Posted on

Start. Stop. Start. Stop….Start?

So here we are again, a year between posts and I’m writing that I’ll do better, I’ll post regularly, I’ll stay more involved in the blog process. We’ve been here before. This past year has certainly been an interesting one, and there are a few reasons why “the roaming pilot” hasn’t been roaming much at all lately. The biggest reason of them all is that I took time off to run for U.S. Congress in Idaho. I didn’t win, but I learned a great deal, and it’s certainly given me a focus and a drive to continue on and do more.

I also took a job flying for PHI in the Gulf of Mexico, the salary and schedule are great, but there hasn’t been much time for roaming, and frankly the job itself doesn’t lend well to exciting reading, it’s not at all like being a sky pirate in the south pacific bombing around off of tuna boats.

But this blog is my passion, I love to fly, travel, photograph, and write. So here we are again, you, me, this page, my words. I’ve done a few domestic trips in the past few months, outing and localized adventures, I’ll see if I can’t breathe any life into those as posts in the next week or two.

For now, I’m looking for a WP guru to help me streamline and awesome-ize the layout and graphic design of the blog, and I’m also going to explore a VLOG/Podcast option. I’m getting the cameras out and dusted off and you should see more content from me as we go. In addition to some backdated posts I’m going to address a question I still get often from people that have read my tuna pilot guide, or my blog in general – what can we low time pilots do? I’m also going to address pilot saturation, pilot shortage, and the airlines (RTP).

One thing I’ll promise to try and do is remain neutral and focused on travel, flying and life. Though I’m more politically active now than ever before in my life, this blog isn’t the format for those views or platforms. So yeah, there we go, back to it, again! If you have any ideas for content or topics you would like me to address leave a comment below!

Posted on

Palouse Falls, WA (Pics + Video)

Being back in the United States for a bit has been fun, especially being able to spend time at home exploring my own backyard – the Pacific Northwest. A couple weeks ago I set out on an ambitious hike up Caribou Ridge to the summit of Mt. Coeur d’Alene. The rumor was that there was an overlook up there with stunning views of Lake Coeur d’Alene; what was supposed to be an easy, yet ambitious, out-and-back 9 mile hike turned into an all day, 2-3′ of snow, mountain excursion to the top of a totally grown in and obscured mountain. 14 miles and most of a day later our group finally got back to the car and went to dinner.

This set in motion the next adventure – another hike, this one to a known destination with an easy access point. After getting back from my first full hitch in the Gulf of Mexico I set out once again to blaze a trail across the Northwest, this time to Palouse Falls.  Continue reading “Palouse Falls, WA (Pics + Video)”

Posted on

Moyie Mud-Bogs (Video)

Happy Mudders Day!

Living in North Idaho comes with many perks, we have rolling mountains and sprawling wilderness areas that will keep even the most intrepid outdoorsmen sated when it comes to an appetite for adventure. World class fishing in our lakes, rivers, and streams attract traveler from around the world – and a relatively low populations density can make it feel like you’ve got a piece of paradise carved out all for yourself.

The rest of the country doesn’t seem to get that impression of North Idaho though, our state’s wildly successful marketing of potato crops creating mental imagery of rolling farmland from border to border. Then there are those that seem to think we’re a bit “country” or a little bit “redneck”…well this weekend in Moyie Springs, we certainly lived up to that label a bit, if only for a few days.  Continue reading “Moyie Mud-Bogs (Video)”

Posted on

Freak Blizzard and the Car Crash (Pics)

I’d just returned home from a long month in Louisiana where I’d finished my interview, training and some “work over” for the helicopter company that I’m working for now. I was looking forward to the long break because I’d been gone for so long with HeliExpo, CPAC, and Guyana – it was time to be home for a little bit. I called up my Grandfather in St. Maries and went out to spend the weekend at his place.

Having just spent the last few months in warm, sunny, tropical areas – and since it was April and in theory “spring time” I wasn’t expecting the conditions to turn south so fast on the drive home. Snow had been falling all night and into the morning, the temperature had plunged and a freak blizzard came out of nowhere. Of course, seeing as we live in the Pacific Northwest, and handle snow most of the year – the plows were still ready to roll and the roads weren’t too terrible in most places. Some areas had not been reached yet and one of those spots is exactly where I came upon an major accident moments after it had occurred. Continue reading “Freak Blizzard and the Car Crash (Pics)”

Posted on

The National WWII Museum – New Orleans, LA

I’ve finally wrapped up my training and am flying home for a much needed 2-3 weeks of rest and relaxation before the real work begins. I booked the first flight home that made sense (time + route + stops + cost) out of New Orleans for late in the afternoon, and prepared. When I had driven down to Venice, LA for a few mentor training flights and then some actual contract work-over flying I had to go through New Orleans, and when I did I drove past the National WWII Museum.

