January 12
I got my pilot's license today!
After poetry class (we’re reading Henry Wadsworth Longfellow now and he’s kind of like Walt Whitman), Mister Salvatore and Miss Cherilyn picked me up in Sienna and we went back out to a different airplane station where a new FAA person named Mister Vogt and a man named Mark that was called a flight instructor were waiting for us.
The airplane station was a small place, smaller than the one in Kalamazoo and much smaller than the ones that we had taken the airplane from when I first got to Earth. And instead of being one big building that was all connected and branched off everywhere, there were several little buildings on the airport.
They started off by testing me on subjects in the book, to be sure that I understood all the rules. Then they gave me a radio, which is sort of like a telephone, and had me demonstrate that I could make it work on the frequencies they told me to use, and that I could talk on it properly. There is a funny version of the alphabet that they use where they give all the letters names like Juliet or Charlie or Delta, and I had to recite that for them, too.
Then we got back in the van and drove over to a building called the FBO, and they took me out behind it to a large open area that was near the roads where the airplanes fly from. He said that they were called runways, because airplanes run along them until they are going fast enough to fly. (The Wonderbolts have a similar runway on a mesa-top at their training grounds. I’ve seen pictures of it.)
Mister Salvatore gave me a special bright-colored vest I have to wear whenever I want to fly higher than buildings. He also gave me a flashing light on it that is very bright and annoying. I don't like either (the vest clashes with my coat), but I understand why I need them. Sometimes on night weather patrols, the weatherponies have to carry crystal lamps so that they can all see each other. Other airplanes have flashing lights or are painted bright colors so that they don’t bump into each other by mistake.
I bet if I’d had a yellow coat, I wouldn't have had to have the vest.
Then Mister Salvatore gave me a small altimeter that he said was used by skydivers, which are a kind of people who jump out of airplanes. I wonder if there are any of them around Kalamazoo? Flying up in an airplane wouldn’t be fun, but jumping out would be, and maybe it could go where I’m not allowed to.
He showed how to reset the altimeter—he reminded me that air pressure changes with altitude, but it also changes depending on the weather, so the instrument has to be reset every time. He didn’t need to tell me about atmospheric pressure; every pegasus knows about it.
I strapped it to my foreleg, where I could look down and see it easily, and then the instructor told me to walk out to the helipad—which was marked with a big 'H' inside a circle—and use the radio to ask for permission to fly a lap around the airplane station, reporting to the control tower what I was doing.
The FAA inspector reminded him that I needed a call sign, and there was a bit of discussion, and then we decided on “Pegasus 1.”
So I did what he told me to do. The book had said how a helicopter was supposed to take off and fly around the airplane station, and I followed the instructions to the letter. I kept checking my altimeter to make sure that I was at the right height, and I told the control tower what I was doing so that they would know.
I could hear some other pilots talking on the radio as well, and I had to wait my turn. As a result, my downwind leg was longer than I meant it to be, but it is very important to not change course until after you have told the control tower you intend to do so. The book had said that, and it was because unless you said you were doing something else, everyone would assume that you were still doing the thing that you had been doing.
When I finally flew down for the landing, the flight instructor came up and crouched down and reached out his hand and gave me a hoofshake. He said that in his experience, I was qualified to fly.
After that, I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork, certifying that I had flown for more than twenty hours, and that at least fifteen of those hours had been with a qualified flight instructor. He said that an adult pegasus pony counted as a qualified flight instructor.
Then he and the FAA man signed off on some papers, and I was qualified to fly! They gave me a temporary license, which says right at the top ‘Ornithopter Pilot License,’ and under that, Silver Glow. Plus it’s got a bunch of stuff like my birthday and address and age and weight.
There are a few rules I have to follow, though, or else they’ll take it away. I can only fly above trees in what they call VFR (which means a certain visibility distance) conditions, and only during the day. I have to wear my vest or carry the flashing light. I am not allowed to carry any passengers, or fly above ten thousand feet (which is three thousand meters), and I can't fly in Class A airspace.
He also explained that I could not land on the roofs of buildings off campus unless it was an emergency or I had gotten permission first. Then he gave me a second map that had several buildings circled in red where I was not to fly. And that was it!
The FAA man was still a bit grumpy, but he shook my hoof and congratulated me anyway. I don't think he wanted me to pass the test, but I couldn't think of why he wouldn't.
