Flight Training

The burnout

2008-06-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since my last post. One of my readers put it well when he suggested I was burnt out... indeed that is exactly it. My checkride was extremely stressful and came at the end of an even more stressful month. Fortunately, I passed. I want to brain dump before I forget everything but to be honest, most of the oral flew by until I got totally stumped on a really simple airspace question. The FE used a simple trick, he pointed at one place on the chart and asked "you are flying along at 400ft AGL what airspace are you in". G of course (up to 1200 ft unless in Class E starting at 700ft AGL). Then he pointed to another point on the map and asked the same question but this time stated I was at 1500ft. He didn't specify MSL or AGL. I assumed MSL, but I was stressed and getting confused. I said "Class G". Of course the FE was looking for the answer of Class E, because his intent was that I was flying along 1500 AGL, though he never stated so. I spun around on that question for a while. I didn't ask him to clarify AGL or MSL I just spun. He moved on to the jaggedy lines that mark the change in base of class E and hit me hard on that question. He didn't like the language I used to describe the line, "A change in class E" he wanted me to say "A difference in the start of class E airspace across the line" or something to that affect. I really couldn't see the difference to be honest but after he pounded me on it, I complied and said "its a difference in the base of class E airspace". At this point he turned back to the Class G question to which I still was answering the wrong way. He was getting irritated and I could see his dissastisfaction in his face. He pondered for a bit and said, "this is something you must know!" and wouldn't let me look at the key to verify my answer, even though it wouldn't have change, we had a basic failure to communicate. He then said that he was going to let me continue, though he wasn't sure, and based on the rest of my test he would decide. I slammed out the rest of the airspace questions he asked and then he turned to pilot responsibilites and FARs. I did pretty well through the rest of the questions I, he said a high 80% during the de-brief. Then he said, "let's go fly". I didn't realize that meant I passed the Oral. My head was spinning and my stomach was growling, I really needed to chill for a bit before I went flying. My instructor caught me in the hallway and asked how it went. I was pretty shook up over the airspace question and wasn't sure if I passed. She told me that if we were going to go fly, then I passed. She then offered to go grab some food for me and told me to take a breather. In the meantime the FE was waiting downstairs, thinking I was pre-flighting the airplane. Just as my instructor was prepping to get something from Wendy's he came up, obviously irritated, and wondering why I wasn't pre-flighting. I told him I needed to eat something before we went flying. He thought that was a good idea and asked my instructor to pick up some food for him as well. During the 15 minutes or so that she was gone, we sat somewhat uncomfortable, across from one another. I tried to make some small talk about airplanes and he started in with the questions again. This time he asked about the NTSB stuff. Unfortunately, I hadn't looked at that stuff in a very long time and answered poorly. He asked what the difference between an accident and an incident and which one you were required to report. I hadn't a clue. It had been months since I review NTSB stuff and there is so little we are required to know that I just blanked. Fortunately he had already decided to fly with me otherwise I might have been in trouble, I thought. The food came and we ate in silence then I headed out to preflight. My nerves were pretty thrashed by now and I was shaking from the low blood sugar.

When the FE came out he started quizzing me on the details of the airplane. He asked about the flight controls, the pitot system, the air filter and a few other things. Then he pointed at a hatch on the left side of the cowling and asked "what is this door for?". The cessna's being my second trainers, I hadn't spent nearly as much time studying the airplane, just flying it. Of course I didnt' know right off but I opened it and realized it was the plug for external power. This satisfied him but not before he said "you should know this airplane inside and out". Well I suppose he's correct for the exam but since I was likely never to fly it again after that day I didn't take it to heart.

Checkride, whew....

2008-06-02T18:51:00.001-07:00

Well, today was the day. I started out at my normal time, 6:00 am, with a dog walk down in Oaks Bottom with the Orbit. Then back home to load up and get myself out to the airport for a 9:30 am start. When I got here I finished the flight plan by plugging in the numbers from the weather and looking over my practical test standards (PTS) one more time. The examiner showed up around 9:45 am and we headed up to the room. After several formalities he began by asking me what is a safe taxi speed. I responded with a non-standard answer but he agreed with my assessment yet corrected me with the "98%" answer, at the speed you can walk. The rest of the oral was moving along swimmingly until I got hung on an airspace question. The examiner helped me to tie myself into a knot then just pulled on the ends until impossibly to unravel. After some time spinning around the airspace questions we adjourned and took a lunch break. After lunch I preflighted and we went flying. He asked me a couple of questions about the airplane, what was the hatch door on the ft left of the cowling. I flailed and admitted I couldn't remember what was under it. He nailed me on that, saying I should know this airplane inside and out. Then he asked if you could take-off with no air in the ft wheel shock. Uh... I reasoned out that you could but landing would be problematic. He said you couldn't due to the risk of damaging the airframe, to which the ft wheel assembly is connected via the firewall. The rest of the flight went so-so, I had some problems, admitted that I screwed up and moved on. I am hard on myself so was fairly convinced that I blew it and started mentally preparing for the pink slip that I was sure I was going to be handed after we got back to the FBO. The FE de-briefed me and had me go over all the things I thought I screwed up. I listed them off as we went through them and for all but a couple he said I was within tolerances and showed that I understood that by admitting my issues as they happened. He also acknowledged how nervous I was and that he understood how difficult the process can be under pressure. He had a few words of wisdom and said I did very well on my oral and began filling out a white slip... I passed. I am now a FAA certified Private Pilot.

Freakin a little

2008-05-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know I said my next post would be something about my check ride but I needed to do a little stress redux so here is my brain dump... I started freaking a little last evening about my readiness for the check ride after a very bad flight with my instructor. I couldn't seem to do anything right, blew all my steep turns and couldn't get a stall for crap. Then I got a little panicked when we started practicing diversions as I had been under the hood doing unusual attitudes and as soon as I took it off she had me do a diversion. I had no clue where I was and was having a lot of trouble figuring it out. She pointed out Mulino and suggested I fly over to it and then divert from there. I did and I found my bearing and estimated time but winds blew me way south of course and I was getting frustrated because I was still uncertain about where I was exactly.

I hindsight, I was fine, i knew where I was in general and was heading in the right direction and was able to get a VOR signal from Newburg but I was getting flustered. Then I blew the two short field landings I attempted at McMinnville, my diverted locale. As we departed McMinnville she had me calculate another diversion to Happy Valley and while enroute quizzed me hard on emergency procedures.

Now that I am typing this I realize how much she was throwing at me, just like one would expect on a check ride I suppose. However, if it was supposed to instill confidence in me, she failed completely. Oh did I mention that I spent the 8 hours prior to flying yesterday cramming?! Go figure. I came home feeling dejected and questioning whether or not I am really ready for this. Of course I am, I have been studying my brains out and have over 60 hours in now.

Today, after I got shelled by scuddy weather in the am, I spent the time between my time blocks not studying but just sitting watching people do touch and goes for a couple of hours. By the time my 3pm block came I was feeling pretty relaxed so I grabbed the book and started my pre-flight. My instructor came and discussed what I should go do and took another student up to do his solo prep. As I was completing my pre-flight, I stood up and tagged my head against the wing strut. It knocked me on my ass and it hurt. I took a deep breathe and was getting up when I realized I had blood streaming down my face... friggin perfect. I ran into the bathroom and I could tell I freaked out a couple of people who where sitting around studying but I had to get some paper towels on the wound to stop the bleeding ASAP. After I put pressure on it for a few minutes I cleaned it up under some cold water and looked to see if I was going to need stitches. The cut didn't look too bad and the bleeding was slowing so I just kept pressure on it and headed back outside. I decided to wait until my instructor came back to decide if I should fly. I felt ok, not freaked out just kinda pissed that Murphy stuck his big fat law in my face today. We went flying and I nailed my steep turns. Then we practiced emergency descents, a bunch of them... Pitch for best glide and look for a field. Begin troubleshooting: Fuel valve, Mixture, Carb Heat, Primer, Restart. Circle down on field and prep for off field. I think I have got the flow now. Then back to practice short fields and slips. I nailed the short field and the second slip. I am ready. Tomorrow I am going to fly with another of the instructors for a cross-check then go do some more ground reference maneuvers for last minute tune up. Monday is the day, just another lesson my instructors says to me! I will do great, I just need to relax, it's only flying after all ;)

Oh, and I met one of my readers today at the field. He was just finishing up a lesson with my instructor. He wrote me a while back asking about my experiences both in Bend and here and where would I suggest he go. I of course suggested Gorge Winds because I like the folks there and the attitude and he took my advice. I guess I have learned a thing or two about flying over the past 13 months.

Long Days

2008-05-26T19:29:00.001-07:00

I forgot to post last week after my three days of intense training. Last weekend I began the final hours of my PPL training with review of stalls, spins and slow flight. Then a few short and soft field takeoffs and landings. Later on, I went out and practiced my ground reference manuevers. On Sunday of last week I went out again for a morning flight with my instructor to work on simulated instument time and short/soft fields again. Then after a few hours of study, went back up on my own to practice short and soft field stuff. It was wikked hot and I got frustrated with the lack of my performance so called it quits after 6 laps in the pattern.

After taking most of the week off from aviation for work/school obligations I got back out to the airport last evening to work again on simulated instrument and short/soft fields. My instructor discussed setting up my checkride mid June prior to our flight, but when we got back she told me it was time and she called the Flight Examiner to make the appointment for next weekend. HOLY CRAPPOLY!!! I have in the past 24 hours been cramming like there is no tomorrow, even though the appointment isn't even confirmed, I need to be ready for my CHECKRIDE!!! Today I spent the entire day at the FBO studying and quizzing with other students of various degree. Fortunately, one of the guys I got hooked up with is prepping for his CFI and spent an hour quizzing me directly out of the Practical Test Standards book, PTS for short, which describes in detail what will be expected of me on the checkride. By 4 pm my brains were melted and I took Orbit out for his afternoon walk along a dike just east of the airport, a very nice place to walk and watch airplanes land.

The remainder of this week will consist of work during the day and studying in the evening, except for tomorrow because I have class.

Also, just in case anyone reads this thing, who is the cute girl my CFI solo'd today? I sure would like to get to know her ;)

The next post will be titled "Checkride: " followed by some description adjectives.... till then

Fast Fast Fast

2008-05-13T10:33:00.001-07:00

Last night I got to fly a Piper Arrow with another pilot who needed some left seat eyeballs while he practiced landing from the right seat. He took me out to the practice area and showed me how to do Pilon turns, Lazy 8's and Chandelles. This airplane hauls butt, even for a 34 yr old. The pilot I went flying with is getting his CFI and I think I am going to have him help me get my complex endorsement.

