Ace Abbott - His Story

When I first got in touch with Ace Abbott about the concept of doing a 'Share Your Story' for this blog, his immediately rose to the opportunity. Little did I know how diverse his career has been and many experiences he has endured in his lifetime; I was speechless when his email came through with his story, no really, I was!

Meet Ace Abbott - An author and retired commercial pilot who flew F-4 Phantoms in the 60s, private Learjets in the 70s, and spent 22 years as a Boeing 727 Captain as he tells his story with us and shares some details about his book, 'The Rouge Aviatior'.

Ace in the Captains seat of a 727

Although I grew up on a small, hardscrabble farm in The Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York I was exposed to aviation at a very early age. In 1950 when I was eight years old, my father purchased a Taylor Craft airplane and sitting in the right seat of the old T-craft with pop at the controls planted the first seed for my aviation career.

An example of a Taylor Craft Airplane

   
The Taylor Craft was tied down in the back-forty hayfield and after the hay was harvested we would launch the old bird. The takeoff roll involved dodging woodchuck holes on a makeshift runway that was well less than 2,000 feet. After takeoff most flights would start with a climb to 1,000 feet, a full spin, followed by a loop. Now that the kinks and bugs had been removed from the aviator and the air machine we would go around to the local farms and engage in simulated strafing attacks on neighboring farmers on their tractors.

In 1952 a hurricane came up the East Coast and its tenacious tentacles reached into Upstate New York. The severe damage of downed trees and power outage, etc. was totally trumped by the death of the old T-craft, as it was shredded into several pieces, despite being tied down. 13 years later, as I was approaching the receipt of my BA in education at SUNY at Cortland I slowed up briefly while walking by 33 the Air Force recruiter’s office and he immediately coerced me inside where I engaged in a battery of aptitude tests. Two weeks later I was informed that I had been accepted to U.S. Air Force officer’s training school (OTS) and pilot training. The Vietnam War was just heating up and the consideration of being a fighter pilot was an adventure that I could not refuse.

In November, 1965 I jumped in the old Chevy convertible and headed for Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas. After three months of learning to make the “perfect bed,” shine shoes to the glare hurt your eyes, and engage in military indoctrination while learning to march in step, I was ordained to be an officer and a gentleman (second Lieutenant). With the convertible top down on the 59’ Chevy convertible I ventured across West Texas and found my way to Williams Air Force Base for the 13 months of undergraduate pilot training (UPT).

Williams Air Force Base where Ace done his UPT

 
Our class, 67F, started with 74 aspiring young aviators. Thirteen months later exactly half of them had “washed out.” I was a physical education major in college and competing with Air Force Academy graduates who had just achieved their master’s degree in aeronautical engineering at Purdue left me in their wake turbulence during the academic phase. Despite not knowing what “PSI” was all about and not having a clue about Bernoulli’s Theorem, I managed to excel on check rides and finished in the top one- third of my class which allowed me to get one of the more coveted assignments to the F-4 Phantom.

Ace posing with a T-34

Prior to flying the fabulous Phantom it was necessary to jump through a few additional loops that were required to become “combat ready.” As a GIB (guy-in-back) or second-in-command I had to learn how to operate the airborne intercept radar, inertial navigation, along with other nuances that were part of being a GIB. This two-month training program at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona was followed by a two-week survival training school at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington. It was then off to Florida’s Homestead Air Force Base for a one-week sea survival training program, followed by a short drive across the peninsula to MacDill Air Force Base to finally commence the F-4 Phantom training.                                                  

The six-month training program was filled with scintillating experiences and led to a status as a combat ready F-4 Phantom pilot. One week prior to graduation the Pueblo incident occurred— the capture by the North Koreans of an American intelligence ship— and rather than straight to Southeast Asia to fight the air war over Vietnam I went to South Korea in preparation for another war with North Korea. This assignment kept me in Japan and Korea for the next 3 ½ years until I elected to head for what we called, “the hard cruel civilian world.” Flying the F-4 Phantom all over the Far East was an ongoing adventure but it was clear to me that my personality profile which led to the title of the book, The Rogue Aviator, would prevent me from having a successful Air Force career despite my aviator skills. The first third of my book is dedicated to my Air Force experiences and every person who served in any branch of the military will enjoy reading some of the radical experiences of Ace Abbott.

