| First I'd like to brief you about me, your pilot. My name is Penelope, which means "weaver" in Greek. In future pages, I will be weaving together all kinds of stories about my job as a commercial airline pilot (that is one of the pilot certificates I have earned to fly passengers) with tales of some of my friends, including my cat, Turbine! |
What the weather is like when we wake up each morning
dictates a lot of our choices for that day. That also goes
for pilots. Pilots have to have a good understanding of
weather not just for planning their route but also while
they are in the air since weather can change quickly. A good pilot has to be able to know what effect
the weather will have on her plane. Aviators get their weather from a weather shop via in person,
phone, or computer download. EVERY aviator has to find out their weather for their route of flight
prior to takeoff!
dictates a lot of our choices for that day. That also goes
for pilots. Pilots have to have a good understanding of
weather not just for planning their route but also while
they are in the air since weather can change quickly. A good pilot has to be able to know what effect
the weather will have on her plane. Aviators get their weather from a weather shop via in person,
phone, or computer download. EVERY aviator has to find out their weather for their route of flight
prior to takeoff!
current events "What in the world is happening now?"
She was a woman who did many "firsts" and since this is my "first" page I thought you might want to hear more about this amazing aviatrix! |
| Aviate Amelia's airplane was a Lockheed Electra 10A 1) A transport plane used by airlines and the military introduced in 1935 2) Named from a star in the Pleiades 3) Held 2 crewmembers and 10 passengers 4) 149 were built and all were made of metal. 5) Had two 450 horsepower radial piston engines made by Pratt & Whitney horsepower: a way to measure the power of an engine-we will have a lesson on this in the future. Radial piston engine: the cylinders (the part of the engine that mixes gas and air to create power) are built in a circle. |
| Communicate Learn the NATO phonetic alphabet. Aviators use this to clearly understand each other. For example, saying the letters "B" and "D" over busy radios can be very confusing-"Bravo" for B and "Delta" for D is easier to understand. You will learn as we go along when the phonetic letters are spoken in radio calls. Aviators have been using the phonetic alphabet since 1927 (with some changes). As you learn it you can speak code with your friends! So, lets get started! "A=Alpha" Memorize alpha for this month-more to come! |
| Navigate New England Air Museum in Hartford, CT, has a permanent exhibit of an Electra L-10A aircraft made the SAME year as Amelia's L-10E Museum of Flight, at Boeing Field/King County Airport. Now till May 2010: "In Search of Amelia Earhart." Imaginary Theatre Company's "Amelia Earhart." A curious report researches the mystery of Amelia. |
 |
the world! While we explore, we will meet some amazing ladies in aviation, including this month's featured aviatrix (a word for a woman pilot): Amelia Earhart. How would YOU like to learn to "aviate, navigate, and communicate?" Even if you don't want to be a pilot you will learn things that will help you go to wherever you dream - that's what wings are for. Are YOU ready to fly with me? If so, fasten your seatbelt and prepare for take off!! |
| Penelope has asked me to include a flying lesson in every issue. One of the first tips I would like to share with young girls is that it is okay to feel unsure when learning new things. No matter what skills we’re learning, nobody ever “gets it” the first time. I’m sure there are even words and ideas on this issue of Penelope’s Page that are new to you. Did I love my first lesson in the air? YES! Was I scared? Sometimes. Feeling nervous on lessons does not mean you’ll make a bad pilot. I was completely lost on my first flying lesson. Here’s what the lessons are like. First you meet with the flight instructor. Together you spend about an hour talking on the ground. You perform a pre-flight check, that’s when you inspect the plane to make sure everything is safe, before you ever take the plane near the runway. You are not expected to fly on your own during the first lesson. Or even the first 20 lessons! Your instructor will talk you through every step. At first I didn’t understand most of the terms and directions my instructor gave me. Everything happened so quickly and I was overwhelmed. But it’s okay. Learning takes time. You’d be amazed at how comfortable you will feel after just a few lessons. Did my early fears make me want to stop flying? Absolutely not! Read more about Kam on her scholarship application page (yes, she WON!) and her "call to action." |
| January's Aviatrix: Amelia Earhart In 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming in the process a prominent and celebrated adventurer. She, along with her navigator, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean five years later while trying to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in an airplane. Ever wonder who Amelia Earhart was? Kate Boehm Jerome can tell you. In her illustrated book you will learn about how 7 year old Amelia built a roller coaster off her barn roof and then grew up to be one of the most famous pilots the world has ever known. Amelia lived during the time when airplanes were first invented and flying one was very risky and exhilarating. This quick read chapter book brings Amelia and her flying adventures to life with snippets of history throughout! Click on the title above to buy this book. |
| For a free screensaver of Amelia sign up at the official Amelia Earhart website. WOW!! One of the scarf's worn by Ameila went to space in November aboard space shuttle Atlantis mission STS-129! Log onto NASA's website for more info. |
| Space Section Fly your name around the earth in space! NASA’s Glory spacecraft can carry your name aboard on a microchip when it launches to space in October 2010. To submit your name click here. Glory is a low orbit satellite that will measure particles in and the solar energy entering the earth’s atmosphere. The data will help us understand the global climate changes. Climate is the meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region. Learn more about the mission on Glory’s official kids’ page. You can print out games, coloring pages, crossword puzzles, experiments, and more! |
Flying Fundamentals By Kam Yee |
| Wonder Weather Do you know exactly why we have weather? Click here to see how these ingredients work together to make weather. This informative web page was developed just for kids! Thanks to Susan Foster and UCAR for this information! |
Click on the picture of Penelope to the left and color it. We will post pictures of
you and Penelope at an aviation event on the Penelope Pilot Project website!
you and Penelope at an aviation event on the Penelope Pilot Project website!
 |