New address!

I have moved the blog to a more powerful site - it gives me more control and offers more options for cool features.

The address is http://blog.aviationgeek.com.

See you there!!

-kc

Enter: Ellie

After having to put our cat, Bugs, to sleep (sadly), we have ended up with a new kitten from some good friends.

Her name is Ellie and she was a barn cat that we are making into a house cat quite quickly. She likes to play and sleep and... well, everything a cat usually likes to do.

Oshkosh 2007!

Hello! We survived Oshkosh. We left at 5:00am Wednesday morning and got home at around 1:30am on Thursday. A great time was had by all. We saw everything there was to see and made sure that we caught all of the airshow as well. I've posted a few pictures below... I haven't been there for several years, so this was a great trip.

John and Janet, friends of Amber and I, made the trek with us. John is a former student and the aviation excitement was definitely flowing through this group. We survived hot sunshine, brief rainshowers, and foot pain to enjoy what all aviators know as the "mecca of aviation".

aviation 4 real

sprayers - all over
annoying, sometimes
some r OK

tired of being wrong, tho
tired of not hearing 'good work'
i know it's good work
because i hear it from others

this is not pure aviation
this is politics
messy

crystal clear water
green grass
puffy clouds
freedom

that is aviation
and that
is where i belong.
see u there

Happy Birthday, America!

Wow - it's been awhile since I updated this blog. Been too busy. We have been really busy at the airport trying to get people finished up with licenses and with moving stuff out of the current buildings - preparing for the move.

It should be fairly monumental. The airport will be a great place once it is all complete, but it will be a mess for a little while.

At any rate.. I may try to post some pictures later on. We're also going camping with some friends this weekend - - there will DEFINITELY be pictures of that.

HansenLabs and Tuxes

Here's something I'll bet you thought you'd never see!

Back in Business

Well - we're back in Iowa. After a major trip to Wisconsin and enjoying the Wisconsin Dells, it is back to reality. We are looking at a house in Vinton to rent... it should be pretty nice and a lot bigger than the apartment Amber has been living in. Here's a picture of the wedding day...



I would highly recommend the Wisconsin Dells to anyone that wants to enjoy an easy vacation with plenty to do. Traffic is not a problem and it's a laid-back feeling all around. Prices are OK... everything is around $20 (or more) but it is generally well worth the price of admission.

Back to flying!

Dells #2

Hello again from the Wisconsin Dells, where apparently there is never a cloud in the sky. I wonder what the weather will be like for flying when I return Thursday............. ??? I'll give you 3 guesses, but you should only need 1.

I share with you today a picture of the highlight of my day... HOWIE'S HUGE BREAKFAST. Yes, that's right! $3.99 for everything you see below:

Well, we're off to mini-golf now.... a little supper before that.

- kc

From the Dells...

Hello ... from the Wisconsin Dells - on my honeymoon! Yeah, that's right... got married last Saturday (June 9th) to Amber. It all went very well... and we're enjoying some (much) needed time off. Check out the picture...

Other than that, we are just getting settled. This is the first week I've been off from flying in quite a while, so I'm starting to get the shakes a little. I miss it, but it's not bad to take a little break. I will be ready to go as SOON as we're back, though! Bring it on. :D

Clear skies,
kc (& amber)

Backbone - May 25, 2007

Hello! A trip to Backbone and some pictures to share tonight. Check it out.

Enjoy!

Because I want to...

Wow - it's been a busy couple of days and I doubt it's going to get any better. Everything from business to flying to weddings. It's all good, though. We'll tackle it one way or the other.

I'm pretty happy staying local and flight instructing. I really enjoy the thrill of teaching people a new skill and sharing what I love with other people every single day. I like to think that my passion for it shines through with each and every lesson.

At any rate... plugging away. The weather has been terrible lately, so I've just been hanging out and getting some extra work done that I've been putting off. That's been OK, but hey... let's go fly!

CIGAR

Hey bloggers - welcome to Friday! Here's a small tip for ya...

If you forget your checklist in the airplane, or can't find it, try this acronym for your pre-takeoff check:

• C - Controls (free and clear)
  
• I - Instruments (heading indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, etc.)
  
• G - Gas (correct tank, fuel pumps, etc.)
  
• A - Airplane (general.. seat belts, doors, etc.)
  
• R - Run-up (magneto checks, engine instruments, etc.)
  

Many of you may already use it, but for those of you who don't... there you go. Free stuff.

College graduate!

Well, it finally happened. I am an official college graduate of Upper Iowa University. I have included a slideshow below to highlight some of the day's happenings... enjoy.

explanation

I thought I would explain some of the posts I have been making in recent days and months. Some have been positive and some have been negative, to be sure. But fear not, there is good reason.

You see, my intent is not to push myself away from flying or to push anyone else away from flying as a career. At times, it seems like I am harsh on certain airplanes, or harsh on the career itself. The problem is, as a blog reader, you can't begin to understand the true meanings behind what I am writing.

I love aviation. I love being free in the air and being able to go any where I please. And I love to share that freedom with other people, whether I am teaching a lesson or simply giving a ride. I have done many, many things so far for being only 22 years old. There are still two situations that given me the most thrill in the entire world: giving a first airplane ride and congratulating a student after he or she gets their license. There is no better feeling in the entire world. Of course, when they fail, I share that failure and feel equally as bad as they do - but failures happen in all forms and all situations in life.

