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Getting Current...on the blog and in the air!

Every now and then, actually, every 6 months, we pilots have to go through recurrent training. This is really a time for us to make sure that we haven't let the autopilot degrade our flying skills to the point that we aren't proficient. So, I have to wear this funky view limiting device that restricts my vision to inside the cockpit only, simulating that we are flying around in the clowds, when really the visibility is unrestricted. I brought along Chad, a great friend, instructor, and corporate pilot to keep an eye out for traffic (other airplanes) and give me some helpful tips. I had to shoot 6 approaches. You do an "approach" when there are clowds a few hundred feet above the runway and you can't see outside of the airplane to find the runway, so you have to use special instruments to get you lined up with and down to the runway safely. Remember, you can't see out of the airplane. Probably the greatest thrill most of the world will never experience is taking off when the clowds are so low you fell like you can touch them, climbing to where you are above the clowds and there is brilliat blue sky, decending back down into the soup (clowds), flying an approach to a runway, and breaking out of the clowds 200-300 feet above the runway and landing. It is truly amazing!! Jes came along to document the event.

Revelation

So I had a revelation yesterday. We have been marginal at best at keeping up this blog, especially since Jes has her new blog. However, I was looking back through this one and realized how awesome it was to see the highlights of 2005 and early 2006. Sooo, I will be doing much better to keep this going. I will also be regularly updating the markstrickland blog because it is time for me to lose some more weight!!

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I am 25, married to the best, most beautiful photographer in the Midwest, and I fly a plane for a construction company and I am cool...my wife says so.