Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear…. Flying on a wing and a prayer, Who could it be….

O.K. super bonus points for all of you who can name all 3 of those songs right now…Anyone?  O.K. answers are at the end of this post, but in the meantime, As you may have guessed this little blog entry is all about flying! 

I got to go out to Hillsboro Aviation recently, and fly around in a helicopter (my first mid-air interview)!    I also got to try out the helicopter and airplane flight simulators on the ground level (Thank-goodness they didn’t let me drive the real thing because I crashed both of the simulators)! 

I visited Hillsboro Aviation to learn a little more about their flight school.  Apparently, it’s the largest flight school on the West Coast, and they’ve taught pilots from 71 countries around the world!  Graduates can earn everything from a private pilot’s license, all the way up to a commercial pilot’s license.  It takes from 8 to 12 months to earn a commercial pilot’s license, and as far as tuition goes, Hillsboro has a “pay as you go” program, or they also have a partnership with PCC wherein you can enroll at PCC and apply financial aid to courses at Hillsboro Aviation. 

In addition to learning about the flight school at Hillsboro Aviation, I also got to learn a few fun facts during my flight.  I learned about some of the instruments on the control panel (ones that tell you whether you’re level or upside down were especially of interest to me)!    I also learned how a helicopter hovers.  I always thought that if you wanted to hover in a helicopter, you just stopped steering forward and floated above the ground…not so much!  Check out this link to see what I learned about Hovering!

If I thought for a moment that I would make a good pilot, my tour at Hillsboro Aviation would have made me enroll right there!  Everyone we talked to was very knowledgable, but they also seem to be a family too!  While I was on my tour, everyone seemed to know everyone else and be real friends.   I kind of like that vibe in a place of higher education! 

O.K. Songs were:

Come Fly With Me (I was humming Frank Sinatra’s version)

Let’s Go Fly a Kite (from Mary Poppins)

Greatest American Hero Theme Song (from the coolest superhero sitcom ever)!