Ryan, Aeronautical

Monday, January 5th

2009-01-05T21:28:00.009-06:00

Almost there...

Well, my grand social blogging experiment didn't quite work the way I wanted. Sorry for the update delays. I knew this past month was gonna be tough, and I thought I was prepared, but nope. I think I can summarize my December in one picture.

After CFI ground school wrapped up a week or so after Thanksgiving, we took to the books hard while we waited for our turn at the FAA Flight Standards District Office for our CFI Initial oral exam and checkride. Lucky me... mine was one of the first scheduled, for December 15th, to be followed by the checkride on the next day.

After a handful of sleepless nights leading up to that Monday, I arrived at the FSDO (located at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport) and met my examiner, who promptly quizzed me about everything I've learned since I've been here. Five hours later, I headed home with a promise that we would continue for another hour or two the next day to wrap up. Sure enough, another two hours on Tuesday and we were done.

I can't take anymore. I feel like I just gave birth... to an accountant!

To complicate things, that Tuesday was socked in with the first big winter weather of the season. Freezing rain, low ceilings... unflyable, so we rescheduled the flight for the 18th. And of course, the 18th rolled up with no change in the weather, so we rescheduled for after Christmas... the 29th.

ATP closed down for the holidays which, since I live here, gave me plenty of time in an empty building to stew over my remaining checkrides. It was a long week, but fairly productive.

By the 29th the weather had cleared up beautifully. About 40 degrees and dry, with barely any wind. The weather gods were smiling on me this day. Instructor Walt and I take a quick Seminole flight up to Alliance Airport to pick up the FAA examiner. A quick preflight, and we're off. I was nervous as hell, to be honest... and it showed. After teaching the examiner (as I would a first-time flyer) the finer points of taxiing, I accidentally skipped a checklist before heading out to the runway... something I had never done before. The tower cleared me to take off, and I realized my mistake. Instead, I nervously asked the tower for clearance to taxi back to the run-up area, which was approved. I headed back to the run-up area and completed my checklist. The examiner stayed silent.

It was only after takeoff, when I realized that I hadn't busted this checkride, that my nerves calmed down and I was able to concentrate and deliver a pretty nice flight. Flew northwest to Lake Bridgeport and did lots of maneuvers... slow flight, stalls, Vmc demo, drag demo, single-engine failure, turns around a point, then back to Alliance for short-field takeoffs and landings, and a single-engine landing. Checkride passed, and I can now call myself a Certified Flight Instructor.

I had the Instructor-Instrument checkride on the 2nd, which was nearly identical to the original Instrument checkride in October and went pretty well. Funny how much I needed to refresh on, though... a lot of this stuff tends to slip when not used for a while.

One more remains... the Single, scheduled for tomorrow but moved to Wednesday due to more of this crap. What the hell... I'm already a month overdue and the coffee's still free.

The cord gets cut this week, and then I get to decide what to do with the rest of my life. Suggestions graciously appreciated.

Monday, December 8th

2008-12-08T21:13:00.004-06:00

Word came in last night that one of ATP's Seminoles and another flight school's Cessna collided and both planes crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing two student/instructor tandems. Since this blog is public and details are few, I'll decline further comment other than to express my deepest sympathy for the families of those lost.

Trying to study with this news hanging in the air is tough enough. Then came word this afternoon that an F-18 from MCAS Miramar crashed into a house in the neighborhood where I grew up, a few hundred feet from my high school.

Tough to make sense of this day. Just gonna try and keep my brains in my books for now.

Tuesday, December 2nd

2008-12-01T21:05:00.004-06:00

Forgot to mention...

I spent Election Day moving out of the Grand Courtyard apartments and into an apartment at ATP. Since my roomies were all graduating at a record rate, and not much in the way of new blood coming in, the ATP brass closed the apartment and moved me into a studio on the first floor of the school, which I'm sharing with flight partner Dan. Not bad, really... the commute to school's great (one flight of stairs) and there's a flight simulator in the backyard. Free coffee, too.

Just finished day 6 of CFI (certified flight instructor) school. All the horror stories I've heard over the months from my friends and roomies are mostly true... it's an immense load of reading, comprehension, quizzing, correlation, and some flying. The CFI 'initial', the checkride done by the local Flight Standards District Office in Fort Worth, is first up and will involve a rather lengthy oral exam, covering everything I've learned, but this time at from the standpoint of an instructor... not just the 'whats', but also the 'whys' and 'hows'. If I'm gonna be teaching it, I'd better know it, right?

Got re-acquainted with an old friend today... the Cessna C172 Skyhawk. It's a requirement of CFI candidates to be signed off as being proficient in stall awareness and spin recovery, so today's the day that asst. chief pilot Javier and I went up to try our best to crash a plane by going vertical. You may recall that in my early stage of private pilot training, we accidentally put one into a spin during a stall maneuver, which looked something like this (not my video!)...

This time we did it on purpose. And what do you know... it was a hell of a lot of fun! We did three of them before heading over to Mid-Way Airport to meet flight partners Mike and Dan for their turn, and they were just as giddy. Dan even got into a few fully-developed spins, where the plane made several complete rotations before recovery. I can't wait to practice these again on my own someday.

