Journal 31 - Job Shadowing

I went to McClelland Aviation at the Springfield Capital Airport on Wednesday for job shadowing. It was very fun and interesting. I was there from noon to 7. Andrew Hamm, the flight instructor had a lesson at 1:00 with an experienced student who was close to graduating the program. I helped the student, AJ, go through the flight pre check before he could begin his lesson. There was a list of things to check to make sure the flight would go smoothly. Andrew was going to have AJ practice stalls, which is when the engine quits because the plane flew to high. That was awesome. The first time the alarm went off, I was scared since I did not know what was happening. The engine stopped and the plane dropped. AJ was practicing steering out of an engine failure. After the initial drop, the rest were fun and it was like a never ending roller coaster ride. When we landed, I got to help refuel the airplane and go through the post flight check list to make sure the plane was still in good condition. AJ, who also worked at McClelland, then showed us the different types of fuel and the trucks that stored the fuel. Later, Andrew showed us the planes that they store in the hangars. There was a private jet for a Springfield family (a rich Springfield family), an air show fighter plane, and smaller training planes. He explained the difference in the planes and how the rental process worked. Later I helped refuel the air show plane. Andrew had another lesson at 4 with a beginner student who was still learning the basics of flying - up, down, left, right. That was very interesting as I had headphones and could hear the instruction on the different gauges and instruments in the airplane as well as how to fly the plane. Both flights took place over the field in between Plains and Ashland. That was really cool as we could see the school from 3000 feet up in the air. The job shadowing experience showed me a different aspect of aviation (I previously only was familiar with airport and bigger companies). It definitely encouraged me in my job path. It was a really good experience and I am thankful for the opportunity..