Friday, September 26th

Lots going on here, but nothing that would make for solid copy. Mostly book learnin' and studying up for our written instrument test, which should be in the next few days. Checkride in about two weeks. And my instructor Troy is getting hitched this weekend, so we got subs for a few days.

Went up yesterday afternoon to practice approaches and holds after a disastrous morning session in the sim* which rattled my confidence. The flight went great... shot a VOR-DME approach and a GPS approach (the Seminoles all have dual Garmin GNS 430s, by the way) at Corsicana which both went good, then an ILS approach back into Arlington which was damn near perfect. Feeling great about my progress.

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Nearly everyday I read the online version of my hometown paper, uniontrib.com, and today they reminded me of the 30th anniversary of the crash of PSA flight 182. Sorry to wax sentimental about such a morose topic, especially on a blog that's meant to spin aviation as a wonderful pursuit, but it's weighing on my mind. Christ... 30 years.

I was a second-grader at Francis Parker School on September 25th, 1978 when word came in before lunch that a plane had crashed in North Park and that a lot of people had died. A 7-year old doesn't have much concept of such things, but I knew that my sister Maggie lived in North Park, so I got pretty scared until I discovered upon returning home that she was okay. Ever since, I've been fascinated with that incident. As the years went on and I matured along with the historical significance, I realized just how much PSA and that crash meant to San Diego (its headquarters).

In fact, my first memory of flying was on a PSA plane, on a night flight as a toddler (from L.A. to San Diego, Mom reminds me). One of their famously gorgeous stewardesses asked me if I wanted some ice cream. Presumably with Mom's approval, she led me by the hand up to the galley and helped me make a sundae... fudge, nuts, whipped cream, everything... in a glass bowl! Try getting that kind of service on a 10-hour flight these days, much less a 40-minute hop.

30 years!

Events like these are a reality that pilots and passengers face, but from them is born new technology that keeps us all pretty safe, and I, for one, am quite grateful for it.


* thanks for reminding me... it's technically a "flight training device", not a simulator. I wish sarcastic inflection was an option in written form.

We have three of these at Arlington. It my not look like a whole lot, but has features that make it remarkably close to flying the Seminole. In fact, controlling this thing is a bitch... much tougher than the real thing, since the "outdoors" are only found immediately in front of the left seat and of course, the "seat of the pants" sensations are missing. Still a pretty good trainer, though. We're getting to know each other quite well...

Monday, September 22nd

Quick one...

Yesterday was a very good day overall. Sim and ground school in the morning, learning about ILS approaches, GPS approaches, missed-approach procedures, holds and fixes.

About 1700 I file an IFR flight plan to Waco and back to try this stuff in a real-world environment. Going up in 6816A, a brand-new 2008 Seminole. First of all, my radio calls are getting much better. Some ATC highlights from the flight...

"Seminole 6816A, cleared to KACT via JPOOL3 departure, Waco transition, climb and maintain 2,000, expect 6,000 after 10 minutes, departure frequency 128.62, squawk 5515."

(after a simulated missed approach into Waco) "Seminole 6816A, roger going missed, proceed as published, right turn to 2-5-0, climb and maintain 3,000, expect vectors for approach."

Standard stuff, actually. Typing this out now, it seems terribly easy, but to the ear of a student like me... listening to, comprehending, reading back and executing all this information while trying to stay airborne in moderate turbulence is definitely a learned skill. Looking forward to getting good at it.

Ended the evening at buddy Dave's (happy birthday, man!) house with carnitas and Monday Night Football. My Chargers put a cherry on a fine day, beating the Jets 48-29.


Ground school, practice written tests, and more simulator today. More reports as they become interesting.

Sunday, September 21st

Instrument phase! The meat of the whole program... learning how to fly a plane with no outside visual references while following ATC orders to the letter. It's tough to get the hang of!

I mentioned in earlier posts about getting some exposure to instrument flying during the time-building phase of the Cessna program, but now it's getting pretty intense, because I'm expected to act as pilot-in-command. Trial by fire.