Anyway, that was my day. Final day of ground school is tomorrow, to be followed by as much self-paced study as my little ol' noggin can handle. Still no word on my checkride dates, but that should be coming in the next few days. The end is nigh at hand...

Sunday, November 23rd

2008-11-23T23:04:00.004-06:00

Hi and sorry again for the absence.

Time since the last post has been spent hitting the books... big time. Had to take the three remaining knowledge tests (Commercial - 90%, Flight Instructor Airplane - 86%, Fundamentals Of Instructing - 94%), grinding through an exhausting CFI pre-test and getting ready for the Commercial Multi-Engine checkride, which finally occurred last Thursday. Despite having a bit of a brain fart on the pilotage (visual navigation) part of the ride, the maneuvers, which included steep turns at a 50-degree bank, stalls, Vmc demo, and short-field landing, went pretty well overall and I passed.

Now then...

Tomorrow begins CFI School... the phase where I've seen several of my cohorts break down. Two weeks of intense ground school, peppered with a handful of flights to prep for the three CFI checkrides. When it's all done, I'll have my Commercial Single-Engine to get past, then I'm done.

I was pretty sure that I'd be done in plenty of time for Christmas. My friends here aren't so sure. Regardless, I hear the local Flight Service District Office, which handles part of the checkride process, is closed from Dec. 20th through the end of the year, so I'll have some time to spend at home with the fam and friends before coming back here to finish.

Off to dreamland. Should be reporting a little more often down the home stretch.

Cheers

Saturday, November 8th

2008-11-08T23:38:00.001-06:00

T-minus 30 days...

Cross-countries are over. The final tally...

Monday - Millington, TN; home
Tuesday - study day
Wednesday - Meridian, MS; home
Thursday - Tulsa, OK; Houston, TX; home
Friday - Lamar, CO; home
Saturday - study day
Sunday - study day
Monday - San Angelo, TX; home
Tuesday - Newton, KS; home
Wednesday - Lamar, CO; Tulsa OK; home
Thursday - San Angelo TX; Houston, TX; home
Friday - Meridian, MS; Panama City, FL, overnight
Saturday - Jasper, AL; Monroe, LA; home
Sunday - study day
Monday - Tulsa, OK; home
Tuesday - Monroe, LA; home

Some photographic highlights...

The infamous fried Twinkie from Squealer's Barbeque of Meridian, Mississippi. And the fair was nowhere in sight. This much sugar hits you like a overdose of Thorazine. We may not have been medically legal to fly home.

The 1st trip home from Meridian. A beautiful scene, but Dan and I were heading for our first real weather-danger drill. Nearing the Dallas area, we had to carve a path between two large cells of thunderstorms that developed after we left. With the help of Fort Worth Center, an improvised route well off of our beaten path, and a little luck, we got home safely.

Lamar, Colorado. There's nothing to see here. Nice people, though.

Yours Truly enjoying a little chill time in Panama City on Halloween.

Leaving Panama City. The light spot in the middle is the airport. The blue parts are water. Or sky.

The crew car at the Jasper, Alabama airport. No interior door handles or working gauges, a duct-taped glove compartment, and the trunk smells like a rendered corpse, but hey... it's a limo!

I got to play chauffeur for a couple of fellow ATP guys from Jacksonville who flew in right behind us. They left no tip.

The gumbo at the Waterfront Grill in Monroe, LA. Grubbin', but I may not ever be really convinced that okra was ever meant for human consumption.

A little cloudbusting on the way home from Monroe... my last cross-country flight.

And that's how you cram 75 hours of flight time into two weeks. It was an amazing experience, and the difference in my skill and confidence between that first flight to Millington and the last to Monroe is measurable and astounding. The last few flights included near-perfect radio calls, navigation, curveball handling, and of course... flying. By the Monroe trip, I was feeling ready to take on the next challenge, but first... written exams! Fun's over... time to bury the beak in the books again.

I haven't flown now in about 5 days and I'm already missing it like crazy. This phase of the program is almost all book-learnin'. Have to finish 3 written tests and a monster written homework assignment (I've got about 16 hours invested in it already) by the 15th, then the Commercial Multi-Engine checkride on the 18th, followed immediately by Commercial Single (back to the Cessna!), then Flight Instructor school starts on the 24th. This month will be a bitch.

If you don't hear from me, tell my Mom I love her.

Tuesday, October 28th

2008-10-28T22:36:00.006-05:00

Ugh... I hate getting behind. Sorry for the lack of updates, but flying tuckers Yours Truly out, and I've been up to a lot of it lately. I'm also trying to cram for the commercial and fundamentals of instructing written exams, so my brain is acting like one of those plate-spinners of variety-show yesteryear.

A quick rundown of my cross-country trips so far...

