2008 Flight Design CTLS Light Sport Aircraft

Join the Light Sport (LSA) revolution with the 20008 Flight Design CTLS.

For approx. $300 a month and $40 per hour you too could have a range of 1000 miles on 34 gallons of fuel, a climb rate of 1000 feet per minute and a clear view of the snarled traffic below you.

For more information, stop by LetsFlyWa and check out our Aircraft Listings

or

Click here for Flight Design CTLS details.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Cessna, Airplane Sales

See more great videos on YouTube

Check out some more of my favorite videos on my YouTube page!

See the famous Kent flying Boat, a PBY go after a couple fishermen, videos from 160knots and many, many more!

Letsflywa YouTube Profile

aviation, flying, pilot, video, German,Army,Military

Aviation Books

If you are looking for the latest AIM or FAR or maybe just looking for a new aviation related adventure I bet we'll have it.



We are now offering a great selection of books, DVDs, study material and much more through Letsflywa.com.



Be sure to check out our pilot shop while you are at it and may your skies always be blue and your winds be favorable.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Cessna, Airplane Sales

Atec Faeta Purchase in my future

I will be purchasing an Atec Faeta in the next few months to add to the Let's Fly Washington partnership program.

I am currently looking for people in Washington State to help form this partnership so that I may start the purchase of this wonderful airplane.

If you don't know much about this plane, please watch the video the Letsfly has put together and then check out my web site for more information on the Atec.

Atec information can be found here: Atec Information Page

My Partnership Site is here: Let's Fly Washington

Check out the video on the Faeta and I hope you enjoy it!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Cessna, Airplane Sales

COMM1 VFR Radio Simulator

Comm1: VFR Radio Simulator CD-ROM - Master VFR Communications on your computer!

I don't know how many times I've listened to a nervous pilot botch an easy radio call.

I'm still a new pilot myself but I found that my military training has taken away the "mic fright" that a lot of people have. You just need practice to overcome this problem but how many people with "normal" jobs use a radio that requires proper procedure?

Its just not normal for most people. Have no fear because the people at COMM1 have a simulator that will help overcome these fears.

Check out our featured item this week, improve your radio calls and sound like a professional when you talk to ATC.

Come visit us at Let's Fly Washington

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Washington

Changes to web site

I am happy to announce that my web site Let's Fly Washington is going through a major overhaul.



I am adding links to my air plane sale listings, information on joining or forming a partnership, LSA rental, live ATC feeds ands much, much more.



Please stop by and let me know what you think of the new site and I hope you have nothing but sunny days and strong tail winds!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, ATC, Washington

Download Aviation Books For The Amazon Kindle

I got a chance to look at a friends Kindle today and I fell in love!

For those of you that don't know, a Kindle is a book reader sold by Amazon that is about the size of a paperback book and can be connected directly to the Amazon store to purchase and download your favorite books.

The screen is amazingly clear to read and the download of the books is almost instant. Check out this link for more information on the Kindle book reader.

Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

While you are looking at the Kindle device you might want to check out some of the aviation related books that you can download to the Kindle device to carry with you on your long flight or while you are waiting for the weather to get better.

Enjoy!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Cessna, Kindle

1978 Cessna 340A for sale

View Complete Listing

Aircraft Year: 78

Make: cessna

Aircraft Model: 340a

TTAF: 4679

TSOH(s): 3400

Overhaul(s) by: Tim's aircraft engines inc.

TSPOH: 580 POH Date: 8/15/02

Propeller Blades: 3-blade

Avionics Autopilot: cessna

HSI: Yes

Audio Panel: Yes

Nav/Coms: garmin gns 530 w/ WAAS, gtx330

DME: Yes

RNAV: Yes

Transponder: KI206 with traffic alert

GPS: garmin gns 530 w/WAAS

Additional Equipment VG micro vortex generator kit

american Intercooler

Shadin transducer fuel flow both engines

air conditioning

original manufacturer auxillary nacelle tank

Cosmetics Year Refurbished 2003

Exterior Paint Color grey with yellow and blue trim

Interior Paint: grey w blue accents

Fabric: Cloth

Records & Maintenance Complete

Log Books: Yes

Annual Due yes

Hangared: Yes

IFR/Pitot Due no

Damage History: Yes

Aircraft Based Out Of: wjf

Corrosion: No

Hail Damage No

General Comments hangared in fox field lancaster ca(high desert) interior cloth and leather

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Cessna, Airplane Sales

Medal of Honor awarded to Navy SEAL

I know this isn't aviation related but I just have to share this link about a brave warrior.