Last night I took my first flight since my instrument checkride on Tuesday. At 1700 Troy and I went wheels-up in Seminole 6865A for Tulsa (Jones Airport again) flying VFR under a IFR flight plan. We get instructions for 4,000 feet as we crossed to the west of Dallas/Fort Worth airspace, and I suddenly get a taste of what it's like sharing the air with big planes as two commercial jets passed across our nose. Frontier Airlines Airbus at 11 o'clock, eastbound, 2,000 feet above us. American Eagle RJ, 10 o'clock, eastbound, 1,000 feet above us. Very exciting to be so close. Camera will be nearer to me for future flights.

Nearing Jones at twlight, we get vectored to the north to position for runway 19 right, behind three T-6 Texans that were flying in for what turned out to be a charity party in the hangar of the FBO we were heading for.

A quick bite to eat in the town of Jenks and we're heading home. This time Troy asks for and receives clearance for a cruise altitude of 10,000 feet... a new record for me. In an unpressurized cabin like this one, this means we gotta watch each other for signs of hypoxia, although neither of us is very worried... it's only a two hour flight. The Seminole got to 8,000 feet in no time... the remaining 2,000 feet seemed to take an eternity.

I've said it before... night flying is absolutely amazing. Cool stable air, less traffic (and friendlier controllers... a nice by-product) and not much to do except enjoy the scenery, above and below. The precision approach path lights are out at runway 16 at Arlington, so I'm on my own for establishing my glideslope back home. I nailed it. Not that tough, actually.

This phase requires a lot of book-learnin'... tons of ground school, studying, and training in the simulator to learn about approach plates, holds, fixes, and a bevy of other rather important details to make me a safe pilot. Stay tuned... after the instrument checkride in a few weeks comes the dual cross-country trips, when I'm paired with another student instead of an instructor. This should be fun...

Oh, and the primary lesson learned from Saturday's flight. The worst Italian food in the world is not found at Olive Garden. It's at Mazzio's of Jenks, Oklahoma. Please take heed when rolling though, my friends.

Tuesday, September 16th (multi-engine checkride)

A friend reminded me that I haven't mentioned anything about my living conditions here.

(my best Don Pardo) "Students at ATP Arlington stay at the fabulous Grand Courtyards Apartments in lovely Grand Prairie, Texas."

It's not a barracks, but it ain't exactly the Four Seasons. Actually, it's a very decent (but small) place... I'm just having to share it which is a hard sell for someone of my advanced years.

I'm in a 3-bedroom 2-bath apartment, and currently share it with three other students (with room for one more), none of whom are over 25. We get along fine. Some housekeeping issues, but that's to be expected. Joe is a month ahead of me in the program and has been an invaluable aid in last-minute exam cramming. Alex is in the CFI program and is just a few days away from being done. David is the new guy... just started the Private Pilot Program. They're so cute at that age!

Oh, and I passed my multi-engine checkride today. 8 hours of simulator time, 8 hours of actual flight time, and a truckload of study hours was all it took! On to the dreaded Instrument Rating. This will be about 3-4 weeks of intensive ground school, with 35 hours of flight time and about 45 hours in the simulator. This will be a real test... one of the most difficult phases of the program.

Celebrating tonight with Jenifer... an old friend of mine who lives here. I worked with her about 12 years ago when I lived in Austin. We lost touch over the years and I'm looking forward to getting re-acquainted. Maybe I should tell her that I'm a pilot...

Thursday, September 11th

Summer appears to be drawing to a close here in Texas... the weather is getting more predictable. Unfortunately it's predictably cloudy, and I gotta fly VFR for the next few weeks. On top of that, we've got Hurricane Ike threatening our livelihoods. Due to hit Houston Friday night with 100mph winds and hit us with 40-50mph winds by Saturday and into Sunday.

Day four of ACPP and I'm already getting a little bored with the simulator. It's fun, and remarkably close to the real thing, but it's just no substitute for actually going wheels-up. Today though, a break in the weather sent everyone scrambling for the ramp, and I got in on it. Troy (our main instructor for this phase) and I head out to 910KT... a 2000 model Seminole.


