After a slew of requests, I’m back one more time to talk about… you guessed it… flying.  From where we can go flying to where fuel goes in the plane, here are the answers to the most asked questions during my flying journey:

1.  Can you fly in Germany?

Sadly, the answer is no.  While we have the lingo down (all pilots must be fluent in English), our licenses are completely invalid in Germany.  It turns out even Martin would have to study for several months just to earn the private pilot’s license in Europe (which is the license I’ve been working on all summer).  We could rent a plane and hire an instructor just to be able to touch the controls.  But with auto gas costing $9/gallon in Germany, we don’t see ourselves affording even a quick jump into the sky any time soon.

2.  Are you sad about not flying in Germany?

Last year, it didn’t bother me a bit.  Martin was going crazy without flying, and I couldn’t understand.  Now I get it.  I can’t believe I feel nostalgic about the sound of a little airplane taking off.

3.  So where do you put fuel in planes?

Fuel goes in the wings.  Kinda seems strange, huh?  You have to climb a ladder to fuel this plane.

4. What’s the hardest thing about flying little planes when it comes to people who don’t fly?

As a pilot, you have to be really flexible with the weather.  Sometimes you could be delayed for days if you’re trying to fly somewhere.  Most people don’t understand this (and understandably) because we’re used to commercial flying or driving, which aren’t nearly as inhibited by weather.  Flying small planes requires so much study and observation of the weather.  You can’t just get in and go.  No thunderstorms, nothing that could cause ice to build on the plane, no hail…

5.  Do you have to keep your license current somehow?

Yes.  If you don’t fly for several months, you have to do a number of practice flights before you can have passengers.  You also have to have a flight instructor sign you off every two years regardless of how often you fly.  It’s all about safety and making sure you know what you’re doing up there.

6.  You’ve mentioned this before, but did you have any interest in flying before you met Martin?

Being in a small airplane never crossed my mind before I met Martin, let alone learning how to fly.  Going up in a hot air balloon was on my list of things to try one day.  I thought of helicopters, too, but never airplanes.  I think it’s because I’d been in a commercial airplane, so I focused on the types of things I hadn’t tried.  (And boy was I wrong – small airplanes are nothing like commercial planes.  Small planes are so much fun!)  It’s all pretty interesting to think of how we grow and develop through our relationship with others.  I also never expected to live in Berlin, yet here we go.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 3:21 am and is filed under Our World: A German Boy in America, Our World: Learning to Fly a Plane. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.