Please read about the Navy SEAL that was awarded America's highest military honor.

Read full story

Aviation related search engine

Looking for something related to flying?

Need to find the perfect Cessna or Piper?

Want to get your IFR rating?

Conduct your search with our aviation focused search engine and enable your love of flying!

Do your aviation related searches with Letsflywa.com!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, ATC, Washington

Light Sport Aircraft for sale

Check out our list of airplanes for sale over at letsflywa.com

We offer partnerships in various types of light sport aircraft and will list you airplane for sale for free.

Featured

Light Sport Aircraft





Atec Faeta 321






Breezer












Flight Design CTLS






Cessna SkyCatcher






Cirrus SRS






CubCrafters Sport Cub






Gobosh G-700S










Thorpedo T211

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Washington

Random Aviation Videos

Check out this page for a never ending loop of random aviation related videos.



Watch Videos

KJFK Live ATC Feed Added

We have added a link to the live feed from JFK's control tower.

Come on over to Letsflywa.com to listen to KJFK live and please let us know what other air traffic control towers you'd like to hear.

Enjoy!

Listen to KJFK air traffic control tower.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, ATC, Washington

Must complete Private Pilot Lessons before deployment

I hate to say it but my lessons have come to a halt once more.

Not only have I had to work more than normal and had some MAJOR personal issues to deal with, now I'm out of cash and running up on a deployment with my Army unit to Iraq.

I hope that you all will understand the need for this request but I'd really like to get further along with my training, but when each hour of flight instruction costing about the same as a full days pay it can be hard.

This was a goal of mine before I deployed to Iraq the first time back in 2004 and I started my training in November of 2006 but have been hung up by weather, club closures, personal problems, Army training schedules and money problems.

I don't expect anything from anybody but a little help wouldn't hurt as I only have 6 months before I head back to the sand box for one more year at war.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Army, Washington

ME 262 Video Collection

Here is a few videos of the worlds first operational jet fighter....the ME262. While this was an invention of the Nazi government and their for a tool for evil, it is a wonderful advancement for the world of aviation. Enjoy these videos and let me know if you have any that you'd like to share.








aviation, flying, pilot, video, German,Army,Military

Aviation Quotes

Here are a few aviation related quoes, please feel free to add to the list by sending me a comment or two.

"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death , I Shall Fear No Evil.For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing."At the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base Kadena, Japan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter ... and therefore, unsafe."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up ... the pilot dies."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Never trade luck for skill."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation are:"Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" and "Oh Sh*t!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Airspeed, altitude and brains --At least two are always needed to successfully complete the flight."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Piper Cub is t he safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you."

Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime."Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes fullpower to taxi to the terminal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?".The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!"

Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Washington

New web page to share my videos

I just set up a page to share my favorite videos on.

Click on over to share your favorites and pass out my play list!

Join me at You Tube

or

LetsflyWa.com

More Patty Wagstaff Videos

What can I say...... I love this woman and what she can do with a plane.

Got a sister?

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary, aerobatics, Patty Wagstaff

U.S. Army Aviation Video

Take a look at these fearless young men in their flying machines!

Hope to join you some day soon!

aviation, flying, pilot, video, helicopter,Army,Military

Landing at Catalina Island Airport Video

Here is a wonderful video by Frank. He is flying from Corona California to Catalina Island in his Super Viking. His videos are what get me through on the days that I can't fly.

Keep them commin' Frank!!

Short S.17 Kent Flying Boat Video

I love these older planes for their style and the creative way that the builders made them come to life.

There is something about a flying boat that just grabs your imagination, make it a true amphibian and there is no place that you can't go.

Enjoy this video of an early British flying boat.

