Introduction

     While I do find my work interesting and really get immense satisfaction from the task of engineering solutions to complicated problems, and also plan on being an Engineer for life, I sort of think of work as a means to an end. There are many different things that I dream about doing and feel the only way I'll be able to do them all is to keep a good job that will give me the opportunities. I wish I was a Shaun White, or a Tony Hawk, or a Tiger Woods and was talented enough to pursue the one thing I loved above all others. But I feel I don't have the skill (or maybe the courage to try) to do that. Instead I decided I could use my interest in math and the sciences to enable me to pursue my favorite pastimes.
     Anyway, after recently starting this new job and leaving behind my friends and family and moving from the deserts of New Mexico to the humid continental zones of Ohio I decided to use some of my free time to pursue a new interest. Aviation. This makes sense since I am now living in Dayton, Ohio where the Wright brothers grew up and even developed many of the designs that eventually led to the first powered flight in North Carolina. But Aviation is often (and certainly was to me) associated with high costs and a lots of training. And this is for good reason. But there are lots of different forms of aviation and one in particular that looked like the best option for me: Hang gliding. Defined as foot launched personal powerless aviation, hang gliding is often described as the closest thing to flying like a bird. Since you are hanging in a strong harness beneath a flexible wing and every movement you make effects the flight of the glider you don't get the mechanical feeling of steering something through the sky like you would sitting in a cockpit, instead it’s as if you have wings attached to your back (Or so they say. I haven't experienced it quite yet).
     Although I've never written a blog before, I hope to keep this updated (mostly for personal reasons) while I pursue my ambitions to become a hang gliding pilot and describe how I went from dreamer on the ground to qualified pilot. I also have some long term goals that I plan on pursuing. I want to return home to New Mexico and see some of the world class soaring sites over the deserts that I grew up in. There's Dry Canyon in Alamogordo, Windy Point outside of Ruidoso, Sandia Crest in Albuquerque, and even a few places I've hiked, driven, and snowboarded through in Colorado. Eventually with the right training and development of my skills I hope to be qualified to fly at some of these difficult but beautiful sites. Based on my conversations with the instructor, these goals I've set for myself are likely to take a year or more if I'm able to fly regularly. If I can't fly regularly it's likely to take much longer. So this will be a test of my determination to accomplish something completely new to me.