Ace with an F-4 Phantom at Oshkosh Airshow 

                             
Upon returning to the hard “cruel civilian world” in March 1971 I briefly pursued a possible career as a golf pro but soon found out I would starve to death in this profession. I used my G.I. Bill to obtain a Learjet type rating and that opened the doors for employment. The next eight years were filled with adventuresome experiences flying a wide variety of passengers which included numerous celebrities such as: Jack Nicklaus, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley, John Glenn, Evil Knievel, Olivia Newton-John, Crosby,, Stills Nash and Young, just to mention a few. In the early 70s most of the kingpins in the burgeoning illegal drug trade had set up shop in South Florida. On Tuesday I might fly a wealthy Palm Beach socialite and the following day, in the same airplane, I would be flying unsavory drug dealers. I never knowingly flew illegal drugs as the drug dealer clients were usually moving money, making deals, or partying in Las Vegas and other high-end recreational venues.

Learjet similar to what Ace would've flown

                           
After eight years of living on the beeper with an erratic social and personal life I was able to grab a big brass ring that put me in the left seat of a Boeing 727. I was hired by Ryan International Airlines to fly Emery airfreight and train all the new pilots that had been flying Cessna Citations and Learjets. After three years of being a “night freight dog.” I ventured off into the unstable world of start-up passenger airlines by accepting employment with Air Atlanta. This was an airline that catered to the business class rider and our 727s had been modified from the usual 150 seats to 88 seats. First-class meals were served throughout the cabin and the flight crews received them as well. I was hired as a captain but my initial training qualified me in all three seats. It was a very unique situation as I would bounce from the flight engineer’s panel, to the captain’s chair and/or the first officer/copilot position.

Air Atlanta 727 that Ace flew

We had a wonderful airline with the fabulous esprit de corps and camaraderie when the founder and CEO, Mr. Michael Hollis “pulled the plug’” and announced that the airline would be shutting down. This was an omen for my future. From March 1987 until September 1997 I was employed with a total of 10 different airlines as a 727 Captain in an FAA 121 airline operation. During that period I encountered five airline shutdowns (Chapter 11) and my average salary as a 727 captain for this ten-year period was $35,000 per year. The subtitle of my book is “the back alleys of aviation” and I experienced most of those back alleys during this time frame. During this period I started thinking that perhaps there was a need for an exposé regarding the greedy and unscrupulous entrepreneurs that ran some of these “fly-by-night” airlines. A chapter in my book, The Rogue Aviator, is titled The Turbulent Ten. It exemplifies my 36 year career which I refer to as “frequent oscillations between the aviation penthouse in the aviation outhouse.”

In September 1997, while surviving on a minimum wage job, I received a phone call from one of my old aviator colleagues informing me that TransMeridian Airlines was hiring. I immediately accepted employment with what appeared to be a relatively well-run company. However, the always unstable world of “nonskid airlines” led to a furlough only a few months later. I returned to my minimum-wage job at the golf course under the premise that my career was over. Several months later I was fortunate enough to be home when I received a call from Trans Meridian Airlines asking if I wanted to go to Belgium for a six month contract flying 727s for TNT airfreight. I initially rejected this proposal as I was tired of chasing airplanes around the world. I called my good friend Marylee and she talked me into taking the job. Her career coaching was very effective and I called TMA just in time to secure the final available captain’s slot.

TransMeridian Airlines 727 that Ace went on to fly in Belgium

After training at Copenhagen, Denmark with Sterling International Airlines, myself and my 14 TMA colleagues headed for Liege, Belgium where our employer housed us in a high-end business man’s hotel. It was real pleasant “digs” compared to the previous ten years of cheap hotels and filth-dirty crowded “crew pads” on the other side of the tracks. I decided six months was too long to be away from my girlfriend so I gave her a long-distance proposal which she readily accepted. A few days off allowed me to catch a jump seat back to Florida and we were married.

TNT freight had a very liberal jump seat policy and allowed us to take our girlfriends and wives along on all of our trips. A few of our garden spot layovers were: Oslo, Norway; Helsinki, Finland; Edinburgh, Scotland; Paris; London; Barcelona, Spain; Portugal, Ireland, Geneva, Switzerland; Vienna, Austria; Budapest Hungary, and a few other locations in Scandinavia. The icing on the cake of this European Vacation/honeymoon was the Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans that met us on the freight ramp to escort us to our five-star hotel. For my wife and me it was the ultimate European vacation and the price was right.

