My instructor in Ground School informed the class recently that there are no fat pilots. I looked around the room at the 25 other budding aviators and I had to admit that I look a little out of place. (of course they are also all in their late teens or early 20s) They are lean and trim, while I'm "husky". That's what mothers say when they describe their chubby children. I've always been husky. I've had varying degrees of success in losing weight over the years but once I left football and farming for a desk job, being husky has been a fact of life.
Today is Dec. 1 and since I have my first meeting with my flight instructor tomorrow afternoon, I'm thinking I should take some definite steps to become "less husky." I've recently read a couple books by Charles Lindbergh. The books have been great but the pictures confirm my instructor's assessment. No fat pilots in pictures here. I took hope from the old photos that these guys were all in their mid'20's back in the early 1930's and their trim physiques surely must have ballooned over time. Unfortunately, I found a picture of Charles later in life and he somehow managed to maintain that trim aviator figure. "There are no fat pilots." To be fair, I have paid careful attention during my recent commercial travels and I have seen some slightly husky commercial pilots. They give me great hope and if I wasn't worried about being perceived as a security risk, I'd love to give them a hug for their huskiness. There is hope for me!
Today I am 6 foot 1.5 inches (I've somehow shrunk 1/2 an inch) and I weigh 248.5 lbs. I'm thinking that since my flight instruction is going to require extreme discipline and concentration, I might as well try to kill two birds with one stone and utilize that discipline in my eating and exercise. Let's see...if I hope to get my pilot's licence in time for my 25th wedding anniversary (June 9), and I lost 1.5 lbs per week, that equals 1.5 x 27 weeks = 40.5 lbs. Hmmmm...that would mean that on my 25th anniversary I would weigh about 10 lbs less than I did on the day I met my wife as a senior in high school. My wife already looks better and weighs less than she did in high school, so I could look at this as a way to try to keep up with her...and keep the young studs at bay.
Sounds like a plan. Tomorrow afternoon I meet Carl for the first time and he hinted that if the weather cooperates, we may go for an introductory flight.
Let's go flying....tomorrow!
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