From the Flight Deck

Good work and interesting to watch. It would make a great resume - giving me ideas now - although my career is not quite as glamorous ; )

Carlton. I have a few pending talks and I'm thinking the video could be used as a prop.

Here's two comments posted on my youtube account:

Awesome video! A truly inspiring journey :)

S. O. Lukas

Amazing effort, wonderful career! Thanks for a superb video! LSP- France

Thanks Carlton, Leslie and S.O Lukas

Captain Doug

You rock, Doug! Great job with the video!

Tim. Thanks for the big compliment. Movie Maker is just as good a workout as PowerPoint. Doug

Aw, what a nice video! I also started out as a meteorologist, but instead I became an air traffic controller. I always wish I were a pilot instead.

Quite an enjoyable montage you've put together there, Captain Doug. Looks like you've enjoyed the various twists and turns of your life and career.

Now, regarding the photo labeled "oops".....when Mrs ATJ sees me surfing the net to indulge my fascination with aviation, she generally rolls her eyes and feigns interest by asking what I'm looking at. Having her appear over my shoulder as that particular photo was displayed elicited an entirely new line of questions!

(laughing) at Joe's comment on "oops"

:)

Great journey and it's not over--isn't that exciting?
Lovely family too...you are blessed.

Kt. What airspace are you working? I like your syaing, "A meteorologist trapped in an ATC body."

A long time ago, I was a "pilot trapped in a meteorologist's body." You too can make the move.
I see from your profile you are young so time is on your side.

Thanks for the comment.

Capt. Doug

Joe. I apologize for making your wife query what you were watching. I thought I would through in a Hollywood effect to spruce things up. I hope you haven't been cut off from my blog? :)

As far as enjoying the twists and turns, there were some hardships. No pilot's career (or anyone's for that matter) transpires without hiccups. In this industry, you gotta roll with the punches. I thank my lucky stars things worked out the way they did.

I hope your wife didn't take offence to the picture, "Doug out of uniform." :)

Captain Doug

Giulia. It truly has been a great journey even though it came with twists, turns, forks in the road and setbacks. But, hey, that's life.

People ask what it's like to be finally captain. I tell them it's the only way to fly and you get to go to work always in a good mood. For me, that is priceless.

As far as being blessed, I concur. Great job, great family, what else could a guy ask for? :)

Captain Doug

Doug,
SOLO FLIGHT......... Just flew my first solo flight late this afternoon out of Burlington Airpark CZBA in a C152 (GYAG). I embarked on this flight after 18.4hrs of instruction (2.4hrs of which were from 2002). What an amazing experience. I am really speechless. Thanks to a great instructor and a kick in the butt from you to start flying again, I am sooooo happy to have gotten my first solo under my belt. I am very happy to be able to share in this excitement with you and other fellow aviators that follow your blog. As I write this post, I am still soaking wet from the instructor’s welcome after getting out of the plane!
My flight was 1 circuit and I landed the plane very nicely. Wouldn’t say it was a grease, but good enough for a first solo.
Sorry I have not been on your blog for a few weeks. I have been travelling and the 9-5 day job has been keeping me busy.
Hope all is well on your end and chat later.
Once again, thanks for all your kind words of encouragement along the way, you have been great. Up next, more training. Priceless.
Mark

Mark. Congratulations!!! You will never forget this day. No pilot ever does. I still remember mine 30 years ago. I was wondering if they still through a bucket of water at you. Sounds like they do.

I'm glad I was an impetus for your journey. Many more happy landings. I will be waiting for the invite to go flying.

As the last slide of my video states, "chase your dream!"

Captain Doug

Joe and Mark. Looks like I should have used "throw" instead of "through." There should be a rule, "twelve hours from bottle to blogging." :)

Hi Doug,

Yes, I got two buckets of water thrown at me! I guess it is still a tradition.

No worries on the through vs. throw, I knew what you meant.

Indeed I look forward to many more great landing.

Your slide show was great by the way.
Cheers,

Mark

Mark, thanks for taking a look at the slide show.

Re: throw...I knew, you knew what I was talking about as well.

Congratulations, Mark!
:)

Giulia, appreciate that..... Do you fly?