When the contract ended I returned to the US and was soon shuffled off to Airbus training since the company had a few A320 Airbus aircraft. After my first simulator ride I decided that I wanted to be a pilot rather than a computer operator and walked away from a six-figure job. A very apologetic and condescending letter to the TMA management later paid a nice dividend. At age 57 I felt my aviation career was over and headed back to the golf course to commence my new career as a golf pro. Several months later I received a call from TMA informing me that they had acquired some 727 aircraft and they wanted me to return to work for them.  I returned to TMA and spent the last three years of my aviation career as a check airman in the 727.

'The Rogue Aviator' 

Upon retirement at age 60 I ventured into my new career as a golf teaching pro but I remained in close contact with many of my old pilot colleagues. Two of my best friend pilots, Jim Keeling, a colleague from my Learjet days, and Marylee Bickford, and aviatrix who worked with me at four different airlines, continually goaded and cajoled me into writing a book about my radical aviation career. In mid-2008 I took the bait and commenced the project. The third and final edition of The Rogue Aviator has now garnered 34 reader reviews at Amazon and 30 of them are five star reviews. I have been a featured author at the Oshkosh Airshow for the previous three years (2009-2012) and have twice delivered speeches there relating to my second book, Dead Tired: Pilot Fatigue- Aviation’s Insidious Killer. (www.deadtirepilots.com).

As an aviation author I have discovered that book marketing is more challenging and time-consuming than being a professional pilot. I have attended innumerable airshows for book signings, and frequently address such groups as local EAA chapters, Flying Club’s, Chamber of Commerce groups, senior living centers, etc. to host book presentations and signings. I have also engaged in nearly 50 radio interview. The Rogue Aviator was recently vetted by Barnes & Noble and I will be hosting book signing events at many of their stores. The book has also been vetted by the Smithsonian Aviation Institution in Washington DC and will soon be available in their gift shops. I write an aviation-themed blog which is readily accessible by going to my website at www.therogueaviator.com. My last posting is titled: Private Jets- Justifiable Decadence. I also host a program at http://webtalkradio.net/  titled Ace Abbott’s Aviation Affair. Anyone remotely interested in aviation will enjoy these interviews with veteran pilots.

A couple of excerpts from The Rogue Aviator are as follows:

• Where was that back-seater? He now bobbed like a fisherman’s cork in the frigid, four-to-six-foot seas of the Pacific Ocean.
  
  
• Unfortunately, trying to find a person in rough seas with only a head visible is like trying to find a fly turd in a pepper shaker.

• Ace was escorted to a cell. When the door closed behind him, he heard only a tiny clank, but its effect was sickeningly deafening. The cell had one piece of furniture: a single bed with no mattress.

• Ace ventured into the retirement phase with no retirement pension program, but and relationships will leave him forever wealthy.

The final excerpt relates the primary theme of the book: The quality of one’s relationships and experiences trumps all else.

At a book signing for 'The Rogue Aviator'

I would like to take this final opportunity to thank Ace for being able to share his story not only with me, but all aviators across the world and beyond. To call Ace an inspiration would be an understatement -- He is much more that that, continuing to share his story and experiences through his blog and online social network sites, he is what I call, determined... Determined to inspire. Thanks again, Ace.

If you have any questions for Ace, or would simply like to connect with him:

Tweet him - @AceAbbott

OR

Drop a comment here which he will reply to.

I hope you enjoyed,

Pilot Jake

Lesson Number 11 - Stalling!

Just before I start writing my post about stalling, I feel now is a good time to tell you about this weekends bumper blog posting: 

Today: 1. Lesson Number 11 - Stalling 2. Q&A w/Pilot Simon Burnham - British Pilot flying in South Africa
Tomorrow: Lesson Number 12 - Circuit Bashing

Sit back, buckle up, and enjoy the ride!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's one thing that I've yet to cover in my PPL course so far - Stalling. 

To be honest with you, I did feel a notch nervous and anxious about this lesson. I have been demonstrated a stall before, and there was a wing drop, it felt pretty weird but kinda cool in hindsight, however when I think about doing a stall, as in, me, actually conducting the stall... I got nervous.

