Multi Engine Blog Post #1

For fall semester, I have enrolled in Multi Engine ground school and flight lab! It is going to be tons of fun. Just like my CFI ground school, I have been assigned to make some blog posts. Enjoy.

Assignment: Blog about what you want to get out of the class. Your expectations, and anything specific you would like to learn. Also blog about what your expectations are for blogging and what prior experience you have.

When I first started flying, I wanted to be a crop duster. I imagined my life living in some rural town barnstorming all over the farms. It sounded quit lovely. However, family life can change your goals. Between trying to keep Kennedy in SLC, Nicole wanting to stay close to Salt Lake, and the idea of having flight benefits, my goals have shifted. My goals now involve me gaining a multi engine rating as well as becoming a multi engine instructor.

Currently I have two goals that I am working on. One, getting a great CFI job, and two flying with SkyWest. In order to fly for SkyWest you must have a certain amount of flight hours and being a CFI is a great way to obtain them. However, I have been leaning to the idea that I might prefer to flight instruct as a career. I love teaching. Today, I was helping Militza with her homework, and she told Diana that I should become a teacher. I told her I was, I just didn't have a job yet. My concern about flight instructing as a career is being able to make enough money so that Nicole doesn't have to work and we don't have to live in poverty (although, we have become quite good at it). If I could find a flight instructing job in which I could afford a humble home, food and be able to pay the medical bills, I think I would prefer that. I would be able to be home most evenings. I love flying the small planes.

So anyway, back to the Multi Engine thing. If I am ever going to get a CFI job in which I would be able to make a decent living I would most likely need to be a multi engine instructor as well. Also, If I am ever going to fly for SkyWest, yup, need to have those Multi hours. So with the multi class, that's goal #1. Learn how to fly these multi engine aircraft. I want to know them inside and out. I would like to gain the knowledge and skill from this class so that I may quickly become a Multi Engine instructor.

I expect this class to be alot like my other ground schools. I expect that I am going to have to do alot of reading from the text book and the Seminole Information Manual (that's kind of like a owners manual for a car except about 20 times more in depth). I expect to show up to class and have activities and lessons to help me retain what I have read and to understand it. I think that I am going to learn alot about systems and emergencies. I have heard once that training in a multi engine aircraft you rarely actually fly with both engines. I imagine that I will do a lot of stuff with one engine shut down.

During my CFI I enjoyed my blogging assignments. It's kind of like writing in a journal. I just sit down and express myself. I kind of stepped out of what was asked for this assignment, but I find it nice to write down my thoughts. Obviously I have blogged before. The rest of my blog kind of speaks to that.

Kennedy Through the Years!

I scanned in all of Kennedy's school pictures today. I thought I would share them. I love to look at pictures and see how she has changed. It's fun. Enjoy!

Scott is now a CFI

The day has finally come! I have finally become a CFI. I have been working on this for way to long. I took my test on Monday the 17 of August. I packed a lunch, brought 3 bags stuffed with books, and carried my enormous binder of lesson plans into the Flight Standards District Office. I had my test (in aviation we call it a check ride) with Burney Connolly.

The first part of the check ride was on the ground. He asked me lots of questions and I also taught him lessons as if he was a student. We then went to the airplane were I showed him how to do a preflight check and he quizzed me airplane systems. The flight was almost two hours and I taught him several maneuvers and he pretend to be a student flying and I had to critique him and point out the common student errors.

The check ride turned out to be a lot of fun. I did really well, and believe that I was VERY prepared. I did really bad on my end of course test at Westminster. I think the end of course went bad because I got really uptight and stressed. On my check ride I relaxed and tried to have fun. Nicole told me not to worry about passing or failing, but to just be a good flight instructor and enjoy teaching. So, that's what I did and I passed!

Now it's off to find a job and start putting all this training to use! I am so excited to be a CFI! I think it is going to be so fun to teach people how to fly!

Remembering Malaki's First 2 Months

Malaki is now 12 weeks old and we have a TON of pictures. Here are various pictures from June & July. Hope you enjoy! Kennedy has been an awesome big sister! She gives him lots of snuggles, sings him songs, reads him stories and can even calm him when he is upset. She is an excellent "shhhhh"er. Malaki definately loves his big sister, when ever she talks to him he automatically smiles. Sometimes they just lay in bed next to eachother and giggle.

Bath time has been interesting! It is always a surprise when the water first touches his skin. He gets this look on his face that exclaims "...I don't know about this..!" Whenever we sprinkle the water on him he gets pretty intense. For the first few weeks Malaki thought that bath time was a great time for potty time! But now he is getting the hang of things (& so are we!) and it has gone much smoother..and cleaner. He usually is pretty calm during the actual bath. He lays there and looks around, kicks his feet and munches on his fingers. He loves to just lay around and giggle in his towel. He very much likes to be without his clothes. He squiles and yipes, and says things like "aroo, and geeee!!" Even when he just needs a change, he loves to lay on his changing table and talk to Mom and Dad about all sorts of things. These are some of our favorite times with Malaki. Malaki already loves to learn! He constantly studies his surroundings. Within the first week he had a favorite book and a favorite page. The moment we would lay him down he'd look for his lion. He and this lion had some wonderful conversations together! He loves to study pictures and look at flash cards. Mom even had to go out and find "ready for school" preschool flash cards to keep him entertained! At this rate he will be reading in no time!