Mister Salvatore and Miss Cherilyn and Mister Mark were really happy and so was I and I celebrated by making another flight around the airplane station (I got permission first). Mister Mark gave me a card with his phone number on it and said that I could call him whenever I wanted to. Then he gave me a big hug and congratulated me again. I could tell that he was pretty proud of himself, too. I bet I’m the first pegasus who he’s helped become a pilot.
Then we got back in Sienna and they asked me if I wanted to have dinner with them but I was too excited to want to sit down and eat, so they took me back to campus and I told Peggy and she called a bunch of our friends and pretty soon we had a gathered up a little group.
We decided that this called for celebration, and it was still light enough that I could have a quick flight, so I put on my vest and we went out to the quad and I flew up and did some stunts in the air and by the time I landed there were a bunch of other students who were watching me zip around.
We all went to dinner together, and then afterwards everyone went to Christine's room, and we crowded around her TV and watched Return of the Jedi. I had to share the papasan with Peggy because there were more of us than there were seats, and it took a little bit of cleverness to figure out how to both fit on it and be comfortable.
Pegasus 1? Does that she is the first pegasus in all USA to get a licence or something?
Nice job doing your research on all this! (And also apparently to Georg for his help as a consultant.) That's one of the things I really like about this little chronicle: despite it being a pony fic, it really feels entirely natural and realistic.
7011879
*nod* I remembered 10s being "deca-" but I had to look up 100s. It's "hecto-".
Woohoo! Congratulations, Silver, you're officially a 0/2 artifact creature!
Lovely bit of applied research, this. Plus, greater aerial freedom has to be nice for Silver.
Id go for 'Silver Glow' as her call-sign unless a pilot here could give a reason why not to have your name. And that FAA is on a power trip and is sour that he couldn't make it more ornery. Either that or he is a supreme bureaucrat and flexibility is another name for the devil. I can see some law passed in this universe but in ours the FAA would absolutely have no authority over pegasi. Also where you can land would be under trespassing laws not FAA rules although I would not put it past them to try it. Stupid bureaucratic power plays. I could see the Equestrian government lobbying hard or through treaties on how to regulate pegasi flight.
I can just imagine her trying to be all serious with a beacon and safety vest.... Adorable.
Okay, the flight rules are getting a bit ridiculous. I can understand the rules about where to fly and all that, but not allowing her to land wherever she wants? She's a freakin Pegasus, this is like trying to tell a frog where he can come to shore.
Interestin' chapter.^^
No witty quips this time, just a capitalization error.
7011982
Yes, she is the first to get an American pilot's license.
7012007
I always do my research.
7012055
Ornithopters are one of my favorites. Equipment made them super awesome.
That's probably one of the quickest times to gain a pilots licence ever, well since they had them anyway.
She's a pretty quick study picking up the contence of her guide book in only a few days of fairly light study.
7012220 I would've imagine other did previously, but I vaguely recall that you said in a comment somewhere that until now the situation had not been dressed properly by the authorities, the American one at least.
It feel kinda weird, but if it is how you choose to make your story go, why not?
Anyway, it is once again one of these chapter where you really show some real dedication to your work.
7012081
I have a feeling that if we were to make contact with Equestria, that would change very quickly. I can't imagine that either side's government would be happy about the prospect of their citizens being involved in continual fatal crashes, and it seems plausible that they might go so far as to prohibit visits by flyers entirely until an agreement allowing Earthside regulation had been reached.
It's possible that he's just reminding her of a decision made by a third party. Flight certification would be the natural time to bring it up, after all.
7012117
Eh, prohibiting landing on other peoples' property seems understandable enough to me. Most people wouldn't be terribly thrilled about a stranger waltzing over and walking around on their roof, and I can't imagine they'd care all that much about whether the stranger in question climbed up or flew up. Especially since Silver may not be familiar with various aspects of Earth architecture, and so has a higher chance of accidentally breaking something should she go roofhopping.
Incidentally, I suspect Silver would probably not appreciate the comparison to a frog. Seems like something a tribalist stereotype might say: "Don't try to force pegasi to change their behavior, work around their instincts [because they can't help but act without thought, after all]."