Final Hours - Point Turns and S Turns

2008-05-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I lucked out and grabbed a couple of hours abandoned by another renter. I went up with my CFI and practiced short field takeoffs and landings. Then we headed out to the Boring practice area to test my turns around a point and S turns across a road. My first attempts at keeping the elevation and airspeed and distance weren't great but that's why we were out there. We did a set of each then headed back for a couple more short field attempts. My instructor was telling me that the Examiner that I will likely be check riding with is pretty hard on landing pattern airspeeds being right on the numbers and that he wants everything about 10 kts slower than I have been practicing. So I played around with 75 on downwind, 65 on base and 45 - 55 on final. It felt pretty strange initially since I have been hitting base at 60 and slowing to 50 for touchdown. I will get it for sure, but yesterday there was a 8-10kt headwind right down the runway making it hard to maintain the glide path without adding power and increasing my airspeed. I dropped off my CFI and headed out for a few solo turns on a point and s turns. I dialed in the right turn first as I was having the most trouble with it. The NNW wind was good because it really accentuated the need to change the degree of roll through out the turn. I also found myself using power to maintain altitude within the 100ft range. I need to review the procedures to see if this is the recommended way. I have three days of training scheduled for this week and need to get started with studying for the oral. The date is closing in fast...

As a bonus, a guy I met via an email list who recommended Gorge Winds offered to take me up in the Piper Arrow tonight. He is working on his CFI and thought it would be helpful to have someone in the left seat who could call out numbers as he practices flying from the right seat since the view is funky from that side. We have been trying to meet up for some time but keep missing each other at the FBO (sometimes by minutes I am told). I had scheduled the 152 for myself but decided it would be nice to get a couple days off after and intense weekend.

XC Hours DONE!!!

2008-05-10T20:36:00.001-07:00

Today I finished off my Cross Country hours with a 1.9 hr flight up to Chehalis (CLS) with a touch and go at Scapoose (SPB). It was a bit misty in places as some weather moved through but overall a good flight. Ceilings at 4000ft gave me plenty of altitude, though as I got higher up the visibility quickly became worse so I settle in at between 2500 and 3000 ft. Chehalis has rt hand traffic for 16 so I entered the pattern straight in on the downwind leg. There was a Skylane on a left base, apparently they didn't read the Flight Guide of AFD regarding the right hand pattern. As they turned final I turned base and followed them in. It must have been an instructor and student on a cross country from the radio calls. I ended up following them all the way down to Scapoose. They were moving a bit faster than I and made it in and out about 10 minutes before I got there. Upon my return to Gorge Winds I had a conversation with my instructor about the next few weeks as I prepare for the checkride. I need to get a paper copy of the PTS and a 2008 FAR/AIM, time for a Sporty's Order. Wow, its finally feeling real!!! I am going to be a private pilot before summer :)

FYI: Picture taken for Mother's Day @ 2500 ft over Kelso, WA.

KTTD - CVO - KTTD

2008-05-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Got another cross country out of the way last night. I flew down to Corvallis and back. Originally I had planned to stop at McMinville on the way back but I thought I was running out of time. Turns out that I had the airplane for another 45 minutes beyond my touchdown time back at Troutdale and could have easily fit in the TAG at McMinnville and probably cleared out all my solo xc time... DOH! Well I like flying so I don't mind have to do a .5 hr cross country to finish out my solo time. I think I will fly up to Kelso, WA or go out the Gorge to Hood River. I am going to start prepping for my checkride beginning this weekend. I have an Oral study guide, will be reviewing the King DVDs and Sporty's DVDs. I have a few days scheduled next week to work on the Prep time and finish up my instrument time. I think I am on target for the week of the 21st as long as the weather holds... YA!

Cross County #1

2008-05-04T13:46:00.001-07:00

FINALLY!!! Today I got lucky, I both had an airplane and decent weather and managed to eek out my long cross country. I flew down to Bend (sorry I didn't have time to call anyone) and on the way back hit Madras. I departed Troutdale at 10:20 am and arrived at Bend around 11:30, pretty much right as I calculated. Going over the mountains is a bit of a clincher in the 152. I could only get up to 7000 ft, then as I came over the crest the scattered layer started to come down and I ended up between 5500 and 6000 ft. The farther south I got the fewer they became and by the time I did my full stop and taxi back at KBDN most of the clouds had blown out or whatever. On my way back I landed at Madras to make sure the three stop requirement was met for my long cross country. I picked up Flight Following just after I got off Madras for the trip back over the mtns. I was able to push the 152 up to 8500 ft on the way back, but it took some time to get up there. Once at altitude I took some time to look around. I didn't do much sightseeing on my way over so I wanted to take it all in. Mt Hood was epic. I didn't even think to take a picture, DOH! I did however get to use the GPS that I purchased from a reader last summer. I used it to verify my position relative to where I thought I was based on my pilotage skillz. I understand that some CFI's (mine included) don't want students to use them and I really didn't need it at all, but it gave me some reassurance and that is worth it to me. The whole round trip took me less than 3 hours, which is less than half the drive time ... flying is awsome! Only 2.3 more hours of XC time and I will be done with all but a couple hours of prep and instrument time. WOOHOO!

6 Laps

2008-04-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

I squeezed in 6 laps in the pattern today. The weather has been icky and I am once again in a holding pattern for solo cross countries so today I decided that I had better at least get back in the airplane to keep my skills up since I am only getting in a day every ten or so. When I called to check in before I made the drive out to Troutdale, my instructor told me that a couple of guys had asked about me. They flew in from Bend in a C206, though I have no idea who it could be. Maybe instructors from ProAir? Maybe readers of this blog? Anyone? Anyone? Does Anyone know the answer?

Night Cross Country

2008-04-12T08:08:00.001-07:00

Last night I finished up my night training with my night cross country. On top of that I got to fly a Cessna 172 with a Garmin 430 on board. I sure miss having the G430 available in the 152 but I realize that it forces me to be a more active navigator. The 172, N172MR, has a 180hp engine which made the trip go very quickly. From Troutdale (KTTD) we flew down to Independence State (7S5), landed, taxied back and headed back to KTTD. We made good time down with a 10kt tailwind. Navigating in the Valley is pretty easy with all the various towns around. I am not as familiar with the terrain but I do know where towns are located relative to each other from obsessive chart study. My instructor covered the moving map as we neared so that I had to use my pilotage skills to find the airport, which can be surprisingly difficult with some of the smalled fields that dont have a beacon. It took me a few minutes to locate 7S5 but I found it and got us down into the pattern. My first landing in the 172 at night... not so hot. The bigger airplane requires a lot more rudder on touchdown. The trip home was much easier as I could see the towers on the west hills as soon as we were at altitude. As we passed over Aurora, I started my descent from 5500 down to 1500 to get under Portland Class C airspace and picked up I-205 @ Oregon City. My second landing in the 172 was better, but still far from an A, more like a C, but my instructor complimented me that for not having flown a 172 before, I did very well considering it was night time. I am getting very close, I can feel my successful completion of my PPL at hand. I am shooting for a mid-May checkride if the weather holds out... stay tuned.

Second First Solo

2008-03-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today I solo'd in N5355Q, the C-152 I am finishing my private training in. My instructor told me two weeks ago that she was ready to sign me off but weather has been pretty bad the past two weeks so I was just waiting it out, trying to get a night cross country done in the mean time. I tried scheduling a flight last night and again tonight but storm systems in the area kept blocking me. Fortunately, I decided this morning that I should just go out to the airport and do some laps in the pattern just to stay sharp. The winds were light so my instructor had me drop her off and I did my obligatory 3 lap. I decided to keep going but after my forth landing, the engine in the airplane died on the runway. I coasted as far as I could and alerted the tower that I was having trouble. I checked the systems, electrical and mixture controls. Nothing struck me as unusual. The first thought was that I was out of fuel as we started out with only a half tank, but I had been up for less than an hour so that didn't make much sense. I tried leaning the mixture and repriming. I almost got it going but just couldn't get it to catch. I asked the tower to call the FBO for some help getting the airplane off the runway. My instructor showed up just as I almost had the engine turning over. She had me cut it off and began push while I steered onto the taxiway. I suspected fouled plugs but the engine had given me little indication of fouling. I had carb heat on full when I landed. After I got a tow back to the parking area, the FBO owner came out and pulled the plugs. They were slightly fouled but not so much that I would have thought it be a problem. Regardless, I am glad it happened on the ground rather than just after take-off and I am solo current again!!! The next step is to get my night cross country in then get my solo xc time done. The check ride is in sight, Private Pilot certificate here I come

Busy weeks

2008-03-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been busy with flying and work and I have been neglecting to post my experiences so here's the up-to-date coverage. Last weekend, March 15/16, I flew both Saturday and Sunday in hopes of getting my solo status renewed. While my CFI signed me off as current, the winds were pretty difficult (18-22knt crosswinds) so rather than go up on my own, I had her come with me and I got to practice crosswind landings for the first time. Exhilarating and hard work!!! Then on Sunday I went back out with the hopes of getting up for my solo laps but once again winds fouled my plans. We did a 8 laps in the pattern and called it a day. I took Monday off work in hopes of getting another flight in but it was raining pretty hard when I got out there and the crosswind was blowing hard, 90 degrees to the runway. I hung out and studied for a while before calling it quits and heading back to Sellwood.

This past weekend, March 22/23, I got a double dose on Saturday and shelled again by weather on Sunday. Once again I headed out in hopes of getting my solo laps in but winds were blowing hard, this time straight down the runway at 18 kts gusting to 24. So we went up for a few laps and I practiced landing with a gusty headwind, very challenging once again. After 5 I was done, concentration spent. My instruction asked if I wanted to get a night flight in that night since it was forecast to be clear below 12000 ft under a high pressure cell. I came home, took a nap, did some cross country planning refresher study and headed back to TTD at 8 pm. I showed up a little early so tuned my scanner to the tower freq and listened for 55Q to come in. The wind was still blowing but it settled down to 14 kts and was changing from easterly to southerly. After a SNAFU with the instructors FBO keys, I retrieved the book for 55Q and did my normal preflight with some extra attention to the lights. As we taxied my instructor (DP) told me to ask for a different departure, Lackamas Lake. As we climbed out I flew over Vancouver for the first time. DP dialed int Portland Approach and told me to request a stop and go at PDX... Kewl, flying in with the giants. I was a little disoriented having not been into PDX before but once I figured out where 10L was, it was really hard to miss, that's a big ass runway with a nice light strip down the center so no guessing where i was on the tarmac. The wind was giving me some trouble as it was forcing me to crab pretty hard to get onto final but as we came down, I performed one of the finest landings so far in the 152, a true greaser. After the full stop (required for night currency) we were of to Aurora, my first foray through Class C airspace. I executed a go around and a good landing at Aurora then hit Mulino on the way back to Troutdale. What a great night, a full moon, pretty clear (though so high clouds). I was concentrating so hard on flying I forgot to look around. Next time I will get some more gawking in I hope. Hopefully I will get my solo laps in soon so I can start going on some "missions" to outlying airports on my own and get back to cross country time.