The weather was fine, it was a nice afternoon, little wind and high cloud, perfect for stalling, so we got on with it. My instructor for today was Gary or Kiwi as he's more commonly referred to on this blog, he set me off to check the aircraft out and to make sure everything was good to go.

Tecnam P2002JF - G-UFCL

                            

It wasn't long until he was out, and off we went using runway 15 - we headed straight out over the peninsula towards Bishopscourt, maintaining a climb at about 70 knots and also contacting Belfast Approach:

Courtesy of Matthew Cooper - Ards Peninsula  

                         

Me: "Scrabo 61, Tecnam just departed Newtownards, 2 persons on board, operating over the Ards Peninsula, not above 2000ft and request a basic service"

Belfast Approch: "Scrabo 61, operate not above 2000ft, VFR, remain outside controlled airspace, QNH 1023 and basic service report complete"

Me: "Not above 2000ft, VFR, remaining outside controlled airspace, QNH 1023, basic service, wilco, scrabo 61"

When we were nearing 2000ft, I made a radio call to request at least 3000ft to carry out stalling exercises, they approved of the request and we continued our climb to 3000ft still heading towards Bishopscourt.

Taxiing to the Apron

During the climb, Kiwi explained to me how to carry out the stall, he explained that at first we would be doing slow flight, then taking away all the engine power, holding the nose up, waiting for the stall warning and correcting it - that's all there is to it!

Diagram showing how Slow Flight is maintained

                             

To start with we done a flap-less stall, pulled out the carb heat, removed the engine power, held the nose up, waited for the stall warning and when I heard it, I pushed the carb heat in, and put throttle to full to silence the warning with a loss of about 50/100ft.

After the successful first attempt at correcting a stall, Kiwi got me to repeat the exercise two more times without any mistakes. 

Time to change a few things around; We took first stage of flap and tried the same exercise. We noticed this time that the aircraft stalls later than without flaps. 

Diagram showing indicators on an Airspeed Gauge 

                            

In general, I completed this part of the exercise with no problems again and kiwi was happy that I understood what to do when the stall warning goes off so we turned the aircraft around so that we were flying back towards Newtownards. 

Kiwi informed me that we would join via the overhead for runway 15, a new experience to me which meant flying directly over the standard circuit at a higher altitude then descending so that we could join the standard circuit after joining via the over head, everything was all okay at this point until short final when we realised we were too high for the small runway so we done a go around and give it another go, everything seemed better this time around, I think primarily because it was at standard circuit altitude instead of joining the overhead which was new to me, but worthwhile, this time we had the right speed and altitude and I made a good landing, after landing, we taxied back to the apron, as you do, and done a quick de-brief.

Ulster Fly-in - 14/07/13

                             

Kiwi told me that my flying was great, and that stalling was complete so we can go ahead and start circuits, which I quite like doing!

All in all, a good days flying done and I look forward to my next lesson. 

Thanks for reading and get in touch if you have any questions:

Twitter: @JakeLewis23

Email: jlewis438@gmail.com

Or by commenting below!

Málaga Aviation Museum

Hi all, 

Sincere apologies for the lack on blog posts as of late - I've got some pretty important exams at this time and it's revision, all day... Everyday! But the good news is, they are nearly over, so stay tuned because there's a lot coming your way soon including: 

• G8 Airport Spotting at Belfast International Airport [14th-19th June]
• Lesson Number 11 and 12
• Tecnam P2002JF at the Ulster Flying Club back in service 
• Plus, lots more!

Anyway, today, I'm blogging about Málaga Aviation Museum - The 'Costa del Sol's' little-known jewel

Last year, during August, I jetted of to the southern coast of Spain for a two week holiday, where I knew the Málaga aviation museum lay, so I was excited at the whole prospect of everything that would happen in these two weeks.

Here is the in-flight video recorded when leaving Belfast International Airport (BFS) for Málaga Airport (AGP):

Followed by arrival into Málaga airport (AGP) from Belfast International Airport (BFS):

It was on the last day of my holiday that I visited the museum...

