About the Primal Pilot

Your humble author in the front seat while the greatest pilot in the world looks on.

Here's what you need to know.

My name is Emmett Plant. I am a 36-year-old media producer and engineer who has always loved the idea of flight. I had taken a few flight lessons in Delaware, and put my training on hold for a couple of job-related moves. I moved to Arizona in the summer of 2012, mostly because this would give me a lot of great opportunities to fly in the 'severe clear' conditions in the Valley of the Sun.

My life is generally sedentary. I work at a desk, both as an engineer and a producer. The heaviest I've ever been was 265 pounds, during my first marriage. I thought that I'd never get that heavy ever again, but the Arizona summers don't lend themselves to a lot of outdoor activities apart from shopping for air conditioners. The myth you've heard about it being a 'dry heat' is just that. The heat is absolutely punishing.

Eating out a lot, grabbing convenience food and not exercising at all? Before I knew it, I was at 262.4 pounds. That's not the bad part. Here's the bad part:

The Federal Aviation Administration thinks I weigh 170 pounds. In fact, the FAA thinks every pilot weighs 170 pounds. When they certify an aircraft, they assume a 170 pound pilot for weight and balance. Aircraft are built to meet those specifications, they're rated based on those specifications.

I can tell what you're thinking, because I think it, too: That's pretty unrealistic. People weigh more than that. The average weight of the American male is 196 pounds. But numbers are numbers and the math don't lie: Aircraft are designed around an incredibly fictional 170 pound pilot, and the average guy is that plus a goddamn toddler.

Those guys have it easy, because I have to lose about a hundred pounds, or as I like to think of it, a Rotax 503.

I've lost a lot of weight before through regular exercise and close adherence to the Primal Blueprint. This is logical: If you want to lose weight, the answers you seek can most often be found within diet and exercise.

So, that's what I'll be doing. Regular exercise, adherence to a low-carb diet and continued work toward my Private Pilot certificate. I'll be posting updates here on weight, food intake and activity. Both of these things will take as long as they're going to take, and I've got no reason to rush things. Come back once in a while and keep track, I'll try not to bore you. Enjoy!