Monday - Millington, Tennessee and back
Tuesday - study day
Wednesday - Meridian, Mississippi and back
Thursday - Tulsa, Oklahoma; Houston, Texas; back
Friday - Lamar, Colorado and back
Saturday - study day
Sunday - study day
Monday - San Angelo, Texas and back
Tuesday - Newton, Kansas and back

During this stage, I call dispatch at 0700 daily and get my assignment. I'm expected to get to the airport within 30 minutes and go wheels-up and soon as possible. So far it's just been day trips, but I think I've got an overnighter coming. Hoping for California or Florida.

Sorry for the short post. There are details to share on every one of these flights and I'll try to put my thoughts on these and future trips down in a more timely manner. Stay tuned. For now, enjoy this picture of the urinal at the San Angelo FBO...

And the accompanying instructions...

Ah, aviation humor... can't get enough of it!

Tuesday, October 21st (x-country!)

2008-10-21T16:32:00.009-05:00

"Hope not in sight."

Been busy since the checkride. A full day of Crew Resource Management ground school with two hours in the sim on Saturday, then a Sunday night trial flight to Tulsa with instructor Jeremy K. in the left seat and me flying from the right. Monday is the first day of having to call into ATP dispatch for a flying assignment, but Jeremy tells me not to expect anything since my paperwork from the Tulsa flight takes some time to get processed.

0700 Monday, ATP Dispatch - "You're flying with Daniel P. in 264AT to Millington, Tennessee. Wheels up ASAP."

So much for having Monday off. I hastily throw together an overnight bag with a change of clothes (just in case) and head for the airport, where Dan and I check the weather, assemble and file our flight plan, and head out to the ramp. We flip a coin to determine the order of assignments. Dan was to fly outbound from the right seat, with me manning the navigation and radios from the left, then switching roles and seats for the return flight.

It's a very exciting time. This phase is the meat-n-pertaters of this program... 75 hours of instructor-less cross-country flying to be completed in 24 days. I'll meet new students as they're assigned to me and get to see parts of the country from vantages I've never experienced. It's also the time to really get comfortable with flying the Seminole and getting the feel for all of its systems without the instructor's watchful eye tensing up the cabin air. For now, I'm just stoked that my first cross-country is with Dan... my classmate from the beginning.

After we take off and get vectored by ATC to the east, we start intercepting VOR radials to track our trip through Arkansas. Texarkana, Pine Bluff, Gilmore, Millington. Between radio calls and occasional navaid adjustments I have plenty of time to sit and reflect on just how much we've accomplished during the past few months. Amazing.

In our haste to leave Arlington, we forgot to ask anybody about what to see/do/eat in Millington, a favorite fueling stop for ATP aircraft. The friendly old guy behind the counter greeted us and handed us the keys to the courtesy car (a Buick) and Dan and I go scouting. Since dispatch only gave us a short turnaround to get airborne for our return flight, we had to make it quick... a Little Caesar's pizza pickup and we return to the FBO to chow down. Another flight plan, preflight, and we're off... this time with me flying from the right and Dan navigating from the left.

Flying from the right seat is a bit of a chore so far, especially after being so accustomed to flying from the other side for my entire aviation career up to this point. The gauges are all on the other side, and I'm now forced to use my left hand to operate the switches and levers while steering with my right... it's not unlike driving in England. Much of this burden is eased by my co-pilot's presence though, since I don't have to concentrate nearly as much on mapping and communication. Still... quite an adjustment.

Three hours and ten minutes later, I land back at Arlington at the very last hint of sunlight, tie the aircraft down, and shake my partner's hand. We have survived.

Oh, and...

Flying near Hope, Arkansas (aka Bill Clintonburg), we hear the following over the radio from Little Rock Approach, addressing a jet inbound to Hope Municipal Airport.

"Citation Lima November, do you have Hope in sight?"

"Negative, Approach... Hope not in sight."

Bummer.

Friday, October 17th (instrument checkride)

2008-10-17T20:48:00.001-05:00

Instrument checkride passed.

Upon rising at 0530, I check the weather and see the break I've been waiting for... DFW reporting a scattered layer at 3,000. Finally good enough to fly.

I meet checkride examiner K.B. at the airport and preflight N756A, a 2000 model Seminole. The plan is to simulate a flight plan to Houston, then divert after takeoff to Dallas Executive Airport to shoot an ILS approach (single engine), go missed, fly a DME arc, then to Grand Prairie Airport for a GPS approach, go missed again, hold at the published missed procedure, then back to Arlington for a VOR-DME approach and land... all while under the Foggles ("under the hood", as they say).

Shortly after takeoff, I climb to 2,500 feet and go under the hood. K.B. asks me some questions about our plan to Houston, which I answer, and he asks me to take him to Dallas Executive. Along the way, he asks me to descend to 2,000 feet because we're in a thin cloud layer. I do so, and start to consider how this descent will affect my approach. After some quick internal debate, I decide that it can't be done, since the approach needs to be started at 2,300 feet and we need to stay 500 feet below the clouds to remain in VFR. He agrees, and asks me to take him to Grand Prairie instead. The nerves I was experiencing disappear, stoked that I made a good decision at a critical time. Feeling kinda pilot-y all of a sudden!