Piper L-4 side slip, landing and high tail taxi video

Now this is some fancy flying, I can't even handle a 1/4 of that slip.

aviation, flying, pilot, video, airplane

Sideslip to Landing Video

I guess this is what my CFI means by keeping the pattern close.

aviation, flying, pilot, video, airplane

Alaska Bush Pilot Video

This is who I want to learn from...
Hell, I have a hard enough time landing in a straight line on a 6000 foot runway!

aviation, flying, pilot, video, airplane,alaska

Crosswind Landing 2 Video

I can't believe the winds that these guys deal with.
I couldn't imagine landing one of these big fellows on a day like this.

aviation, flying, pilot, video, airplane

A different way to fund your training

I have found an alternate way of funding my flight training and possibly the purchase of an airplane through a web site called Prosper. This site offers peer to peer financing for everything from paying your credit card debt to building a business from scratch.

By clicking the image at the top of the screen you will be taken to my group page that is set up to attract members with both military and aviation backgrounds.

The idea of this site is that lenders bid on loan requests and compete for the interest rate that the borrower will pay. Loans can be from $1,000 to $25,000 and are for a 3 year term.

Check it out and finance your way to being a private pilot, airplane owner or just pay down some debt.

More info

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Washington

Make the dream of owning a plane real

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Partnership, Washington

Cessna Skycatcher LSA Intro Video

So, how many of you are looking to buy this LSA? I know its from Cessna but is it really worth the price tag, its close in price to a nice 172 but can only carry half of the load.

I don't understand exactly how this will bring aviation to the common man like they say in the video. I guess the common man that they speak of drives a new Mustang and has a hot blond at his side.

Me, I'm just an Army Sergeant....I guess that means I'm too lowly for a nice new plane with a brand name on it.

aviation, flying, pilot, skycatcher, cessna

C152 Clear Prop Safety Gear Video

New safety equipment for 2008!

Now just stylish....soon to be required! ;)

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, cessna

Forward Slip and Engine Out Video

Just thought I'd share this with you all. No, its not me but this is what it should look like.

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary

Flight Lesson # 11

Well, its been awhile since I've posted and as you can see I've skipped talking about a couple of lessons. I had lesson number 11 on 13 November 2007 after a little over 2 months off due to some personal issues and the closing of the club at Ft. Lewis. I am now training with Glacier Aviation out of KOLM with the same instructor that I had over at KGRF.

The last 2 flights I had at KGRF were simple review before I had my first solo but my life went in to a tail-spin the week I was supposed to take my pre-solo written test and do the deed.

This flight (#11) made me nervous but I was excited and ready for the challenge. As I climbed into my "new" airplane (N856DA) I saw that even though its roughly the same year of C152, things are a little different. I only have one radio to work with so that's a little harder to manage than my last plane but I'm ok with that. The cockpit is in better condition but the plane requires a little right rudder most of the time during flight.

Most of our time was spent getting familiar with the different plane, a much busier airport and knocking the rust off after a long break from flying.

My takeoff from KOLM was pretty smooth and we flew to the training area to the north over the southern part of the Puget sound where we did a few steep turns, slow flight and power off stalls. My first stall was pretty bad, as the stall broke I found that I was out of trim and the nose slipped off to the right pretty quickly. I wasn't quite fast enough setting the plane back to level and didn't release enough back pressure to break the stall correctly.....arrgghh!!!

This is something I've never had a problem with before but by the second one I was back in the game and did a pretty good job of making corrections on my own.

We headed back to KOLM (after trying to find it *wink*) and I made my first T&G from a straight in approach. I was still carrying a little bit of power during the landing but other than that I did pretty well. I found that the pattern is a little harder to fly properly without knowing the area but I didn't get too wide on any of the legs. My next landing was a little better than the first and my third was even better than that.

Overall both my instructor and I were pretty happy with the flight after such a long break. My next lesson will review power on stalls and emergency procedures with a forward slip to landing thrown in here and there.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Army, Washington

Special Report - Aviation Business

Read our special report about starting your own aviation business today!

Do you want to earn commissions on everything aviation?

Learn how to purchase a share of an airplane for $2900 down?

If so this report is for you!

