Blue Sky

Instead I refined my hobby in other way.  Instead of enjoying green on the ground, I decided to enjoy the blue sky. It was my long time dream. I once seriously wanted to be a pilot; I took the entrance examination of the Aviation College, which was a gateway to a commercial pilot. After participate the entrance ceremony; I changed my mind because I heard that the three big airline companies in Japan had not employed the graduates at all. It was the oil shock period. (just before paying the entrance fee）

I started practicing in the summer of 1998.  Although I expected it was not easy way, I hardly find my time due to my demanding job. Yet, the biggest problem was beyond my expectation. I could hardly understand what the Airport Control Tower is speaking.  At first, I thought it may be because of the lousy noise of engine, I bought a special headset with noise chancellor function costing as much as four time as the ordinary ones, but all in vain. Instructors worried about my communication, saying, ”your technical skills are almost perfect, and the only and the biggest problem is the aviation communication.” Even American students have hard times in communicating.  Statistics shows that 60,000 student pilot start training in the US. every year, but only 20,000 get the licenses.  I can tell this is not because of budget or time problem.

After purchasing 5 kinds of teaching materials, I trained myself every day and night. Then there came another problem. It was the accident of JFK Jr. Anxious friends and relatives all made phone calls and bombard me with questions.  Anyhow, I have got my license at last.

I can enjoy the blue sky of California fully whenever I like. I can fly to wherever I like, weather permitted. This is the ultimate freedom feeling in the sky.

San Bathing at Santa Barbara, looking down the Half Dome at Yosemite, and sight-seeing around San Francisco and Silicon Valley when I don’t have much time.  However, it’s impossible to think about work while flying.

     In the wintertime, as it is rainy season in the Bay area, there are fewer days for flying. Once, I had somewhat dangerous experience.  As we were returning to the home airport, Palo Alto, after taking great stake lunch at Napa, suddenly thick clouds prevailed my view. The sky was clear before we came close to San Francisco. But the sky was suddenly changing its look. So I changed the plan to come back to the South Bay taking a roundabout way, via Half Moon Bay, over the mountains. But low thick clouds surrounded us as soon as we crossed over the route 35. Imagine driving on a free way without sight for a moment, when a huge truck surpasses in a heavy rain. It is just the same for VFR pilot to get caught in the white clouds. Jesus, this is the special disorientation what JFK Jr. suffered at the end of his life.  I told myself to be cool, just to get back alive, searching a break in the clouds, circling over and descending, the buildings of Oracle headquarters jumped into my sight.  It was as if the ordinary buildings I used to see were welcoming us from the depth of death (?). Since I ignored the rule to contact tower, they claimed me soon. It’s not a problem compared to the life or death situation.

Statistics shows that the severe accident occurrence rate (for Cessna I fly) is once in 200,000 flying time. And that most of the accidents are related with change of weathers, just like I experienced myself. Pilots like me to fly in hobby can fly about 150 hours a year at the most. So it will be once in 1,000 years. Since I am not going to live that long, I assume (and wish) that was my last dangerous happening. There is absolutely nothing better than flying the blue sky.  Looking down the 7^th short hole at Pebble beach, I say to myself, “thanks to you, I could have this great hobby.”