On the way to Grand Prairie, K.B. takes the controls and asks me to put my head down for an unusual attitude recovery. I can feel the plane dip and weave for about 30 seconds, then when he tells me to recover I look at my instrument panel to find us banked sharply to the left and my airspeed increasing rapidly... we're diving. I cut the throttles, go wings-level, and recover.

We've been grounded for 3 days, which means that everyone else in the area has been grounded for 3 days. The appearance of blue sky after a few days of weather is like ringing the aviation dinner bell. I'd never seen this much traffic in the area before. The Seminole is equipped with TIS (Traffic Information System), which will alert us of traffic within 2 miles of our location and provide heading and altitude of that traffic. Through this 90-minute flight, we got "pinged" about 10 times, each time having to go visual (removing the Foggles) to find the aircraft in our area and make sure we don't collide. It threw a wrench into some of my flows, but I maintained well and K.B. seemed very understanding.

Shot the approach at Grand Prairie with a partial panel... a piece of paper blocking my view of the attitude and heading indicators, so my primary instrument becomes the Garmin 430. Went missed and flew the hold (flying in an oval pattern at a specified place and altitude) over Joe Pool Lake as published, then left the hold for the ILS approach into Arlington's runway 34. I kept waiting for K.B. to cut my throttle, and I could see his hand twitching a bit as if he meant to do it, but I think the heavy area traffic kept him from doing it. I go missed shortly before landing, fly south again for a while, then re-position for the VOR-DME approach into Arlington. Nailed it.

K.B. is silent as I taxi back to the main ramp, where I park, complete my shutdown/termination checklists, and finally...

"Congratulations, you passed this examination."

Flight partner Daniel and instructor Aaron meet me at the ramp. I hand the plane over to Dan and 90 minutes later, he also has his instrument rating.

As an instrument-rated pilot, I can now fly outside of Visual Flight Rules. In other words, I can bust clouds!

With instrument rating in tow, tomorrow I start "302", which is ATP code for right-seat flight training and crew resource management. Since I'll be flying with another student instead of an instructor for the next 75 flight hours, this training will help us manage our shared duties and identify individual responsibilities while flying as a team. Time to start acting like a pilot!

Tuesday, October 14th

2008-10-14T12:18:00.007-05:00

Passed the oral portion of the instrument checkride, but there's an overcast layer at only 500 feet so the flight is postponed until tomorrow. The instrument checkride must be flown in VFR conditions, so I'm a slave to Mother Nature for now. More of the same weather is forecast for tomorrow.

UPDATE -- Grounded again Wednesday. Now it's thunderstorms which may continue through tomorrow.

UPDATE UPDATE -- Grounded again Thursday. Waited around from 6:30am to about 1:30pm for the cloud layers to disappear but no joy. Forecast is clear tomorrow, so we should be in business. Hope I still remember how to fly...

Thursday, October 9th

2008-10-09T23:14:00.002-05:00

87% on the instrument written exam.

I was hoping to get into the 90's, but considering that it's one of the tougher written tests in this process, I'll plead temporary satisfaction.

Flew to Stephenville for the second time on Wednesday for a quick flight and a quick bite. Met up with two instructor-student teams (Walt/David & Aaron/Jose) from the private program. Lunch damage at the Hard Eight was $16 for three pork back ribs, a jalapeno sausage and 'nana puddin'. Ouch, but damn...

Lots of sim work and book-learnin' again. My instrument checkride has officially been scheduled for Tuesday, and I've got some work to do. Daniel, Jeremy and I spent yesterday afternoon poolside at the apartment going over elements of the oral portion of the checkride and I was surprised at how ready I am for it... I think. We're spending sim time practicing the checkride 'profile', trying to get the feel for the fast-paced requests of the examiner, who will be cramming a lot of orders into a 1-hour flight. Lots of people bust this one by getting disoriented or behind in their duties, but I'm feeling pretty good about it. Gotta stay focused.

By this time next week I should be starting my cross-country flights!

--

I must share these videos. I got them from a post on jetcareers.com and still giggle about them in my spare time.

For the life of me, I can't tell if these are pilots with amazing comedic skills or comedians with amazing pilot skills.

Saturday, October 4th

2008-10-04T12:22:00.002-05:00

Two great flights to report. On Wednesday Troy and I flew to College Station to shoot some approaches. A bit shaky on the first, better on the second, and the third was this one back home into Arlington.

I was about 8 miles out, about to intercept the ILS for this runway when Troy cuts the power on my left engine to idle... simulated engine failure. We had done this several times, but this was the first time trying it while attempting to maintain the glideslope into the runway and under the Foggles. As you can see, I wound up a bit long, but I was pretty happy with my first attempt under those conditions.

--

Friday night was the biggie. The 300-mile marathon... and back. It's actually a requirement for the commercial certificate, which is coming up, but ATP kills two birds with one stone by having us shoot instrument approaches along the way, all under the Foggles. I preflight 4917A and file for...

- Arlington to Mineral Wells, GPS approach. Nailed it, then went missed (intentionally didn't land)
- Mineral Wells to Abilene, VOR approach. Nailed it, then went missed again.
- Abilene to Midland, ILS approach. Another good one, this time to a full stop.

