The Sky is the Limit

By Jana Kubecka

Every summer is special—there is just something about the idea of two months of endless possibilities that can make any girl excited. For me, this summer has been especially unique.

In June, I had the opportunity to help a film crew from Austin video exotic animals for an upcoming IMAX film. The experience was very enlightening, and I was lucky enough to get to interact with some of the animals, such as monkey named Bailey, a lemur, and a bush baby. A few weeks after this experience, I had the chance to get to know a few Secret Service Agents when they came to my dad’s ranch to hunt. Listening to the stories of both of these groups of people was extremely interesting and entertaining, and I established relationships that may one day prove beneficial. Little did I know, my summer was just getting started.

I have been around aircraft all my life. My parents own a flying service, so agriculture and aviation are central to the way I was raised. As far back as I can remember, my dad would take me flying, whether it be to look at crops, travel, or perform predator control services for local farmers. Fixed-wing crop dusters were my parent’s main focus, although my dad also owned and operated a Robinson helicopter in a hog eradication program. A few years ago, a company approached my parents about pollinating rice test plots, simply called “pollinating”. What started out as a one or two helicopter job exploded this summer into requiring eleven helicopters to fly over the rice. Thus began a summer that has changed my life forever, and garnered memories that will last a lifetime.

Growing up, my summers were always packed with camps, travelling, and sports. There was always somewhere to be and something to do. This summer, with my first year of college behind me and a long, hot vacation ahead, I decided to come home and help my parents. After a few fishing trips and a road trip or two, the helicopter busy season began, and I found myself in the office as the first helicopters began to arrive.

Each pilot was unique and had his own story. A few were ex-military, some had “real” jobs such as paramedics or handymen, and one, a 20 year old from San Marcos, Texas had flown all over the southern US between his jobs as a bouncer in a club and a valet car parker. The energy in our little office was high, as was the noise level! Each pilot had a story to tell and an opinion to give. They would leave at 11 and come back from flying at 2, and sometimes they would hang out at the hangar until 3 in the morning! Driving home from the ranch one day, I asked my dad how hard it was to fly a helicopter. This shocked him, because I had never shown interest in flying before. Come to find out, that same day my dad called Jon, one of the pilots who had pollinated for us for a few years, to get me lined up for flying lessons. My mom’s secretary overheard the conversation and she later told me all she could think about was that she hoped I had been serious when I mentioned learning to fly! Two days later, on June 30, I flew for the first time.  I had no idea what to expect, and I was pretty nervous, but with the guidance of an exceptional instructor, I survived each new maneuver without scaring myself into quitting.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a student must fly 20 hours before soloing in an R-22 helicopter. Just recently, I hit that 20 hour mark. The night before I was to solo, I sat in bed unable to sleep. The next morning, I was sick to my stomach with nerves. My instructor and I flew to our practice space, where we did a couple of normal traffic patterns and landings. On the second landing, Jon reached over and unbuckled his seat belt and said, “I’m getting out Boss.” I was literally close to tears as he climbed out. I sat there for a few seconds, trying to calm myself and get my bearings. Then, with a deep breath, I lifted off the ground. I hovered for a moment, making sure I was in control, then began to taxi forward. I literally had to remind myself to breathe! I went around the traffic pattern once, landed and waved at Jon that I was done. He shook his head and mouthed “One more?” I was feeling good about it, so I nodded my head, lifted off the ground, and took off again. Later, Jon asked how it felt to look in the seat next to me and not see him sitting there. I replied that I simply did not look at the empty seat, I just pretended he was still there! Upon landing, Jon walked to the hangar and let me fuel up, as usual. He came back with my mom, who had her camera in hand. After talking for a moment, Jon got a devilish look on his face and whipped out a pair of scissors.  He then proceeded to cut the back of my shirt, as is tradition when a pilot solos for the first time. The tradition started a long time ago, before radio communication.  Instructors would sit behind their students in the fixed wing airplane, and whenever the student was doing something wrong the instructor would tug on the back of the student's shirt. Thus, when you solo you cut the tail of your shirt.

This summer has definitely been unique, and I have been so blessed to have had such extraordinary experiences. Each day I learn something new. How far I take my flying career is yet to be seen, but every time I go up into that wild blue yonder, I know I’m learning something not only about an incredible piece of equipment, but also about myself. Never forget to have confidence in yourself, and don’t be afraid to try new things. After all, the sky is the limit.