. There are some options for me.

I continue to sense God's presence with me through this. He has been so kind to me. He has allowed me the opportunity to further my skills through an excellent company, while being paid and working towards my goals. It's been a good challenge but with rewards.

So what is next?
I don't know. Another company had offered me a job and perhaps since they have increased their hiring incentives I will give them a shot. The training that I received at the present flight school can only make me a better candidate.

Why did this happen?
Some of my pilot friends are wondering how this happened, because they consider me an excellent candidate for this kind of operation. The main reason I was terminated from the job is that I wasn't intergrating the schools specific procedures fast enough. I hadn't been consistantly flying for over 5 or 6 years. This ended up being a major hinderance. I was rusty on several areas and a few things were not coming back together fast enough for this program. They invested as much as they could to get me up to speed, but I still need a little more time, which they didn't have. This kind of thing sometimes happen. After I gain some more experience, they said I would be welcomed to try again. This company has some of the toughest standards and perhaps after a little more recent experience I can give them a shot again. I left on a positive note and look forward to the next adventure. I am definitely relieved that the stress is over, but I know that it has prepared me for the next level of test, either in aviation or other areas of life.

The Balance

My life is in the balance tonight. I do not know if I get to stay or have to go. My flight performance has not been satisfactory for IFTA. This afternoon a hearing board was convened to decided if I can continue training with them. I get the results in the morning. Today I felt like I had one of my best flights yet, however it still was not at the high standards of this company. This is obviously a disappointment. I have realized that I got a little more rusty than I expected, but I thougtht things would come together a little faster, not fast enough for them. I have been putting forth my best effort. I can only trust that if God wants me to continue he will help me to perform at the level that is required of me.

Joy of Flying???

I love to fly but not this kind of flying. Ahhhhhhh!!!!! The standards are huge. The precision flying that I'm expected to fly is good but I have gotten rusty over the last six years, having not flown consistently. I developed more "skills-corrosion" that I thought. I love to fly, but not like the Airlines! Everything is so rigid, systematic. But this is the way to create say Airline pilots and safe sky's. It fits. Say good-bye to the good 'ole days of jumping into the plane and heading over to another airport for the practice. (Actually, I never really had the luxury of doing that. Most of my flights over the years were training flights. But you get the point.) I trust that someday I will again get to enjoy flying for the pure joy and experience of flying.

Back to the books and chair flying. (Chair flying is sitting in a chair on the ground and visualizing procedures and maneuvers during a portion or your whole flight from take-off to touch down and taxi. At IFTA they call it "image flying." It's like having your own simulator, but it's all in your head. Hopefully, it doesn't just stay there and translates to the real plane.) :)

More Training, Higher Learning

So the intensity doesn't stop, partly because I'm so out of practice the "rust" factor adds to the load and everyday the standards are being raised for me. It's good 'cause I will be training future Airline captains. I need to demonstrate the highest and safest flying. They aren't expecting me to be perfect but they require that you don't make any mistakes. :0 A Bible verse from Hebrews keeps coming to mind, "endure discipline like a good son." (Andrew's paraphase) "The Lord disciplines those he loves." (Somewhere towards the end of Hebrews, too.) :) I can sense the love of the Father through this ordeal. Even if I don't pass the final check-out but keep myself dedicated to the training process, I know that I will have been obedient. I really do sense God's kindness to me during these days. I would rather not do what I'm doing but I know that it will help me to get where I know God wants me to be. It's been a very humbling process. I have already had to retrain on several flight maneuvers. My Flight Standards Instructor is very diffecult to please, and there is always at least 15 items that I need to correct. I know God is working something in me that is deeper than just the flight knowledge and experience as a better instructor. God can even use on-the-job flight training to put in-the-heart character.

Thank You!

How can I say everything that I have already said without saying how thankful I am to God for his kindness to me. I sense it every day when I am here. It's a privilege to be where I am at. I believe it is where God's wants me, even though the flight training is very diffecult. It's stuff I have never done before. However, I am still thankful to God for working this out. (More on those details later.)

Bakersfield is becoming my temporary home

What am I doing?
So I have made it past the familiarization flights at IFTA (see blog entry "Confusion is over" for more details in IFTA). I guess you can fail the first portion even though they don't say so. I now have about 6 more weeks of standardization training as an instructor. I am basically learning the teaching style and procedures that this company has established for their students. By the middle of August I should begin teaching 3-4 Asian students. Since this school is an International one there are only international students. The parent company is All Nippon Airways, now you might understand why Japanese food is served at every meal. (More about food in a moment.)

What do I do everyday?
Outside of work/training, I study a lot. I fly about once a day. The Beechcraft Bonanza is the primary aircraft trainer. They are almost in view outside my dorm window. When I am not at the office, which is only about 150 yards away, I might be found near the pool while reviewing flight procedures. :) The pool is just outside my dorm room, which is right next to the gym and tennis and basketball courts as well.

