G'day!

G'Day

Welcome to my blog.

In 2008, I received a trial flight in a light aircraft - a flight which changed my life. After a mere thirty minutes in an asthmatic old Cessna, I decided I would become a pilot. It was love at first flight. As Leonardo Da Vinci famously said - Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

However, like any relationship, there were highs (and there were puns!) and there were many moments where I thought I would never grasp this new skill.

After fifteen instructors, six flying schools and enough tears to fill a dam, I became a private pilot. And, because of a strong masochistic streak, I decided to study for my Commercial Pilot's Licence.

This blog is a working narrative of my time as a pilot, through my personal writing, my round Australia trip and my career as an aviation journalist, magazine editor, customer engagement manager for AvPlan EFB and aircraft salesperson for Cirrus Sydney.

Aviation has changed my life: through learning to fly I have discovered a part of myself that is resilient, organised and capable of great joy as a result of hard work, setbacks and learning.

In the words of Socrates, “Man must rise above the Earth – to the top of the atmosphere and beyond – for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to email me with advice and suggestions on

girl.with.a.stick@gmail.com

Monday, December 20, 2010

More Avalon Action

An air show is always a test; a trial in which we discover our Aircraft Saturation Point.

Day one always finds me skipping between military fighters, executive jets and the vintage ladies. Day two is spent watching the displays, with day three left over for the trade stands and catching up with various av-heads.

This year, it was all topsy - day one was work, day two was work with a quick peek at the helicoptors (I know!! It's an illness...) and day three was further work, followed by a smattering of nattering and yet another early night.

But, ahhhh, the little black book of test flights began to fill. I scored another job. I met the charming members of the AOPA board and had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit of the L-39 Albatros.

I met the members of the RA AUS board, and have been invited to Natfly over Easter. I encountered the most pristine Beech Bonanza, on which I'm hoping to write a centrefold. And I have a few gems lined up for review.

On Sunday, as I was heading back to the city from St Kilda, I spied a bi-plane circling the city, and still gasped, and with head tilted skywards admired its grace. I guess Aircraft Saturation Point, for me, is yet to come....
Posted by Stol Jockey at 5:16 PM

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