The Home Stretch

2008-03-20T21:37:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I flew two days in a row and had the plane scheduled for a third but low ceilings kept me from going up. My CFI said she's ready to sign me off for solo work and will be pushing me towards the checkride asap. So I spent some time with my logbook and the FAR's to make sure I am where I think I am. To date I have 37.7 TT with 4.7 Solo, 1.7 Simulated Instrument and 1.3 night. So I just need 5.3 hours of solo 5 of which needs to be cross country, some more simulated instrument time, and night time, which needs to be cross country. Then I need 3 hrs of checkride prep time. So I am getting pretty darn close. My CFI said I can pretty much do the cross country time in one wack if I so choose, so I may make a big day of it and fly for five hours... wow that sounds like a LOT. If not I will do a short one out to Hood River and a second tour of the coast.

Consistency being the key to success, I have secured a loan to help me finish up. Thanks go to my very supportive family for helping me achieve this dream of mine.

I have the plane reservered both days this coming weekend but weather on Sunday isn't looking too great, but I am learning that valley weather is much less predictable then the Central Oregon weather so its anyones guess. If all goes well, I will do my solo thing on Saturday and maybe XC to Hood River or elsewhere Sunday. Til then ...

Almost solo again

2008-03-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went out in N5355Q for 1.1 hrs of air work, and some landings at Valley View, a very skinny runway in Estacada, OR. I did a couple of Short Field Take-offs and one Short field landing there. Its a little field with not much of a taxiway and you have to taxi back from midfield on the runway to takeoff on 34. After a couple of those we headed back to Troutdale. I felt my skills sharpening today and I was a lot less tense. I took about 30 minutes before my lesson just sitting in the airplane, feeling her out and getting in synch. My landings are still ... meh, but I felt much more comfortable in the air. My mom wanted pics so I took a couple with my DV cam, which I had intended to use to get a little video but it didn't work out cause I forgot a tape. Doh! Regardless, I did get a couple of pics of the cockpit and one external photo. I was given a copy of the Pre-solo quiz today. Its the same one as before but now there is new airspace and aircraft that I must prove my knowledge of. So hopefully I will be solo again after my next lesson and I can finish this sucker up!!!

School Project

2008-03-08T09:32:00.019-08:00

In January I began taking classes at Portland Community College to help keep me interested in my career until I can make a living as a pilot (yes I do understand how difficult that can be). For my first series of classes, Multimedia Design, we had to create a project using audio, video and graphics in Macromedia Director. This program is targeted at applications that will be deployed on kiosks and distributed on cds, not necessarily for the web. For my topic I chose (big surprise here) learning to fly. The idea was to create an interactive environment to generate the same kind of excitement I felt when getting ready to go for my first flight. The project presentations are today, so here's a sneak peak of the content. You will need to have Apple Quicktime and the Macromedia Director plug-ins installed for you browser and Intel Mac users have a couple of hoops to jump through. Http://chrisbjohannsen.com/portfolio/getYourWings.html

Handy Notes

2008-03-07T13:16:00.001-08:00

In keeping with the intention of acting more like the PIC for my upcoming lesson, I created a handy checklist out of a few 3x5 file cards and two clip rings (actually someone at Mead had already thought of this, I just bought the color coded cards/ring combo pack). The cards have a color strip at the bottom which I used to seperate them into categories; Pre-flight, Engine Runinng, Emergency, and General Aircraft Data (Fuel, Oil, VSpeeds) checklists. I made a checklist for the walkaround, inside cockpit per start, Engine Start, Taxi, Climbing and Descending and After Landing. This was a useful exercise in learning the C152 and now I have a handy little binder of the critical checklists. So no more uncertainty for me when I get to the lesson this week.

Stalls, Slow Flight, TAGs and Turns

2008-03-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

Seems like I have been here before... back to the basics of air work in the C152 yesterday. A new plane, new FBO, new Airport with a tower and totally new area definitely challenged my ego. I did manage to get a couple landings in on my own control, though I am having a tough time with feeling the ground effect in the Cessna. I think I had the same issue in the Diamond initially, so I am racking it up to inexperience in the airplane. The 152 stalls a bit differently than the DA20, the shudder is much more subtle. I also noticed that the 152 doesn't float like the Diamond, and am guesstimating that this has to do with weight (the Diamonds being 300lbs lighter)? One lesson that took me some time to absorb and caused me a bit of frustration in the air is that I am PIC, and my new instructor has an interesting way of reminding me of that fact. I noticed last summer that when my instructor was in the plane, I tended to rely on her for "corrections" in cases where I was unsure of a procedure or my flying. I found myself doing this again yesterday as I am unfamiliar with the new airplane and the procedures of the FBO and the Portland area traffic patterns. In one case I didn't hear clearly what the tower had said, though I knew from my position that it was a "leaving my airspace" call but didn't hear it clearly. I couldn't remember if I should respond, so I asked my instructor, rather than asking the controller to repeat. My instructor reminded me that it is my responsibilty (meaning not hers) to be sure I understand the instructions given by ATC. Ultimately, I realize that I need to give myself some time to build my confidence back up, but also realize that I do know what I am doing, and just because there is a CFI in the other seat shouldn't distract me from that fact.

Lastly I did want to mention how much nicer the controllers are at Troutdale vs. Redmond. The guys seem to be very accomodating to students in clarifying their instructions and just plain friendlier on the radio than the guys In Redmond. I mentioned this to my instructor and she laughed and said that Redmond is notorious for the cranky controllers.

Conflicting information

2008-02-27T20:59:00.001-08:00

At the end of last summer I subscribed to Aviation Safety, a monthly journal of accident and safety related material. I find it interesting how very critical the authors tend to be of modern flight training techniques. It makes me wonder about the quality of training I have received up to this point. From the tone of some of the articles I have read, the author expects the readers to be masters level aerodynamics students. Is having this level of scientific understanding of the airplanes flight dynamics necessary? Do all pilots need to be able to explain the fluid dynamics involved in aileron deflection? What about the "seat of the pants" feeling? That indescribable sixth sense I get when I am too high on base, too fast on final? Its the same thing I experience barrelling down a steep singletrack, faster and more precise that I can explain. Primal. The literature doesn't give much credence to the "feeling" of the machine, instead it concentrates on the physics of why this accident happened or who was at fault, the pilot or instructor. I wonder if this is just me or if other pilots just don't get it? Am I being obtuse?

Back for real!

2008-02-19T20:06:00.001-08:00

Today I flew N5355Q, a Cessna 152. She's a bit of a beast when compared to the Diamonds, but she's a solid flyer and will teach me some very crucial skills and bring me inline with most of the pilots in the world in terms of what they trained in. She flies a bit easier than the diamonds, mostly because of the actual useful trim operation. I never got the hang of properly trimming the Diamonds as there is no physical sensation to the trim other than the change in attitude. We did some slow flight, turns on a point and tag's. My new instructor is very pleasant and knowledgable. One really great thing about KTTD is that it is towered. Not so busy as but its a good training ground. I kept thinking to myself that those controllers must get pretty bored, I saw fewer aircraft than on a slow day at KBDN, but at least I will get some more practice talking to ATC. I am very excited to be back in the game, though I am not sure how long it will be before my next day up, it will certainly be fewer days than have gone by since Sept 19, 2007

My new FBO

2008-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Today I got back in the left seat at Gorge Winds at KTTD (Troutdale). I flew a C172 after getting the primo tour from the chief instructor of the FBO and all the aircraft, way more thorough than was dealt me at Pro Air, not to say they didn't take care of me in Bend, but this new place felt like home right off the bat. They have a fleet of 7 or 8 birds of all types from a 152 up to a 310 and beyond. KTTD is towered but not terribly busy, which will add just the right amount of additional challenge and performance to my pilotage. The winds were 30 gusting to 40 mph so instead of flying my first day back in ferocious winds the instructor offered to let me fly their FRASCA flight simulator... this thing is very fun!!! I can see doing my Instrument rating in it as she explained that pt 141 students can do up to 40% of their hours in the simulator @ a substantial hourly rate savings. Pro air didn't have one of these as far as I know, but like I said above, I got the full tour and was made to feel very at home. I did three touch and go's then landed and taxied back to the terminal. I am very excited to get back to it ... the end is once again in sight. Thanks to all those folks who answered my requests for input on where to base out of to continue my training.

Back to the cockpit ... sorta

2008-02-05T16:18:00.001-08:00

Well it's been a while since my last flying post but things have been changing and flying took a back burner for a while. So here's the short version... I put my PPL on hold so that I could save for and execute a move out of Central Oregon for greener, literally, pastures in light of an employment situation that was brewing. I am now working and living in Portland, OR, taking classes in Multimedia design/development and working from my substantially larger apartment. I have begun looking for a new CFI and plan to start back to my training in late March or early April. I have been flying Microsoft Flight Simulator X for a few weeks to get my head back in the game as much as I can. I have also made learning to fly the subject of a school project I am doing. Here is a small sampling.

I miss the sky :(

2007-10-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Its been a couple weeks since I flew last and I don't know when I will be able to go up again. Due to some circumstances beyond my control that necessitate having to re-arrange my financial priorities, I am Grounded. I haven't been able to get myself out to the airport though I know I should at least go sit and watch people fly, maybe this weekend?? I could make a video of other people flying around or something.

Shelled Again!!! but kewl videos

2007-09-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today I was planning to do my solo cross country but once again I was shelled by the weather everywhere else but here. Instead I decided to go to Redmond and work on my towered airport stuff. I also decided to make a vlog post to go along with my day, which was fun, but I need a better way to hold the camera. any suggestions?

