Thursday, March 29, 2007

Flight lesson number 2

Well, its been a couple of weeks since I started flying and both the weather and my schedule have not been great so its been hard to get up in the air.

Yesterday I was able to get up for an hour in the afternoon for the second flight lesson in the Jeppesen syllabus and man it was great.

Even though it was basically the first flight all over again, this time I was on the controls 100% of the time and even though I had help, the take off was basically mine.

We started the lesson with some ground school and then moved in to the preflight. I did it all by myself with the instructor watching over my shoulder asking questions and making small corrections.

He handled all of the radio work on the way out as we headed to the run up area and after working my way through the check list we headed to the runway.

As the instructor talked me through the process he helped to keep the plane straight on the runway with a little rudder and aileron to correct for the cross wind. I'm glad he did because I haven't done this before!!!

We quickly picked up off of the runway and left the pattern to the practice area.

After a few 90deg turns to the left and the right, a climb and decent or two it was time for a little slow flight.

I have already grown tired of the stall warning horn!!!

We seemed to hang there in mid air while I watched boats go under us and birds fly across our nose.

All too soon it was time to head back in and it got a little bumpy in that old Cessna 152 as we came through 1000 feet on final.

Holding a stead 60knots as we sank towards the runway I began to wonder who was flying the plane!!!!!

I was doing as I was told and even now I couldn't tell you who was in control of the plane on touch down but I will tell you this.....the controls never seemed to be fighting against me, the instructor didn't scream or hit me and the plane touched down in one piece.

I guess that makes it a successful flight!

I really didn't feel if the instructor was taking the controls more than I was and I know I didn't knowingly give them up to him so I like to think that we both landed the plane together.

That's about it for flight #2, I'm looking forward to #3 on Sunday....weather permitting!

Wish me luck!



Backed up my logbook on-line

I know that there isn't very much for me to load in to it yet but I have entered my flight info in to an on-line logbook.

It follows the standard Jeppesen log book format and allows you to change some of the items that you can record.

You can also enter your aircraft information if it isn't already in the system.

If you are interested, I have shared it so others can see what I'm up to and how much progress I've made.






Sunday, March 25, 2007

An aviation legand in my own family

I remember watching reruns of Black Sheep Squadron on TV in the late 70's and early 80's so it came as a surprise when my sister-in-law told me that her grandfather was Greg "Pappy" Boyington.

I was big in to airplanes in the late 80's and was trying to get in to the Air Force Academy until I had to get glasses. During this time I knew more about combat planes than I did anything else and hit every air show that I could drag my parents to.

One day my sister-in-law told me about her grandfather and gave me his book to read. I thought this was just the coolest thing and it was even signed by him and addressed to her specifically.

I read "Baa-Baa Black sheep" every chance I got. I had heard some not so great things about his personal life but he was a war hero none the less.

I never got to meet Pappy and it might be a good thing dare it destroy my image of the Medal of Honor winner. This man had issues but he was a wonderful pilot and fought for our country in it's time of need.

I did meet the man that claimed to have shot him down and whether he did or not is not important to me, what I got out of that meeting was a reminder that even though he was the enemy, he wasn't any different than most of our soldiers, he was a young man doing the job that his country asked of him hoping that he'd make it through the war to see his family again. I've been there and done that myself.....Many years later.

I have regained the love for aviation that I had as a kid after all of these years and one day I hope to fly a P-51 and an F-4U in an effort to connect with these hero's of the past.



Saturday, March 24, 2007

Listen to the Transportation Secretary talk about user fees.

Listen to the Transportation Secretary speak about user fees and the impact on safety.








FAA funding plan will kill GA much like it did in Europe

I know a lot of people have been talking about our laws and ways of doing business and suggested that we follow the European plan.

This has spread to things like criminal law, conduct of the Iraq war, terrorism, law enforcement and possibly aviation.

I lived in Germany for a couple of years and have seen how they conduct some of their business and I must say that just because Europe has been formed in to countries for longer than we have, they don't have all of the answers.

I ask that you read this story about the costs of General Aviation in Europe and decide for yourself if that's what you want the US to adopt.

Here is a portion of the article regarding landing at an airport in Europe:

Written by: Thomas A. Horne
But in Europe, not all landing fees are alike. Land at a major airport like Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and it'll set you back $518. Frankfurt? Another $518. London's Heathrow Airport? How about $1,000. And this assumes you have made arrangements for your arrival, and obtained a landing "slot." Show up out of the blue and you could easily face a stiff penalty on top of your already outrageous landing fee. A last-minute decision to divert to Frankfurt for mechanical reasons, or to use its ILS approach to land in adverse weather, and you'll fork over another $777 in fines — on top of the $518 for the landing itself.

Please read the entire story here.




Sunday, March 18, 2007

Looking for partners to share a plane.

