NY Resolution Temperature Checkup

Since the Blue Ion staff put out their New Year’s resolutions earlier this year, I figured I’d update on my progress to remind everyone else about theirs. And see where we all stand.

So, let me start by saying that I put up some pretty lofty goals, but I’m also only hoping to complete at least 1 of them. If I can do more, or all, then all the better.

As a recap, here they are:

• Fly myself to the Bahamas. 
• Get better speaking Spanish.
• Get better at the sax. 
• Pick up piano again. 

Fly myself to the Bahamas

The first step I needed to take in order to fly myself to the Bahamas was to first get a High Performance endorsement. High performance airplanes are defined as having an engine over 200hp and usually a constant speed prop. Different from a fixed pitch prop, a constant speed prop allows you to adjust the angle of the propeller for different transitions of flight: takeoff, en-route climb out, cruise (at different altitudes). It mainly will increase performance (and thus speed and fuel use) by allowing the prop to have different angles to “bite” the air depending on the needs for power or different density altitudes. While I don’t necessarily need this endorsement to fly to the Bahamas, it is helpful so I can fly planes that are:

• Larger and thus more comfortable for passengers
• Also longer range so technically won’t need to refuel (although will need to stop in Ft Lauderdale or another airport of entry to deal with customs)
• And of course, faster, which makes it basically a 3 hour flight from Charleston to Freeport.

As part of this first step, I’ve already attained my High Performance endorsement by working on it in only a few flights with an instructor at KCHS Charleston International in a Cessna 182 Skylane.

Ideally, my next step will be to BUY an airplane. That is to say, buy into a partnership on a Cessna 182 since it obviously makes for a more economical purchase to share with other owners. Having my own plane to block of many days (or a week or more) will allow a small group to fly down and then cruise thru over 700 islands in the Bahamas (with about 82 airstrips to land at!). I’ll also likely be taking more trips down to Florida to visit my parents since it’s essentially the same route I’ll be taking on the way to the Bahamas. Taking more longer range trips will get me prepared!

Progress: 30%

Get better at speaking Spanish

This hasn’t progressed much yet. Needing to actually get study materials and spend an hour a day to work on this. I get a little learning in when trying to talk to our cleaning lady! In the past, I’ve gotten really good when traveling to a Spanish speaking country like Spain and Mexico, which I have spent a good amount of time in. I always lose that progress after coming back to the U.S. I think this will be worked on more after I feel I’ve accomplished the next goal below.

Progress: 5%

Get better at playing the Sax

After borrowing my friend’s Sax several years ago to be “Sexy Sax Man” for Halloween, I sort of realized it’s something that I picked up pretty well immediately, and I surprised myself in learning the riff from Careless Whisper in only a couple days. My last minute prep for being Sexy Sax Man for my birthday was to simply carry a Sax around with me and have a speaker playing the riff over and over. But after I actually learned the first note, and worked on it for a couple hours a night, I was able to legitimately play the full riff over and over (much to the dismay of some) during my costume partying the whole weekend.

Aside from re-learning Careless Whisper, I know of at least a few other sax-based song riffs that I’d like to learn next, such as:

• Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That
  
• Men at Work – Who Can It Be Now?
  
• Glenn Frey – You Belong to the City (BONUS: was featured on a Miami Vice episode)
  
• Chuck Mangione – Feel So Good (although this is a trumpet riff, a sax can be used!)
  

In working on this goal, I have already purchased a new Sax and started practicing Careless Whisper. I need to start dedicating a few nights to it to get that one back down!

Progress: 20%

Get better at playing the Piano (keyboard)

I figure this is something that will need to push to next year as I’m already going to try to dedicate evening studies to the Sax and Spanish. The only progress I’ve made on this is digging out my Roland D50 from storage in my house… filled with dust and not sure how usable it is.

Progress: 5%

So how is everyone else doing on their Resolutions and other goals for 2016?!?

On a side note: during my last flight to/from Hilton Head, it seems we were landing and taxi-ing the same time Trump was taxi-ing out for departure. We were asked by the tower to hold short to let him thru. Pffffft.