Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site hpfcmt.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!hpfcdc!hpfcla!ron From: ron@hpfcla.UUCP Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Thumbnail Autobiographies Message-ID: <16900028@hpfcmt.UUCP> Date: Sat, 4-Jan-86 09:16:00 EST Article-I.D.: hpfcmt.16900028 Posted: Sat Jan 4 09:16:00 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jan-86 04:56:44 EST References: <18189@apple.UUCP> Organization: 04 Jan 86 07:16:00 MST Lines: 81 Well, since the idea of posting auto-biographies seems to be finding acceptance here is mine: *********************************************************************** Name: Ron Miller Age: 29 General Location: Ft. Collins, Colorado Occupation: Hardware Support Engineer , Hewlett-Packard Co. Ratings: CFI-G (since 1977); Private Pilot,Single Engine Land (since 2/85) Experience: About 210 hours total. Around 150 hours in gliders. Why Started Flying: Father is Naval Aviator & wanted to teach me. I wanted to learn :-) Chronology: Started learning to fly and learning to drive at the same time. Sweat driving the stick shift car to the airport, relax a minute, then sweat in a Cherokee 140, relax a minute and then drive home. Got about 11 hours that way. THEN my Dad and I discovered soaring. We found that the two of us could work for flight credit more easily than we could work for credit in lightplanes. I worked as line crew- hustling towropes, running wingtips etc. He worked as towpilot and instructor and taught me to fly gliders. At 17 I got my Private Glider rating. At 18 I got my Commercial Glider rating and began taking passengers on introductory rides. At 19 I got my CFI-G and did teaching and ride-hopping. This was all at Warrenton Soaring Center in Warrenton Virginia (45 min. west of Wash. D.C.). One summer between college semesters my Dad and I earned our Silver C badges by flying single seat ships (me in a 1-26, he in a 1-34) to Orange Va. We both got all 3 legs (altitude gain, time aloft, and distance traveled) in the same flight. I didn't think Virginia conditions like that existed. We actually got up to 7,000 AGL for awhile where the norm in July is about 1500. At graduation I became the property of Uncle Sam when I was commissioned in the US Navy. I had orders to US Naval Nuclear Power School and so began a 5 year layoff. (Submariners don't see much land, let alone much PIC time :-) Following that adventure I moved to Colorado and feel like a kid in a candy store. I work "normal working hours" and even get every weekend off ! There are so many fun things to do here that even flying has to compete ! I renewed my CFI-G last December in the Grob 109B motorglider and have been instructing a bit in it. It's a bit on the pricey side and there isn't a flood of business so I mostly wind up doing the flight test recommendations for the owner who is also the examiner and cannot recommend his own students. Last winter I decided that since I was flying the motorglider alright,and it was a taildragger and I was having no trouble with that so I should get my Single Engine Land rating, after all, I already KNOW how to fly ! I learned some things by getting that rating. I learned more about radios, cross-country planning (Downwind is not the ONLY direction on the compass ) and that night flying is really something different. Most of my flying since getting the SEL rating has still been in gliders but I find that mixing with the airplane traffic is much easier since I understand both sides. I have been staying current in Cessna 152 and 182. I've been debating the merits of the IFR rating but have come to no conclusions. OTHER INTERESTS (competing) are: 4 wheel drive camping metal detecting gold panning when the opportunity arises X-C skiing (in winter) Ham radio Ron Miller {ihnp4}hpfcla!ron