A Conversation with Pilot, Tommy Ferguson

Tommy, Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am 47 years old and have been married to a wonderful woman for the last 21 years.  We have two sons, aged 18 and 16.  I’ve been in law enforcement since 1998 and Cathy has been since 1996. 

Tommy, yesterday you got your pilot's license, that's fascinating to me!  What made you decide to start taking lessons?

When I was about 13, my mother was the business manager for a pediatrician’s clinic.  One of the doctors got (or had) his pilot’s license.  He took us for a flight and, after putting the plane in a banking turn, had me put my hands and feet on the controls and “fly” the plane.  I also knew a colleague of my father’s who had a plane and, even though I never flew with him, it kinda let me know that normal people did this. It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn about.

Last year, Cathy and I went to Alaska for our 20th Anniversary.  We fell in love with Alaska and began dreaming about what we would do after retiring.  Realistically, we know we’ll never live there, but it was the impetus I needed to do this instead of continuing to talk about it.  I found out that two guys that used to work at the Police Department were running a flight school at an airport 12 minutes from our house.  Shane owns the planes and Will is the main instructor.  Everything just fell into place.                                                                                    

How long did this process take you?  

I started taking lessons in July of last year, and I got my license on Halloween, one year and two days after my first solo flight.  The way Will teaches, you buy a stack of books and you’re responsible for learning on your own.  There’s some of what people would think of as “ground school”, but really very little.  I spent a lot of time reading, studying, and watching YouTube videos.  I was on night shift last year, so I could only fly one day a week.  That was my routine until this year, when I got moved to day shift, then there were weeks I could fly more often.  After I soloed, I could fly anytime the plane was free.  The FAA requires 40 hours in the plane, and I had about 60 when I took the test.  There are schools that advertise getting you your license in a week or two, but I can’t see how you can absorb the knowledge in that time.

Was every moment of it just amazing?

It was amazing and scary and a lot of hard work.  There’s a phrase in the tactical training community - “Get comfortable being uncomfortable”.  I made the decision that I was going to conquer this, no matter how hard it was.  I realized that all the people we admire for doing amazing things were just people, like me.  If this was humanly possible, I could do it.

Did you have to learn flight language/terms/code that we wouldn't think of?

Lord yes.  Aviation is full of acronyms, lists, and lingo.  There’s a shorthand or phrase for EVERYTHING you can think of - like there are five different types of altitude to be aware of.  Pressure altitude, absolute altitude, indicated altitude, true altitude, and density altitude.  There’s also a lot of weather information to learn.  I could bore you to tears.  That’s what I mean about absorbing the knowledge - would you want to fly with someone who just met the minimum standards?

Do you "take the wheel" (is that the term?) in mid-air for the first time or is it taking off, start to finish it's you?

I think my first lesson was about an hour long, and I helped take the controls during a turn just like that flight when I was a kid.  Every flight I had a little more control until I was ready to solo.  I had my hands on the controls all the time, and so did my instructor, and every time he touched his controls less and less.

My instructor showed me how to pre-flight the airplane on the first day, and after that it was my responsibility every time.  Same thing with refueling the plane.

What thoughts were going through your head before your first lesson when you were in the air and "taking the reins"?  (Is that the term?)

I think the phrase would be “taking the stick” - like “stick and rudder”. Will told me once I was a “pretty good stick”.

I was thinking that this was different than what I expected.  There’s a lot to keep up with.  I knew there was going to be a lot of studying in my future.

Yesterday, you piloted with your wife, Cathy, as your passenger.  What thoughts were in your mind before taking off?

I was wishing we had more time to fly, and hoping she enjoyed the flight.  I wasn’t really nervous about flying or having her as a passenger, I just hoped the weather cooperated.

What is your favorite thing or moment when flying?

I compare being in a small aircraft to being in a small boat on the ocean.  There’s almost always some waves or currents, you just can’t see them in the air.  That was the hardest thing to get used to - the sudden thermal or wind change that you have to adjust for.  My favorite thing (so far) is when the air is still and calm and you don’t have to adjust for anything.  Those times are usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon, so that’s my favorite time to fly right now.  Flying at night is really cool too, but I need more practice at that.  Landings are difficult because your depth perception is off.

