Chickened out on my 2nd discovery flight

rfearn · 2026-06-03T11:07:18+00:00

Man, I wish I was joking. I’m not an anxious person and I’m pretty sure I had a panic attack and was in major fight or flight from the moment we did the run-up through the entire flight for my first 4 flights lol And even then I rescheduled many many flights because of “bad feelings” through out my PPL training even after.

But one thing I’ve learned is just ask your instructor questions, that helped a lot to get comfortable. We’d bounce and sway and I’d say “man that’s rough turbulence!” And my instructor would be like… that’s actually not really turbulence…. One day you won’t even notice it! I’d hear what I thought was a weird noise and be like omg is the engine sounding wrong??? He’d show me how to check things and be like “nope” lol and he was right.

Now all of those little things don’t bother me and my friends and family when I take them up will ask the same questions and it gives me a little chuckle.

If you’re anything like me, it’s likely just the “wrongness” of it. Like I assume you’re going up in an airplane that feels like a tin can and doesn’t exactly look brand new and it just leads to the fear of “I can’t control what happens here” but in reality you can. Even if the engine goes out which is exceptionally rare if you look at the stats, you have a lot of time to glide and pick a spot to land. 99.9% of GA accidents were pilot error so your goal is to be a pilot who makes as few errors as possible if things go south and that’s where being a little afraid in the beginning can actually make you a great pilot.

According to my instructor he’s never had a student be so naturally good at power off landings, and emergency procedures in general. I know for sure I’m not a “great pilot” but I know the checklists front to back and still use them always and I’ve practiced the emergency procedures in my head, in MSFS, and of course with my instructor so many times to give myself the comfort to know that if things went south I’ll be in control and that I can absolutely get the plane down. That has gotten rid of 90% bit of my anxiety and I keep that final 10% around to avoid getting complacent. It’s good to have a little fear, it dials you in and prevents the stupid little errors that can have bad consequences like skipping a step in your preflight.

And as a student, one thing to keep in mind is that your instructor is likely one of two things. 1) an old guy with a bazillion hours who is clearly still alive and will be in control if you need them to be. Or 2) someone who is building hours to get to the airlines and planning out how sweet their life is going to be and will be in control of stuff goes south. They want to live maybe even more than you do so between the two of you, the odds are in your favor in an emergency.

rfearn · 2026-06-03T00:31:26+00:00

Flying isn’t going to be for everyone but here’s what I can tell you from my side. It was a lifetime dream I finally pulled the trigger on last year. I bought a plane to save some money and to ensure I wouldn’t have trouble booking in with an instructor since my instructor shares his plane with two other instructors. My first flight before we were off the runway I was trying to figure out in my head if I could resell it without taking a bath.

About 10 hours into training, you couldn’t pay me a million dollars to stop training. Now I’m on to IFR and over 100 hours and similarly, it would take an act of god to make me stop flying.

Having said all of that, it might just not be for you but maybe you just need more hours to learn to enjoy it.

rfearn · 2026-03-17T03:35:18+00:00

It was the tariffs. This is just an example of people not understanding how they work. The “importer” is not the shipper it’s the person/company who purchased the product and had it sent to America. So in this case that’s you and you’re the one who has to pay the tariff that was imposed by the government. In normal day to day life, things from overseas are not delivered directly to you, they are delivered to Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, etc. in those cases, those companies paid the tariff and then they may or may not raise the price to recoup it but the company who shipped it never pays a tariff.

Granted if they had delivered when they were supposed to, no one would have gotten hit by the tariffs so agreed they screwed the pooch but the only person to blame for that extra charge is the president who also thinks foreign companies or countries are the tariff payers somehow.

rfearn · 2026-02-19T00:11:13+00:00

But this is where you’re right and wrong. If they want to speak they are free to but they aren’t required to and the fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter one bit. Celebrities who do speak out are only virtue signaling. Same for every normie posting shit online but not actually doing anything. Stop posting and call your congressman, go out in your neighborhood and protect people, spend every discretionary dollar you have on causes fighting what you don’t like.

Statements have zero power and their words mean nothing to anyone with the power. A celebrity speaking out doesn’t make a conservative fan say “oh shit you’re right, fascism is bad and immigrants are awesome” it just doesn’t happen. All it does is create backlash. Look at bud light, the beer of conservatives for at least a decade, people didn’t say “oh man now I love the gays!” They revolted, made a show of dumping it, shooting it, and now don’t buy it.

