No solo'ing for me today

I got in the left seat and my instructor got in the right seat. He looked at me and said, "The winds are kind of interesting today. Let's see what you think."

I taxi'd us to the runway, ran my takeoff checklist and then announced to the local air traffic I was departing on 3-2 and remaining in the pattern.

I rolled out and took off.

About 10 feet off the runway, the plane suddenly lurched to the right and I had to fight it to get it back on a straight line.

Then, about 150 feet off the runway, it was like someone grabbed the plane and tossed it over to the right again. I straightened us out and then dealt with a whole bunch of thermals coming off of I-91 as I climbed to 800 feet.

When I turned into the crosswind, the aircraft suddenly decelerated from 85 knots to 60 knots. I pushed the nose down to keep the airspeed at least in the flying range.

When I turned downwind, which is a leg of the flight out over nice flat farm fields and normally the smoothest part of the ride, the aircraft started bouncing around like it was a boat on the ocean.

That was when I said to my instructor, "Nope. You aren't leaving me alone in this shit."

And that was the end of that. I won't even tell you what it was like landing the aircraft.

I went through 9 of the most difficult touch & go's to date and that was when I called it a day.

There was no way my first time alone in a plane was going to be in a wind that has no idea how strong it's blowing or which direction it's coming from. I'm no coward but I'm no fool either.

Maybe next time.

•

I still find it hard to grasp the idea that in six and a half months, either Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife or The Donald will be President of the United States.

This is the kind thing that normally only happens in those wacky 1960's movies staring Tony Curtis, Red Skelton and Donna Reed.

We are all screwed in some many different ways....

•

I'm going to watch Eduardo Rodriguez in his first major league start of the year.

While I'm doing that, you can visit these links:

• I guess they don't like vegans.



• This is why you should follow Bill Clinton's advice and never inhale.



• They take this very, very seriously.



• Only in Florida.