Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/1315612
Bridge Journal Week 8: A faint pink light peeks over the foothills of the Sonoran Desert and glints off the rows of Cessna 172s parked at the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport. It's 4:55 am. The Valley of the Sun feels still. The silhouee of the control tower is dark; it doesn't open until 6:00 am. My flight instructor, Bre, looks at the dispatch logbook in my hand. "Three Victor Kilo?" he asks. "Yep." I nod. We scan the rows of aircra until we find her. As we complete the pre-flight inspection, the sky starts to turn to a lighter shade of indigo. We taxi out to the runway, surrounded by twinkling blue lights. We announce to a quiet frequency that we're about to take-off runway 7 Right and confirm that no one's about to land. When we don't see any aircra, we taxi onto the runway and line up the plane with the white centerline. I add full power, check to see that the engine instruments are in the green and that the airspeed indicator is working, add plenty of right rudder to keep the plane on the centerline, and pull back on the controls. And just like that, we're in the sky. From there, we can go anywhere or do anything (within regulations). Sometimes, we stay in the traffic paern to practice takeoffs and landings, or we go out to the practice area to practice maneuvers and some simulated instrument flying. If we're working on cross-country techniques, we can navigate to other airports, such as Wickenburg or Gila Bend. One day, aer practicing touch-and-goes, I taxi back to the flight school with Bre; he exits the plane and lets me practice takeoffs and landings on my own. Aer an exciting flight, I have the rest of the day to study for The artifacts of a teenage pilot. Project Components: n Earning a pilot's license n Trevor Seminar: Ways of Seeing Desert Flying by August Makoff '19 Bridge Proposal: For my Bridge project, I would like to go to Arizona to get my pilot's license. I would fly at Westwind School of Aeronautics at the Deer Valley Airport in Arizona. I would fly or work with an instructor on ground-school topics for 30 hours per week. If I earn my private pilot's license before Bridge is over, I will start to work on my instrument pilot's license, which is a license to fly in inclement weather. Most likely, my flight training will include approximately two hours of flight daily, as well as four hours of ground instruction and studying for wrien tests. I will also plan to go on cross-country flights to airports, such as Sedona or Presco. I will meet with my advisor over Skype once every cycle at 6:30 am Arizona time (8:30 am in New York) on I days. I also hope to participate in the Ways of Seeing seminar, via Skype. The seminar will connect with my flying because I know that Arizona's beautiful landscape will inspire my creative writing and art. the FAA check ride (practical) and work on art and creative writing for the Ways of Seeing seminar. n Lauren August Makoff is a Midshipman 4th Class at the United States Naval Academy. Above, two images: August at the West- wind School of Aeronautics at the Deer Valley Airport. in Arizona.