The National Museum of Airports and Air Transport next to Málaga's airport is a well-run and growing treat for the aviation enthusiast and tourist alike. It's situated inside a restored 1938 hacienda-style airport terminal, with its Air Traffic Control tower and surrounding buildings, instantly transporting visitors back in time to the glory days of civil aviation travel. 

To the rear of the site there is a bigger, modern building housing the smaller aircraft in the collection, as well as airport- and aircraft-related displays and equipment. 

Within the grounds there is a large number of retired airport vehicles and transport aircraft. The latter include a Douglas DC-3 (C-47B) in Iberia colours, a Beech 18 in Spantax livery, a suberb Convair CV-440 in the marking of Kar Air of Finland, a de Havilland DH104 Dove of Martin's Air Charter of Holland, and the front fuselage section of an Iberia DC-9-30.

Inside, the main, and more modern building there are also various other light aircraft as seen below:

There is a heavy emphasis on education, with visitors able to enjoy interactive displays, and other exhibits tailored to the younger and other student alike. School parties can be given a history lesson of not just the airport and aviation in Málaga, but about Spain as a whole. From dedicated aviation historians and enthusiasts to casual visitors - everyone will find there is

plenty of interest. The exhibits within the museum are well thought out with a large collection of model aircraft, memorabilia and uniforms, as well as displays of how aircraft work and how airports are run and constructed.

The museum has good view of the extensive general aviation ramp, taxiways and runway beyond. Remember when you have had enough of aviation, there is always sun, sea, sand and large local brewery that this area is known for!

So there ya have it... Next time you're anywhere near Málaga, you know where to go! 

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think by commenting below or 
getting in touch with me all the usual ways - Oh, and remember to share!

Lesson Number 10 - Windy!

Like any other day that I'm booked in to fly, it's always a waiting game to see if I actually will be going flying - 'The phonecall' is how I nickname it. Usually it comes about two hours before my scheduled ETD which was 13:00hrs this time around. 

I woke up to the sound of a ringing phone, legged it down the stairs, and answered it, "Hello, Jake, would you be able to come down to the club now for your flight as the weather is only forecast to get a lot worse..." Overjoyed that I would indeed be flying, I said yes, not like I'd ever say no or anything. Oh and by the way, this was at about 09:30hrs, not often I'm up that early!

The main concern that the club informed me of, was the wind, it was at 30-35 knots and gusting at 45, they said to come on down anyway and we'll go from there. I arrived at the club around an hour after the phone call, both excited and nervous as I'd never flown in such windy conditions.

My CFI, Michael, was still up flying when I arrived but would be back on the ground in about 15 minutes so my dad and I, sat in the lounge and spoke about what flying would be like in the windy conditions as well as flicking through the mass of aviation magazines available on the tables. 

Michael arrived back at the club and said to me, at first eye contact, "be ready for a challenge", I laughed, not really sure if he was joking or not... Turns out he wasn't, he told me that we would be doing circuits again like last time, and also that we would only be using one stage of flaps as well as an approach speed of 70 knots rather than 65 because we had such a strong headwind - So I headed out to the aircraft and carried out my internal and external checklists, including checking the fuel, tyre inflation, stall warning, antennas, etc, after completing the checklist, Michael made his way out and got himself into the cockpit in which I was all set to go, we closed the canopy, buckled up and begun taxing to the runway 15 hold while I gathered the airfield information. 

Michael explained to me while taxing that less right rudder would be needed on take off because of the strong crosswind but we would be taking off at a slightly higher speed than usual - 60 knots in this case. 

I taxied the aircraft to runway 15 for take off, lined up, made the radio call and we we went! I done just as Michael had said, and was climbing straight out, flaps up at 300ft, continue at 70 knots until 500ft, make a left turn still climbing to 1000ft almost 90 degrees to our runway heading, though it was more like 100 degrees to compensate for the cross wind.

(Runway 15 is located on the top right of this picture as it was once RWY 16)

Upon reaching 1000ft, I levelled the aircraft off, let the airspeed increase then brought RPM back to cruising speed. I then made a left turn upon passing the mark in which I use to remember to make the left turn, made the radio call, "Scrabo 68, downwind runway 15", and then proceeded to carry out my downwind checks which mainly consists of checking the fuel, mixture, altitude, engine T's & P's, canopy, harnesses, etc, once completed, I made another left turn, now adjacent to the runway , started to reduce the RPM but kept the nose the same attitude, I waited for the airspeed to reduce to below 97 knots then took the first stage of flaps just before turning onto finals in which I began to descend, making sure I cleared a police radio mast at 500ft, I lined up with the center line, carb heat in at 300ft and taking away the speed ever so slightly while I was at it... And that's all there is too it, I was down, applying the rudder, and pushing the throttle to full - I was away yet again.

