The Graduate
Well the other important day finally arrived when Steve would receive all the paraphenalia associated with becoming a qualified pilot. We, as a family, had just lived with him through the nerves surrounding the flight test and now there were slight nerves again because events such as these usually require some public speaking......another of Steve's many fears after water and heights. I cannot understand, however, why he hasn't become quite adept at public speaking as he has to constantly talk on the radios in the helicopters when flying around. Anyway it was therefore after another restless night that he woke up ready to tackle the graduation ceremony.
Erin wore one of her nice dresses and I put on a dressy top and jeans. The pilot put on his official Beckers dress shirt which, in the past, he kept for special occasions like going solo and his first nav. The get together wasn't starting until 12.30pm so we had some time to do some last minute running around for thankyou gifts. Although Steve had paid for his time and training at Beckers', there were several behind the scenes people who helped him along the way towards where he is today. It is hard to pick out individuals in the scheme of things because everyone played an important role in Steve's eventual success. A small token for Steve's theory lecturer for getting him through the theory component of the course and the exams. Another token for the office manager without whom Steve would never had gotten his paperwork sorted out and kept his finances in check. The office manager was also instrumental in keeping in touch with Steve while we were in Adelaide and telling him what paperwork he needed before arriving on the Sunshine Coast. A carton of light beer was our final offering for all the instructors. The guys call it a 'debrief' after a hard days flying and getting the shit scared out of them by students and it was the least we could do.
There was a heartwarming gathering of guys and girls all keen to pass on congratulations and best wishes to Steve which was really great to see. After 8 months of wandering the corridors, op room and tarmac at Beckers', Steve had become the old student of the team, both in age and longevity. A fantastic lunch/nibbles spread was put on for the occasion and after a short speech, Steve's chief flight instructor Fergus presented him with his certificates and his wings. The general trend is for a story to be relayed about some part of Steve's journey and Steve was a bit concerned about which one Fergus would pick because there were several which sprang to mind.
There was the time when he went out on a solo nav and flew straight into cloud which is an extreme no no for students. Upon telling his instructors when he returned, he didn't know whether their silent reaction was a good or bad thing. Steve has also absent-mindedly attempted to pull the mixture switch in mid flight which shuts down the motor. His biggest frustration throughout the course has been his inability to complete an autorotation which basically means turning the motor off and gliding - at high speed- towards the ground as a forced landing. There was also the story about Steve's paddle around Old Woman Island when he can't swim a stroke. Fergus, however, chose to relay his most recent story about Steve's temper. After writing his board briefs (as part of his final assessment) and filling up the entire white board in the ops room, Steve was more than a little miffed when Fergus rubbed a hole right in the centre of it to write something on the board. I remember Steve ringing me that afternoon being 'not a happy camper' because his worst fear has come true after all his effort. After an afternoon of silent treatment from Steve and a day or two of tension, it was pushed to the background and life went on. All interesting experiences in hindsight and part of Steve's journey to pilot-dom.
Then the inevidable reply speech was necessary. Steve talked about starting with a dream but talked about my dream of a stable husband and a comfy life in suburbia and how he shattered that with his dream of flying helicopters. Funnily enough, he seems to think after all that's happened, that I have acclimatised more to our life change than him. I think we have all done well to get where we are and that's not without friendship and support from a lot of people.
As everyone slowly filtered back to work and study, Steve collected his bookwork (all 15kgs of it) and rubbed his name off the whiteboard where all the students results were tallied. It was sad because once we left, there would be no reason for Steve to return to Beckers' for training. I know he will miss all the fun and camaraderie of both his fellow students and the instructors but it's time to move onto the next stage of his and our adventure. I did feel like he had been a great help to many people over the last few months and that showed with all the people who turned up to his graduation to wish him well.
Erin wore one of her nice dresses and I put on a dressy top and jeans. The pilot put on his official Beckers dress shirt which, in the past, he kept for special occasions like going solo and his first nav. The get together wasn't starting until 12.30pm so we had some time to do some last minute running around for thankyou gifts. Although Steve had paid for his time and training at Beckers', there were several behind the scenes people who helped him along the way towards where he is today. It is hard to pick out individuals in the scheme of things because everyone played an important role in Steve's eventual success. A small token for Steve's theory lecturer for getting him through the theory component of the course and the exams. Another token for the office manager without whom Steve would never had gotten his paperwork sorted out and kept his finances in check. The office manager was also instrumental in keeping in touch with Steve while we were in Adelaide and telling him what paperwork he needed before arriving on the Sunshine Coast. A carton of light beer was our final offering for all the instructors. The guys call it a 'debrief' after a hard days flying and getting the shit scared out of them by students and it was the least we could do.
There was a heartwarming gathering of guys and girls all keen to pass on congratulations and best wishes to Steve which was really great to see. After 8 months of wandering the corridors, op room and tarmac at Beckers', Steve had become the old student of the team, both in age and longevity. A fantastic lunch/nibbles spread was put on for the occasion and after a short speech, Steve's chief flight instructor Fergus presented him with his certificates and his wings. The general trend is for a story to be relayed about some part of Steve's journey and Steve was a bit concerned about which one Fergus would pick because there were several which sprang to mind.
There was the time when he went out on a solo nav and flew straight into cloud which is an extreme no no for students. Upon telling his instructors when he returned, he didn't know whether their silent reaction was a good or bad thing. Steve has also absent-mindedly attempted to pull the mixture switch in mid flight which shuts down the motor. His biggest frustration throughout the course has been his inability to complete an autorotation which basically means turning the motor off and gliding - at high speed- towards the ground as a forced landing. There was also the story about Steve's paddle around Old Woman Island when he can't swim a stroke. Fergus, however, chose to relay his most recent story about Steve's temper. After writing his board briefs (as part of his final assessment) and filling up the entire white board in the ops room, Steve was more than a little miffed when Fergus rubbed a hole right in the centre of it to write something on the board. I remember Steve ringing me that afternoon being 'not a happy camper' because his worst fear has come true after all his effort. After an afternoon of silent treatment from Steve and a day or two of tension, it was pushed to the background and life went on. All interesting experiences in hindsight and part of Steve's journey to pilot-dom.
As everyone slowly filtered back to work and study, Steve collected his bookwork (all 15kgs of it) and rubbed his name off the whiteboard where all the students results were tallied. It was sad because once we left, there would be no reason for Steve to return to Beckers' for training. I know he will miss all the fun and camaraderie of both his fellow students and the instructors but it's time to move onto the next stage of his and our adventure. I did feel like he had been a great help to many people over the last few months and that showed with all the people who turned up to his graduation to wish him well.
No comments:
Post a Comment