A lot has changed with my training since my last blog. I had a successful Lesson 8, which was inspiring after the Lesson 7 letdown, and I was eager for the next flight. But my subsequent lessons kept getting canceled due to weather or last-minute work-related issues and the weeks between flights just kept ticking by. I found this very frustrating (this wasn’t the first time these type of delays had kept me from getting back into the air, sometimes 4 weeks at a time) and it dawned on me that driving the 3.5 hour drive to Vero and back for each lesson not only made it a long day but also limited my flexibility in rescheduling. (Flight Safety, however, was very accommodating and would have made time for me whenever I needed it.) My logged 15 hours after Lesson 8 were still a long way from reaching the finish line. It was time to see about bringing my training closer to home if I was ever going to get certificated before the two-year windows on my passed knowledge test and medical ran out.
When I approached Mac with my “diversion” request, he suggested I look around for Part 61 training. The program at Flight Safety was excellent, but I have to admit that Part 141 was not a natural fit for me and the logistics of my life didn’t make it easier. Plus, Mac thought that, though it would be extra work for me to go for the Sport Pilot license along the way to the Private, I should consider it since it would be good for the magazine. I was all about it. After some research, I found that there were several Sport Pilot training centers within a 40-minute drive. I had narrowed the list down to two: Orlando Gateway Sport Pilot at Kissimmee and First Landings Aviation at Orlando-Apopka.