Get our report today!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Army, Washington

Flight Lesson # 8

I had to take about 2 months off from flying due to health problems in the family and military training.

After my last lesson I was a little worried about how I'd do in the air. I found that I was a little rusty on the basic "stuff" but after screwing up my power on and off stalls the first time, I came back strong on the second try. I felt a little behind but was focused on the task at hand and things got better with each task I tried.

Still had a little problem with turns around a point and "S" turns but they are getting better as well.

For those of you that remember my last lesson, the upcoming touch and go's are what bothered me the most about this lesson. Much to my surprise, not only my radio work around the airfield but speed and altitude control were much better. I made 4 landings, including a simulated engine out landing with little problem. These had to be some of the best landings I've made so far and without any hands on help from my instructor.

I am behind on my postings by a couple of weeks but will try to get back on schedule. I have also completed my 9th flight and am getting ready for my pre-solo test. I'll fill you all in on lesson 9 and my test results as time allows.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to share your adventures with me.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Army, Washington

Ft Lewis Flying Club is closing

I am posting this follow up to a previous post because I am troubled by the closing of the Ft. Lewis Flying club. This club has been operating for 47 years and now MWR feels that it needs to close.



The club has been loosing money but if allowed to make a few changes could operate at break even or maybe even a profit.



The changes required to sustain the club for at least a year are very simple and would allow the club to recruit more members aggressively amongst the soldiers and DOD civilians that work in the area, its my understanding that these options were never heard by the powers that be.



During a ground school lesson today I watched as 3 people were turned away from joining because they won't have enough time to complete their lessons before the club is closed.



Its my understanding that there has been more interest this summer than in previous years but they are being turned away still.



The club was loosing money partly due to a lack of members and partly due to other things that I don't have enough details to discuss currently.



I will continue to investigate this matter even if it does nothing to help save this wonderful club because I believe that the decision to close the club was made independent of the facts.



This could be a case of pure business or a lack of understanding about aviation and what it needs to survive. I just hope its not a case of my interest being more important than yours...if you know what I mean.



Soldiers want this club to survive, it can survive if allowed. If this club closes there will be hundreds of soldiers that might have become pilots that won't be able to afford it on the open market.



The training just costs too much for all but the Officers to afford off post and even those that could afford to pay as much as $40 more per hour someplace else would have a hard time traveling that far off post with our work load.



We have a wonderful resource on post now, help us keep it!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Army, Washington

Search for or list your plane for free

For those of you out there either looking to sell your airplane or searching for your dream plane, I'd like to introduce you to my airplane listings.

You can list your lane for sale by clicking the "sell my plane" link below. There is no charge to list your plane on this site. You can include photos as well as a complete description of your plane for thousands to see.

Sell My Plane

To search for your dream plane click on the "search now" link to view our current listings.

Search Now

If you don't see your dream plane listed on our site you can add your name to our database of pilots searchig for a specific plane in a specific price range and we will help you find it. Click on the "find my plane" link below for more information.

Find My Plane

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Pacific Northwest, Piper, cessna, Bushcaddy, Grumman

Boeing 787 Rollout video

Here is a quick video of the new Boeing 787 during the public rollout on 7/8/07.

aviation, flying, pilot, Boeing, Dreamliner

How fishing can be bad for your health

See what happens when a couple of fishermen get in the way of a PBY Catalina flying boat!

aviation, flying, pilot, PBY, Catalina

Airbus A350 vs Boeing 787 video

Lets take a peek in to the design room for the Airbus A350 and see how they plan to beat Boeing and the 787 Dreamliner.

aviation, flying, pilot, Boeing, Dreamliner

Boeing 787 Rollout Live Video

Today the Boeing 787 will be unveiled to the public at 3:30 pacific time.

You can watch this major event live from the Boeing web site or on select satellite channels.

For more information visit the 787 information page below or click on the live feed link at the bottom of this page.

787 Event information page

Live Video Feed

aviation, flying, pilot, Boeing, Dreamliner

New web site is now open

I am proud to announce the opening of my new web site Lets Fly Washington!

The purpose of this site is to offer a place for pilots in Washington State to meet and share information about places to fly, rent airplanes, join a co-op to reduce ownership costs and just meet new people.

