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Flight tales!
Husband and wife earn wingsby Tammy M. Blanford Certified Flight Instructor (208) 267-IFLY
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DEPARTMENTS |
 I have always believed that if people want something bad enough, they can accomplish anything they set their mind to. When Jon and Jeanne made up their minds to one day become pilots, nothing or no one could stand in their way. They embraced the challenge and diligently worked to earn their wings. As a flight instructor, I had the privilege of helping Jon and Jeanne complete their training. Working with these two wonderful students was thoroughly enjoyable. Both would show up to each lesson with smiles on their faces, eager to fly. Although at times training was difficult and frustration would set in, they both persevered and rose to the challenge. One day Jeanne asked me, “Do you really think I can do this?” I told her that I believed she could, for, I knew how important flying was to her and that she would not give up. On my flights with Jeanne, she would marvel at the beautiful area we live in, and she often told me, “We have a little piece of heaven here don’t we?” with a smile on her face and in her heart. On days when I could not fly with Jon and Jeanne, they would come to the airport and work on their maneuvers during solo flights. They were continually striving to improve. The studying, flying, and hard work paid off, for the couple recently received their wings. It was a joyous day for all who knew the couple. I saw Jeanne a few days after she received her license, and her smile was still as big as it was the day she earned it. I asked Jeanne to describe her flight training and this is what she wrote: “If you want to feel you have a lot of life left in your young and not so young body, TRY FLYING! Jon and I have never experienced such gratification and accomplishment than attained through receiving our pilot’s licenses. The effort was beyond our ever imagination, but the rewards are exhilarating. “Although it took us over a couple of years to accomplish (time and money; time and money) each and every hour, minute, and/or moment of studying and flying and studying and practicing flying, was worth every hour, minute, and second. The words of our Boundary County Airport Manager, Dave Parker, still echo in my mind: ‘Can’t wait until you take your first flying trip alone,’ has truly followed through. We accomplished the ‘ticket’ (pilot’s license) together in the same week, and on the following one, we flew to the Boise area to visit our children. It was an awesome adventure. It is so neat to be a husband and wife (or wife and husband) team to pilot and co-pilot, and the happiness and freedom attached has been beyond our ever imagination. “There are not enough words of praise to thank our CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) Tammy Blanford for the excellent instruction, continual encouragement, and her success to carry us both through to the award of the licenses. She has been our ‘Angel from Heaven,’ and she is tops in her field. We were so blessed to have her join the staff at Northern Air as an instructor. “Additional thanks to Dave Parker for starting this whole affair, Clint Chamberlin, Don Jordan, Jack Offord, Ron Sukenik, and all those at Northern Air, the Boundary County Airport, for their many works of encouragement and comradeship. A true lesson learned for us is that the folks involved in aviation are a real swell group of people. And, oh, thanks to the staff in the Boundary County Assessor’s Office for putting up with me through their words of encouragement while finishing this goal.” Jon and Jeanne will reap the benefits of their certificates for years to come. They now travel together as pilots to visit friends and family, or they just fly locally to enjoy the beauty of our “little piece of heaven.” |