Doug, I will invite you up for a flight when I get my ppl. However, the deal is, I get the left seat. You have even said it in the past, the view is better from there!

Cheers,

Mark

Mark. You have that right, the left seat view is exponentially better! But for any upstart pilot, the view from any seat is priceless. When we go flying the right seat will make me reminisce of my instructing days in 150s and 172s. No, I won't critique your flying because I will be trying to remember how to fly again - yes, fly again.

Plus, I will be a little apprehensive during landing and the point where you start to flare. I did take a lesson about four years ago to get re-certified but I was flying the A340 then. I was asked back so I could hone my flare in the C-172. It didn't look pretty starting the flare at 50 feet as we did in the big bird. :)

Again, enjoy the journey and take pictures along the way!

Doug

Congratulations on your solo Mark - hope the water was not too cold...

Thanks Doug. I will take lots of photos. I guess flying an A340 one day and then a C172 the next would be a bit confusing! Now you are on the A320.... same confusion.

Knowing when to flare is one of the things that took me the longest to get the hang of. And, I'm by no means consistent...... yet

Carlton. The water was warm, so it was all good! Thanks

Mark

Mark. I have a 5:30 a.m check-in early tomorrow. I've been off for three weeks and where do you think I'm flying to? Yep, fog infested St. John's, Newfoundland.
Actually the forecast says I might see some sun in the afternoon with a whopping high of 15C.

Hello Flying China Man

Just posted on your blog. Lots of great photos.

Captain Doug

For others, here's the website:

http://flyingchinaman.blogspot.com/

Congratulations are in order:

Happy 20th Anniversary to
Doug and Charlene.


And to Mark, who flew for the
first time alone and lived to
tell about it. Probably more
scary than most people realize.

Captain, this is truly inspiring, in this very moment i can't continue with my flight lessons, i've lost my job.

But things like this makes me keep going in the pursuit of the dream

Thank you ¡¡

Memopilot. Sorry to hear about your job loss. But maybe you will find a better paying job to pay for your flying?

That is the main reason why I put together this video, to show people it's a long journey in becoming a pilot, there are many twists and
turns, but it is worth it at the end!

Keep flying!

Captain Doug

Hi Dan. Our 20th anniversary is this September.

As far as being scary going solo, I think it is scarier for the instructor deciding whether or not the student is ready.

Daniel, thanks for your kind words. My first solo, last week, was indeed an experience to which I will never forget.

I flew again tonight, and my instructor sent me off solo again after a quick check-circuit. My second solo consisted of a 36 minute flight (3 full stop circuits).

Doug, I'm starting to love this flying stuff too much. Might need to go for counselling; I blame you.

Cheers.

Mark

Mark. I'm glad I got you hooked. Actually, you had the bug in you the entire time.

Who knows, your cards may see a career change soon. :)

Now in here in the nation's capital.

Your welcome, Mark.
_______________________________

Yes, I've thought about that, Doug.
I'm sure you've heard stories or
rumors of student pilots who were
thought to be ready for their solo,
but who, sadly, were not.
_____________

Is it possible for the instructor
to be in the control tower in case
the student "freezes" or something
for which they were not prepared
happens?

Dan. Yes, many students think they are ready for solo and they are not, whereas others are shocked to see their instructor get out of the airplane on the ground and say, "you're all on your own."
That same scenario happened to me 30 years ago on taxiway Delta in Halifax. The instructor casually got out and told me to go fly a circuit. He stood off to the side and probably fretted.
The taxiway layout hasn't changed in that time span, but the runway nomenclature did because magnetic north is moving. I took off on runway 24 on my first solo, but now Captain Doug lands on runway 23.

When I threw my students from their nest it is nerve wracking. I sometimes visited the tower in Shearwater and listened to their calls as they worked their way through their first solo rectangular circuit pattern.

Hi Doug,

I like your video especially "the ONE" picture ;)

Yes, those where you wearing your uniform in front of the tires.

You don't imagine I was talking "OOPS" picture :)

Thanks to share with us those moments of your life.

Nadia

Nadia. Very funny. I hope you were not offended by my "oops" picture.

I'm glad you liked watching "my journey."