We will also be offering a page to sell your plane, search for planes forsale and to purchase shares of a plane through our co-op plan.

The site is still under construction so please feel free to offer suggestions and tell us about your favorite destinations so we can add them to the site.

I'd love to include a video or two of your favorite trips as well!

Don't let the name fool you, Lets Fly Washington is for everybody that loves aviation and we will accept listing for any type of aircraft from any location so don't be shy!

Come visit Lets Fly Washington!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Pacific Northwest

My training hits a snag

I showed up t the airport on June 13th like planned but just before I walked out to pre-flight the plane, my instructor and I were informed that after 47 years of operation the Ft. Lewis flying club was shutting down.

After talking about this a little and trying to figure out what was in our future, we both decided that we just didn't feel like flying that day.

The club will remain open until September 15th 2007 and they have reduced their prices in an effort to keep the students they have.

The price change will allow me to squeeze in a couple more lessons than I could have before the doors are locked on us but I'm still too far from getting my PPL to finish before they shut down.

I spent a couple of weeks in the field for gunnery in my M1A1 tank so I had some time to think about what to do about this situation.

Most of the clubs are a either little out of my price range or just too far away to fit my work schedule.

I might try to pick up one of the planes from the club after they close but I'm not sure what the Army plans on doing with them.

THIS SUCKS!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

Flight Lesson #7

Back on May 30th I had lesson number 7 with my primary instructor. The day was pretty mild except for some wind from 280 at about 7 knots. Everything started out pretty well until I reduced my cross wind inputs as I rotated the nose wheel off the runway.

At that point the left wheel picked up off of the ground and I skidded sideways a little just below takeoff speed. The plane picked up off of the ground and floated in ground effect for a little while as my instructor reminded me to lower the nose to gain speed before starting my climb.

After this little "event" the flight became more normal as we headed out to the practice area off Ketron Island. We started off with a power off stall that went pretty smoothly, did a couple power on stalls without trouble and jumped in to a couple of steep turns using the beautiful Mt. Rainier as an aiming point.

After doing the basics my instructor pulled the power and asked where I'd land. This wasn't a big deal as I had about 3,500 feet to figure it out. I trimmed for best glide and started looking for the little private strip in some guys backyard that's out there. I couldn't find it but I did line up pretty well on a large open area on one of the smaller islands near Anderson Island.

I recovered from the "emergency" and headed back to the field for an introduction to forward slips and a few touch and goes. This is where my problems began.

The idea and application of the forward slip wasn't an issue for me but the transition to landing fouled me up so bad that I don't really want to even log those landings. My pattern work seemed to be ok as my instructor never commented on being too wide or not making proper turns to base or final as in the past. I kicked the plane in to a slip and dropped my excess altitude like I should have but as I crossed the numbers I found myself fighting the wind and getting behind the plane. I reduced power but didn't account for the loss of down force on the elevator and let the nose drop. Pulling back a little too quickly to recover caused me to flare at about 25 feet above the runway and down we went. BOUNCE!!!

We did it again with much the same result and again with not enough pulling on the yoke from me but my instructor was quick to jump on the controls to save the nose wheel. At this point I'm really bad off and can't seem to do anything right and start getting frustrated. Once more around and everything looks fine, sinking a little fast as I cross the numbers and starting to drift to my right, I try to go around but my hand slips off the throttle and BANG the runway meets us.

My other lessons left me with a feeling of excitement but this one gave me a sense of dread. I will tackle these issues again on June 13th but this time I will be in command of that little plane and not feel like a passenger on the roller coaster from hell.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

A little TFR humor

Dang those Temporary Flight Restrictions!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Humor

Aerobatic teams from around the world

Here is a quick video that includes some wonderful footage of different aerobatic teams from all around the world.

aviation, flying, pilot, video, Air Show, aerobatics

Fw 190, P-51 and Me 109 over Berlin

Its been many, many years since this collection of planes flew in the skies over Berlin.

Watch this piece of aviation history as a Fw-190, Me-109 and a P-51 Mustang wow the on lookers at the Berlin airshow.

aviation, flying, pilot, video, Air Show, aerobatics, P-51

Flying a P-51 Mustang

For Mustang lovers of all ages, you need to watch this video of a man's dream come true.

