Homework, fears, and Mars miracles

I finished reading Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, but much of it was over my head (ha, made a pun), so I'm going to have to read it again.

I also finished John Swan's Robinson R22: A Pilot's Guide, a manual to the helicopter on which most people are trained (and is used at my flight school). I understood most of it, which means I'm making some progress.

The physics of flying are actually interesting to me, imagine that.

I am a little concerned about how my fear of heights is going to affect this endeavor. I have been in helicopters several times before, and loved it. However, smaller things, like ferris wheels, very small glider planes, and roller coasters, have scared the hell out of me at times. I certainly wouldn't be able to fly a machine in that state.

The Robinson R22, it turns out, is tiny. The roof of the cabin is shorter than me (no, that's not me in the picture). Plus, it's mostly windows, and I think I read somewhere that in Hawaii, due to the warm weather, they just fly with the doors off. Now, how am I going to deal with being a mile up in the air in a tiny clear bubble with no door next to me? That could be a problem.

So, worst case, I try it, can't do it, and just enjoy a long vacation in Hawaii.

Consider this: A few minutes ago, the Mars Phoenix Lander successfully touched down on Mars. The NASA team on that project worked for five years, and up until the final seconds they still only figured they had a 50% chance of success. Five years to flip one coin. What if it had failed?

So, if I can't handle the heights, no big deal. Other people put much greater investments into much greater risks. I can handle this one, either way.