For only $3/meal, I get to eat a huge breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which is provided mostly for the students but is available to the employees. Every meal there is Japanese food, besides some American type food. I feel like I'm eating at Q-cumber (a nice buffet in MN) every day, three times a day! I am so lucky.

So basically I eat, study, fly, eat, study, eat, exercise, and sleep, and sometimes snack. I should probably do a little more exercising.

Where do I live?
As I indicated I am very close to the administration/office/class rooms/training building for the company. The campus includes the dormitory, which is operated like a hotel. I can rent out one of the rooms for a reasonable rate while I'm in company, paid training. It will be hard to find another place in a month cause of the convenience. The cafeteria is just as close as the admin building but maybe a little closer, which is nice for me. I prefer food over work. The gym/pool/athletic courts are even closer, which means I should probably use them more. But only when I'm done with my intense training.

Why must I study if I am already an instructor?
Every flight training school has standards and procedures. IFTA is no exception and they may have some of the strictest, which makes them perhaps one of the best school to work for. The goal of this flight school is to prepare each student to fly their airline jets. I get the (employed) students with hardly any experience and prepare them for all their private, commercial, and instrument checkrides, before they go back to their home country to train in their company jets. These days I study so that I can become completely familiar with the flight standards and safety procedures for IFTA. My quality of instruction will definitely be upgraded. But I still need to pass the company checkrides (flight examinations) with the Flight Training Standards Director. It will probably be the hardest checkride I have performed in my aviation history.

Did I mention that when I am done with instructor training that I get to still eat at the unbelievable cool Japanese cafeteria? Yes, I can show up between 5:30-8:30am before work to get breakfast and obviously during my hour lunch break I can get another full meal. When I'm done with work, I can catch the variety, served dinner before going home. I couldn't have asked for a better deal.

Well, if you are still reading this, then perhaps you are interested in enough to pray. My request is that I can stay focused (not on food), memorize all the procedures, and fly the best I have every done. I need to fly to Airline standards, 'cause I'm training these students to Airline quality. It's a huge challenge.

Confusion is over -- I moving to...

It's not that I have been confused, but a lot of you guys are, who have been wondering what I'm doing and where I'm going. Well, you don't have to be boggled any longer. This past Monday I had a 4-hour interview with IFTA (International Flight Training Academy). After the ordeal, they decided to offer me a job and I ACCEPTED A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR POSITION. So I am moving to Bakersfield, CA. I start work next Monday!!!

I will be in training for the first six(6) weeks with orientation and flight standardization. Their demands are high. So it will be a hard challenge to successful complete their training, so that I can be one of their next flight instructors. Even though I passed the interview, which included a difficult written test, oral examination, and flight test, I have to meet the strict and professional standards of IFTA. The company is one of the best flight schools in the country. I will be training international students, primarily from Japan, who are already employed by an airline. They are highly motivated. The airlines pay for their training from Private Pilot level all the way into their jets. It will be my job to teach them the basics through commercial, multi-engine, instrument level flying, which will prepare them for their jet training. Check out the schools website at www.ifta.net.

Today and tomorrow I finish packing and will begin the ROAD TRIP on Friday. I am getting to pack up a good chunk of my stuff, especially since I plan to live their for two years. Bakersfield is conveniently located within hours of LA, the Pacific ocean, and some of the best hiking, rock climbing, and skiing in the Sierra Nevada's, so I will need my recreational equipment along! I will leave my house in Dinkytown in the good hands of my housemates. (By the way, we are still looking for a roommate to fill my space.) In Bakersfield, I don't have to worry about a place to live right away since the company puts me up in their student dorms while I'm their standardization training. I'm looking forward to this move, meeting new people, and getting to use my flight skills again. The job will be challenging, but I get the weekends off so I can enjoy God's creation that surrounds the area. One of my FIRST GOALS will be to pick up a DIRT BIKE with which to explore the dessert!

The hardest part of moving is leaving family and friends. Even though I'm originally from California and it was my home for over 25 years, Minnesota is now home and I'm going to miss it. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I'm back for a visit to see everyone, check up on my house (and my old housemates, too), and taste and smell MN again.

Eastcoast or Westcoast?

Over a month ago I completed all my instructor upgrades ("add-on" in aviation terms). YEAH! I have been back doing construction temporary while I wait for a flight instructor job. I sent resumes to all the local airports but that showed no promises. I did apply with the school (ATP, Inc) with which I had finished my most recent training. The day that I applied I received a call and was offered a job training date. Another yeah!

So I'm scheduled to either head to California or Florida and don't know which way to go...weird. Actually, I would like to go to California and I will. This weekend I'm off to an interview in Bakersfield, CA with a company called International Flight Training Academy (IFTA). (IFTA/Bakersfield is about 2 hours north of L.A.) It's a flight school that primarily trains internationals from Japan or Italy and this is the company with which I would like to work. However, I already have a job training slot with ATP in Florida, but was able to postpone my start day. If everything goes well with my interview with IFTA, I will be headed there instead of Florida. So it's not so weird then that I don't know which way to go.