I would love to trade places with this man even for a moment.

Anybody own a P-51 out there?

aviation, flying, pilot, video, documentary, aerobatics

Pulling too many G's for this poor guy

This poor guy just can't seem to keep his eyes open!

aviation, flying, pilot, video, documentary, aerobatics

For pilots from the Pacific Northwest

I found a new site that flyers from the great Pacific Northwest should check out.
They have a forum area, name that northwest airfield game and is a cool place to just meet people from this area.

Check them out today!

Pacific Northwest Flying

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Pacific Northwest

Shop for Pilot and Aviation Supplies on-line

We've opened an on-line shop for pilot supplies, gifts and aircraft supplies in partnership with the Let'sFly co-op ownership program.

Not only can you shop for charts, study materials, tugs, etc. but you can also look for your dream airplane or even list your plane for sale for free!

We offer products from the following providers:

• Jeppesen
• ASA
• Gleim
• CH Products
• AvComm

We also have listings for airplanes from the following manufacturers:

• Atec
• AMD
• Beechcraft
• Bellanca
• BushCaddy
• Cessna
• Cirrus
• Piper
• Legend

To search for your dream airplane follow this link:

Aircraft For Sale

To list your airplane use this link:

Sell an Aircraft

To shop at our pilot store follow this link:

Our Pilot Store

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, supplies, Pilot Supplies, planes, shop, Student Pilot

Flight Lesson # 6

Today I was able to get an early start and get in the air by 1030 Seattle time. We still had some things from Jeppesen lesson #5 to work on so we headed out to the practice area to do some ground reference maneuvers.

These actually weren't as hard as I thought they would be for my first try but the wind was only at about 4knots so I shouldn't pat myself on the back too much just yet.

We started with the rectangle and even though I was being blow from side to side, most of the time I was able to keep a pretty good track while turning to the left. Going to the right was a little harder but I started getting it after a couple of laps.

The "S" turn was a little harder because I lost sight of the road we were using and decreased my bank a little too much to make it on every pass.

The turn around a point wasn't too bad but I only did it in a left turn so I can't say too much about my skill on that one. I just held a constant 45 degree bank and had it locked in nice and tight.

After that we did a couple of power on and off stalls with out a problem and then in to a steep turn to the left with a whip back to a turn to the right. I actually like doing those.

My problems started on the way back to the airfield..........

I called inbound at my normal marker but nobody was home....I try again and nobody answers but now I'm getting a little close to the departure end of the runway so I make a turn away from the field and contact ground to wake up the tower. Stay with me, this is where it started to become fun.

I was in a Cessna 152 and there was a 172 also requesting touch and go clearance from the tower. After the tower started paying attention to us they mistook the 172 for my 152 and cleared me for the # 1 slot. This forced the 172 to go long on the downwind over an active military range!!! I was a little flustered trying to keep up with the radio and the pattern work so I got a little wide on down wind, a little fast in to the base leg and a little high at final.

GO AROUND TIME!!

I worked it out and passed on that landing but was still a little off balance and had a hard time keeping my speed where it belonged. Once again I came in to base a little fast and on to final a little high but this time I made it work out. One the next pass I got a little tighter on the speed and hit the reference points pretty well. I extended the downwind leg a little because I was too high but this gave me a chance to get the plane set up for a proper speed in the final. I was pretty happy with this one even though I chopped the power a little sooner than I should have.
The last attempt looked pretty good as well until my instructor pulled the power as I crossed the 180 point and asked what I was going to do now.

I went with a 10-15 degree bank and no flaps until I knew I could make the runway, set 10 degrees made for 70 knots to counter the wind, hit 20 degrees about a quarter mile out, 30 degrees just before the fence and landed just long of the numbers. I asked the instructor how much was me and how much was him....he said it was all me on the landing and that he just helped keep me from over banking. I think he was pulling my leg but I'll take it.

Before my next flight I need to catch up on the ground lessons a little so I hit the presolo test on about my 9th flight.

Wish me luck!


Total time 6.8 hrs as of 10 May 07

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

Ever wonder what being in a Pitts looked like?

See what it looks like to be in a Pitts during some crazy maneuvers.

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary, aerobatics

Flight Lesson # 5

On Monday I was able to squeeze in a lesson after work so I went up with the senior instructor to finish what I had started in lesson 4 and work on lesson 5.

The weather was absolutely beautiful with winds from 190 at 2knots, temp 70 and clear skies.

We had a couple problems with the intercom system that had to be figured out since I couldn't hear the instructor at all but that was a minor bump in the road.

After getting airborne I had to wear the view limiting goggles for a little instrument time, while I did better this time it was still very hard to stay on course and level without being able to see the horizon.

We knocked out a couple of steep turns, power on and off stalls and some engine out procedures before hearing in to do a little pattern work.

This is where the world became unforgiving. The cross wind was very mild at about 4knots at this point but it was still a little too much for my first landing, I was off of the center line and had the instructor all over the controls trying to help me get back on track.

The next landing was more of a demonstration on cross wind landings and my take off was much better this time.

The third attempt is where things started to get a little funny for me, I went wide on my downwind leg, got too low on my turn to base and overshot the turn to final. This put me wide to the right and about 200 feet low so I did my first go around.

The final landing was a little better but I was still behind on my turns, power and altitude management but I mad it on the ground without much guidance. The shocker of this landing was on the next take off, my instructor pulled the throttle back to idle at about 100 feet AGL to simulate an engine out......... It was a very interesting touch down that made the tower ask if we needed assistance.

What a lesson that was.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

Flight Lesson # 4

Last week I actually flew with my primary instructor!!! Its the first time we've been up together because he's been booked solid for the last couple of months.

As I expected, the beautiful day started to turn bad as I pulled in to the club parking lot and figured we wouldn't be doing much for my lesson.

After the preflight lesson we decided to go up to work on emergency procedures and knock out the demonstrated stalls (cross controlled, secondary, etc.) and see how I handled the plane in rough weather with some haze.

After getting out to the practice area we found a patch of smooth air and I was introduced to the steep turn. I didn't do too bad considering that I could hardly see the horizon with all of the haze around me. Even Mt. Rainier was blocked from my view. We did a few simulated engine out procedures and finished with a couple of touch and goes before calling it a day.

I felt like I was in control through the entire flight and walked away feeling like I had made some good progress. I just hope that more of my lessons go like this.

Total time 4.0 hrs as of 28 April 07

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

Atec Faeta Light Sport Aircraft

For more information on the Atec Faeta Light Sport Airplane visit us and LetsFly!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, airplane owner, planes

Bob Hoover F86 demo flight

Here is Bob Hoover performing a demo flight in a Philippine Air Force F-86.

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary, aerobatics, Bob Hoover

Learn how to own a share of an aircraft for $2900

Do you want to own your own plane but either can't afford or justify it?

Are you interested in owning a share of an airplane but can't afford a large down payment?

To learn how to own a 1/4 share of your own airplane for a low $2900.00 down payment listen to the broadcast from Ultraflight Radio about the Let'sFly co-op program.

Listen to broadcast.

For more information on joining this program and owning a share of your own plane follow the link below and begin the adventure.

More Let'sFly information

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot, airplane owner, planes

Flight Lesson # 3

On Saturday I had lesson number 3 at the Ft. Lewis flying club. It was a beautiful day with about 6knots of wind right down the runway and a ceiling of about 8000 feet.

I did the preflight without my instructor and we jumped in. After a few minutes trying to fix the headset jack on my side of the aircraft, we were off the ground and climbing at about 500 feet per minute when my CFI handed me the hood and said "do it blind". After I put the hood on everything started to go to pieces. My turn outbound was over shot by about ten degrees, chased both my airspeed and altimeter and generally felt not only behind the plane but out of control.

After removing the hood I didn't feel much better about the flight. We did some power on and power off stalls, basic turns, climbs and descents. After about an hour we came back in and did a touch and go that felt "ok" but I could feel the CFI all over the controls so I knew I wasn't in charge of the situation very well. I applied max power and took off again so that we could do a simulated engine out landing.

