Hello Everyone!!!
It’s been awhile since you have heard from me, but I have been doing a lot in the time that I have been away. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to fly as much as I have wanted due to school and money, but I have been flying some with my instructor some last fall and over Christmas break. While home over Christmas, I finally got the opportunity to take my family flying. It was a dream come true, and a super cool thing to be able to do. Everyone loved it, and I have included pictures down below, and a video of a simulated soft-field takeoff I demonstrated to my brother while he was riding with me. He is also somewhat interested in flying. (His and my sister’s eyes are closed in both photos, but those are the only pictures I got!)
I have some pretty big plans for my next steps in aviation. I have applied to AOPA’s advanced scholarships so that hopefully I can get my instrument rating this summer, along with a tailwheel endorsement. I also already nearly have my complex-high performance endorsement, which I worked on last Summer and Fall in my instructor’s Navion. He says I only need about one more hour before I get the endorsement. My instructor no longer has the Bristell that I learned to fly in, so I will most likely be doing my instrument training in a 172 or an Archer, with a different instructor, as my flight instructor is planning on getting a Super Decathlon so that he can focus on aerobatics, formation, and tailwheel training, as that is where is passion lies. So, I plan on doing my tailwheel training with him in the Super Decathlon or his L-16, and the instrument training with someone else. I can still fly the Bristell as well, but it is more expensive to rent, and I have to drive to Lancaster now to do it, which is an hour from my house, and about three hours from Penn State, so it isn’t very plausible. So, I’m hoping I can get checked out in an Archer or 172 soon so that I can get my instrument training done and be able to rent pretty much wherever I want.
School has been going well for the most part. I do not remember if I mentioned this in my last post, but I switched my major to Plant Science with a minor in Entomology, as I have decided that I want to be a Ag. Pilot one day when I get out of the Air Force. I finished out last semester strong, and got down a solid GPA. I also have been very active in AFROTC, and I would say that it is my favorite thing about college so far. I took the oath of enlistment and contracted last week, which effectively activated my scholarship.
This is great, because now I am finally able to get my bi-monthly stipend, which should help out a lot with money issues that have kept me from flying as much as I have wanted. I included a picture from my contracting ceremony below.
I hope everyone has a great week!
Cheers,
Jake Myers
(Here’s a link to my band page as well. We have been gigging on the weekends, and I played Friday night for and event at my ROTC Detachment, but there isn’t much news other than that about my musical endeavors.)
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCm8XKL4Y-EdNV3qCzANVQkQ
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