This sounds like an expensive hobby.  Do you have a plane or are there renting options?  How do you take advantage of your new license? 

I still had my first car,  a 1965 Chevelle that was in decent shape.  I sold it and used that cash for most of my training.  I rented the plane the entire time and have no immediate plans to buy a plane.  A good used plane can be had for the same amount as a good used car, but the maintenance and inspections are what runs the cost up.  I learned in a 1967 Cessna 150 (2 seater) and will be checked out soon in their 1966 Cessna 172 (4 seater).  That will let me carry a couple of people and enough fuel to go fun places.  I could rent a plane legally anywhere in the country that rents planes now, so if we’re going on vacation, I’m taking my paperwork with me!

Have you had any scary moments in flight?

My first solo was kind of scary.  The traditional first solo is three takeoffs and landings, and when I was up there and realized landing this plane was up to me, it was a real eye opener.  The first time I flew away from the airport by myself, I was scared.  That 1967 plane has a compass for navigation, and I was REALLY hoping I could find my way back to the airport.  Lots of days were scary, but like I said, “get comfortable being uncomfortable”.  I told Cathy a couple of times I was leaving the house to do something that scared me to death.

One day I was in the “practice area” about 15 minutes away from the airport, and the engine cowling door (about a foot wide, on the right hand side between the windshield and propellor) came open.  I was afraid it would tear off and damage the windshield or tail, so I turned towards the airport immediately.  The airflow kept the door shut until I flared for landing, then it opened again and tore off.  We found it lying on the centerline of the runway.  That was lots of fun.

If you could choose any plane past or present, what type of plane would you love to try to fly, at least just once?

Any warbird from World War II - an F4U Corsair would be the ultimate.  I believe I could figure out how it works and how to land it.  I’m a child of the ‘80s, so an F-14 Tomcat from Top Gun would be amazing, but I’d get my fool self hurt.  I could figure out one of the warbirds, though (I think).

What's next for you in flying? 

Well, like I said, getting some experience in different planes and flying longer distances.  Lambert’s Cafeteria in Sikeston, MO is about 45 minutes away by plane and I foresee lots of flights there and back with different friends and family members.  I can get a tailwheel plane endorsement pretty quickly, and maybe next year I’ll go on and get my Instrument (IFR) rating.  I can also get licensed to fly drones (UAVs) pretty quickly now, so I am going to do that soon.  The Department I work for doesn’t use drones now, but if they decide to, I’d like to be ready.  They are a great tool for first responders.  Everyone asks if I’m going to learn to fly helicopters for the Department, but I really have no desire to do that.  Adding a rotary endorsement is pretty expensive and the Department has plenty of pilots right now.  I learned that those things spinning overhead are the wings, and that just confounds me.

What other interesting or unusual hobbies do you have?

I have been a martial artist for 30+ years now.  I teach that a little, but not a lot.  I’m more of a never-ending student.  I enjoy letting people like Mark Hatmaker beat up on me and use me to demonstrate stuff.  I used to do a lot of shooting and teaching shooting classes, but I don’t do that much anymore.   I own a Harley-Davidson that I’ve ridden three times in the past two years.  I own a couple of guitars but can’t do much with them.  I ride a road bicycle (think Lance Armstrong) for exercise, and I’ve been doing that for 25 years, but I’m way heavier than most of the folks that do that.  I fish a little and hunt deer a few times a year.  I can do calligraphy and I play chess for fun.

What's one thing you'd like to try but haven't yet?

Skydiving.  Some folks at work have done that and I hear a company in our area on the radio announcing “jumpers away”.  Anything but scuba diving.  That’s one phobia I have NO interest in trying to conquer.  

We always end with advice to readers about what they can do right now, to get up and do something. What is one thing you can tell our readers to do to get started in learning to fly?

Look on AOPA or FAA websites (or the yellow pages) and find a school in your area.  Go take an introductory lesson and see what it’s like.  Talk to the instructor and get a feel for their experience and teaching style.

Thank you so much for taking the time to have this conversation. And congratulations, Pilot!

Thank you!  Let me know when you’re in the area and we’ll go fly!