Also, a friend sent me this...

Kewl!!!

Big Break

2007-09-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day flying in over a month... wow that was a big one. I took N380GF for 1.2 hrs of steep turns, slow flight, turns on a point and S-turns. I started my day off with a quick tour over the new Tetherow developement/golf resort just to see what they have done. Holy cow, all that space that used to contain some kewl singletrack and lots of walking space is now a bunch of roads and golf hole. Ce la vie, such is the price of "progress". Anywho, everything went pretty well today considering the break. My first steep turns were a little sloppy and my s-turns suck, but my turns on a point were pretty good. I got a little spooked doing slow flight, the diamonds engine was a little cranky at lower rpm and it was gusty so I decided I had better terminate before I got into something I couldn't handle. After I got a little dizzy flying in circles I decided to head back for some touch and goes to see how my landing feet felt... not so hot there either. The light gusts coming straight down 34 kept me floating a lot longer than anticipated. The diamonds have such a high glide ratio they will float forever if you let them. After one touch and go, and one go around, I decided I had enough and called my full stop. Good enough for me right now. Don't know when I will be able to fly again. Money has gotten tight and some other things need priority in my life right now. Hopefully I'll get my elusive first solo cross country out of the way next weekend but since it seems to be evading me I am working on having no expectations.

Unicom Man

2007-08-23T08:10:00.001-07:00

While not exactly a flight training post, I have officially volunteered to man the UNICOM radio at Black Rock International, the temporary, fully FAA compliant airport built each year to handle GA aircraft arriving at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. The strip is 5000 ft with a 1 mile overrun they say :). I am exited to meet other pilots and get some useful radio experience from the other end. I will also be volunteering as an "Interceptor". The interceptor ".. meets airplanes on the ramp (in the tie down area), fills out half of the Arrival Report, prepares new arrivals for Box Office, assigns tie down numbers, and maintains the Parking Chart." Kinda like the burner version of flight line crew (plus I get to drive the golf cart!!!). Maybe next year I can fly the Cardinal the AOPA is going to give me ;).

See you on the other side...

Rained out!

2007-08-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Damn. I just can't catch a break with my solo cross countries. I have been trying to get my first one done for the past three weeks and I keep getting waylaid. Today it was poor weather, last week it was scheduling as was the week before. Now its going to be another two week before I fly again as I leave for vacation next Sunday and likely won't have time to fly before then. On top of my own schedule, Bend muni has now an even more abbreviated schedule making it impossible for me to fly mid-week. Thanks to a FUBAR by the runway construction project manager, BDN will be open only 9-4 during the week. I guess this will be the frustrating part of my training, which I have heard so much about.

GPS

2007-08-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a helpful blog reader, I have a brand new to me Lowrance AirMap 100 GPS unit. I am taking a quick break from reading the user manual to post. I blogged a while back that learning the in-panel Garmin GNS 430 was difficult as I was busy flying and the controls aren't so user friendly (especially when it get a bit choppy). Another thing that aggrevates me is that it must be reprogrammed every time I turn on the master switch, which makes flight planning a PITA with the device. Now maybe I just don't know how to properly use it but I am not going to run the Hobbs meter @ $125/hr to find out (apparently it starts when you flip on the master). So thanks to a gracious blog reader and fellow pilot, I have an older hand held to learn with. It may not be as fancy as the 430 with the terrain alerts and up-to-date data, but it will certainly tell me the direction I am from stuff, my ground speed, times etc, etc. and all for $50. The really great thing is that I can setup my flight before I get in the plane which is one less thing to have to worry about during pre-flight. Time to get back to the learning...

VOR and Foogles

2007-08-13T08:18:00.001-07:00

First off, foggles are much more tolerable for hood work than the traditional Hood. They are lighter, more comfortable and don't slip off mid-flight. Yesterday morning I got a lesson in instrument navigation using the Deschutes VOR. First we flew out to the VOR (located atop Klein Butte) while I learned to track a radial both TO and FROM the station. Once I was comfortable with how it all worked, Kyle gave me the Foggles and had me track some more radials. It was pretty challenging and got me exited about my instrument training. After a couple passes it was time to head back to BDN so Kyle gave me vectors to fly which put me right on the downwind leg to 16. I did a couple of short field landings, well at least one actually counted, and called it a day. Two flights in two days was pretty nice. After I turned in the plane, Kyle went over my questions and gave me some info on what comes next. Pretty much I need to complete my solo cross countries, a short one to KFalls, then my long one to some other place of my choice (Looking at Yakima -> Eastern Oregon Regional -> BDN). After I get those done I will do my night cross country with Kyle and then start prepping for the check ride. It has gone pretty fast up to this point and I am on target for completing my Private Pilot by the middle to end of September.

Night Flying

2007-08-12T17:57:00.001-07:00

I didn't have time to post this yesterday. I flew my first night flight with Kyle on Friday night. It was SPECTACULAR ( and really dark ) as we are in a new moon right now. I arrived at Pro Air at 9:45 on Friday night and was impressed by how quiet and dark it was out there. I brought two flashlights, one standard LED light and my Petzel backpacking headlamp. Of course I left them both in my flight bag next to Kyle's desk and ended up having to use her fancy bio-powered flashlight (you shake it up to generate enough electricity to run the light, its a must have!!!). After a challengingly dark pre-flight, we taxied out and turned on the runway lights. It was so cool looking. I have been looking forward to this since I started. We climbed out over Bend to get a look at the city at night. After cruising over the Ballpark, Kyle had me tune the Deschutes VOR and fly to it. As we climbed to 6,500 ft she talked about how to intercept the VOR Radial I had tuned. Once we crossed over the VOR we turned into Redmond for three stop and go's. Redmond was very quiet, though not as quiet as Bend, and looked really pretty from above. Winds were 8kts out of 210 so I setup for a left downwind to rwy 28. Now I don't think I have ever landed on 28 in the day so it was a totally new experience for me. Right away I noticed that I really needed to pay attention to my altimeter for information, which I rarely even look at during day time approaches. I made a very wide pattern which also threw me off a bit. Also, since the wind was a small crosswind, I found myself crabbing quite a bit to stay on the centerline, even though I couldn't see the centerline. I noticed how my depth perception was a bit off as I came into ground effect too. My first landing was ok, I flared a bit high, which is the common mistake at night but recovered ok and didn't land too hard. Because the FAA requires full stop landings at night, I applied full brakes and slowed to a stop. Since the Control Tower is closed after 10, I didn't have to make any other than typical uncontrolled radio calls. There were a couple of other planes operating, one arriving and one departing. I did a couple more touch and go's then we headed south back to Bend. My landings got much better after the first one. I realized that I am learning to "sense" when the plane in getting into ground effect, which is really helpful when you can't see very well.
I did a couple of power-off stalls and then we headed back to BDN as it was getting kinda late. Once back on the ground, and while doing my after landing checklist, Kyle noticed that the position lights where out. Now I am sure they were on at some point. I may have inadvertently turned them off whenI changed from landing to taxi light. But it was a good eye opener to remember to check and double check once I am ready to roll.

I am exited to get up for my next night flight, which will be my night cross country but I have to get my solo cross countries done first. I hope to get them knocked out prior to Burning man as I won't be flying for 10 - 14 days.

Till next flight....

BDN -> RDM -> BDN

2007-08-07T11:02:00.001-07:00

First solo away from Bend today. Flew up to Redmond to do towered airport work. It was busy and the controller threw me for a couple loops. I was expecting rwy10 but got cleared for rwy22, which was nice cause its really W I D E and has a PAPI (first time on one). Then on my first takeoff I asked for "Closed Traffic" and he switched me to rwy 10. I blew the first approach as I turned in way too soon, so I went around. The next lap was a standard left pattern on rwy 10. It went fine. The third lap is where things started getting weird. As I climbed out the controller switched me to a right hand pattern on rwy 10, then when I reported Downwind, he told me to turn left 360 as he had other traffic on approach. As I came around there was another airplane on approach to 22 and he had me circle around again. I was beginning to think I was causing some kind of problem but complied and circled around again. I turned base and he told me to go around. Actually I wasn't sure if I was supposed to turn base or if I should have waited? Anyway, I did one more touch and go and decided it was time to head back to BDN so I headed requested a departure to the south. Once clear of Redmond Class D airspace and given the go ahead to switch to CTAF I decided that since I had not yet flown over my beautiful city to do a lap around Awbrey Butte and enter an extended Left Downwind for 16. One more touch and go at BDN then I was ready to get out of the airplane. The throttle was hesitating a bit and on my last t/o it really choked hard. It always catches up but it sure is an eye opener.

Making the Go/No-Go Decision

2007-08-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Today I got practice making the go/no-go decision. I was originally supposed to be flying solo down to KFalls, but due to some scheduling difficulties with Kyle and an airplane plans changed. Instead I was going to solo out to Redmond and practice Touch and go's. No big deal, I like flying solo. I got to the airport and introduced myself to the CFI who would be there in the case that I needed help. He checked my endorsements and off I went. I did the pre-flight which was normal except the engine was low on oil so I added a quart. Upon start, the engine was running pretty rough and the oil pressure was high, which I made mental note. I taxied to the end of 16 and performed the run-up. Now I failed to mention that there was a squawk sheet about this airplane experiencing extreme rpm drop on the right mag during mag check. Again I made a mental note to check this during my run-up. I went through the checklist and noticed that the engine faltered when I put in power. I tried a couple times in a row as I know that these airplanes are a bit rough in the morning. I set the power to 1700 rpm and started the mag check. WHOA! The engine nearly stalled when I tested the right mag. Then on the left mag the rpm was dropping off, not to stall point but it was much lower than would be expected. OK. Breathe and test it again. Second time was the same result, except I had to quickly change back to both mags or the engine would have died. OK this is where I make the call, I am not gonna fly this plane until I KNOW its safe. My inexperience may be influencing my caution, but that's a good thing right? I taxied back, secured the plane and walked back to the FBO. I filled out another squawk sheet, which read almost identically to the first. RPM Drop out of limits on run-up performing mag check. The original had been signed-off by a mechanic, though I couldn't read the handwriting so I couldn't tell what it said.

I may have overreacted or I may have saved my life, Hard tellin' not knowin' ...