The best place to study and learn about new things is out side! There are so many colors and sounds. The best part are the bright green leaves against the blue sky. Malaki loves to be out side and loves to be moving! Our sleepy wrap is the best thing to keep him comfy and give him what he wants, lots of walks. There are many days that we would go out 3 or 4 times! June had been abnormally WET! It rained almost EVERY day after Malaki was born for 3 weeks straight! The wrap was very useful for protecting him from the sudden rain showers that we would wait out under a near by tree. The sleepy wrap is also great because it gives Scott the sensation of being pregnant, which has been fun for Nicole! He says he even gets a little indigestion.

Life at home has been pleasant, but Mom was itching to get out after 3 weeks at home. Grandpa Nolan had a specail trip to the Zoo planned for him and Kennedy, so we decided to see if we could tag along. Mom had a great time look at all the animals, and Malaki enjoyed the movement and the sleep!
We even went on Vacation! We atteneded the Atkin annual family reunion, "The Atkinder" at Bear Lake from July 11-14. Malaki and Mom mostly stayed in doors eating and sleeping and trying to relax. Malaki got to met a lot of his relatives for the first time and enjoyed socializing. He was the youngest to attend. Here are some pictures from that weekend:

Malaki thinks his Mom is really funny. Somes he'd rather laugh at her then eat. He will even try to laugh at her WHILE eating. The above is a picture of him taking a break from dinner to laugh.
Malaki loves his Dad. He already takes him on lots of adventures. We have gone up Big Cottonwood Caynon to roast hot dogs and marshmellows, went to Bear Lake and explored Minnitonka Cave. The picture above is of Scott and Malaki playing in St. Charles Canyon. Scott keeps saying he can't wait until Malaki is old enough to ride in the bike trailer and go on the bus. When Scott and Malaki are together, Scott never stops singing. He makes up songs about everything and anything. Malaki seems to enjoy it.

Malaki was very pleased to find out his aunt Mandy and cousin katy would be coming with us to the reunion. His aunt Mandy can always get him smiling! He loves to play with her and tell her stories.

Just Right Already!

Here I am sitting here with SO many things in my head wanting to come out. There are so many stories to tell, so many things to share. So I open up a new post, and start typing. I write two or three sentances, stop, go back and read over everything and decide that it's all wrong. That it doesn't convay what I want it to say. I erase it all and try again. No, still not right. I sit there. Think awhile. And then there it is. I am stuck. Well, looks like I am done for today! And thats it. What is stopping me from writing? My overwhelming need for perfection? Possibly. But I know I will never be perfect. And really, is there such a thing as perfect? Do I want to believe in perfect?
No.

...So what is imporant to me?
I want a record of my family's life. I want to document all of the burnt muffins, basketball injuries, kid quotes and animal stories. I want to be able to look back at the pictures and have the REAL story that goes with them. I want to remember how bueatiful and perfect my life is. I want to see how blessed I am and share that with others. I want to laugh at my mistakes and learn from them. I want to be write about being right in my imperfections. So when times like this come around I can remind myself of how insane it is to not get what I really want because I am too busying being right.

So here's where I am. I am going to take time each week to create a new post. Share pictures and stories, or even just nonsence. But I am going to write. And it is NOT going to be perfect. And there are going to be errors and it is not going to flow. It is going to be messy.
And it will be perfect.

The Olsens are ready for Fall!!

Last night there was a brilliant thunderstorm that lasted through this morning. It was actually cool enough for me to mix up a long awaited steaming cup of pumpkin spice hot chocolate! Today had the crisp smell and great feeling of Fall. Fall is definitely my favorite season. Fall's crisp cool air means hot soup, hot chocolate, warm hoodies, snuggling in blankets, sitting by the fire, thunderstorms, the changing leaves... all things I love! With fall comes Halloween and Thanksgiving, two of my favorite holidays! But the one thing that is dominating my Fall Fantasies is FOOTBALL!! I am WAY too excited for BYU football this year. I love to go to the games and even watch them on TV all the while yelling things like "Rip his head off!!" The thrill of a good run, a tackle that levels the guy, the unbelievable catch, and of course a touch down is something I look forward to all week. Now some of you may have assumed this is Scott who is writing this post. And you could be correct, because Scott is always thinking about BYU football, that is a given. But today my friend, you are wrong. Nicole is now officially a die hard BYU Football fan.

Nicole worked extra hard getting the whole family ready for football season this year, here's the picture: