Long long ago, in a land far far away, I had a dream...
When I was a kid growing up in small town Western Australia I dreamed of being a pilot.
It was what I lived for ...to fly.
But, there was no way my parents could afford to get me flying lessons...just out of their financial reach. So, the dream adjusted and oriented its self around me joining the Australian Air Force when I was old enough.
In the mean time, I distracted my self with lots of research on the subject and building lots of RC model aircraft etc.. anything to do with flying and I was into it :)
So, when I could, I applied for the Air Force (at about 17 as I recall). There was a family trip to the big city and I went in and did the "aptitude" and physical tests, which of course must be done.
I did great on the aptitude and practical tests and was basically physically fine...Except... I was under weight...Too light for my height as far as they were concerned!
... Bummer!
But, not to be deterred, I decided to take a year off and gain some weight...and in the mean time I would also do some more Mathematics study. I was accepted into various University programs as it was, (Im plenty bright and my grades were fine) but they were of no interest to me at the time.
a year goes by...
Back to the city again and back to the application, but the simple fact is that despite my efforts (which could have been more I freely admit) I weigh pretty much exactly the same...Im just a skinny guy (and I continued at the same weight for about the next 10 years!)...
I guess I dont really blame the RAAF, they have many many applicants and only a few positions...They have to have some measurable means of selecting their "best" candidates... I just didnt make the cut.
So, That was it... no more options... and thats more or less when the dream was "put to bed".
So I went to University instead. I chose Engineering because all the different streams had a common first year, and that gave me another year to decide which stream I wanted (no strong preferences) . Then after that year, I chose the electrical stream cos there were several sub streams and I had another year to choose ... etc.
So, Im kind of an Engineer by default... Its never been a "calling" for me!
And the flying thing was sidelined... though I have continued to love "flight" and building models etc.
And Why do I bring all this stuff up?
Well, When I stopped working as an Engineer (a couple of years ago now) I was trying to figure out what I should do with my self (and I still am).
At that time I seriously considered "re-skilling" and becoming a helicopter pilot. I looked into the costs, and the time, and the work opportunities, and the probable life style ... and of course if I still really wanted to do it...Was the dream still alive.
And, after a bunch of thinking, I more or less decided that through a combination of the dream having faded and the probable realities of flying helicopters for a living, that it was not what I wanted....
And so, I let it go at that.
BUT
A week or so back, while I was in Kenai, Alaska, I was thinking of going on a little scenic flight over the glaciers. The flight was way too expensive so I didnt go, but while I was there at the airport, there was this lovely little R44 helicopter parked there...
And I had a good look and a poke around...
And I had a good long chat with the pilot about all sorts of stuff...,
And now is two years later from that earlier decision,
And Im a somewhat different person (I have a different outlook now than I did then).
And maybe the dream is still there if I go look for it...
And maybe I should consider it one more time!
Really not sure, but it was very strong when I was younger, and maybe Im just making excuses to avoid the risk of failure/disappointment.
I cant tell at the moment, but Ive decided that Im gonna give it another solid consideration when I get back to Vancouver.
And then Ill do a bunch of thinking while I go riding...
and we shall see!
