How Top Chun came to be.

SUN, 090222 @ 9:03PM
Hello again, Zachary Ryan Chun. This is your father, Jason Chun. You do remember me, Jason Chun, don't you? I usually go by Jason T. Chun, but for the sake of SEO, I'm going to use Jason Chun over and over again. Is it ok to use Jason Chun? I hope you don't mind me using Jason Chun. That was my name for about a year. I am now Jason T. Chun. What does the 'T' stand for you ask? Well, sit back and allow me to tell you a little story...
Way back in 1987, your grandfather made tons of money. We were living in a cruddy, 2 bedroom apartment in the Los Feliz area at the time. He made so much money, that he decided to buy a home in Torrance, about 30 miles south. He drove all of us over and announced, "Do you like this house?". We answered, "Of course we do, but it's kinda big, don't you think?". "Well, congratulations, it's our home now!". "Really, dad?". "REALLY?" We couldn't believe it. From a small, 700 square foot apartment to a huge, four bedroom, 2000 square foot house. WOW! We were all thrilled. I was 16 or so at the time. I used my Korean name, Jee Hoon, at King Junior High School in Los Angeles. None of the teachers could properly pronounce my name, so it was frustrating. I figured, once I changed schools, it would be easy to start with an American name. What name should I give myself, I thought. Your grandfather once brought home two key chains while we were living in Tennessee. One said, "Cindy" and the other read "Robin". I thought Robin was a cool name because that was Batman's sidekick's name. I didn't know at the time that Robin was a girl name too. Anyways, just before we made the move, I decided to name myself Jason. There weren't any Jason's at King and I thought it was an unique name I would appreciate. At my first day of school at Newton Middle School, there were four other Jason's in my English class. OH NO! It is a very common, white name but I didn't know this so I became another Jason of many. Anyways. The house that your grandfather bought us was right next to the Torrance Airport. Every day after school, I would see the actual pilots in the cockpits flying by because they were so close. I was intrigued by this and decided to drive over one day. I pulled into the parking lot of Rolling Hills Aviation because they had a sign that read "Learn to Fly - $20". Hey, I have 20 bucks. Let's check it out. As I climbed up the stairs, I noticed the rattling of the venetian blinds. They were watching me from the parking lot getting out of my brand new BMW 325. That'll be another story. Anyways, as soon as I got in, someone grabs my arms and leads me out the back into a Cessna 152, a small, two-seater, single engine land propeller aircraft. I didn't even have a chance to ask how much it would cost, how long it would take, or what was involved. He practically threw me into the plane and off we went. The biggest difference between a commercial jetliner and a small, single engine prop. is speed. Commercial jets have to fly fast because of the weight, but a single engine prop., you can actually pull around alone. I went up for the first time in this small aircraft and immediately fell in love. You can see all around you and because you're flying so slowly, you can enjoy the view. We landed, and I was in love. I couldn't believe how awesome the experience was and definitely wanted to get my pilot's license. I told them I would talk it over with my dad and get back to them as soon as I can. I was told that it would cost $2,500 if I was a quick study and that it would take about 3 months. That was kind of expensive, but I decided to ask grandpa anyways. I also thought that he would definitely say no because it's so dangerous. I asked him that night at the dinner table because he was in a good mood. "Uh, dad. Can I take pilot lessons?". He looked over to me and asked, "Pilot lessons?". Uh-oh. Here comes the terrible answer. "Sure, why not!". He didn't even ask how much it was going to cost or anything. I wanted it, and he was more than glad to oblige. "Really, dad?". I was in shock and very, very happy. The next day, I went back to RH Aviation and began my lessons. They bombarded me with rules and regulations and I was overwhelmed. We got back into that Cessna and for the first 12 hours of flight training, all we did were touch and go's. You see, anyone can fly a plane. Even you now, at your age. There are no roads or markers you have to fly by. You can go up or down or side to side as you wish. The hard part is landing. Sure, anyone can fly a plane, but can you land it? That's what a touch and go is. You fly in an airports traffic pattern and practice landing over and over again. I think my instructor said I was ready after about 12 hours of flying. I taxied back to RH Aviation, he jumped out, and wished me luck. I taxied back to the landing strip all by myself and anxiously awaited the tower's instructions. He told me I was cleared for takeoff, so at the end of the runway, I pushed in my throttle and off I went. My instructor forgot to tell me one little detail. He weighed about 250 pounds, so without him in the plane, it flew very, very differently. I shot straight up during takeoff and it freaked me out. With so much weight missing from the planes total weight, the aircraft behaved very differently. I flew back into the traffic pattern and made a perfect landing. I taxied myself back to RH Aviation. When I ran back into the office, everyone there congratulated me for successfully completing my very first Solo. It's tradition to rip the shirt off your back in order to write down and record the event. My instructor began to write ' On this day...". He paused just before my name and asked, "Hmm, what nickname should we give you?" Well, back in 1987, the movie that rocked everyone one in their boots was TopGun. I thought for a sec, and right on that spot, I blurted out, "What about Top Chun?!?". "That's a great name. I hereby declare you, Top Chun". That name has stuck ever since. It's my legal name, you know. Jason Top Chun. I got my pilot's license about a year later. I have a few good stories I want to share with you, but now is not the time. For now, revel in the birth of Top Chun and know that your father is a licensed, single engine, land pilot. TopChun, baby! That's how I was reborn. Hope you liked it. TTYT!
SUN, 090222 @ 9:54PM