Solo #2 - Away from BDN

2007-07-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I flew N390DC out to the practice area and did some steep turns by my self. It sure was quite in there without someone to talk to, but I managed to keep myself busy with Steep turns. I had initially planned on doing some turns around a point and s-turns but there were two other airplanes in the practice area so I went south toward Horse Ridge and flew around down there. After about thirty minutes of that I headed back to practice landings. Six touch and goes and I am feeling much more confident about my "skillz". They aren't quite like nun-chuck skillz but I am digressing. At one point there were 5 aircraft in the pattern so I got lots of position reporting experience. All in all it was a busy morning at KBDN. I only racked up 1.1 hrs but it felt like a lot longer. Sunday will be my first Solo cross country so the confidence I gained today readied me for the experience. While I haven't added up my time lately, I think I am nearing 30 hrs of flying time. Man it adds up quickly.

Cross Country #2 - Klamath Falls Kingsley Field

2007-07-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I flew my second consecutive cross country down to KFalls and back. We had to cut short my planned route as the airplane was low on fuel when I got to the FBO and line service wasn't in nor did the Self Serv pump have any fuel. So after waiting around for 45 minutes, We finally got in the air just a hair past 8 am. Once I got up to 7500 ft I called Seattle Center for VFR flight following to Kfalls. They obliged as long as I was going to cruise above 10000 ft, which I planned anyway. So I had my first live experience with ARTCC and it went well. I stand by the COMM1 radio training DVD. It really helps build my confidence and know what will be expected in just about any ATC communication. On the way down, I used Pilotage and Dead Reckoning to navigate, though I also had the VOR tuned to DSD radial 171. I played with the GPS a little too. The approach into Kingsley is really beautiful, you come over this ridge to the North of the airport and since we were cleared straight in for rwy 14 I swung out to the west of my heading and lined up on the VASI. Since my homebase here in Bend doesn't have an operational VASI right now (it is out of commission while the new runway is built) I have been learning to land without but ITS REALLY NICE to have one. I could see getting too used to having one available so I do appreciate the situation I have in KBDN. We taxied to the Klamath Air FBO to use the facilities and I bought a soda (the least I could do). We were already late so we jumped back in and I had my first Ground Control experience. I got my clearance to taxi to 14 and we were on our way back. As I finished my run-up and asked for my takeoff clearance, Kyle was telling me about a restaurant at the main terminal to eat at on my solo XC next weekend. That's right, next Saturday I will do it alone ;)!!! As we climbed out she pointed me in the direction of Christmas Valley, which I will stop at on the way back but since we were short on time we didn't go to. Then we played with the VOR's and the GPS. The GPS is a wondrous tool. It will give you all kinds of info if you know how to use it. I learned that I can put my way points in so I will get an idea of my position relative to them. I learned how to use the descent window to tell me when to start my descent based on the target criteria. Not to mention the nearest airport and ground track stuff. There's a lot of functionality that I will need to learn to take advantage of in the future. I wonder if there is a handheld that I could get relatively inexpensively to use as a training tool?

Its getting late so I am outta here for the time. Flying makes me happy, Happy Flying!!!!

John Day Cross Country... flying in fun!

2007-07-22T11:43:00.001-07:00

Flew my first cross country yesterday. I had originally planned on going to Klamath Falls but weather prevented that from being an option so we went to John Day instead. I brought my DV cam with me with the intention to capture some of the scenery but Kyle and I ended up talking quite a bit about flying ... go figure!? We stopped for a short pottie break but the FBO guy offered their courtesy car to take into get some breakfast which sounded great to me. After breakfast, the smoke from the fires set in pretty thick so we rushed to get outta there and I forgot to get any video on the way back. Next week I will try to get to KFalls again. Here's the video I captured... short but sweet.

Flight Schools

2007-07-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to break down my experience while researching flight schools here in Central Oregon for a while. Now that I have more free time, not studying for written, I figured its about time I get this down before I forget. I spent most of the month of April 2007 researching where to spend my $$ for my private pilot certificate. Based on recommendations I found on the AOPA website among other resources, I set my criteria as such:

Experience
Personality
Professionalism
Cost

I chose experience first for a couple of reasons. First and most important I believe that someone with 15 years in a cockpit has probably run into most aviation mishaps and has proven by the fact they s/he is still flying that s/he has a desire to be flying regardless of the length of time the individual has been teaching. Lots of places warn against young, inexperience CFI's who are just sitting in the right seat to build time for the airlines or the next career. While its not necessarily true that younger CFI's aren't as dedicated to the job, I chose not to put my $ in their pockets.

Numbers 2 and 3 go together. Personality, this is a pretty obvious choice. You are going to spend at LEAST 20 hrs of you life sitting next to this person in a very small space in a risk laden pursuit. You had better be VERY comfortable with this person, who they are, how the present themselves, the sound of their voice and their demeanor. Out of the three instructors I flew with, one was young and fresh out of flight school, another a very experienced pilot and CFI, and the last a long time pilot new to teaching. I hate to say it but the stereo-types seemed to be true. The younger woman I flew with first, while very professional, didn't engage me in conversation, or even attempt to foster my interest in flying. I spent most of my attention trying to get to know how she taught and what her goals were with her flying career. The older gentleman I went to next was highly professional and very confidence inspiring. Unfortuntely, the FBO he operates out of inspired NO confidence in me, nor did they seem to want my money very much. In fact, the day of my discovery flight, I showed up 15 minutes early to be sure I didn't miss anything. The woman at the front desk explained that she had given my slot to her son because they didn't think I would be showing up! I was not angry, though I should have walked out of the place right then and not looked back. But being a patient person, I waited and when they came back down, the CFI spent a goodly amount of time explaining how he operates. I was impressed with him, unfortunately he is so good his schedule was booked full and i didn't get the impression he wanted another student. Not to mention the 68 Cessna 150 was a little worn out in my opinion.

Professionalism is more of a vibe or feeling for me. I have a certain expectation of professionalism that isn't as rigid as you might find at a bank. What I look for is someone who knows what they are doing, does it well, and can own up when they screw up and be willing to do what's necessary to fix the screw up. All of the individuals I met were very professional in their own ways.

Lastly, Cost! Learning to fly is an investment. I am expecting to spend 7 to 9 thousand dollars for my private ticket and I wanted to get the best value for my money. All the schools had a similar CFI rate but their airplanes varied dramatically, from $65 hr to $185 hr. Unfortunately, in Central Oregon there isn't much in the way of choices. Several years ago when I looked into getting started, rates were a little lower, but not by much and mostly older airplanes. I wanted to go with something more modern than the traditional Cessna 150. I flew a 172, which was nice, but it has four seats and burns more fuel than the Diamond DA20's. The Diamonds are smaller, composite body airplanes so they burn less fuel, which equals a lower hourly rate, yet are modern in their instrumentation. They have Garmin G430 GPS for navigation, a stick instead of a yoke, and a very good safety record. They rent for $120 hr, which is a bit higher than I had hoped but you do get what you pay for, and like I said, their isn't much to choose from around here.

Another thing I took into consideration was the proximity of flying out of Bend, rather than Redmond. As it turned out I had to return to the workforce full time to afford my training so driving to Redmond would have essentially limited me to weekends only. Flying out of Bend allows me to get in a morning or two a week thanks to some flexibility with my work schedule but the added .5 hrs to drive to Redmond would have made that impossible.

Also, I considered the business model the school was working with. The first school's primary objective is as an airline feeder. They pump people through on an accelerated schedule, which is fine if your goal is an airline career but didn't really fit my goal. The second place I went was mostly a service FBO for the forest fire fighting industry. Teaching is secondary and it really showed. Ultimately I chose Professional Air, the FBO that operates out of the Bend Municipal airport. They have several lines of business, but teaching is a primary revenue stream along with service, maintenance, charter and rentals. They really seemed much more together in terms of a full line of services and they have several CFI's specializing in all disciplines. I fell like my money is well spent when I write them the $1000 checks every month or so. Maybe someone over there will see this plug and help a brother out ;)

Well this has turned into a really big brain dump, but feel free to ask questions as I feel like I have a pretty good feel for what the local companies offer. Oh ya, as I have mentioned in my posts, my CFI is Kyle at Professional Air. I chose her after she took me for a discovery flight (even though she didn't let me take off like the others ;-). She encouraged my passion to fly through her own flying passion and continues to do so every time we get in the plane .

In closing I will say, I waited 20 years to get started and it was 20 years too many. If you have a n interest, go spend $50 on a discovery flight to see if it inspires you.

Short and Soft Field Takeoffs and Landing

2007-07-17T09:55:00.001-07:00

Today I learned my last maneuvers that I must know for my check ride, short and soft field takeoffs and landings. It was a strange morning, 390DC was a bit sluggish. Now that it has been discovered that it doesn't have an altitude compensating device like 380GF, Kyle played with the mixture and she started running more smoothly, though I still couldn't get a decent climb rate at all. The takeoffs are a bit challenging in that they require one to stay in ground affect a great while longer than normal as the airspeed climbs to Vx. The Short Field Landing presents the biggest challenge as the PTS guidelines require landing between first and second stripes. I had one sooo close but porpoised at the last split second. I guess I did ok for my first try :) . Soft field landings are pretty much what Kyle has been teaching me anyway, so not a lot new there. Soft field takeoffs require a continuous roll from the taxiway right into takeoff roll. Again, getting the airplane off the ground but staying in ground effect is the key to these. This allows the minimum ground roll distance and takes advantage of the reduced drag while in ground effect to get up to Vx.

That sums up my day, it was all takeoffs and landings today. For more interesting reading go here...

Stage Check and Written - DONE!

2007-07-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the airport at 7 for my first stage check covering basic airplane operations, controls and communications. After a very quick oral q and a session I pre-flighted 380GF. Seems like I learn something new every day. Today I learned that the ELT is not automatic as I had thought. Its actually, VERY manual. You can't even tell if its turned on unless you climb into the cargo area ( a very small space ) and look for a red blinking LED. After taxi I did my run-up and pre-takeoff checklists. Somehow I missed putting flaps in T/O position and I noticed immediately that she didn't climb as quickly. Fortunately, the CFI doing my stage check said it's ok to takeoff no-flaps but you need a higher rotation speed. I performed all the maneuvers but had some trouble with power-off stalls. I kept pulling to the right and left to correct. NOT GOOD! I don't like the feeling of being in such a spin sensitive place. After that we headed to Redmond to do some touch and goes. I made the radio calls but forgot to mention " with information Yankee" even after I was reminded. DOH! There was some traffic at Redmond so I had to extend my downwind leg a couple of times before I could fly a standard pattern. Landings went pretty well today. I am still not keeping the nose low enough when on short-final. Its a process of learning and experience I am sure. In time I will do much better. The interesting thing to note is that I felt like I did much better landings when I solo'd. Of course that was all I practiced for a couple of days which certainly helped.

