For those of you religiously watching this blog, awaiting any update about anything, aviation or Intermenno related, I apologize. This blog hasn't been at the priority of my list. Perhaps that will change as the summer wears on. Anyway, I'll go in semi-chronological order.
On Wednesday last week, I went in for my aviation medical examination. I hadn't had this exam since 2005, so it had come time to renew. The exam covers everything from eyesight and hearing to past visits to the doctor. The biggest that happened was that my eyesight improved from 20/15 (better than perfect) to 20/12.5 (even better than 20/15). I emerged with a new Second Class Medical that doesn't expire until June 30, 2011.
That brings me to Friday of that week. I flew the Piper PA-30 over to Great Bend for my multi-engine checkride. While the flight instructor (who is required by insurance to accompany every flight) waited around the FBO, I was grilled on easy and semi-hard questions for about an hour. At the very beginning of the oral exam, he asked me to work a weight and balance for the airplane. I frantically searched through 'my' Pilots Operating Handbook (POH), not finding the W&B section. My POH has certain sections copied out of the actual POH. So I went out to the airplane, but it wasn't in any place that I looked. A POH specific to the airplane is required by the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) to be in the airplane. The examiner came back and I told him the predicament. He wanted to speak to my flight instructor (not the one who accompanied me). So I called him up and first told him about the ongoing ordeal. He then asked if I had looked underneath the front right seat. I didn't know there was a place under there so I hadn't looked. Fortunately it was there and I emerged from that unscathed, ready for any question he had. Then we flew the plane, and aside from one of the engines not wanting to start on the ground or the other engine not wanting to re-start in the air, it was pretty painless. Both engines, by the way, decided to start. On the ground, I proudly awaited the return of the examiner, who hasn't technologically evolved as other examiners have, with my typewriter typed new Airplane Multi-Engine Land Commercial License!
Updated Flight Info:
Total Time - 216.3
Total Landings - 4__
Last instrument approach: ILS 35 @ GBD, single-engine
That brings me to today. In the mail, with a sticker that said "LUFTPOST," was an envelope from the German/Swiss Intermenno Committees. Today was the day that I had been anxiously awaiting. I knew my first half placement would be on one of the papers inside that envelope. Would I be placed on a farm shoveling the fecal matter of pigs or would I be placed where I had hoped: somewhere, within a train ride or two of Tim, Heidi, and Gustav, on a vineyard? So I opened up the envelope and read the contents. Here's the placement information for me:
Hosts: Heike und Heiko Dettweiler
Place: Wintersheim, Germany
Work: Together, they own a grape farm and keep horses. On the weekends they have a bed and breakfast. Your responsibilities will involve helping in the vineyards, on the yard, label wine, wash empty wine bottles, fill new ones, some childcare with the youngest child and household chores. If you know how to drive stick, it will be helpful.
The Dettweilers have three children. Lukas, 13. Pauline, 9. Daniel, 4.
Here's a map of where I'll be, in relation to both Phillip and Tim, Heidi, and Gustav:
Phil and his family are from Rudesheim (the 'C' marker). Tim, Heidi and Gustav live in Bammental (the 'B' marker). Wintersheim is the 'A' marker.
View Larger MapSo, I look forward to being able to travel all over. I am relatively close to Luxembourg and, unfortunately, the stinky neighbor of France. Hopefully a wind from the east prevails. So, if you're planning a trip to go see Tim, Heidi and Gustav, think about stopping by to see me!
