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Note: Anchorage native Rachel began keeping a diary of her helicopter flight training experiences when she started her flight training with Mauna Loa Helicopters. These are excerpts from her diary.

July 2009

At first I didn’t know where the rest of the money was going to come from, I didn’t know if my medical was ever going to be approved, and I didn’t really feel that worried about it. I should have been more worried about it but I had the confidence of someone walking into a romantic comedy with a bag of popcorn. Hawaii is the setting for a lot of feel-good movies. My life had joined the ranks. Like I had pointed out to those who noticed these serious flaws in my plan, “The risk is that I might end up broke in Hawaii. Somehow I think I could handle that.”

I was so nervous about that first flight. New airport new helicopter four months since I’d even touched one and I wanted to make a good impression on my intimidatingly-brilliant instructor. So that day I finally got to fly, it was drizzling a bit, half-cloudy half-beautiful, the sun streaking between the clouds the way it does on the cover of every inspirational pamphlet ever published by man. There was even a bit of a rainbow. Mike (aforementioned British instructor) seemed apologetic, like, your first flight in Hawaii and it’s raining, that sucks. I was like, no, this is incredible. I kept glancing out the side, incredulous that no door separated me from all this air distance freedom beauty. Nothing to apologize for.

Further flights and ground lessons and trips to the beach proved that this was definitely the best idea I’d ever had… ever. I mean, what’s credit for, if not to get in debt?

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