Officially an Addict

I got a new wing...3 weeks ago. And for 3 weeks I've been sick with one of those colds/coughs/sinus things that just won't go away. Still, I've managed to get 6 flights on my new Ozone Addict 2 and after yesterday's flight I can finally declare that I love it.

They say you learn something on every flight. On my Addict's 5th flight I learned that if you fly with a head cold you're not going to have much fun. Unfortunately I didn't figure that out until a week later. It was one of the most frustrating flights I ever had, like I couldn't do anything right. I was angry after landing...mad that I couldn't "figure out" my new wing...mad that I didn't bond with it right away. My emotions (that I swore would be left behind while flying...oops) resurfaced and when a couple of people asked how my new wing was I went looking for sympathy and told them. No, I didn't throw a big fit this time but did express my frustration at not being able to understand my wing.

Fast forward one week to where my head wasn't quite so stuffy. I flew yesterday and it was amazing. THAT was the flight I wanted! I sunk down to 400 metres when it shaded out and scratched my way back up over launch. My new wing turned tightly and quickly and I loved it. After landing I realized the reason my last flight had been such a struggle was because of my congested sinuses. That's why I had trouble 'understanding' my wing. It made perfect sense and I was happy to figure it out and excited about my awesome flight. Then a pilot came up to me at the LZ to congratulate me on my nice landing and see if I liked my new wing 'yet'. Since she hadn't been there to hear me moan about it my last flight I asked what she meant. She said that she heard that I was having "DHV 2-itis" and wasn't ready to fly a higher performance wing. That really bummed me out, especially since that comment came from someone who is always telling me I'm a great pilot.

So that's my rant and rave today (isn't that was addicts do?). Ranting at colds and gossip, Raving at loving my new wing. Lesson learned? Stop caring so much what other people think and just have fun!