We meet up with another Seminole team (instructor Aaron and student Adam) in Midland, grab the FBO's courtesy car and grab a bite to eat, then take off again...

Midland to Alliance for 10 VFR night take-offs and landings. I had been here before in the Cessna, but this was the first time since I had worked out the kinks in my landings, and the first time in the Seminole.

We had finished a few when Aaron and Adam came in behind us to do the same. Once again we pick a night with no other traffic using the airport, so the tower assigned the left pattern for 16L to A&A and the right pattern for 16R to Troy and I. It didn't take long before we were flying in tandem, like looking into a mirror, including the base leg for landing, in which we momentarily are flying head-on. This is a humbling enough experience during the day, but when it's night, with another plane's landing light shining in my face... oy. I don't mind telling you that I peed a little.

Ten laps in a traffic pattern is draining enough, but we're not done. Last stop is Cleburne, where we shoot a visual approach and land.

"Back home, boss?" I ask Troy, who looks at his watch and sighs.

"We've got another hour left."

We head for the practice area south of Arlington and well, just fly around. Rather pleasant, but it's now 0100 and we've been flying with only one break since 1700, and consciousness is getting scarce. Aaron shares an idea on the radio.

"I'm asking ATC if they'll vector us through DFW so we can take a tour."

The airspace around DFW is extremely busy and as such, air traffic control keeps very tight control of it. However, in the wee small hours on a Friday night even controllers get bored. Sure enough, ATC clears A&A to fly direct over DFW airport and east to downtown Dallas. Troy and I wait a bit for spacing, then get request and get cleared to do the same. This was a pretty sweet ending to the evening... got great views of the big airport from 3,500 feet and then did a lap around downtown Dallas at 2,500 feet... both areas normally verboten for civil aircraft.

A few more stop-and-goes at Arlington and we're done.

My head hit the pillow at 0300... hard.

Friday, September 26th

2008-09-26T23:54:00.007-05:00

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.

--

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

2008-09-23T19:47:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-21T13:19:00.005-05:00

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)

2008-09-16T18:00:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

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)

2008-09-08T21:12:00.001-05:00

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"

Saturday, August 16th

2008-08-16T20:19:00.000-05:00

A day after a fairly uneventful trip to San Angelo, TX and back, Ben and I grabbed 920TA and filed a plan to Monroe, LA. I was excited, since I've always had a soft spot for the Bayou (New Orleans in particular), having been through here several times, and was looking forward to seeing it from the air. Here was what I saw enroute.

So much for aerial views of swampland. Nearly 3 hours and a successful ILS approach later, we're flagged into the local FBO by a very friendly guy who chocks our nosewheel, hands us the keys to the courtesy car, and suggests we head for the Wat erfront Grill. Man, what a find! Started by sharing a bowl of crawfish dip, then I had a huge bowl of really bitchin'* gumbo. Nice view too.

We thank our concierge back at the FBO for the meal suggestion and start off back home. During the run-up (where we test the engine at the end of the taxiway), the left magneto check made the engine stutter and drop about 500 RPM, which isn't normal. I had seen this before, on my first solo cross-country, and knew how to fix it, but the procedure I had used before wasn't working. Ben fooled with it a few times but no joy, so back to the FBO. A phone call to Arlington and a new procedure later, problem solved and away we go.

It's dawning on me that my time in the Cessna is coming to an end, and I'm already getting a little sentimental about it. ATP's private pilot program comes with an 85-hour allowance and I'm at about 80. I'll get to fly them again briefly later in the program when I go for my commercial single certificate, but for now I'm already starting to miss it. It's made me a pretty good pilot and been a fun little bird to fly around in, especially when I get views like this on my way back from Monroe.

* Dad, this word is just fine. Use it loudly and liberally. (earlier family debate... carry on)

Thursday, August 14th

2008-08-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

After a day off, Ben and I are back into 441CA and off to Houston. This was much like the return flight from Tulsa the other day... broken cloud layers and beautiful scenery. ILS approach into David Wayne Hooks Airport, but this time it was under the Foggles again, and my first try at minimum decision altitude... the point-of-no-return where I commit to either land or call a missed approach. After using instruments and ATC's instructions to navigate my way to the airport, Ben has me remove the Foggles at about 700 feet above the airport and I land pretty well. Not perfect, but going from sightless to sighted in a split-second occupies a number of brain cells.

Got a look at ATP's Houston location and grabbed the FBO's courtesy car to grab a bite to eat. Uneventful return flight.

Hey, they can't all be fascinating!

Tuesday, August 12th

2008-08-13T00:48:00.000-05:00

"They've got cookies!"

Ben and I hop into 2656G and head north.

We filed an IFR flight plan to Stephenville yesterday, but today was the real test. Shortly after being directed through DFW's Class B airspace, we entered our first cloud... and stayed there for about 90 minutes on our way to Tulsa. All the book-learnin' on spatial disorientation and "trusting your instruments" came back to me like a fastball to the noggin, but reading about it and expereincing it are two very different things. The windshield turns stark white and my senses instantly starting telling me that I'm climbing and banking hard to the right. After focusing on the instruments for a second, I realize that I'm flying level but banking slightly left. The next hour and a half is spent adjusting my eyes and learning to scan my gauges. Tougher than it sounds, and hard to articulate.