I repeated the exercise about 4 times before we had to leave it for the day because the wind was simply getting to bad. I ain't gonna lie, it was tough, and it was a challenge, definitely the toughest flying conditions I've flown in, but I enjoyed it, in fact, I think I flown on of my best lessons this time around, I really enjoyed the tough conditions! It felt pretty weird when big gusts of wind hit the aircraft and it was all over the place, such a weird feeling, I guess you just need to experience it to know how it feels!

Just hope Michael's head it okay after hitting it off the canopy when coming in to land the last time around, a gust of about 45 knots hit us and we were all over the place, but I got us back on track and successfully landed - Both funny and fun!

We then had our de-brief in the club house and Michael explained that I'm pretty much ready to go solo, I just need to get my medical and do my air law exam, unfortunately I can't go solo until I'm 16 as well, which is in December, so a bit to wait yet!

Until next time! 

Lesson Number Nine - Circuits

T'was a nice day... Little cloud about, sunny, mild - Perfect flying conditions!

Today, I knew that I would be getting my first taste of the circuit, so I was looking forward to it, a lot of excitement.

I arrived at the club and was met by Kiwi who's been mentioned a bit in some of my previous posts, he immediately started a briefing with me on the circuit, he told me the sequence in which tasks had to be completed, how long I'd have to do them, when I need to turn, what altitude I should be at, speed for the circuit and also when each stage of the flaps should be implemented, etc.

 

Since this was my first proper go at circuits, I suppose I was a little nervous. I headed out to the aircraft carried out my checks, both internal and external, kiwi joined me about 5 minutes later and we got ourselves into the cockpit, closed the canopy and away we went. We were using runway 15 today because of the southerly winds, I lined up with the centerline, pushed throttle to full, and upon reaching 55 knots, I 'rotated' for takeoff and we were away.

Climbed straight out, and done all the mandatory things such as flaps up at 300ft, demonstrating airmanship, radio calls, etc. I was taking in a lot of details at this point because it was all new to me such as when to turn, at what altitude I should be at and what speed, kiwi helped me along with the the first go around the circuit as it was my first go and I was able to do the approach and landing all on my own, which was good, it made me feel confident.

I took off and just done the same as last time, expect, I done it all on my own, I didn't need much help at all really, just a little bit of guidance at some points which I suppose has to be expected, I got the aircraft down again on the runway and pulled up for our third circuit around the airfield. 

When I got to the downwind stage of the circuit this time around, when I used the first stage of flap, I seemed to let the aircraft climb a little, we should have been at 1000ft, but I was at 1200ft, kiwi let me continue with everything, I turned onto finals and made the decision to implement full flap to help lose some airspeed resulting in a gradual glide, a bit earlier than usual, to lose the extra height gained, I had to be careful not to fly too low as there is a police radio mast on the approach for runway 15 at 500ft, to avoid this, I had to fly slightly right of the centerline approach and then line the aircraft up after passing it along with the normal checks at 300ft just before landing, I got the aircraft down, just as normal.

The forth go at the circuit, everything was fine, until turning on to downwind, when the aircraft climbed again when I used the first stage of flap, we turned onto approach and we were simply too high to carry out a landing so we preformed a go-around and were now on our fifth circuit, I was hoping that I would get it right this time...

And I did, I handled the aircraft well, didn't let it climb, kept it at the right speed and altitude, and done a nice landing if I don't mind saying so myself, I taxied us back to the apron, and had a de-brief with my instructor, we just talked about how easy it is to let the aircraft climb at any point, so once everything was made clear about that, and I felt confident that I wouldn't let it happen again and if I did, I would know how to counteract it. We finished up the lesson and kiwi give me a checklist for the circuit to revise for next lesson.

Quite a day for mixed feelings, but an important day of my flight training, one which I will take many things away from.

Just have to wait and see how lesson number 10 pans out!