After 4 touch and goes at Redmond we headed back to Bend for a final landing. Abeam the numbers, the CFI told me he was pulling my flaps and power. WHOA, a no power, no flaps landing... I was way high and way fast... but slipped it in and landed pretty smoothly. After we taxied back to the parking area, we discussed how the check went. I was told that I am doing "really well" for the stage I am at, "better than most". That made me feel really good. I am working really hard at this and its nice to know that it shows. So that was a good thing cause I took my written exam about a half-hour after I got out of the plane. The written went as well as I would have expected. I missed 4 questions, and I am pretty sure which ones, but you don't get a print out or anything so there is no real way to know. Regardless, I am happy with a 93%. I really was gunning for 95 but I am satisfied. Friggin perfectionist!!!

After my exam I hung out on the lawn outside the FBO for an hour just watching airplanes come and go. I really feel like I am on a solid path to success, whether or not this becomes my career or not (though I can really see myself doing it full-time). But that's a long road from today and right now I am just going to bask in the days successes.

Next flight Tuesday and my first cross-country next Saturday morning.

Remeber that Small Jet I mentioned

2007-07-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

I think this was the small Jet that freaked me out the other day...

http://www.aopa.org/members/index.cfm#0712epic

Stage Check Prep

2007-07-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Lesson #16 - Stage Check Prep:

Today I did everything under the sun (or smoke as it stands). Slow Flight, Stalls (power on and off), Steep Turns, Emergency Engine Out, then under the hood, Slow flight, Turns, Descents, turning in descents. Then back to the airport for touch and goes. On the first one, Kyle pulled my flaps breaker and I had to do a no-flaps landing. I have only done one before and I was a little psyched out by the Epic jet that just came out of nowhere and started maneuvering very close to me. He was WAY too close for comfort and while I am sure he's got the skills and power to get out of the situation, I DON'T JACKASS! I know a guy who flies for Epic and I am going to stop by his place today to ask him about it.

Anyway, big day on Saturday, I scheduled my first Stage Check and immediately after I am taking my practical so I should be plenty brain dead by noon.

2007-07-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Committed! This morning I scheduled my Private Pilot Airplane written exam for next Saturday morning @ 10 am. There's no going back now!

2007-07-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

No flying this weekend, but I did get a new aviation related toy. After listening to ATC traffic on the internet for a couple of weeks, I wanted to hear what's going on in the local area. I hit up a cop friend to see if he had any old scanners he wanted to sell off. He did and I bought a Bearcat SC150 scanner for $25, fair dinkum. I spent most of the weekend listening to Bend/Sunriver/Prineville UNICOM channels, along with Seattle Center and Redmond Tower when I could get them. Its fascinating to me and I am sure it will help when I get to talking to the ATC folks. I wish I had an antenna that could get more of the Redmond Tower traffic, but I have found a couple spots in town where I can recieve and I am sure if I climb Pilot Butte it will come in clear as day. I spent the rest of my time studying for the written, which I am going to schedule for next weekend. I am consistently scoring 85 - 90 % on the practice tests so my goal of hitting 95% on the actual test should be no problem with a few hours of review.

I am quite exited about my next stages of training. Cross Countries and Solo flight are the crux of the Private cert. in my opinion. Next flight is Tuesday. Til then....

2007-07-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

SOLO!!! Not much more needs said. Today I flew three circles on my own as Pilot In Command of Diamond 380GF. 3 Takeoffs, 3 Landings, no problem. :)

2007-07-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Bends150Club?!:

Well I saw this add in the BendBulletin over the weekend, while looking for a new auto in the case mine is totalled, and I was intrigued. The website is obviously a canned frontpage template and the only thing on it yesterday was some contact info. Today the "Rules" and "Photo Album" page was up so I looked again. Since there isn't an email address listed anywhere I did a quick WHOIS to find out who owned the domain and get the administrative contact email. MICHAEL P BIEKER is listed as the owner with a Prineville address. Now the address listed on the website is 346 NE Quimby #102, Bend OR 97701 which seemed a little fishy so I googled Mr Bieker. I would be careful of this guy, assuming he's the same Michael P Bieker formerly of Gresham, OR.

http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/ins/admin_actions/actions_2005/producer_2005/04-12-002.pdf
http://www.cbs.state.or.us/ins/admin_actions/actions_2005/producer_actions.html

Needless to say, I probably won't be joining the club.

2007-06-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Despite my accident last night, my flight this morning went well. No solo but considering the circumstances, I wouldn't have done it anyway. I have been doing a lot of reading on safety and personal judgement this week and this was a good day to practice my boundaries. I also spent a lot of time listening to atc on liveatc.com . I was really surprised by how much variation there is between the "pros". Even the guys flying the Heavy Metal don't always talk the way we are taught . I suppose that as long as the controller understands, the way the message is said doesn't matter ?! I don't know how the accident is going to affect my training but I have at least one lesson this week. Till next time.

2007-06-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

COMM1 Radio Training Software:

I just got this yesterday and I will have to say its pretty kewl. Not quite as interactive as I thought it would be but definately will help any student get more comfortable on the radio, especially when talking to atc. So in that vein, I took my multi-band radio out to the old FS pine nursery where I walk the dog and was able to tune in Seattle Center and Seattle Approach. I could get Bend AWOS if I contorted the radio/antenna. I also could hear the HIWAS coming off of the DESCHUTES VOR. Pretty fun stuff if you ask me. I wish I had a real scanner though, I think it would work much better.

2007-06-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Lessons #12 and 13:

Saturday Morning went so-so. I didn't really get enough sleep so my brain was a bit frazzled. I got up at 5 am to study for my pre-solo quiz which I scheduled for just after my flight. I did a few stalls and steep turns but at this point I really need to just stick my landings. I did 10 laps and flailed on all but 2. I just couldn't pull it together. I was nervous and tense, not a good combo.

Kyle said my maneuvers where very good, so at least I did something right. Afterward I went to meet my AOPA Project Pilot mentor. He called just after my Thursday night lesson to see if I wanted to go for a spin Saturday morning. It worked out perfect that I was already out at the airport. We took his Cessna 180 out to Fort Rock airstrip, somewhere NE of Fort Rock. Its was really good to see how other people fly and how other airplanes handle. We did a full stop and let Orbit out to pee. Yes, Orbit earned his wings. He seemed to really enjoy staring out the window. I really appreciated that he was invited along, though I hadn't really planned on him coming. I am glad to know that he can handle the flying so that in the future I can take him with me.

After tooling around out by Fort Rock we headed back over Paulina and back to Bend. It sure was nice to be up without worrying about my maneuvers and whatnot. I really haven't ever been up as a passenger in a light airplane since High School. So much fun!!!

Today I did a 7 am slot. What a difference a day makes. I stayed in the pattern all hour, 12 landings, 2 take-offs. I botched 2 landings, one when the wind gusted after I got into ground effect and I didn't really know how to react. The second I didn't flare, just dropped right onto the runway (not so good). I didn't have to go around once. I really was feeling much more confident landing today. Kyle was "fine-tuning" my technique. She was working on getting me to line up and land on the center line. I tend to over-react on the rudder so I have been consciously trying to keep from doing so. What I noticed today is that I was under-reacting instead. I think I understand now though, even if I didn't do perfectly.

Ok back to work, more later ...

2007-06-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Lesson #11:

There are good days, like Tuesday, then there are days like today...not so hot. I find the evenings harder for me mentally along with there being more wind and gustiness. Tonight I got out to the airport just before 5, winds out of the N, 8 kts gusting to 12. Taking off was a cinch but landings and flying a descent pattern were just sucky. Not to mention that I got a taste of some jerks ego and impatience. It didn't bother me as much as my instructor but there are definitely some a-holes flying planes. It was busy out there today, at least when we started. I had some guy behind me on the taxiway prodding me along but I refused to do an abbreviated checklist just cause he was in a hurry. My radio calls were amateurish and my second landing, if you can call it that, was a porpoisey ride. Kyle is tightening the tolerances, keeping me on the numbers, which is good. Keeping the airspeeds correct with all that wind is a challenge. After we spent at least an hour doing touch and goes, I called it a day. I learned a lot today, even though I think I only did one really good landing. Most importantly I learned that having some humility and patience will get me far in this career as I move through the training. I was also reminded that there are plenty of "Jocks" still out there in the world. They never really change I suppose.

2007-06-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Lesson #10: Solo in sight

What a great day for flying! Calm, beautiful skies and a little traffic to pay attention to. It was a long break but I probably needed some time off. Regardless, My skills didn't go away, just needed a few minutes to get comfortable in the airplane again. I started with slow flight and then did some steep turns. The slow flight seemed much easier in 380DC, which has more power? I blew my first steep turn. I was having trouble keeping bank angle without descending. Seems like that would be the common mistake. After those short couple of maneuvers, we went back to KBDN to do touch and goes. Kyle told me today was all about "making me perfect". Well, I don't know if that was the end result but I definitely nailed the first couple of landings. I did a Take off flaps landing, which was a real trick. By I, I mean I did most of it but Kyle definitely helped out. Basically, I am ready to solo once I feel I can safely get the plane on the ground. I expect to take the pre-solo quiz later this week then solo next week sometime.

Gotta get back to my J O B ... til next time...

2007-06-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Lesson #9 - I landed!:

Another week and a half and I haven't been keeping up with my posts. I have been busy studying weather stuff and cross country planning. Lots to know but the weather stuff came a little easier than I had thought it would. The cross country planning has me all exited but I have a few barriers before I get to that stage. My training has slowed down considerably this past couple of weeks with scheduling problems and weather. My CFI had to cancel both days last week, though she made it up to me on Saturday with a 4 hour session of both flying and book work. I flew into Class D airspace and did touch and go's at KRDM after practicing steep turns, stalls and an emergency engine out. Flying in the controlled airspace was in some respects easier as you don't have to talk so much and can concentrate on flying more. It was pretty windy so I got my first taste of real crosswind landings. I practiced slips and actually began to really feel what its supposed to feel like when the airplane is ready to set down. After we did a couple of laps we headed back to Bend for a bunch more touch and goes. After Kyle demonstrated a crab to wing down crosswind landing transition it was my turn. The first couple of landings were a little fast but on the third, I nailed it!!! All by myself, Kyle wasn't on the controls at all. My first real landing!!! I was so exited I did two or three more T and G's, i lost track. After we got back in Kyle went over some book work with me. Weather and CG stuff mostly. We talked about my next couple of weeks, solo, stage check and what to expect as I get into cross countries. I spent the rest of my Saturday studying I was so exited.