Also experienced my first true ILS approach for landing into Tulsa's Jones Airport. Arrived exhausted but feeling pretty good about the flight. Learned something pretty cool!

While I chat up the gas truck driver, Ben ducks his head into the FBO and turns back to me, grinning. "They've got cookies!"

The way home was easier. Flying through a broken layer of clouds meant being able to keep my eyes focused on something other than just the instrument panel, which was far less fatiguing. On the way home I spotted my great-granddad's home of Denison, TX and took a photo. That's the Red River separating Texas and Oklahoma.

Good day of flying... and more to come.

Monday, August 11th

2008-08-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

After the checkride, I had my first days off in over a month. I used it to sleep and watch the Olympics. Perfect timing! Starting Monday the 11th, it was back to work. This phase of the program is used to build logged hours and introduce us to IFR (instrument flight rules), a crucial part of the next phase of training.

First stop... Stephenville, home of the Hard Eight Barbeque. Ben and I flew 2656G there and met flight partners Daniel (with instructor Walt) and Ali (with instructor Javier). First flight through clouds, too... a fascinating experience. More on that later.

The Hard Eight is a popular fly-in, so they keep two golf carts at the FBO for transport to the restaurant, where we were greeted by the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen. Ever wonder what the salad bar in Heaven looks like? Here you go.

After crippling ourselves by ingesting obscene amounts of dead pig, we're homebound. Thanks to FlightAware for the illustrated track of our flight. As you can see, I'm learning about keeping my heading through clouds.

August 08, 2008 (private pilot checkride)

2008-08-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

The final prep flight on Thursday didn't go well, as I was staying a step behind the procedures, seemingly always preoccupied with one thing or another, rather than looking ahead to the next item on my checklist or getting set for the next arrival. My landings also took a step backward, all of which concerned me since, as Ben reminded me ad-nauseum, my final exam was tomorrow. I spent the evening preparing the necessary navigation log for a flight from Arlington to Hillsboro to Lubbock, and getting quizzed for the oral exam by my roommate Joe, who went through this only a month ago and was a huge help. I still didn't sleep well that night.

0545 - I report to school to check on the weather and complete the endless array of paperwork needed to complete the upcoming tasks. At 0630 I'm greeted by K.B., a friendly 60-ish man who's one of ATP's two designated checkride examiners. Behind a closed office door, we sit down and he tells me what to expect about today's events. After the oral exam, we'll take a flight where I will be, in effect, carrying my first passenger and he'll expect a nice ride.

"Tell me about your aircraft."
"Tell me about the engine in your aircraft."
"Describe the electrical system in your aircraft."
"What are the required inspections needed for your aircraft and how often do they need it?"
"Tell me the V-speeds for this aircraft."
"Define density altitude."
"What's advection fog?"
"What's hypoxia? How can you tell if someone has it and what do you do about it?"
"Carbon monoxide poisoning... same questions."
"Describe wind shear."
"What's P-factor?"
"Define adverse yaw."
"Show me on the map where a Mode C transponder is required."
"What's the minimum visibility requirements for VFR flight in class G airspace at night?"

And on... for two hours.

When I was twelve, I competed in the San Diego County Spelling Bee. I couldn't tell you what words I spelled correctly, but I'll never forget the word I tanked*. Similarly, I'll always remember the one question that I completely missed on this day.

"Is participation in separation services mandatory in a Terminal Radar Service Area?"

Turns out that it's not. I still passed.

I drew a lucky card in getting 441CA, the bird that got me through my first set of good landings and my first solo. A call to weather services confirmed what I was a little worried about... the nearby front had shifted the winds and instead of taking off from the usual runway 1-6, I had to depart from 3-4, which I hadn't done before. No big deal, really... but I'm starting to wonder if there were any more curveballs coming my way.

Good takeoff and smooth air heading south toward Hillsboro. About halfway there, K.B. asks me to divert to Lancaster. Christ... Pennsylvania? California? I hadn't even heard of the Texas one. I whipped out my sectional chart and found it... just beyond good ol' Mid-Way Airport, where I'd been a hundred times, and was within sight at my 8-o'clock. I turned and headed that way, which put us on a perfect course for Lancaster. After I convinced him that I knew what I was doing navigationally, he had me demonstrate some maneuvers. Steep turns, check. Slow flight, check. Power-on stall, check. Power-off stall, check. Emergency landing, check.

"Never mind Lancaster. Take me to Mid-Way and show me some landings."

Along the way, K.B. hands me a things-that-can-go-wrong list. "What would you do if you experienced each of these?"

partial or complete power loss
engine roughness or overheat
carb icing or induction icing
loss of oil pressure
fuel starvation
electrical malfunction
vacuum/pressure and associated instrument malfunction
pitot/static malfunction
landing gear or flap malfunction
inoperative trim
inadvertent door or window opening
structural icing
smoke/fire/engine compartment fire

I fight the urge to offer the funny answer, which is of course, "All at once? Crap my pants." Instead, I think out each one and answer well enough to keep going.

