There was a time in her CFI career when FLYING contributor Martha Lunken says she became burned out. [Courtesy: Martha Lunken]
Key Takeaways:
The author started her aviation career as a flight instructor at 21, accumulating 6,000 hours and eventually owning a flying school.
She faced a pivotal decision between pursuing an airline pilot career or marrying an older, wealthy man, choosing the latter, which led to a life of luxury but also struggles to fit into high society.
Following the end of her marriage, she joined the FAA, initially struggling as an air carrier inspector before finding her calling and fulfillment as a general aviation inspector and then a safety program manager, despite bureaucratic challenges.
My first hour of dual given as a 21-year-old CFI was memorable and a little embarrassing.
The student was flying a Cincinnati Aircraft Cessna 172. When he added full throttle, and we started down the runway at Lunken Airport (KLUK), the tach read 2,300 rpm. I told him to close the throttle—abort the takeoff—and explained to the tower we needed to return to the hangar.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.
