RobertR237 wrote:

This is a story published by the Houston Chronicle on a most remarkable
pilot and well worth reading.

httopportunityyyron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/features/2900693
Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)


Nice article
Reminds me of an Octogenarian in my hometown that still flew (piper cubs)
and gave lessons from a small grass strip. I never had the opportunity to
fly with him but I still think of him often.
The world needs more rolemodels like them!
John


The article was great but in her case, it left volumes untold. I had heard of
her before taking my check ride and was told that she was one of the toughest.
I had scheduled my check ride on three separate occasions but each time my
plane was out of service or some other problem came up. Finally, I was able to
get it scheduled again on a very hot July day (in Houston). Once again, the
plane was down for service and she was scheduled to fly in at 10 am. I called
her and let her know that we had problems and they had promised me the plane by
3 pm.

She said no problem and gave me a number to call when I was ready. They
finally got the plane ready about 3:30 and turned it over to me. I called her
and fully expected her to ask to reschedule since the temperature was over 98
degrees. Instead she asked me to fly from NW Houston to an airport on the SW
side and pick her up there. After some problems getting instructor approval to
fly to the airport which I had not flown into before I left and arrived there
about 4:30. I was hot, soaked with sweat and probably should have waited for
another day.

I went into the FBO and there sat this little old lady (in her late sixties)
talking with some other people. I was so nervous, sweating like a horse who
had been ridden hard and knowing that I had just done one lousy landing. My
first thoughts were that I just wasn't ready, it was too hot to fly, and how
would she feel about all the problems. I just knew I was going to fail and
quite frankly, too hot and tired to care.

We sat down and started talking. After 15 minutes, she had made me feel
completely at ease with her and she had me work a flight plan for a trip to
NewOrleans. I started working up the FP, did the route, checked the weather,
and then told her that I would not take the flight based on a storm system
between Houston and New Orleans. She seemed pleased that I would not have
taken the flight and asked me to work a quick plan for Victoria Tx. I did and
we then went out to the plane and started the preflight and took off for
Victoria.

Twenty minutes into the flight she redirected me to a practice area where the
check ride continued. It seemed that I could do nothing right. It was so hot
and my hands which were always wet when I was under stress seemed to be pooring
sweat off and down my arms by the bucket. I was dying and I just knew that any
moment she would throw up her hands and say "I HAVE THE PLANE". Instead, I
looked over at her and there she sat, just as calm and cool as if setting in
her easy chair.

I totally blew the turn about a point and couldn't seem to get settled in.
Finally, I pulled out of it, asked her to just let me start over and enter it
on my own. She agreed and I pulled it together perfectly. From there, she
just told me what she wanted to check and let me take the lead. We went to two
airports that I had never been to before and did landings and takeoffs. Again,
I felt that I had done a very poor job on them but had completed each.

At last, the torture was over and she said lets return to where I had picked
her up. She said nothing on the way back but made notes in her notebook. In
my mind, I knew what she was writing wasn't pleasant and that I would have a
lot of work to do. As we touched down and started the rollout, she turned to
me, smiled, and said "Congratulations, you now have a licence to learn." and
handed me the paperwork. We got back to the FBO and talked for another couple
of hours. During that time, she shared some of her stories and experience with
me. She was truely a remarkable woman who has deserved this recognition for a
long time.


Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)