Short-field and soft-field takeoffs and landings at Mid-Way (also on the runway opposite the one I'm used to) go well. Keep in mind... a pilot on a checkride is waiting to hear the words "take me back to our airport". The earlier it's said, the worse the news. It's about this time that I hear it from K.B., and I'm only mostly sure that it's good news. A well-executed short-field landing and a taxi back to our ramp later, K.B. breathes.

"Congratulations. You've passed this test." I'm a pilot.

More paperwork and some congratulations from my mates back at the classrooms, and I'm off for the rest of the day. Celebration dinner and beers at Dave & Brittany's, where I'm asleep before midnight. I've got tomorrow off to let it all sink in.

* Jacamar. Not J-A-C-K-A-M-A-R.

Friday, August 1st

2008-08-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

Well, it was shaping up to be another day in class, grounded by unfavorable atmospheric conditions. No thunderstorms today, but now the issue is haze and crosswinds. Even though I've done a ton of crosswind landings with a pilot in the right seat, school policy won't let me solo with a crosswind component greater than 7 knots. KCRS (Corsicana) reported crosswinds of 9 knots at 0800. Grumble.

By 1100, that crosswind was reported at 8 knots, and by 1pm... 4 knots. Go time for my 50nm cross-country. Visibility listed at 10 miles, but Matt warns us (having just flown) that he suspects less through the haze, so be careful. Daniel, (flying his 150 miler), Mike (first solo this morning, first cross-country this afternoon), and I preflight our planes. Today my flavor is 9485 Zulu, a steady mount that has treated me well before.

Oh, and it's 106 degrees on the ramp. Around here they call it 'balmy'.

We finally got a pretty good taste of the fun yet to come in next phases of this program... preflighting, taxiing, and flying together as a team. Daniel got a sizable headstart on us, since he had further to go and not much time to waste, but I stayed behind Mike all the way to Corsicana. Mike had already done a touch-and-go by the time I arrived, and Daniel was climbing out to head for Cleburne. I also landed, came to a full-stop, and taxied back around to do it again. One more and it was time to head home. Once again, Mike got ahead of me by about 10 miles but we kept a close 'radio eye' on each other. Along the way, I made my YouTube debut.

This was over Bardwell Lake, which doesn't show up. That's the Texas Motorplex (a drag strip, not to be confused with Texas Motor Speedway) just ahead of the right wing strut.

I wish I could really explain what I love about this. Amongst the noise and stress of watching traffic and gauges, there's an amazing sense of peaceful solitude up here. As I get better and better at this, I'm sure that sensation will amplify, and I can't wait to get there.

My first solo landing at Arlington wasn't exactly textbook. Approach procedures were perfect to the letter, but as I was on a 45-degree entry for left downwind, the tower and another Cessna miscommunicated and I wound up flying next to her on the remainder of the downwind, which was an odd predicament. Tower thought she was departing to the south, but she re-entered the pattern instead. I couldn't do a 360-degree turn to space us out, since traffic from Grand Prairie Airport was just off to my right. Tower requested an immediate short approach from the other plane, she complied and disappeared onto the runway, and I continued downwind, base, and final. Forgot to retract the flaps before my taxi back to the ramp, but other than that, I think we can chalk this flight up as a success.

It's Daniel's birthday. Burgers and beers at Cheddar's (next to the apartment), then home.

Next... the 150nm cross-country and checkride preps!

Thursday, July 31st

2008-07-31T22:35:00.000-05:00

Thunderstorms have been teasing the area the past two days and so there's not much to report, I'm afraid. We're grounded until the weather settles down, so we've spent the past two days watching videos and going over oral exam test questions. We watched 7 hours of these today...

7 hours of Martha King. I'm sure she'll be incorporated into my dreamscape tonight so now I'm too terrified to sleep.

Spent last night with Dave and Brittany and Dave's dad Lyle, who's in town overnight. Had a great meal of Prairie House barbeque and Shiner Bock. Always good to spend time with them... definitely one of my better choices to train here in Dallas, close to good friends.

Took the time tonight to finally go see The Dark Knight. The hype is justified... it's a great movie, with lots of surprises. And Heath Ledger really is a spectacular Joker. I really have nothing new to add to what's already been written about it, I guess. I'm just trying to stay awake...

Tuesday, July 29th

2008-07-29T18:05:00.000-05:00

No solo x-country today. Ben had another exercise in mind for me... instrument navigation and unusual attitudes, which I had been looking forward to.

I have been through pilotage and dead-reckoning training, both of which rely on outside visual aids for navigation, and since this in Texas in the summer, we count on VFR conditions just about all the time. But there are instruments on a plane, even on a little Cessna like this, that will help me from getting lost if I happen to wander into IFR conditions. Hence, today's lesson featured a stylish new accessory.

Foggles. Designed to keep your eyes on the instrument panel only, to simulate flying through a cloud or thick fog, when the windshield becomes merely a shield for wind. Ben has me put them on at climbout, about 500 feet AGL, and they didn't come off for about 2 hours. Instrument panel, meet Ryan. Ryan... instrument panel.