7011982 No she's the first Pegasus in the US to choose the callsign Pegasus
And to the author: as far as I can tell you didn't mess up anything major, but then again I'm a fixed wing pilot and Canadian. I'm assuming here that helicopter is similar to Fixed wing in rules.
Oh and my one nitpick: you don't actually have to tell tower every turn you make. If you are doing circuits you only have to report when you are on the Downwind.
7012265
She didn't have to memorize control schemes.
7010667
Every war matters once it starts; the key is to make the right decision before it starts. And that's where the USA's short memory, arrogance, and bloodthirsty nationalism trips it up.
I'm saying the above out of love. Growth and admission of mistake requires pain and maturity, not rah-rah empty patriotism.
Silver Glow should see about getting reflective plastic armor with various light strips on it. If a pegasus on Earth has to be visible in flight, might as well make that visibility look cool. At least that's the RD way of doing things.
7012333 I just got word of god stating that Silver Glow is
see here: 7012220
My go to radio name is Rebel Yell 69Quite enjoying this. People have commented on the restrictiveness but air travel is pretty heavily regulated and for good reasons. As well as the safety of others, not landing on buildings keeps Silver safe from potential legal trouble. (Trespass for instance.)
7012413 oh huh
7012081
Once a foreign national is in a country they are subject to the laws of that country.
If Silver Glow were a diplomat she could, hypotheticaly, ignore FAA regulations, but diplomats are generally expected to follow the laws and customs of their host country. A pegasus diplomat who flaunted the laws too overtly or endangered others might find themselves declared persona non grata.
7012522 Well technically speaking, pegasi are kinda in a legal limbo, the flying regulation apply to vehicules, not living being.
7012553
That's a pretty thin stick to stand on. Assuming the laws haven't been changed they are still intelligent creatures who pose a risk to other fliers. The FAA would be letting the letter of the law get in the way of its spirit.
7012583 Yes and no. Yes, it goes against the spirit of the law. But until the law are adapted for the situation, they should follow the letter. Hence why I was surprised the situation hadn't been adressed earlier, keeping a legal hole of this size is never a good idea.
7012591
Why? This seems to me to be a clear cut case of a regulator using their power to pass new regulations that encompass situations un planned for when the original law was writen.
7012620 It is, but how long did they wait?
7012638
Until it was relevant. Word of God has it that Silver Glow is the first licensed pegasus.
7012522 That was not my point at all. The law that set up the FAA does not give them authority over biological flyers. It also is highly restricted to what it can do with Ultralights. I can see that changing in this universe but laws would have to be passed giving the FAA the authority. Making regulations before hand would be illegal.
Have you ever looked at how court cases go? The spirit of the law is meaningless and even the letter of the law is ignored often. Just look at our second admendment. What part of shall not be infringed is unclear? but you have tons of gun laws everywhere.
Yay! More pony goodness! Also more Star Wars! <3
Just had a cool thought. Some student is going to have a Go Pro. I would bet that Silver Glow would be a sensation on Youtube for putting up acrobatic stunts of a real flyer.
Sync it with the same stunts shot from ground level would give it real pizzazz.
7012284
Remember, the first chapter stated that she was the first pegasus to go to Earth.
7012228 I never do. Ignorance is wonderful.
Lel.
7012620 You're going to find that difficulty everywhere anybody is doing an activity that is regulated in one fashion or another. General aviation is one of those where the government regulators still have a good, solid focus on safety with respect for usability, i.e. not locking something totally up and claiming it is safe only because nobody can do it. There has been a slow creep towards more regulation for the last several decades, but you have to remember people have only really been flying for a century now, and every five years the technology makes another giant jump while the regulations may not change to match for a decade or two.
7012522 A foreign national diplomat who violated FAA regulations in a deliberate fashion would soon find the word 'diplomat' removed from their title, and things like 'No Fly List' added. Have fun on the ship going home.
7012380 Technically, she's also supposed to have a red light on the left wing and a green light on the right wing as well as a white light on the tail (literally on all three for ponies) for visibility. If you want to see something cool, ask Siri on your iPhone "What flights are overhead?"
7012752 Also, if you think about it, there'd have to be regulations involving the manipulation of clouds too. Sure, weather control seems good but given the number of tornados in the US as is, and how lax the security was at Cloudsdale. Well, let's just say that it's a good thing that Equestria has a lot of gems.