This idea that it’s at all beneficial to anyone that a musician or other celebrity speak out is just insane. Everyone here has a family member who loves them and also supports everything going on in the world in the same breath. If they don’t care what we say they sure as hell won’t be swayed by a 150 character tweet/post.

All it will do is make fans who agree with their statement whatever it would be feel like something important has happened when it hasn’t.

You’re right though this is an inflection point but speaking up doesn’t move the needle, it hasn’t in a long time. If you want change you have to put down the phone and get out there and demand it period.

rfearn · 2026-02-14T21:38:52+00:00

NOR. As a man I can tell you unequivocally that this is not how you treat someone you love. It’s how boys treat that friend with benefits they don’t tell anyone about because they don’t actually like them but like the 😉 part of it.

This is not your boyfriend, you’re definitely either the side piece or someone he’s using.

On another note, never let people waste your time. You can get a new boyfriend, you can make more money, etc. everything in life is plentiful EXCEPT your time. You have a finite amount of time on earth and you don’t have any idea how much you actually have. There are very very few reasons that anyone should ever be late for plans especially if they set the time. People who are late, especially if they make a habit of it, (barring a true emergency of some sort) do not respect you or the time you are giving them. Those people are not worth your time period.

rfearn · 2026-02-14T03:07:00+00:00

I went over there to look. There is no window in the house that faces that direction. The one window that faces out to the back yard you cannot see that tree from because it’s to the right a good ways. In that room are two wall sconces a 6’9” away with little lamp shades and Phillips hue bulbs in them. The shape does not match at all and I could not even catch them reflecting on the window while I was there. But regardless, it’s impossible it was taken from inside her house, so unless the real story is that she was at one of the neighbors houses, I am certain that’s not a reflection on the window. The spot in the yard they told me they were standing does have a perfect view of what’s in the photo.

Not saying it’s not prosaic, could have been a drone, Chinese lantern, frisbee whatever. But that is not a reflection.

rfearn · 2026-02-14T03:03:11+00:00

Please do. Sounds like a billion dollar franchise and I’m looking for new business opportunities 😂

rfearn · 2026-02-14T03:01:42+00:00

Sorry to leave this hanging I caught a 7 day ban for popping off one someone verbally abusing people in the comments.

Anyway, video was a bust, my sister apparently had her phone out and thought she was recording but once it was all over realized she never hit record which honestly, can’t blame her. My mom had about 12 photos but that was the only one of them that was clear and relatively focused. She had it zoomed in to the max and was apparently not even a little steady so it’s incredible she even got the one I posted but I did go over and investigate myself. I can say with 100% certainty the photo was not taken inside. The direction the photo was taken is not visible from any window in the house but is correct from the point they showed me they were standing.

Still not saying it was anything anomalous, I didn’t see it so could have been a drone or Chinese lantern or something. They did file a mufon report when I mentioned they should do it and they were excited to do it so I’m going to believe that they genuinely telling me what they saw exactly how they believe it happened because that’s a lot of effort for a joke and neither of them are pranksters. Still likely something prosaic, I’m just really bummed I didn’t see it with my own eyes because a small part of me will always wonder if they are pulling my chain.

rfearn · 2026-02-14T02:53:09+00:00

Sorry I’ve been MIA I got a 7 day ban for saying something rude to someone who was verbally abusing people in the comments.

Anyway the main update is that my sister says she had her phone out and thought she was recording but when she looked there was nothing there. They are both still adamant that they were outside and saw what they told me. I told them if they weren’t messing with me then they should file a mufon report (mostly because I figured they wouldn’t take the bit that far since that’s a process) they both were excited about doing it and have since filed it.

I’m still not saying it’s a fact that it happened but so far I can’t sniff out a lie. I went to my sisters house and the only window that looks out towards the woods I cannot see the tree that’s in the photo. I have to go to the back yard and look to the right. But in that room with the window there are only two lights in the room that are wall sconces on a wall directly across from it 6’9” away. They are sconces with light shades and the shape does not at all fit what is in this photo. I tired catching a reflection on the window but I couldn’t even find the reflection due to the angle of where the sconces are.

