One year later in Florence

One year has gone by and I am back in tourists' dream city, only to find out that not much seems to have changed.

Hotel is the same, tourists are the same, my lecture is the same, the beautiful golden series "Calla" on Ponte Vecchio still for sale. Even my wallet empty and me in urgent need of an ATM, exactly like last year.

One again, easy to see why Florence has become the jewel so many people dream of. So much art everywhere, so easy to manage, so great that "typically Italian atmosphere" (whatever it is exactly).

And Florence obliged: everyone speaking English, filtered coffee at breakfast, cappuccino after lunch. And once again, like a year ago, beautiful but not my dream. Regardless my teenage memories of the endless queues at the Uffizi, of the shining green of the Boboli gardens and of the beautiful slurpy icecream, forever symbol of sweet abundance.


Nice for shopping though. And there you see that next summer will be quite colourful. Buy red or orange sandals today, never mind the pouring rain outside the shop.

Flying lessons

"A pilot does not merely execute, a pilot takes decisions."
I'm certainly not a pilot yet: I still need to learn quite a few things to be able to take decisions.
And to be able to execute commands correctly, for that matter (such as: get out of that sink - I'd like to but how do you do that exactly?)

"Up in the air, never too relaxed: flying is not natural for humans."
OK, point taken. But do you really have to tell me this while spiralling upwards to 2800 mt QNH?

"In aviation, we are all peers, no need to use the formal pronoun for pilots. And next time you go on a plane, don't hesitate to ask to sit in the cockpit."
Oh yes!

"Don't worry about that parachute, its purpose is just of a cushion for the glider seat".
Not sure whether I should feel reassured or not.

"Good to have girls at the training, so housekeeping is taken care of." 
Downwind, base, final approach. Landed. The slap on their face, that is.

Ten flights later

Ten flights after arriving in Auvergne, I've learned a lot.

Going straight, turning left and right, going up, circuits, radio announcements are achieved. Towing and landing not quite yet.

And French aviation jargon in my pocket.
Ça degueule a mort if I'm going down 3-4 mt/s. En vent arriere to start landing, all different meanings of the word "Pompe". And that aller aux vaches should be avoided, while s'envoyer en l'air is always a very good thing.

The training is almost over, wishing it could continue still.

Gliding

The first time is a big stress, the second is a big tension to do it right. The third time is just awesome, especially if you fly for over two hours in a perfect sky, you go up to 2800 metres, the instructor shows you a loop and a low pass but he lets you do all the rest.

Afterwards it's impossible to stay on the ground, you just have to go again ASAP. But the weather conditions may change and one may end up playing scrabble while waiting for the sky to clear up.

Funny to be caught absent minded while rewatching in your head the last landing, to figure out how to do it right next time. And thinking how it is when you fly solo. Well, i know, a bit early to say after just 6 flights and not really knowing how to use the airbrakes right.

Few days left. All hopes in good weather.