With that in mind, I would probably recommend showing any future pegasi, who want to come to Earth, some remains of the birds that hit the plane that went into the Hudson River, and some footage of the aftermath of a F5 Tornado...
And speaking of magic going awry, I imagine that unicorns probably have some strict rules as well. Last thing we need is a crazy pony who will put some kind of love spell on a doll because she was stressed for an exam of some kind. (But that would be silly...)
Regardless, we definitely need to show all Equestrians, as well as other species, that things don't work the same way here.
But hey at least none of them are crazy enough to carry a cannon with them on an airplane right?
Speaking of the Main 6, I wonder what happened to them?
7012231 Oh god, you're not a blue player, are you? I may just have to revise my opinion of you.
Although I can see all this certification actually happening, it's almost as silly as human visitors to Equestria being required to crawl on all fours until certified by a qualified Minotaur instructor that they capable of safe bipedal locomotion!
7012936 I checked and no, it is not said anywhere that she was the first to go to earth. In fact, she don't even say that the student exchange program is new.
7012643 I would've tought that after a few years of contact, when you are ready to have a student exchange program, it is relevant to know how to adapt the rule for the student that will be coming. I just think the FAA and the US governement should've planned for this case.
For the sake of the story they didn't, allright, but it still is a bit weird that they didn't.
7013466
Eh, close enough, I was paraphrasing.
'weren't very many' can range from 1 to ∞, and it could also mean that there are others, but she's the first to finish.
7013478 Could of course, until in the third chapter when she meet the other pony going with her she confirm that there aren't many pegasi.
If she was the only one, she would've said so.
And if she was the first one, it would've been clearly stated when she arrived. Since it would've been a milestone of some sort for the program.
7013413 it would probably be more like humans requiring to apply for "energy emissions technician" license to use smartphone in equestria
7013466
They're human, they have other things to do and this didn't reach the top of their list until now. Ideally they would have done this already but rarely does the world act ideally.
7012752
There have been many cases of agencies reinterpreting the laws which created them over the years. I don't see how that's an issue, if it were truly egregious it would be challenged in court.
As to the diplomat being expelled, that's what persona non grata means.
7012752
To be fair, it begins with "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state" (emphasis mine) but people like to ignore that part. Heck, giving what role a militia served back in the day, a case could be made that the second amendment is guaranteeing the rights of people to join law enforcement and the right of law enforcement officers to bear arms.
7012965 Oh, I meant the pony :/
7013737
In that time, the phrase "well regulated militia" was an optimistic term for the entire adult population of the nation fit enough to carry a weapon. The concept of the militia as the National Guard came much later, as an adaption of the Minutemen, who were originally a part of the civilian population who received additional training and payment to carry weapons of war with them everywhere and to be always prepared to use them at a minute's notice.
7017661 Indeed this is so. And besides, the grammatical structure of the 2nd Amendment, with the comma separating the phrases, splits the Amendment into two parts; one which states that a militia is necessary for defense, and one which declares that all citizens have the right to bear arms. The first portion does not supply any limit to the scope of the second.
Any more than does the sentence, "Pastries being a delectable treat we all enjoy, the right of Pinkie Pie to use sugar shall not be denied." DOES NOT limit Pinkie Pie from using the sugar for other items than pastries. The individual right to use the sugar is granted by the latter portion of the sentence, while the former merely notes a prominent application of the right.
Had it been structured thusly: "The right of citizens to bear arms within a well-regulated militia shall not be denied." THEN the individual right to bear arms would not exist.
Even Bernie Sanders recognizes that! And he's a kooky socialist!
7012081
It's really an open subject, something that the rules don't really apply to (and it's more than the FAA; our laws simply aren't set up for another sapient species). I don't know all the regulations offhand, but I bet the FAA would have something to say if you decided to open a falconry school on LAX's approach path, or decided to hold a laser light show there.
They can't regulate birds (although I bet they wish they could), but for everyone's safety, they can--and should--regulate unlimited flights by pegasi. Nobody wants to deal with the consequences of a pegasus strike on a commercial aircraft.
Also, you're right that the landing on roofs isn't technically in their jurisdiction, but this was a good time to remind Silver Glow that she shouldn't show up uninvited just anywhere. There are a lot of people who wouldn't be too happy to have a pegasus randomly running around on their roof.