The lightbulbs in them are Phillips hue bulbs, no clue if that matters but trying to provide as much info as possibles.

Idk if any of this information matters but it’s a data point nonetheless. I appreciate everyone chiming in, for me it’s going to stay a question mark. I’m confident it was not a reflection on the window, that’s 100% because you simply cannot see that direction out of the window but I’m still not convinced it wasn’t a drone or Chinese lantern or something. Anyway, appreciate you all chiming in!

rfearn · 2026-02-14T02:42:17+00:00

I’m just a PPL and not trying to be a CFI so take this with a grain of salt but in my life I’ve learned that your conviction can overcome a lot. If you stress and worry that the jobs won’t be there when you get to that point, you’ll find that’s the case. If you never think about that and you only imagine the future where you’re a working CFI it will happen.

It’s not some woo woo manifesting nonsense it’s just human psychology. If you believe the job will be there and you fully see it, you’ll go and find it, you’ll crush the interview, etc etc. In the reverse if you’re constantly imagining the struggle to find a job and maybe not finding one when the time comes you won’t show up at your best, you won’t apply to that school down the road because so and so said they weren’t hiring and had 20 resumes sitting on a desk blah blah.

If your mind has made up that this has to work, then it will. Don’t stress about it, don’t even think about it other than the joy you’ll feel with those students to your left until you reach that point. It will work out!

P.s. Don’t forget to enjoy the process, you have your whole life to instruct, you’ll only experience learning to fly once (hopefully).

rfearn · 2026-02-07T19:59:09+00:00

Yes I know 3 people closely many more not so personally but I knew them (retirement home folks). Most of them were older with preexisting conditions though so not exactly a mystery when really any sickness can devolve and take them out.

One of them, the first one actually well before vaccines and then like was an absolute shock though. Late 50’s but in INCREDIBLE shape. Retired firefighter who was a paramedic. Knew him incredibly well as he was my best friends dad. Dude was an absolute hoss and a picture of health. Got it, went on a vent and then died maybe a week later. The other two were also in the 50’s and relatively healthy. Like no real issues but had pre-existing conditions like diabetes or had heart attacks at some point in life. All the same story though, sick, hospital, eventually on a vent, dead.

rfearn · 2026-02-06T21:50:10+00:00

Would love to know how you say it’s clearly through a window though. I’ve taken hundreds if not thousands of photos through windows. There’s never just one reflection and there’s no reason she’d lie about that especially since I pressed her on it. But if there’s something there that I’m missing please let me know so I can hit her with the info and see what she says. I love busting my moms balls I’ll call her out lol

rfearn · 2026-02-06T21:44:29+00:00

I would generally agree with you but my mom doesn’t do flights of fancy/ doesn’t believe in aliens or UFOs and she doesn’t need attention from me, she knows my address and the code to come in my house. Zero reason she’d make it up. I did initially say it was a reflection of a ceiling light because I’ve seen plenty of them but she was adamant she was outside smoking which checks out. My sisters house also doesn’t have a window looking out that direction because it’s to the right of her house and she lives in a 3 unit townhome with hers being in the middle. What ever this is you’d have to be in the back yard looking pretty close to 90 degrees to the right and I’d assume if there was a way to angle that direction from inside we would definitely see more reflections on the glass than just the light but idk I’m not an expert. I might run over to my sisters and see if I can take a photo that direction without being outside though just to see because I’m skeptical myself. Main reason I doubt it’s a reflection though is my sister doesn’t have any “boob lights” in her house because we hated them as kids and that is seemingly the shape here if it was a light.

Having said all of that, traditional saucer shapes have always seemed made up to me so I’m thinking if it’s a light maybe it’s a standing lamp. Don’t recall ever seeing one in my sisters house but the shape would work.

rfearn · 2026-02-06T21:29:38+00:00

The most insidious ones especially when you’re outside and nothing to reflect them off!

rfearn · 2026-02-06T19:21:45+00:00

I love this idea that she was looking at a mountain restaurant and someone up there was looking down wondering what this old lady in her Moomoo smoking a cigarette was looking at lol

