OMG. You’d think that getting paid to stay home would be a dream come true. It isn’t for me – I’m way too much a type A.
The Westwind simulator has broken pretty hard this week, and the client load is very light. I’m not sure if our competitors are busy because their sim is in better shape, but I sure hope it is not our instruction keeping them away. Astra is not all that busy either.
In any event – I have nothing on my schedule this week, at all, and my wife is completely committed to her parents living upstairs. I take the occasional medical appointment off of her schedule for Pop, but she has Mom one hundred percent. That means I have the time and the money to go play, but don’t want to do a damn thing other than brief motorcycle trips, riding bicycles for exercise, and working around the house. I should be happy, but I’m getting grumpy and feeling like my hands are tied. Grrrrr…..
Weight Loss & Blood Pressure: I’m doing the best I’ve ever done at this – week after week for months. 
I am looking at options for the winter to keep this going. Thus far I’m committed to joining a gym in December – Planet Fitness in nearby Elkton, MD.
I’ll keep riding my bicycle on the trail until I can’t stand the cold any longer. Later today and tomorrow will be a good test, given the projected high in the 50’s and low 60’s with overcast skies. I don’t think I’ll be out there in the 30’s.
The blood pressure concerns that started all of this are being managed with medication. I hope to get off of that medication when I reach 200# in the spring. Regardless, I’m finally doing the right things and feeling pretty good about it.
Contract Flying: I need a challenge! Contract flying is my best hope to fill the void and keep things interesting. I have joined one firm that is supposed to get my name out there, but I’ve only had one contract flight with them so far, and now crickets.
I talk with all the crews coming through and what I’ve found is that they each have a cadre of pilots they use. Getting you onboard takes paperwork, so once you are through the process and found to be competent – you are on their rolodex. Breaking into that cycle is not going to be easy, but it might happen for me a little at a time.
I am watching the jobs floating by on pilot websites, reaching out to all my contacts, and working to develop new options.
My goal with contract flying is to FLY. I want to stay at FlightSafety and FLY, but if it stays this quiet I could be tempted to take a full time flying job. I just don’t know, so I’ll defer thinking about it and see what happens next year.
N833DF is still being held hostage. The parts are all built and delivered, so no excuses remain. I expect and hope to have it back this year, so that the wasting and bleeding of financial resources for the hangar, insurance, and finally labor will come to an end. When I get that airplane back, all of my angst at having nothing to work on may just evaporate. I need a project.
Hobbies: If anyone has a good suggestion for hobbies to get into, I’m all ears. I’ve done RC airplanes and helicopters before, and that isn’t getting my motor running. I’ll build some electronic gadgets and clean up my basement work area this winter as well. Once my airplane comes back, maybe I’ll even work on my book again.
Weight and exercise will be the thing, I guess.
Fly Safe! Stay healthy!