Two

I nearly let the date slip by once again. Then I got an email on Saturday night from a friend and fellow pilot: "Happy 2nd pilot anniversary!" It's really difficult for me to believe that a whole year has gone by since I catalogued my flying from my first full year as a pilot.

But it's true, I've been a licensed pilot for two years. I like taking inventory each year. It always feels like I can't fly enough, so it's helpful to look back and realize how much I have flown. So, in my second year of flying...

• I flew 114.4 hours, compared to 61.8 last year.


• 78.2 of those hours were cross-country flights (with a landing more than 50NM from where I started), compared to 37.8 last year.


• I made 112 landings, compared to 75 last year.


• I carried 22 new passengers, most of whom had never been in a small airplane before. Two of them were children for whom flying is near-magic.


• From Maine to Tennessee, and west to Wisconsin, I flew to 23 new (to me) airports, in 7 states.


• Jodie flew with me almost a third of the time, 32.6 hours, compared to 14.3 last year.


• I flew on 11 overnight trips, some for work, some for family events, and some for vacations.


• I flew into Airventure for the first time, with my dad.


• I logged my first actual instrument conditions.


• I filed my first ASRS form (aka NASA form)

Perhaps most significantly, I flew 94.4 hours in the Grumman Tiger that Jodie and I bought and own. It's a great airplane -- it's quick, comfortable, it handles well, it has great visibility. All in all, it's been a wonderful experience to have it.

Regrets? None, although I never thought it would take me this long to complete my instrument rating. I'm working at it weekly now, though, and making good progress. Maybe this year....