This week has been a bummer for training. Kyle canceled Tuesday night due to her traffic obligations, then again tonight due to weather. I had to cancel Thursday morning due to work stuff so looks like I won't get to train at all this week. I am not happy about it but what can you do, right?! The good news is that from here on out my Tues and Thurs mornings are available as we won't be having work status meetings on those days anymore. So hopefully I can just take the 7-9 slot and be done with the scheduling issues. That and its only a couple more weeks until Kyle will be around on Saturdays which will be so much easier on me. My patience is being trained right along my flight skills right now. Work got a bit heavier leaving me with much less energy than I had a couple weeks ago.

So off to bed, I am wrecked and its still 2 work days til rest.

PS. I finally receive my official log book from Sporty's, the first one they sent was falling apart. I went through my temporary log book and added up my hours and stuff. 13 hrs and 25 landings recorded now. Not too shabby.

2007-06-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Lesson #8:

Well I failed to update after last Wednesday's 7am session due to work and fatigue, so better late than never. I am a little foggy at this point but I remember doing S turns, Turn around a point, Stalls and some slow-flight under the hood (now that was a challenge!). Back at the airport I did a few laps around the pattern with three go-arounds, two touch-and-goes for a total of three landings. I am starting to relax enough to let the airplane land itself so to speak. In hindsight, the hood work is probably the most challenging besides the landings. I made a few judgment errors on when to turn base on rwy16 which let to the go-arounds. I think I have a much better idea visually of where I need to make that turn. I also got to practice slips to slow down, but not nearly enough.

At the end of the day, I was starting to feel much more confident about my landings! I fly again this afternoon @ 5pm. I hope I am not too tired as I did a pretty epic road ride yesterday and am feeling the pain today.

I have to plug the AOPA Project Pilot again as my mentor has invited me to fly with him on Wednesday evening in his Cessna 180. Its great to have another resource out there to use in my training. I am exited to get into the cockpit of a different kind of airplane to see what it has going on.

Ok, gotta go back to work...

2007-05-28T20:09:00.001-07:00

Lesson #7:

Ahh, I love flying. Today I flew N380GF, and she gave me a little dose of reality while practicing emergency descents and landing procedures. Just as I was instructed to end the emergency descent and give her some power, the engine burbled a bit and gave us a little scare. Reality check, the point of practicing is to understand what one needs to do when an emergency happens, and they will happen, and you won't necessarily know exactly when they are coming. Also, clear the engine when practicing power-off maneuvers.

So on the topic of emergency descents, when picking field to put down in, pick one without irrigation circles. I think I mentioned this before but I missed my target again today as I picked a big circular field. Also, you want to pick one as close as possible and spiral down over the field keeping your landing zone in sight.

I did some more instrument work, trying to nail slow flight under the hood but it was gusty and I was having a bear of a time. One thing I noticed again today is the tendency to fall into a left bank if I don't keep a close eye on the Attitude Indicator. Flying the instruments is hard work in gusty conditions. I was blowing my altitude, airspeed and bank angle. Basically I sucked under the hood today. I think Kyle sensed my frustration she had me take the hood off and do some visual slow flight. I still had a tough time with the bumpy air. Makes you a better Pilot right?!

So with the engine burble and the bumpy conditions we headed back to the airport for some touch and go's. Kyle set me up for an engine out simulation, and tried her best to show me how to flare correctly without porpoising. My mantra needs to be something like "slow and low, nose down a no go". I kept getting us nearly there then pulling back too much or pushing forward (very, very bad). The gusty conditions weren't helping a bit either. On one pass, I actually made my final turn with the right attitude and airspeed, full flaps and all, and still came in way to high as the thermals blew me up 100 ft as soon as I leveled on final. We did six T and G's and each time Kyle tried to show me a better way to approach, and we even did a couple of low passes so I could feel the ground affect zone. I think I sorta go it but mother nature wasn't being kind. We did 6 landings in total and on the last climb out I confessed that I was a bit fried, even though I really wanted to keep going, my frustration level was climbing so we called it a day (and we were out of time).

After the lesson we spent some time talking about my progress and what to expect in the next few weeks. I asked about taking my written and we looked over the syllabus. Kyle assured me I am doing very well and she showed me the tracking record with the "grades" from each lesson. So far I am tracking right on the money. I think we have covered most of the stuff I need to know before solo, now I just need to demonstrate that I can land ;). According to the Jeppesen curriculum, I should be able to solo in another 3 lessons, which is much sooner than I would have thought. I will need to take a pre-solo written exam, and I hope to get my written done in the next two to three weeks if feasible.

Next lesson will be on Wednesday morning at 7. I will practice more S-Turns, Turns on a point, emergency descents, and steep turns. Now I just need to perform the maneuvers with more precision and each time I fly I get more "sub-concious" with my flying, feeling the skids and slips, noticing the sound of higher airspeeds, feeling the change in altitude. It is starting to come together, ever so slightly.

2007-05-26T16:43:00.001-07:00

Lesson #6:

This morning I flew first thing at 7 am. After I demo'd a couple of power-on and power-off stalls and some slow flight turns, it was back under the hood for some turns, and descents. Kyle re-demonstrated stalls, both power-on and power-off. I guess last Wednesday nights stall demo didn't stick. I think my brain hit critical mass that night. After I did a couple of each Kyle introduced me to S-Turns across a road and Turns around a point. I did a few S-Turns above a high tension electrical line then a couple of turns around the cross roads at Alfalfa Mkt. Rd and the Millican Valley hwy. We ran out of time so didn't get to practice emergency descents and field selection which gives me another couple days to re-read and study the procedures. As we got back to the airport to do a few touch and go's, Kyle told me that at some point she would pull the power in a simulated engine failure to see how I did at getting the plane down to the field. She agreed to operate the radio today so I could concentrate on the approach and landing. With each landing I am getting a better feel for how the plane should feel and how everything should look. I still haven't executed a landing entirely on my own, but I am getting more confident. I am flying again on Monday (Memorial Day) at 3pm. The afternoon's are harder as the air is usually rough but it makes a person a better pilot.

One exiting thing about my flight today was that I finally got to use my own headset. I bought a pair of AVCOMM AC-747 PNC on eBay from some jerk in Texas. He promised that the headset would be complete and when I received it, it was missing the GA cord and the headpad. I tried to get the guy to send me the missing parts but he stopped returning my emails. I ended up leaving him Negative feedback, which is the ebay way of warning other buyers the guy is a sleazebag. Fortunately, I was able to call El Cahon Air Supply somewhere in the San Diego area and order the missing parts. I placed the order last Friday and they had them to me by Wednesday, unfortunately too late for Wed Nights flight. I am very happy with this headset after using the lender set at Pro Air. They are much quieter and the mic is much cleaner. I ended up paying as much as I would have if I would have just bought them outright. I guess that is one of the chances you take on ebay, ce la vie.

I need to make another post with the material I have been studying. I bought the FAA Aiplane Flying Handbook as the other book I have doesn't really cover the practical aspects of the lessons. I need to dive into weather this week and review what I have already studied. I am shooting for next month sometime to take my written so need to get cracking.

2007-05-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Lesson #5:

Well its been a week since my last lesson and I felt the downtime. I arranged an evening lesson as I didn't know how flexible my new job would be with time but it turns out they are very flexible and I will probably be able to do at least one morning a week. Due to the late day start, I was a bit braindead when I got to Professional Air so I bought a soda and sat and went over the emergency procedures for the Diamond DA-20 C1. I have been looking over them since my last lesson and have been finding it difficult to get them all into my head. Kyle gave me some suggestions on what the PTS standards are and I intend to make up my own check lists for the three big ones, mid-air engine failure, engine fires and electrical fires. I think I can put together a descent checklist using the materials I have and the Diamond PIM.

We also talked about wake turbulence avoidance. I think I have this down. If following a heavy airplane on landing stay above the glide path of the bigger plane and land beyond the spot where the big plane touches down. On take off, make sure to rotate before you get to the place on the runway where the big plane made its rotation and stay above is departure path until you can turn away from the bigger planes departure path. DO THIS ASAP.

We also talked a little about emergency landing field selection and practiced engine out emergency descents and real world field selection. One should choose grass or vegetation covered fields over dirt, and in the case that the field has irrigation circles, try to pick a field where the irrigation device moves in the direction of the chosen landing heading as the furrows from circular irrigation devices may cause the plane to cartwheel. After setting best glide airspeed, approach the field with the landing area in site and when 1000 ft AGL, enter a standard left pattern as if preparing for a normal landing. Keep the touchdown area in sight as best possible. I missed my first attempt as I choose a poor field and we made a change of plan. But I learned a thing or two so that next time I will be more prepared.

I practiced power-off and power-on stalls and slow flight again. I did a much better job at slow flight this week. The stalls where a bit tricky in the Diamond, it just doesn't want to stall and when it does, it recovers in an instant. The stalls where kinda fun and not nearly as dramatic as they look in the Sporty's videos, though they are always in Cessna 172's.

Lastly Kyle demonstrated steep turns and then I practiced both left and right hand steep turns. I did great on the left hand turn as she demonstrated the left hand turn so I knew what to expect. I lost some altitude in the right hand turn as the view is so different, but Kyle was satisfied with my performance so we moved on.

We headed back to KBDN to do some more landing practice. I botched the first one by coming in high and fast so we did a go around. The wind was pretty strong out of the NW which was giving me some trouble. I know I will get landings but I still get a little overwhelmed with the number of things happening during the pattern and by final I kinda freeze. Again I think once I have a day of practicing take offs and landings only, i will be good to go.

I made one big faux-pas today. During my pre-flight I forgot to remove one of the wing tie downs. Luckily one of the girls who works inside came running out and alerted me to my mistake. Kyle did tell me that I would do that once, and never forget it. Well, I do hope that that was the last time I forget to unchain the plane.

I think from here on out I am going to try to do earlier rather than later lessons. By 5 I am pretty wiped from work so my concentration level is low, and that just ain't no good in an airplane!!!

