In Closing

This is my last post of the semester.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavors.

At the beginning of the semester, my career aspirations included:  working as a full-time flight instructor; within 1 to 2 years, apply at the regional airlines; and hope to fly for the majors one day. 

Has my career plan changed?  No, I still want to pursue the same path.  While I’m open to anything, I strongly believe that I will enjoy teaching others how to fly.  I cannot wait for that opportunity to arise.  And flying for the airlines is in my blood.  Working at Detroit-Metro airport has been my favorite job to date. 

Having Izzy Novak, Dan Coogan and Alex Wall in class and sharing their experience has only strengthened my decision to become an airline pilot.  I enjoyed hearing their stories and how they got to where they are today.

What was the most interesting blog topic?  I had a great time researching SpaceX.  I love astronomy and space exploration.  There is so much that we don’t know as a human race.  Seeing a private company send rockets into space, and in the near future humans, is fascinating to me.  I can only hope that one day my children will have the opportunity to go into space.  In contrast, the least interesting blog topic was the rise of general aviation in China.  I suppose I’m not as interested with what is happening in China as opposed to the United States and other countries around the world. 

As far as guest speakers, I gained the most information from Theresa Whiting.  With me being a newly certificated flight instructor, Theresa had a wealth of knowledge that I can use every day.  I can see why she was named 2011 Flight Instructor of the Year for the FAA Great Lakes Region.  She really focuses on the fundamentals of instructing, and emphasizes the importance of teaching something right the first time.  Above all, make it enjoyable.  Most of us are here simply because we love to fly. 

I believe that flight instruction is going help me grow professionally.  They say that you don’t master something until you’ve taught it.  With aviation, you never stop learning.  Every time you step foot into an airplane a lesson is to be learned.  After graduation, I will continue to take classes to further my career in aviation.  This field is constantly changing, and you have to be ready for anything because there will be competition.  There are many options:  FAAST, clinics, or college credits, I’m open to it all. 

Thanks for reading!  I’m sure we will cross paths in the future, whether it is the flight deck, the airport, or the classroom.