While I still enjoyed myself I was a little bummed out by how frazzled I got and how I never felt right about my flying that day. I guess I shouldn't expect much more than that since I am still in the single digits with my logged hours. Next time will be better.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

More Patty Wagstaff!

Here are some more Patty Wagstaff stunts with a little F-86 Saber jet thrown in, enjoy!

aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary, aerobatics, Patty Wagstaff

No flying today!

I thought today was going to be the day I restarted my lesson but alas, I was foiled again!

My instructor is feeling better and has been up with other students in the last few days so I thought I'd schedule a flight for this afternoon.

The weather was a little rough but still a go and then it happened.................the plane needs some work!

I wasn't clear about what was wrong with the plane from the message I received but its off the schedule until Friday.

I hope to be back up on both Saturday and Monday but the weather doesn't look so hot.

Wish me luck!

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons, Student Pilot

Patty Wagstaff talks about Aerobatic flying.

I've watched Patty Wagstaff for years at all of the local airshows and I never get tired of watching this incredible pilot do her thing.

Listen to her talk about being a woman aerobatic champion, her love of flying and get to know a little about her.







aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary, aerobatics, Patty Wagstaff

Army Aviation

I found this cool video covering Army aviation and thought I'd share it with you.

YES I do know its not OUR Army!!!








aviation, flying, pilot, movies, documentary

Takeoffs and Landings Book Review

I picked up a new book to pass my time on the ground, its called Takeoffs and Landings: The Crucial Maneuvers and Everything In Between by Leighton Collins.

This book has done a wonderful job of explaining how some of the abstract ideas that are introduced in my Jeppessen student pilot guide equate to real life.

The author of this book also published "Air Facts" magazine for 35 years to introduce tips and safety issues to pilots in the early days of general aviation.

While this book is a re release of a book first published in 1983, it is full of explanations, tips and different ways of thinking about how and why planes fly.

The foreword is by Wolfgang Langewiesche of Stick and Rudder fame.

aviation, flying, pilot, kit, plane, Student Pilot, Books

New layout!

I am changing things around a bit so things look a little nicer and flow a little better.

Please be patient as I play around a little bit and as always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

aviation, flying, pilot, kit, plane, Student Pilot

Legend Cub partners wanted

I've been looking in to a nice VFR plane to purchase and found the Legend Cub to be a nice fit for the type of flying that I plan to do in the near future.

This plane would be great for nice slow flight around the Puget Sound area and can be fitted with floats if you like.

I'd like to find 4 partners to share a new plane with and hope to make the purchase in the next 60 to 90 days.

If I don't find partners my purchase will be delayed for quite some time due to bills.

The home airport for this plane would most likely be in Auburn or Renton Washington but I'd be willing to look at other places if I can get all 4 partners in before the purchase.

If you are interested in this plane or have other suggestions, please contact me either directly via e-mail or post a comment here and we'll talk about it.

Legend Cub Specs.

aviation, flying, pilot, kit, plane, Cub

Flight instructor injured

I found out that my instructor injured his back while doing some house work and is basically on bed rest for a few weeks.

I hope he feels better and I guess I'll just read The Right Stuff again and look up when I hear the planes over head.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons

Air fields with no available services

I am interested in finding out what fields in the Washington, Oregon and Idaho area pilots fly in to and wish that they could fill their tanks and their stomachs.

Do these fields get used often or infrequently?

What services would you like to see at these fields?

Please leave your comments so I can get a better feel for this matter even if its to say "don't waste your time".

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons,fuel,food

Flight instructor grounded.

Well its Sunday and I should be getting ready to head out to the field for lesson 3 but alas I'm typing this instead.

My main instructor is booked full and will be for a little longer. He is trying to get a guy through his IFR lessons so he can apply for a new job with his company and should be finished soon.

Until he is done with that I have been going up with the senior instructor and having a blast doing it but he has been grounded for medical reason for the near future.

As much as this bums me out, I hope everything is OK with him. He is a really nice guy and has been flying for many years. I can just tell that he loves his job and I hope he can get back to it soon.

aviation, flying, pilot, flying lessons