My next lesson is on Saturday. We didn't get a chance to discuss what would be on the agenda as we got back to the airport right at 7 and we had to rush to make sure we got out before they locked the building up. So until then, keeping the shiny side up....

2007-05-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Lesson #4: Yesterday I flew from 3-5. I also met up with my AOPA Project Pilot mentor. We had a very interesting conversation about flying, riding and other stuff. I think that having a mentor will be a great boon to my training. AOPA claims that students with mentors are 3 times more likely to complete their certificate successfully. If you are a student pilot your should check it out at the AOPA website.

Onto flying!!! We started out by quickly going over the curriculum and revisiting what we would be doing for the day:

Slow Flight
Stalls
Climbs, Descents and Turns under the hood
Touch and go's

It was gusty out so slow flight was a real challenge. It took me a few tries just to get the slow flight initiated, and the left turns were just killing me. I kept getting the bank to steep or to fast or losing altitude, or all three.

Kyles headset or mic was acting funky so there was a hissing noise the entire time we were flying. I eventually tuned it out but it was pretty distracting.

Once I did several turns kyle took the plane and had me put the hood on for my first under the hood session. It was pretty fun, and I was amazed at how my body senses were fooled. I had to keep on the stick to prevent banking left (probably due to the wind) but I did ok. It definitely felt different and a lot harder than I would have thought.

Then we headed back for a couple touch and goes. I did a better job at the radio this time, though still made a couple of mistakes. I think I have got the steps down now:

Enter Pattern at 4500 ft, on a 45 Degree Angle
Announce Downwind and set power to 2000 RPM
When Abeam the numbers on the runway, set power to 1400 RPM and drop one notch of flaps and look for 70 kts
When runway is 45 degrees behind the wing, Announce and turn base
Drop Landing flaps and look for 65 kts
Turn base and announce, look for 60 kts
When over the numbers pull power all the way back and maintain glide
Be cautious of Ground Effect and know that its coming.
Flare ~ 1 ft above the runway.
Drop nose wheel as soon as safe. BE ON RUDDERS as the castering nose wheel gets squirrelly here.
If touch and go, flaps to TO and Full Power.
Rotate @ 44kts and climb out at 75 kts
When 100ft above rwy, retract flaps and continue climb out to 4100 ft
If staying in pattern, Turn left crosswind and announce, otherwise exit pattern in desired direction and announce.

Again, again there is a lot to focus on. I think after another day of T & G's I will be able to land without Kyle on the controls but am prepared for the long road of learning smooth landings.

We did two T & G's then a full stop on the last. The gusts at the surface definitely made for exiting landings. Time was up, 1.4 hrs in the plane today. Next lesson in a week. I think we worked it out so I can do at least one evening a week, and Saturdays when Kyle is around.

2007-05-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Lesson #3:

Today was my third official lesson. We started out the day talking about the four forces (lift, weight, thrust and drag) and airplane stability: the tendency for the airplane to return to stable position after a control or power change.

The two types of stability are Static and Dynamic. Static stability is the initial control stability and dynamic stability is the tendency over time. There are three states of each type of stability, Positive, Negative and Neutral.
Positive stability means that the airplane will return to normal controllability. Negative Stability means the airplane will continue to loose controllability, and Neutral stability means the airplane won't return or loose controllability without further control input.

Then we talked about turns and the forces involved. An airplane turns due the to the Horizontal Component of Lift. When an airplane is put into a bank, a portion of the lift is tilted in the direct of the bank, and a portion of the weight is tilted away from the bank. Since the upward portion of lift has decreased, one must add backward control pressure in order to maintain altitude in a climb. Load Factor (G - FORCE) increases in a bank. Higher load factors = higher stall speeds. We didn't talk much about stalls, Kyle said it would be a couple more lessons before we get into them but I know from my studies that stalls are caused by high angle of attack (usually > 16 degrees in GA). The stall begins when the airflow detaches from the top of the wing and the wing produces less lift than is necessary to keep the airplane aloft. The stall speeds of the Diamond DA-20 I am flying is 34 kts with full flaps (Vs0 : stuff-out), and 42 kts with no flaps (Vs1: stuff-in).

Lastly we went over spins. Spins occur when both wings are stalled but one is "more stalled". The spin begins in the direction of the more stalled wing. To recover from a stall, neutralize ailerons, pull power of and apply rudder in the OPPOSITE direction of the stall.

Now out for my first preflight on my own (Kyle watching over of course). I noticed an oily substance coming out of one of the exhausts pipes. Kyle took a look and said it was normal. I also noticed a ground wire, probably from the electric flaps, that I hadn't noticed before. It was attached to the ailerons so was a little confusing as to its purpose. Once I finished the inspection it was time to crawl into the plane and do the pre-flight checks of avionics and internal systems. Once I checked off each item, I made my taxi call and off we went. I taxied out to 34 (winds from the NE today) and stopped at the hold-short marking to complete the run-up. Then Kyle said I had the Airplane for Take-off! I made my radio call, applied full power, and rotated at ~ 50 kts, made another call to let Bend Traffic know I was headed East, toward the practice area.

Kyle had me practice turns maintaining altitude again. Then she demonstrated slow flight and turns in slow flight. I practiced the stuff she showed my but it was difficult to keep airspeed low enough. After a couple of slow turns she had me head back to the airport for a touch-and-go session. I made the calls at 3 miles out and over mid-field (though mistakenly called Bend Unicom initially, oops). We made a Teardrop approach into the pattern and flew the pattern, Downwind, Base, Final then back into the pattern for another round. The second time I flew most of the pattern until the last moment. I was a bit overwhelmed at all the stuff I was trying to keep track of in the pattern and missed a call, and came in too high. Next time I will do better now that I have flown it a couple of times. I think a day of just touch and go's would be good for me now.

After taxing back to parking area, and securing the airplane (Diamond N380GF again today), I talked to Kyle about scheduling, which is going to be a challenge now that I am going back to work, and the airport closing at 7, and Kyle being gone every weekend. for the next six weeks. I scheduled next Tuesday afternoon for my next lesson, but don't know what will happen beyond that. Hopefully my new job will let me come in later once or twice a week, or leave earlier, but we will see. In the meantime we are going to go through emergency procedures and emergency landing field selection next time. And probably more Climbs, Descents, Turns and Straight and Level flight, the four fundamentals.

Aight, I am gonna go read the PIM for emergency procedures and watch more King Videos. Adios.

2007-05-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Lesson #2:

First Flight Complete!!! Kyle, my CFI, took me up today in N380GF, a Diamond DA-20 Eclipse. After we spent a bit of time on the ground going over the Preflight and Taxi Procedures, we took 380GF to the end of Runway 16 for a run-up. Once I completed each of these items on the check list, and rechecked everything visually, I made the radio call announcing that "Diamond 380 Golf Foxtrot Departing Runway 16 to the East Bend". Then off we went to the practice area about 10 miles east of KBDN (Bend Municipal). I started with 360 Degree turns. The hardest part for me was to maintain altitude and rolling out on the correct heading.

Then we did turns in both directions to a heading, followed by descents, turning descents, climbs and turning climbs. Again I noticed that I wasn't leading my roll-outs quite early enough, and I noticed that the DG had precessed quite a bit from the Compass which was confusing me. Also, the electric trim control on the top of the stick is difficult to understand. I think the idea is that you press the button in the direction you would push the stick in relation to pitch. I kept looking and the LED readout on the panel and pushing the button in the direction I read off the panel, which is backwards of what one expects. Well, Kyle said she has trouble with it too so not to worry, it will come with time.

At the end of our flight, we headed for a left downwind on RWY 34 as the wind had picked up a bit since we started. Kyle walked me through the pattern and actually flew most of it, which was good cause I was a bit overloaded by this time. After we landed and went through the shutdown procedures and secured the plane, Kyle said she thought I had very good plane handling skills (thanx to flight simulators I am sure), and recommended that I keep my eyes on the bank angle and airspeed in Climbs and Descents.

So thats it for this post. Next lesson is on Saturday, May 12 at 9 am. Until then I am going to study Climbs, Descents, Turns and Leveling off. Also, we may get into slow flight and go over airport markings in more depth.

2007-05-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Kewl!!! I just got signed up for the AOPA Project Pilot mentoring program. My mentor and I have been in contact for about a week or so. The Project Pilot program assists students like myself to find local ( or remote ) pilot mentors to provide their encouragement and experience in completing the students training. They claim that students with mentors are 3 times more successful than those without.

2007-05-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

I got my Third Class Medical/Student Pilot Certificate this morning! Lucky that I called this morning, all the local Dr.'s where booked out until the end of May. Dr Jerry Bass was on his way out to vacation for a couple of weeks but made time for me this am, very friendly fellow.

2007-05-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Lesson #1:

Today I met with my CFI to begin my training. We started by filling out paperwork and going over the flight school's procedures. She gave me a bunch materials including a Pilot's Information Manual for the Diamond DA-20 C1 that I will be training in. Due to low ceilings were weren't able to go out an fly so we sat and did some ground work. We talked about the airplanes systems and some other theory:

electrical

12 or 24 volt
generator vs alternator

power plant

Carburated Engines

Carb Ice: most likely <>80 % humidity

Rough Engine
200 - 300 RPM Drop
To clear full Carb Heat until rpm comes back up

Mixture

Too Lean can lead to overheating
Too Rich can lead to spark fouling, incomplete fuel burn

Fuel Injected Engines

Directly Injected into cylinders
more efficient
Subject to Vapor Lock at high temps

fuel

Fuel grades

80 - Red
100 - Green
100 Low Lead - Blue
Mixing will result in clear/straw color. Be sure to smell, Jet A is also clear!

ignition (magnetos)

Independent from electrical system

Cooling
lubricating
4 - 6 qts in Diamond

pitot instruments

Airspeed Indicator - only instrument that is connected to both pitot and static ports
VSI - measures difference in Static Air Pressures
Altimeter

Airspeeds - At Altitude Indicated <>
- Indicated - As read from Airspeed Indicator
- Calibrated - Installation Error - Bigger difference at lower airspeeds
- True: Standard Temp/Pressure - 29.92 in - 59 F/ 15C
- Ground Speed: Speed of airplane in relation to earth

At the end of our two-hour session we setup my next lesson, Wednesday May 9. Hopefully I will get in the airplane and go through:

Pre-flight
Taxi
Radio Calls
Turns
Climbs/Decents
Four Forces
Left Turning Tendencies
Taxiway Markings
Wake Turbulance.