With that still fresh in my memory, and my now booked flight not until late in the afternoon I planned on heading up to New Orleans early enough so as to arrive when the doors opened at the museum. To say that this is one of the most impressive and immersive WWII Museums I’ve ever been in would be an understatement – and having half a day simply was not nearly enough time to make my way through the entire museum as throughly as I would have liked. One this is certain, with more trips to New Orleans in my future, I’ll be returning to this museum. Follow the link for more information from their site.

The National World War II Museum.

Posted on

Back in the USA!

It came as much as a surprise to me as it is to you I’m sure, perhaps even more-so; but I am now back in the United States and my time with Life Flight in Kuwait flying HEMS has come to a close. As of July of 2016 I’m no longer flying HEMS and am back stateside. Just a quick update, more to follow as I continue to roam.

If you haven’t yet followed me on instagram check out @theroamingpilot

 

Posted on

God’s Own Country – Kerala, India (Album)

The hardest part about writing about something more than a year after you did it is that the details have all begun to blur. The timelines fade, and events blend together. I couldn’t begin to tell you why this trip never made it to the blog until now – or why I haven’t posted in over a year, but as is our tradition here at The Roaming Pilot – I’m going to promise to not let it happen again. Until the next time. SO, the date on this post reads as May 28, 2016 however I’m writing it May 28, 2017. Just so we’re clear, this happened last year.

India has always been a land of mystery and intrigue. The Dutch, the Portuguese and famously the British have all colonized the area at one point or another. Vivid, dense, rich ecosystems flourish there to this day, yet modern India has a reputation for being a technological hub, and one of the most densely populated countries in the world. So what was the draw for me to go to India? Was it the nature? The History? The exotic location? The tantalizing and delicious curries that are available? Although each of those are compelling reasons to go to India, the reason for my trip is far more personal than any of that. I had been invited to attend the wedding of a dear friend and coworker, along with a handful of the other pilots and staff from Life Flight Kuwait, and we weren’t going to miss it!

This one is a long read, there’s a quicker way to enjoy the whole trip – I filmed the entire time (despite the jokes made by my companions) and now we have an awesome trip video – read more to get to the video, or read the rest. 

Continue reading “God’s Own Country – Kerala, India (Album)”

Posted on

Jen visits Dubai! (Album)

It’s amazing how well traveled and international my family is. Growing up in Indonesia and traveling the world with out parents certainly left a lasting impression on each of my siblings and I. This weekend is no different as two of us cross paths in a far away land. My younger sister, Jen, is making a quick detour (1 day only) through Dubai on her way back to work. Since flying to Dubai from Kuwait is a matter of mere hours – I set off to meet her and show her around one of my more favorite destinations! Click for the album:

Continue reading “Jen visits Dubai! (Album)”

Posted on

Who is The Roaming Pilot? (Pics)

Honestly I’m surprised at the fact that I haven’t posted this post before. I kind of just dove into writing this blog and I guess along the way assumed that people just “knew” who I was. For those of you that are regular readers you probably noticed the major style updates to the site. Well, one of the things that came with those updates is this featured post.

Earlier this year I was asked to sit on a mentorship panel by Helicopter Foundation International at HAI’s HELI-EXPO 2016, and to participate in mentor sessions for the Mil2Civ program, which focuses specifically on transitioning from Military life to a civilian pilot life. With that came a bio, that was printed and distributed to participants – so I’m recycling that bio and putting it here. Enjoy.  Continue reading “Who is The Roaming Pilot? (Pics)”

Posted on

Finances: You can never be “TOO” hands on

Whoa! We’re actually generating content here that is not directly connected to travel or flying. What have I become?!?

Seriously though, let’s talk about something dirty for a minute – one of those off limits topics. Money. Finances. Greenbacks. Benjamins. Uhhh…other slang terminology for money…

As the title suggests this blog post will be about managing your accounts a bit wiser. “You can never be too hands on” is a mantra I adopted last year a bit later in life than I’d like to admit. I’d operated under the assumption that auto-pay was a gift from the financial gods, I could set it – and forget it. Nothing could be further from the truth. The last thing you want to do, or want to indulge in, is anything that involves forgetting your accounts.

Continue reading “Finances: You can never be “TOO” hands on”