Marine Sergeant and Service Angels: Learning to Drive an RV

Have you ever met someone who changed your life in a good way for which you will be forever grateful? Well, I have. His name is Michael Lynch from RV Driving School and he is my motor home driving instructor. When I first met him, I trusted him as my instructor right away. It could be because he is a former Marine sergeant, retired Greyhound bus driver, and charter bus driver but I think it is also because he made it his mission to ensure that I would be safe driving my RV motor home. The first hour of my class he showed me everything on paper and demonstrated things with a miniature (toy) bus to make sure my brain knew what to do. Then the next four hours were spent in the parking lot doing traffic cone drills. Let's just say only one cone paid the ultimate price for my eventual proficiency in backing up through the cones in a serpentine pattern. My take away from day one was that when backing up I need to have a target. I also need to know where my pivot point (rear tire) is. So, for example, if you are turning right, the target is the inside corner of the curb and the pivot point is your right rear tire. You can't turn right till that pivot point is next to the curb when you are close in distance. The further you are from the target the sooner you can turn before the pivot point. Later that night I found that these two guys called the RV Geeks have a great YouTube video that shows much of what Michael was teaching me.

Pivot Point (tracking and tail swing)

Adjusting Your Flat and Convex Mirrors

Day Two (August 12) started out with a quick class review and then some discussion on the rules of the road for motor homes (bus style) and things I need to think about. Check mirrors every 5 seconds to see all around me. Use convex to see if I am in the lane and for traffic in my blind spot. Use flat mirrors for distance on both sides to see who is coming up on me. If there are double turn lanes, have to use outside lane. If parking lot entrance or railroad tracks have a road that slopes up, stop if my bumper hits; otherwise I could get to a place where no wheels are touching the ground. STOP if it looks like I won't make the turn cleanly like a car is in the way and I can't clear them. They may back up or they will go through their light and then I can turn.  Assume people will try to cut you off or pass you on the right side in turn lanes even if they aren't turning.  Use flashers if going way under the speed limit. Don't pump brakes, just use steady light pressure. When going uphill, not which gear automatic transmission shifts into and then on the way downhill, down shift into that gear. There is just too much to remember.

Later in the day, I had my technical walk-through with Joe from the NIRVC service center. As we walked through the motorhome, Joe taught me many things about the systems in the RV. Also during this walk-through, he discovered little things that needed to be fixed. He decided that I wasn't going to leave Georgia and drive north till it was right. He and at least five other guys from the service center worked for at least four hours working to fix everything from the antenna to the batteries. Joe even came back on Sunday when the shop was closed to replace a broken sink faucet. These guys, but especially Joe were my service angels.  Thanks, guys! Your work on my new home helped me to feel safe about my first RV trip. I know I can call you anytime if I have questions and you will be there for me!