I am considering purchasing a kit plane and would like to find a few people to share the cost, construction and flying time on the little guy.

I live between Seattle and Tacoma and am looking for people that would like to base this plane here in western Washington.

I've looked in to the following kits and not only don't have the time, money, knowledge, etc. to do this alone, I think it would be more fun with a group and that will also allow the plane to be in the air more often.

Here are a couple that I've looked at:



























Airdrome Fokker Dr 1

Other suggestions are welcome to include standard aircraft, these are just ideas.






Sunday, March 11, 2007

Why do I fly?

To be honest with you, I want to learn to fly because I love it!

Can I afford it? I'm just an Army Corporal (E-4) so the answer is a big fat NO!

I have a wife that is injured and an 11 year old son to look after so I really shouldn't be doing this.

After 20 years of not looking at the planes flying over head, one day I looked up and just had to do it.

Am I being selfish....maybe. Could it turn in to a better job?....Maybe

I just can't explain why I feel compelled to do this, maybe I need to prove something to myself or maybe I just need the challenge...I just don't know.

What I do know is that I haven't wanted something this bad for a long time and after returning from Iraq I figured that if I keep putting it off, well...there may never be a tomorrow.

At the very least I hope that this new skill will allow me to take the family to new places so we can share new things together and build memories.

I already have a motorcycle, scuba dive and get paid to blow things up with an M1A1 main battle tank so I guess this is just one more thing in a long line of crazy interests that I have.

I feel guilty after I spend the money on a lesson but I feel so good after I've flown.

It doesn't matter if I'm the one flying or if I just ride along with a friend, I feel relaxed and ready to take on the next challenge that faces me.

Why do I fly?

Because I must!




Flying destinations, fuel and FBO list.

I have added this map to help collect information on fun or interesting places to fly to as well as locating good prices for fuel, good FBO service and help track pilot friends.

Please feel free to add your info so that others my share your fun places to fly.







Saturday, March 10, 2007

Pilot Supplies Forsale

I am adding a section to my main web site with a list of suggested items to buy.

All of these items will be geared for the private pilot and includes things like headsets, fuel testers, charts and much more.

Below are a couple of the items that will be included as I build this new area for my site.

Please feel free to add reviews and suggestions.


Private Pilot Video Series on DVD

Chart Case Electronic Flight Bag

Fuelhawk Fuel Gauge

Visit CFI Pilot Shop now!




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The magic of flight!

I first saw this show at the IMAX theater in the Seattle Center. It takes you from the very beginning of powered flight through a flight with the Blue Angles.

I found this download and not only did I need to add it to the collection, I thought I'd share it with you.

If you like One-Six Right then this is a must have as well.

Enjoy!







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Friday, March 09, 2007

Density Altitude...What it is, why it matters and how to plan for it.

This video is old but it offers some very good information for pilots in a very easy to understand story. No lecture of some theory that you won't understand but a good "real life" example of what could happen if you don't know your aircraft and its limits.



Watch the video! digg story


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Bob Hoover - An aviation legend show you how a real pilot flies!



Now this is some wonderful flying from a legend of aviation!
I hope that one day I can handle a plane half as well as he does. I've heard that while flying a P-51 he ran out of gas and filled up at a filling station on the highway. The problem was that when the auto fuel hit the carb the engine quit. He made it in for a safe landing by bouncing off a truck top to get over a fence.




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Thursday, March 08, 2007

FAA funding broke? The DOT admits it isn't.

So if the airlines get there way, general aviation will only be for the rich while those of us in the lower income brackets will only be able to get a ticket on Southwest. Don't let the airlines talk the government in to taxing us out of this wonderful experience! I thought the FAA was trying to make GA accessible to everybody!?!?!



Read the full story! digg story





Monday, March 05, 2007

Had my first flight today!

After 6 other attempts to get in the air I finally had my first true to life flying lesson today!

I've flown other planes and had blast doing it in the past but now it was up to me. I didn't figure on the workload required for a simple flight like mine today but when you know that its up to you things just feel different.

I have flown a few hours in an old Taylorcraft but I knew that it was just for fun. Today and every day after is for record and now I really need to have a grasp of what is going on.

Having said that, the old Cessna 152 that I was up in felt rock solid and I couldn't have asked for a better first flight. I was on the controls the entire flight except for landing. We made a few simple turns and just got familiar with the plane and the surrounding area.

Flying near the Tacoma Narrows bridge and the state prison was wonderful! The boats on the water looked like toys in a bath tub and the cars on I-5 could have been toys on my kids bedroom floor.

Weather and money permitting I will try to get up again on Saturday and report back about stalls and slow flight!

Have a wonderful week and please......HELP GET THIS SMILE OFF OF MY FACE!!!


Never mind, I like it there!!!

Total Time: .8hrs



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