Time flies..

Summer 2011 sure flew by! It feels like just yesterday I was getting ready for a new season of jumping. Now that October has arrived, the jumping season is coming to an end.. Sad because it's so much fun! I can't think of anything that comes close to flying a plane that people are jumping out of. Everybody is always happy, you meet new people every day, it's really quite rewarding, not to mention fun to watch!

As we approach winter, the flying that I do gets more diverse. Ski flying season is coming! That's a whole new ball game. Landing pretty much wherever you want is total freedom. I love it. It's like the entire planet is your playground... As long as it's frozen! Winter also brings on earlier sunsets (more night PIC time...), known icing, challenging IFR conditions, and of course, COLD air. Even though it gets very cold here in Ottawa, I still think winter is my favorite season. Planes fly much nicer in the cold air.

I still have a few more weekends of jump flying left, as long as the temperature stays relatively warm!

Good times...!

A new season begins..

Well it's that time of year again. The trees are starting to show signs of life and the grass is getting green! This is the signal that my flying season is beginning. I fly all year long, but I only get paid to fly during the summer. The winter is filled with ski flying and some trips to far away places with my dad, but the long days and long hours in the air start in May. As the check pilot at Mile High, my jump flying starts slightly earlier than the others, since I have to get recurrent on the Cessna 205 by doing my 3 touch & go's and dropping a few jumpers before I can check anyone out.

The checkout here is quite simple... All that's required is one hour of flight time and a quick ground quiz on emergency procedures, then the pilots are good to go for another year. It's my first year as the check pilot here, so it's been quite a fun time!

Now that everyone is checked out here at Mile High, we can begin our regular operations and I can start to rapidly build my time up to that "magic" 1000 hour mark. I hope the next few weeks are good to me!

So I hope for blue sky on the weekend, and IFR flying during the week... The perfect balance!

Pilot Mark...!

Welcome!

Welcome to Mark My Words...!

I set up this blog as an easy way for you to access my flying life and my stories!

Enjoy!

Pilot Mark