Fat,Fifty,and Flying--by Dean Hughson

So,one day you wake up and you are fifty. You have had an interesting career as an eggman,you have 3 great kids,a great wife,lots of friends,and have traveled nearly everywhere in the world selling eggs. What do you do for an encore?

I have never been a guy that was too good with hobbies. When I got into restoring cars,I went overboard and found myself with 9 cars--after getting through that phase I realized that was too much work and you can only drive 1 car. I love to scuba dive but can only do that occasionally when I am in Mexico near a reef. So I went into the cobwebs of my brain and remembered that I had started taking flying lessons in 1975. I was living in Tucson Arizona and after 1 lesson went for a flight with a freight/instructor who had just moved back to Tucson from NYC. We were going to fly to Ajo Arizona so we rented a Cessna 172 and off we flew. Quickly we were in trouble--we found ourselves either in the Lukeville AFB strafing range or Mexico..either way we were in trouble. Luckily we found our way back to Tucson and for one reason or another I didn't take another lesson,though I have flown millions of miles in commercial and chartered planes in my life. So I decided I would take flying lessons. My employer needs me to be able to get in and out of small towns.

As you can see from my picture above I am not a small guy. 350 lbs...all the men in my family from the beginning of time have been at least 350 on my mothers side. I also have a disease that makes my legs swell called lymphedema. I have never let it slow me up much though. I found the closest aviation medical examiner here in Las Vegas and immediately had a problem--he didn't have a BP cuff that would fit me...so I bought one for big people off of the internet. He called the FAA and they said they want to talk to my CFI to see if my legs get in the way and I fit in the airplane. The first flight school I went to gave me an interesting experience. The school was owned by a guy who weighs 300 lbs apparently but doesn't like to admit it and recently he broke the seat on his Cessna 172 during a takeoff. His staff didn't know how to tell me that 'he' was reluctant to have a big guy in his planes so they waited till 5 a.m. the morning I was scheduled to fly and told me. After looking at their aging fleet of planes,many disabled with problems,I decided that I needed a more professional operation. I called another one and they told me that they didn't have any planes that fit fat people. A lesser man would have taken this as a sign but it isn't my style. I did what I usually do---I turned to the internet. I found West Air,which is at the N. Las Vegas airport. Nice people...everyone dresses professionally in flight outfits. Even they were a bit 'surprised' I think by a wild eyed eggman of 350 lbs and 50 years of experience. But after 1 false start,they came up with a young instructor who appears good and interested. He is young enough to not even know who Sky King was. I turned myself over to him and off I began,my first flight in a Seneca II. I will probably be taking most of my instruction in a Cessna 182 but today was in a twin.....somehow it seems appropriate...most of my life I have been involved in a big way in things. Anyway,I shall keep this site going to tell people that it is indeed possible for big people to fly and do other 'extreme' sports,such as reef diving,cliff rappelling,etc.--all things I have done. I am glad to talk to other 'big'pilots.

Dean Hughson,Las Vegas, tel 402-996-0433

LINKS

Weight Control and flying

Summerlin area (where I live) Las Vegas from 4000 ft.

Las Vegas weather

North las Vegas airport

Weight and Balance computer

See an airport before you land there-neat site!!!

Mountain Flying

Fuel Stop Planner

Plane crashes,near misses, and other eye openers

Live cam of N. Las Vegas airport

Cams all over Las Vegas

One of the reasons you should fly in Las Vegas--the Grand Canyon shot 8-26-01 from a Cessna 182 from the left seat

My favorite site to check plane specifications

AIM book online

My favorite picture of dusk in Prescott from a Cessna 172

Red Rocks with storm clouds behind it

NOTE: as of 10-17-01 I have 16 hours---which is a miracle with the limitations we had after the NY incident. My instructor,Drew,has done a good job with me!!!!

The 'study' begins for real by Dean Hughson

it happened this week....that clicking of a lightbulb

in my brain...I understood what it is that I am

doing...I became a real student pilot....I felt in

charge....I understood power...I did stalls....I took

off,I landed,I was free.....My instructor,Drew,has

taken a 50 year old wild eggman and turned him into a

pilot wannabe....I crossed over...I now know that I will be able to fly

by myself...I can feel it,taste it...me and the

airplane became as one.....damn,it feels good to get

to this point...it comes earlier for some,later for

others but for me it came at about 15 hours...I

believe training is a thing where the body/mind/plane

become one....lot more to learn but at least I can see

that I can do it...Thanks to Drew!!!!! (see his video

he has on his site.... and his pictures are not to be

missed......Dean Hughson,who has the leather coat and

earphones but doesn't have the license or plane of his

own who urges everyone to find that mountain that they

fear because it means you are making progress in this

thing called life

UPDATE: Well, I am grounded until my eye disease is fixed. I will continue to fly,just won't get licensed for a while. Age,it rules. I've now had eye surgery and will be able to fly again. Just have to find the time and money to do it..will fly commerically 150,000 miles this year.

Planes I have flown so far: Seneca II Cessna 182 Cessna 172 Piper Lance

Airports I have flown into so far:

Prescott Arizona North Las Vegas Ft. Smith Arkansas

Palm Pilot GPS system

Picture of Big Bear Mountain,California set to music by Van Morrison