You see, the negative comments I leave on this blog are simply random thoughts that I am venting. Quite frankly, I am tired of dealing with insurance companies, tired of trying to impress people, and tired of having to prove what I can do and who I am in the aviation world. Further more, I'm tired of trying to be someone I am not.

To all of the young(er) people out there who read this (I think there is at least one of you), do not worry. If flying the big iron is your ultimate dream, I cheer you on. I have no problem with that. What I am conveying on this blog is that flying the heavy iron or even some corporate jobs is simply not right for me.

Flying has to be a personal experience. At least it does for me. It needs to be meaningful and awesome, not another day in the office. Now, to some, flying people around in expensive jets is meaningful. Great! But what needs to be understood is that it isn't meaningful to me - it's just a job. Sure, it's flying, and that's great - but it is on someone else's terms and it means fighting weather which is no fun, either.

I leave you with this thought... I know I am young, but I have experienced a lot of the aviation world in a short period of time. I have washed airplanes, pumped fuel, mowed grass at airports, organized airshows, organized fly-ins, taught people to fly in everything from tail draggers to twin-engine aircraft, flown charter trips all over the country, spoken at schools about aviation, dropped skydivers, and given airplane rides to little kids just getting their first taste of flight. But it's not about what I've done so much as what does it all mean?

Define yourself. Do what makes you happy and you will never regret a single day. A very good friend told me that if you do what makes you happy, you are guaranteed to be successful. I believe he is right.

Don't let anyone else define who you are. If flying for American Airlines is your goal, go for the gold. If teaching people to fly old worn-out tail draggers is what makes you happy, we'll see you in the sky.


Clear skies,
Casey

defying gravity

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

- "Defying Gravity" from the musical "Wicked" as performed by Kristin Chenoweth

Run to Rockford, etc.

Another one of those last minute trips yesterday to Rockford, IL. We jumped in the Cessna 172 and flew to Rockford to grab some parts. Did some dual training along the way, as well. Total flight time was just under 3 hours. The weather was perfect, save for a few bumps and a little wind there in Illinois. And guess what!! We made it there with just a sectional chart!

Other Stuff


My dad recently built up this pretty neat HAM radio (amateur radio) bike. It is a mobile unit that allows him to talk with people all over the country while he is riding. Goofy? Maybe... but still pretty neat. ;) I'm sure it will be fun this summer.

I'm out!
-kc

Marshall, MN - Here we come!

What a day, what a day. Just returned from a trip up to Marshall, Minnesota in the 'ol Navajo.

We departed at about 8:00am and had about 1 hour and 25 minutes enroute. It rained fairly hard from Cedar Rapids up through Waterloo and then cleared up fairly nicely. We were solid IMC throughout this time, but it was just rain and actually smooth. We didn't mind at all.

We did have a flat nose tire up in Marshall. The guys up there were great and got things fixed promptly. I still don't know what caused the problem - it wasn't that bad of a landing! :P

Coming back into Cedar Rapids was a little more of a ride - a lot more bumps and more rain, but still nothing severe. Shot the ILS into Cedar Rapids - non-event as well. I guess there just isn't much to tell you about the trip! :P

Keep it real and safe.
-kc

seems 2 b fading

don't know why
but flying is kinda going away
farmers - -
they r in the fields
it's ok
i will wait
i will wait

we r on the verge of some neat stuff
my bro & i
we have worked hard
and it may pay off
but if it doesn't...
we learned a lot

beautiful night
sky is the perfect blue
crystal clear ...
calming winds
oh to own my own bird

i would've gone tonight -
4 sure
up and away

Looking back on it all...

When you stand back and take a look at what you've done with your life, it can really be an eye-opening experience. For a 22 year-old student, I've done a lot of things and met a lot of great people. I've also met some people that I wish I hadn't met, but let's not drag this post down this early on...

For the most part, most of the people I've met have been completely awesome. I have learned many life lessons from these people and have learned that a friend can be found in just about anyone at any given time.

I just finished my last college test today and am looking forward to graduating in May. It is going to be such a freeing experience - a whole new set of goals, dreams, and aspirations start today. One of these dreams is to change the way people learn to fly.

Martina McBride has an interesting song out now and one of the lines goes something like this:

When impossible dreams seem impossible and are thrown by the wayside, dream them anyway.

Trust me, Martina. I'll dream them anyway.

pursuit of happiness

If you haven't seen the new movie titled "Pursuit of Happiness" starring Will Smith, it is definitely worth renting or even buying. For all of us out there that are dreaming of making life better or simply moving up in the ranks of life, this movie is an inspiration for all.

One of my favorite quotes from the movie is Will Smith's character to his son:

Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Not even me. Just because they can't do it themselves, they think you can't do it either. They are wrong.

It is a perfect movie for those of us who need a "pick-me-up" when all you hear is "no you can't". This movie will definitely change your outlook on life and give you hope for overcoming anything that comes your way.

Here is a link to the official movie site: Visit the movie site here

Clear skies,
kc