Preflight, left engine start, right engine start, taxi. It's already feeling very different, being a twin engine with low wings instead of the single engine high-wing Cessna. And remarkably cramped. I had heard this, but with kneeboard and headset attached and the door closed, it really became clear that sharing this space meant getting really familiar with your flight partner. And since the trim controls and fuel selectors are located between the seats... even more so. Excuse me... pardon me... my fault... 'scuse me...

Taxiing in an unfamiliar airplane is a bit awkward, but I get the hang of it quickly. After mistakenly identifying myself as 920TA (one of the Cessnas), I correct and get takeoff clearance. Man, this is what simulator just can't simulate. Full throttle in the Seminole really pushes you into your seat, and takeoff speed (75 knots) comes fast. I gasp at the rotation as we get off the ground.

"Positive rate... gear up."

I had feared forgetting to bring the gear up (a common error), but I didn't. We're off and flying. The terrain passes underneath us far quicker than I'm accustomed, but other than that it's not much different to fly this baby. I demo some maneuvers (stalls, slow flight, steep turns) like I did in the simulator, and did okay. Another few flights and I should be good to go for the checkride. Shot a few landings at Mid-Way, and also did fine. Much different landing the Seminole, since it doesn't float down the runway like the Cessna, but it's similar enough to get the hang of fairly quickly. One more landing at Arlington and we're done.

Excited beyond belief. This bird will be my home for the next 3 months.

Monday, September 8th (first day of ACPP)

After being off since August 20th, barely knowing what to do with myself except study in-between watching the Olympics and election coverage, it's time to get back to work, learning the Piper PA-44 Seminole for ATP's Airline Career Pilot Program.


I had four days last week to visit my sister and brother-in-law in New Jersey, and also had a night to spend with friends in Manhattan (see Jersey Boys at full price... the drummer's got a little one on the way!). Had to get the hell out of Texas and not think about flying for a few days. I think it did the trick. Got back Saturday, barely missing the remnants of Hurricane Hanna as it threatened NYC.

Today went much like the first day of the private program... lots of paperwork, a visit from the chief pilot, test results and logbook review. This time, however, I'm paired with one guy (old reliable Daniel) instead of being lumped into a class of six. The instruction already seems far more personable and easier to absorb. Good thing, too... because this is going to be a serious challenge. Flying a twin-engine requires more advanced knowledge of aerodynamic principles, and well... there's twice as much to go wrong with another engine!

Used a long break in the day to go out and sit in a Seminole for a while, to get formally acquainted. Feels like a blind date. "I've read about you and heard so much about you... I can't believe we finally get to meet!" She didn't return the compliment. Not yet, anyway.

I get asked frequently what I'll be doing next. Today's activity made this clearer. This week I'll be learning the Seminole from top to bottom, first on the ground, then in the simulator, then the first actual flight should be Wednesday if the weather holds up (it's raining now). By next Wednesday, I'll have my private multi-engine checkride. Scary to think... my checkride is scheduled but I haven't even flown this thing yet. Haven't even been in the sim yet! I trust that my school knows what they're doing. The next 30 days will be training for my instrument rating, which is a major headache. I've seen adult male tears shed over that one, so I hope I can keep up. The reward for passing the instrument checkride is that I'll graduate to the most fun part of this whole experience... dual cross-countries. I'll be paired with another student and will get to fly ACTUAL cross-countries, to California, Florida... and everywhere in between. Commercial ratings (single and multi-engine) come next, followed by Flight Instructor school. If all goes to plan, by mid-December I'll be done and holding enough certifications to land a job, probably as a CFI at first.

I had a nice surprise on the ramp when I was greeted by this.


The Arizona Commemorative Air Force is visiting Arlington and giving rides in this beautiful B-17 for the next few days. Since it's parked right next to ATP's ramp, Daniel and I moseyed over and got a closer look. I asked the man shown here, who was watching over things, where he was from. In a thick accent, he smiled and answered, "Germany. It is first time here."

I complimented him on the aircraft and lamented that I wouldn't be taking a ride today, then walked away puzzled, wondering if there any Japanese tour guides at Pearl Harbor.

First simulator flight at 0730 tomorrow.

Tomorrow's episode... "Simulated Inverted Flat Spins And The Students Who Love Them"