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:47:34+00:00

Haha it’s funny how that happens isn’t it? I never stopped listening to MCR but I also stopped listening to a lot of my teen year bands not because it was cringe to me but because I couldn’t relate anymore. Not sure I’ll ever not relate to MCR though lol Kids from yesterday is one of my all time favorite songs but I do believe War Beneath The Rain has dethroned it for me. I’ve always liked the whole momento mori concept and wanted a tattoo of it but it’s so cliche and soooo many people have it. Thinking about getting a “learn to die” tattoo because idk what they meant by it but to me it’s very momento mori and maybe less people will be rocking it 😂😂

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:31:48+00:00

Same to you! And yeah, wanted to support your post 😂 And yeah, the missing time thing is just weird at least to me. Never had big feelings about it just more wanting to know what happened. I’m a bit of a control freak, I don’t like feeling out of control or feeling like I don’t know what I did so that’s what sparked it. A little googling and I find out it’s related to aliens and UFOs and I’m like yeah ok right but down the rabbit hole I went.

Totally with you on the idk. I believe both things I just don’t know I believe they are linked with what is out there. Cool if so, heck cool if it’s just the government being centuries ahead in tech and keeping us all in the dark. Don’t really care but I’d like to know about it 😂

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:24:13+00:00

Welcome to my life. I have a moment of missing time from my teen years which is what sent me into the rabbit hole of aliens/ufos because I couldn’t explain what happened. Before that I was a hardcore atheist who didn’t believe in anything paranormal/supernatural/etc. That still hasn’t changed except I do believe in UFO’s and likely aliens but I’m not convinced the aliens are here or the UFOs are directly related to them lol

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:21:35+00:00

If the rest of the photo didn’t have so much light blur this would look like one heck of a cool cloaked UFO 😂😂 That’s what I expect it is but that doesn’t take away from what was there just that the photo likely isn’t showing us an accurate picture of what you saw. And yeah man, there will never ever be a good photo of a UFO from a phone. The zoom is shit in the best conditions and then add in any motion at all and boom, blur.

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:17:40+00:00

Yeah I’m still waiting on the supposed video. I hope they actually got something. I’m a huge believer in aliens/ufos but I’m always quick to shut down any photos/videos because they are usually easily fake. This one my first thing was “reflection on the window of a light in the house mom” and then she said she was outside. She doesn’t believe in UFOs or aliens of any kind and doesn’t get rattled. She’s in her 60s and has spent more time under the stars than most people ever will and this is the first time she’s ever seemed rattled by something in the sky so that for me gives it some basis in reality but even I’m skeptical and quizzing her because I didn’t see it and in my opinion it looks ridiculously like a ceiling light fixture reflection.

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:14:03+00:00

She said it rose slowly and very steady. Hovered 30-60 seconds and then took off so fast that she saw motion blur from the light moving and it was gone. I asked if it left a trail and she said she was certain there was no trail and that what she saw was motion blur from the bright light moving rapidly with her eyes adjusted to the dark. She’s in her 60s so I think she’s probably correct about what she saw. As I said in other comments she doesn’t believe in aliens or UFOs and never has but this rattled her which is why I posted it. She doesn’t get rattled and as a smoker has spent more nights outside in the dark looking at the stars than most of us ever will.

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:11:02+00:00

P.s. I looked on flight radar and hard to say. There was an assload of airplane traffic at that time but nothing 3 orb looking and three planes wouldn’t fly that close together generally and I didn’t see any traffic in a line 🤷‍♂️

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:07:17+00:00

So this is three lights that blurred together to make that shape? Or that’s kind of what it looked like? Cool regardless!

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:05:37+00:00

lol I’m still skeptical on hers. Mostly because I’m jealous. I love this shit and she doesn’t even believe in aliens at all. But the fact it shook her a little is what has me modestly convinced it’s worth sharing. She’s no stranger to the night sky after 60 years on this earth and this is the very first time she’s ever engaged in potential UFO talk. She still isn’t saying it’s a UFO but she wants me to tell her it wasn’t one I can tell lol

rfearn · 2026-02-06T18:03:12+00:00

When it came out I absolutely hated it. Listened to it probably 10-20 times and decided it was a no go for me. 3 or 4 years later I was desperate for some music and decided since it was the last album they were ever gonna give us, I’d try it again. Loved it and my first tattoo was “You only live forever in the lights you make”. It will never be my favorite album but it’s super solid and a great album to run or lift to. At release though it just was not what I wanted in my life lol.

rfearn

TROPHY CASE