kimberlyanne546
Final Approach
Wow. I have no idea why but I started going through old boxes recently, anticipating a move that may be soon to come. The pictures of old friends, in elementary school, then high school, and old letters really took me down a rabbit hole. I then remembered I had an email address that I hadn't used for years and poked around in there too. I found some old emails from a few pilots and thought I'd see if POA still existed or if my login existed or if old threads get deleted. I did a search for my username before logging in, just to see if the old me existed. And this was what came up.
I'm not going to get involved in replying to each of you, it was a long time ago, and indeed every story has two sides. Things do get complicated when people meet in real life. Writing on the internet is so very different then going to a flyin, going out to a bar with people...... it really is wild to meet them!
Let me say this: I got through sleepless nights, thinking I would never become a pilot, only to find encouragement on this forum. If it weren't for POA I would have never made it through. It seemed to take me dozens more hours to "get" something and if I remember correctly it took me almost 100 hours to get a license. I felt so dumb. The encouragement and support I got here was far beyond any expectations. I had a lot of time to post things..... I lived alone and when I got home I was stressed from work. This forum made my free time enjoyable.
I went into it as far as one can - joined the 99s. Helped pilots with Angel Flight. Joined the Young Eagles and took up young girls who asked to go up in the sky with a female pilot (I was the only one that day). Competed in landing competitions. Played around with flour bombing (we used weighted rubber chickens to keep the runway clean). Joined EAA, AOPA, took up student pilots for free to see the smiles on their faces as I let them control the airplane and fly over downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge. Decided to join the Coast Guard volunteering in the aviation division. Hung out at the flight school to offer free help to the mechanics. Landed on the board of directors at my airport (for a fun club).
And a highlight: I think I went to the Reno Air Races for at least 4 - 6 years to "crew" for various pilots in the biplane, sport, and F1 divisions. I would help out with things like changing props, changing tires, oil changes, etc.
For the most part, I was welcomed. But I will say that it took many years for the pilots at Reno - some of them - to realize why I was there was for the love of aviation. I was often if not always the only female pilot or crew member in the hangar (or at least a female on a crew that would crawl around under an engine and get dirty). Maybe it was the high heels, or the painted nails, or the pink tool box. But when I kept coming back, and bought my own tools, and my own tool chest, and gave time, money and support to the male pilots....... they caved.
I took interest in the briefing room, the timing of the planes, and the true friendships the men had year after year. In all of those years, I think I only ever heard of two female pilots. Then one day, they started pranking me and sending me threats to make my toolbox disappear if I didn't bring bourbon to the hangar that night..... when pilots play tricks you are one of the gang. It was so cool.
If you go to places with people that share a true passion for something, sometimes things can get complicated. I apologize to everyone here if I went over the line in anything I said or did online or in person.
I'm not going to get involved in replying to each of you, it was a long time ago, and indeed every story has two sides. Things do get complicated when people meet in real life. Writing on the internet is so very different then going to a flyin, going out to a bar with people...... it really is wild to meet them!
Let me say this: I got through sleepless nights, thinking I would never become a pilot, only to find encouragement on this forum. If it weren't for POA I would have never made it through. It seemed to take me dozens more hours to "get" something and if I remember correctly it took me almost 100 hours to get a license. I felt so dumb. The encouragement and support I got here was far beyond any expectations. I had a lot of time to post things..... I lived alone and when I got home I was stressed from work. This forum made my free time enjoyable.
I went into it as far as one can - joined the 99s. Helped pilots with Angel Flight. Joined the Young Eagles and took up young girls who asked to go up in the sky with a female pilot (I was the only one that day). Competed in landing competitions. Played around with flour bombing (we used weighted rubber chickens to keep the runway clean). Joined EAA, AOPA, took up student pilots for free to see the smiles on their faces as I let them control the airplane and fly over downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge. Decided to join the Coast Guard volunteering in the aviation division. Hung out at the flight school to offer free help to the mechanics. Landed on the board of directors at my airport (for a fun club).
And a highlight: I think I went to the Reno Air Races for at least 4 - 6 years to "crew" for various pilots in the biplane, sport, and F1 divisions. I would help out with things like changing props, changing tires, oil changes, etc.
For the most part, I was welcomed. But I will say that it took many years for the pilots at Reno - some of them - to realize why I was there was for the love of aviation. I was often if not always the only female pilot or crew member in the hangar (or at least a female on a crew that would crawl around under an engine and get dirty). Maybe it was the high heels, or the painted nails, or the pink tool box. But when I kept coming back, and bought my own tools, and my own tool chest, and gave time, money and support to the male pilots....... they caved.
I took interest in the briefing room, the timing of the planes, and the true friendships the men had year after year. In all of those years, I think I only ever heard of two female pilots. Then one day, they started pranking me and sending me threats to make my toolbox disappear if I didn't bring bourbon to the hangar that night..... when pilots play tricks you are one of the gang. It was so cool.
If you go to places with people that share a true passion for something, sometimes things can get complicated. I apologize to everyone here if I went over the line in anything I said or did online or in person.
