taking to the skies again

[papakeith]

checking my log book it's been way, way, way too long since I stopped my training. It's been over a year at this point. It's even been since September that I've been up in the air at all.

It's time

So, this weekend, weather permitting, I'm scheduled to begin(again) my pilot training.
When I stopped I was just beginning my cross country flights. I'm hopeful I can take less than 5 hours to get back to that point. Time will tell.


Papa"waiting on the weekend"Keith

[dons]

While flying and finishing up your licence will take some building time/funds away, it will also provide a lot of motivation, go for it. I took just over a 10 year 'break' in my instrument training after I was over half done, finally finished it up last summer, which was enough to push me over the top (edge) and order the tail of my RV.

[aerial]

A couple of times around the patch and it will feel just like sliding your 450 around a gravel road.

I just did my first solo long-distance X-country yesterday. The winds were 14k gusting to 21k but only 20deg. off the runway so it made for nice short landings. It was uneventful except for dropping my key down into the belly of the plane, and of course it went as far down as it could go.

One thing about flying long distance X-country. It makes you want to go faster. Harmon Rocket builder in the making?

Have fun.

[papakeith]

Well, Saturdays lesson got canceled. The haze early in the morning was a bit too thick.

Today, however, we were good to go. All in all, it was a great lesson. If felt good to be back in the game. We went through turns, stalls, etc and then headed back for a few trips around the pattern.

The fist landing was a mess, I flared waaaaay too high. But I realized it and gave it a touch of throttle, flattened out and let it settle back down.

Up we go again. this time my pattern is a bit more under control. I'm lined up on final damn near perfect. Then right around 250 ft or so we got hit by a gust or a thermal or something, I'm still not sure what. it lifted the right wing considerably, and pushed the plane some 30 ft of the centerline. What did I do? I flew the plane. A little bit of correction, and we were back on track and heading in for a fine landing.

I still have this thing in my head that somehow the laws of physics are going to stop working and the plane will just fall out of the sky. That little episode just proved to me that it won't. I've just got to fly the situation.

I'm going to attack my training now. I'm hoping that I can finish up before my 40th this August. Ooooh, I got bit by the bug good today!

[captain_john]

Hahaha, keep it up, Keith!

You should be done by August 40th!



I was up today bootin' around in the Citabria.

T'was a nice day to fly in New England, eh?

CJ

[papakeith]

august 40th? sounds like you doubt that I can find the time to do it

We'll see, we'll see. This flight puts me at 27 hrs or so. My instructor feels that with one more good lesson worth of landings I'll be soloed again. Then on to cross country flights.

Hopefully my schedule, the instructors schedule, the airplane, and the weather Gods will all align and I'll be able to plow right through.

[dons]

Good going Keith. I could normally count on one out of three leasons getting scrubbed on account of weather, at first it was a real bummer, but after I accepted it, it was just part of the process. I normally got my instructor to do some sort of ground briefing for half an hour, so the trip to the airport wasn't a total waste of gas.

[aerial]

I wouldn't be worried about pushing through it, just take it as it comes and enjoy the flying. I know someone who flew around on a "solo" student license for 20 years. I found a good place to practice for the written. http://www.exams4pilots.org/ It has an online database of exam questions and it's free

[captain_john]

No Keith. I hope you do it! I know you will make a fine pilot!

I am just toying with your words and the way you assembled them.

I am working on getting the Cherokee Six for Antony's Jet Rally in late August. Maybe we could fill it up with RV guys and spend the day in Sanford, ME?

You like that plane. It is like a low wing Bearhawk!

CJ

[Leighton]

Hey Keith,
sounds like a ball man. Im at roughly the same place in my license as you are. 40hrs fixed wing and 8.3hrs helicopter.

last time i flew was early April. Have a couple o' weeks off work so i called today and booked a plane for 2 hours on Saturday. Cant wait!

Capt John rekons hes going to lend me some shop space at his place to build an RV, i rekon if i shoot up there on weekends it should only be about a 17hour Boeing ride from my place, will have me an airplane nailed together in no time!



Leighton.

[papakeith]

I know you were kidding. I was just volleying back

I just want to finish up so I can start sharing flights with my wife, my father, my son-in-law, and anyone else I can talk into a ride


BTW, if we load up the six with RV builders, where am I gonna sit?

I'd love to head up there for the jet show.

[captain_john]

Leighton, when you are here we best make the most of those sessions!

The commute is a BEAR!

PK, hahaha... I automatically include you as an RV builder.



Yours is just the super size version!

CJ

[papakeith]

aerial, thanks for the link. good stuff.

[aerial]

Yeah, it works pretty good. But make sure you "browse" all the questions for the private pilot exam (about a 1000 questions), because when you generate an exam it does not seem to pull up all the different questions. If you browse all the questions then you get better coverage.

I just passed my written today. 93%! The only study material I used was an old ASA 1996/1997 Exam Private Pilot Test Prep I got free from Dad (I think the new one is only $20 at Borders), and then I just took about 10 exams, and browsed the database.

It was pretty cool to be able to fly my own plane down to Class D Executive Sacramento to take the exam......

Only 3 hours of night, 1-1/2 more hours of instrument training, a check ride, and I can start looking for people crazy enough to get in the plane with me!:lmao:

[papakeith]

my training seems to be going pretty much like I remember from a year ago. out of 4 scheduled lessons 3 have been canceled so far

Whatchagonnado?

fingers crossed for tomorrow.

[captain_john]

PK, keep your chin up!

I booked one or two sessions each week just to better my odds of flying that week.

CJ

[aparchment]

Keith:

Hang in there man. You will get through it. I booked two sessions a week and usually was able to do one. There were some weeks where I got lucky and did two and some weeks I didn't fly at all.

In case you had any doubts, it is very much worth it in the end. You'll be flying home one night and see the biggest, most beautiful moon rising smack dead in the middle of your windshield, or see the lights of Boston and the traffic landing at Logan from 50 miles out, or you will be schlepping along the coast at 1000' agl and 70 knots wondering why people walk on beaches when they can fly over them, or maybe you chase your reflection over the Quabbin reservoir on a CAVU day with not a soul to be seen; and you will laugh when you remember the stuff you went through to get there. The reward is huge, and with your own plane it's just that much bigger.

So as you go through your training, don't think of each procedure as a chore, think of them as preparing you for the adventures that are to come. While you are at it, see just how well you can stick each maneuver. When you get that personal game going, each flight becomes a challenge with many potential rewards.

By way of example, I flew home from helping Dave with his fuel tank a couple weeks ago and on the way home enjoyed a beautiful sunset over my left wing. The air was as smooth as glass, and I held my cruise altitude within 10 feet the whole flight without using the autopilot. I watched the town lights start to come on below as the sun set. 10 miles out from home I turned the lights on and watched the airport emerge out of the dusk. There was no one on frequency at all ( amazing for 122.8 ). I nailed the landing so perfectly (dead on centerline, nose high, full stall, chirp on the wheels) that I took off and did another. I nailed that one too, so called it a night with a big smile on my face.

Just enjoy the journey and keep reminding yourself of the end result.

Antony

[papakeith]

thanks guys. I know I'll make it through. Just venting. I guess today is a flight sim kind of day.