In either case I will gone for at least a year. And then after that I could still be gone for another year as I will be applying for jobs with the regional airlines. That the plans anyhow. That could change.

MEI Passed--Finally!

One checkride down, another one to go. All my blogs titles lately have included an exclamation point. Everything that I have written have been important events. This one deserves two exclamation points but I will reserve that for when I complete my II (Instrument Instructor) checkride next Thursday. I'm scheduled with the same examiner that check me out for me MEI. Back to the books and flight training device (like a simulator, except it doesn't have any motion) for preparation.

For my aviation friends, I flew to Cable airport in Upland, CA to do my oral and practical with Steve Holmes. After at least an hour on the ground going over a few regs, aerodynamics, and a whole teaching on Vmc and "critical engine", we took to the skys. I performed several engine-out procedures, such as failing engine on the student in different points of departure and altitude. The Vmc and Drag demo went without any glitches. It was a good flight. However, there were terrible winds and it was bumping us all over the place--not the best condition to be "practicing" teaching. The winds didn't help my short field demonstration, but at least we got down and the examiner didn't frown. Besides all of the that it was the first time to land and fly out of Cable airport. Aviation Trivia: The airport is privately owned by the Cable family and it's one of the busiest uncontrollable airport that is privately owned.

Checkride on Thursday...???

It seems like there might be a chance that I could finally do my checkride. It helps to have one scheduled with an examiner, but it has been so diffecult to do so. I am supposed to do it this Thursday, late morning. Let's hope that I have been studying the right material for this examiner. Every one has their own emphasis even though the requirements/standards are all the same. Tomorrow I am scheduled to fly in preparation. I haven't flown in over 10 days. Because the aircraft is so expensive to fly ($300 with instructor), I have to limit my time on it and just fly prior to the practical flight exam. Hopefully weather will be in my favor and the checkride will go unhindered by adverse or even minor conditions. The exam must be performed under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), basically few clouds and good visibility. As soon as I pass, I will be on to the next instructor upgrade--Instrument Instructor. It would be nice if it only takes a week, but as things are going I should plan on another month...bummer. I'm glad I picked Long Beach for the training though.

Not so suddenly

Well, it's been over a month now that I have been in SoCal (Southern California). Originally, I was scheduled to be in training for about one week in Long Beach, but then I decided to upgrade my flight instructor ratings. This was supposed to take still only about a week or so, but it has turned out to be over a month and then some. I could still be out here for another month as things progress...or not. I have been waiting to do a checkride (oral and flight exam) for my MEI (Multi-Engine Instructor) certificate for over a week now. I have been at the Long Beach everyday for over 30 days--just studying for my instructor upgrades. Well, my instructor who is helping get to the next instructor level is calling me back to work. More later, if I can sneak away from the training room...

Aviation...suddenly!

I'm back...
in aviation...
well, almost.
I'm off for training for two months in just two days. It came together so fast. I didn't realize that March 5th was right around the corner. Just one week ago I was continuing my research for how I was to get back into aviation--flying being on hold for the past 4-5 years while starting a church. Just two days ago I did a phone interview with ATP for their Airline Transition Program and found out I was qualified. I had a possible job flying in Norway, but that fell through, or at least it won't happen for about a year. In the meantime, I was doing my homework. After getting counsel from my pilot friends, I determined that getting a job with the Regional Airlines would be my best aviation career move. Although I currently don't have the flight time requirements, when I successfully finish ATP's program I will have a guaranteed interview with a commuter Airline.

It's a little bit exciting but mostly stressing as I'm trying to prepare to leave in time. The program is also going to be pretty intense. Good preparation for Initial Pilot Training for the Airlines, though. I have not flown consistently for several years, only the bear minimum to stay IFR current and to maintain my Flight Instructor license. I'm excited about the prospect of getting jet time and flying heavier aircraft. If I get in the Airlines, which my pilot friends are confident I can do, then it will be a big upgrade from what I have been flying. Yeah!

While I love what I have been doing the last year, mostly construction, doing home renovations and remodels, it's long overdue to get back into aviation. If you think of me, pray that I can meet the challenge before me. I have to quickly intergrate back into the commercial instrument standards.

So if you don't get a reply from me in a while now you know why. Part of the reason this opportunity came up so quick is that in order to complete the program before my sister's wedding in May I had to start the first week of March. This wasn't fully realized until this past week. Yikes...gotta go finish packing and leaving my house in order. But if everything isn't in order that is okay. As I will be leaving my new house (that I bought this summer) in the good hands of my roommates. I will try to post some pictures of it when I get back and maybe I will have a photo of me flying in a CRJ (http://www.atpflightschool.com/equipment/crjsim.html).