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 began her aviation career as a CFI at 21, accumulating 6,000 hours and becoming a pilot examiner before making the pivotal decision to marry into a high-society lifestyle over pursuing an airline pilot career.
Her marriage led to a lavish but unfulfilling life and the decline of her flying school, ultimately ending in divorce and prompting her to join the FAA.
After a challenging start as an air carrier inspector, she found her passion and made a significant impact as an FAA general aviation inspector and safety program manager in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, developing popular safety programs despite a difficult manager.
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.
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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.