Ben calls out headings and I use my heading indicator to aim for them. I maintain altitude (well, kinda... it's rough 102-degree air) and airspeed... not much to it, really. I just have to trust Ben to keep scanning for traffic. He also gives me a long lesson on using the onboard GPS and VOR radials to track to a particular location, in this case the Glen Rose VOR itself, which we lap around.

(Note to my San Diego kin... ever wonder why that big bowling pin is sticking out of the middle of Mission Bay? That's our VOR station.)

There's an extremely hazardous condition common to pilots known as spatial disorientation, which has killed many pilots... most notably JFK, Jr. With so many sensations going on during a flight, it's not difficult in IFR conditions to have the feeling that you're flying straight-and-level, when in fact you could be in a steep dive. Sometimes it's hard for your body to recognize the difference. The unusual attitudes exercise develops trust in one's flight instruments, which is paramount to combating spatial disorientation.

Ben has fun with this exercise, which starts with him taking the controls and telling me to close my eyes and put my head down. The plane starts weaving, dipping, climbing, banking... I was able to keep track of our position for a few seconds, but by by the time I hear "look up", I have no idea what to expect. I open my eyes and look at my gauges. Airspeed increasing rapidly... attitude is nose down and banked. Throttle out, ailerons neutral, recover from dive.

Another one, and upon looking up I see my airspeed slowing down about the same way. I cheated a bit here... I could easily tell that the sun was in my face so I knew I had to recover from this extreme climb before we stalled, and I did.

Another one, and this time the airspeed and attitude indicator were fine, which worried me for a split second until I realized that Ben had tried to pull a fast one. After all the dipping and diving, he had brought us to straight-and-level flight before telling me to open my eyes.

I kept the foggles on the whole way back, using the GPS to get back to Arlington. Ben handled the radio and gave me subtle instruction (5 degrees left, 2 degrees right, etc.), and by the time I got the order to remove the foggles, I was on right downwind for runway 16. Bounced the landing, but hell... I had been blind for the past two hours and I was a little discombobulated. Ben says it happens on all foggle flights.

Good flight, good day. Hoping the solo cross-country comes tomorrow.

Monday, July 28th (1st solo!)

2008-07-28T21:56:00.001-05:00

"Wheels up in 30 minutes, Tobin."

This was Matt's 'good morning' to me as I walked in at 0800. There was a stir around the classroom as I arrived and it took me a second, but I realized that it's solo time. Ben had advised the brass of my good flight on Sunday, and they were anxious to rip me away from my proverbial teat. A few wide eyes and thumbs-ups from my mates and I suddenly wished I had ordered a decaf instead.

I called WX Brief for an area forecast and grabbed my flight bag. Matt walked me out to the ramp (another first) and tells me to treat it like any other flight, to relax and just show the man what I've learned. I preflight 441CA, my lucky steed from yesterday.

Javier, the assistant chief pilot, meets me a few minutes later and we chat planeside. He tells me about the same thing Matt told me... to relax and have fun with the flight. I am now Pilot In Command and he was my passenger, and I'm just taking him for a nice ride. I'm still a little tense at this point, but feeling confident until after starting the engine I accidentally cut it by pushing the throttle forward instead of the mixture, something I hadn't done before. I wince and look up to see Matt ahead of me, arms folded, tsk-tsking me from across the ramp. Yikes. Javier tells me one more time to relax, and it worked. I'm now convinced that I've completed my glitch for this mission and I'm suddenly feeling great. Engine restarted, checklists complete, taxi clearance received. Onward.

Smooth air all the way out to the south practice area. Javier is chatty and full of really good advice. It's quickly evident that he knows what he's talking about. I demonstrate steep turns, slow flight, a power-off stall, and an emergency landing simulation over a freshly threshed field. He also takes some extra time to teach me how to do a forward slip, a very fun maneuver designed to hemorrhage altitude while retaining airspeed without flaps.

On to Mid-Way. I get the approach calls in and enter the pattern. Three nice landings later, Javier tells me to go full-stop and taxi to the ramp. He hops out, asks for my logbook and medical certificate, endorses them, then again tells me to relax and take her up for three or four touch-and-goes. He also reminds me that the plane will be a lot lighter without him in it, so be ready.

"Good luck." The door closes. I am all alone.

Longest taxi of my life. Grinning, trying to stay focused, thinking about emergency procedures, correct radio calls, checklists, and that the seat next to me is empty. Hooboy.

I position to the threshold and push full throttle. It's just like any other takeoff, except that it lifts up like an elevator because that seat next to me is empty. By 500 feet AGL I'm laughing aloud hysterically, but I collect myself in time to hit my crosswind position call on the radio. Landing #1 goes great, just like the others. Landing #2, not so much. A crosswind gust rattled me and I bounced it. Landing #3 goes like #1. I call out for full stop and Javier radios me to go around one more time. Landing #4, more of the same. I taxi back to the ramp where Javier flags me into a slot and hops back in. Being the experienced pilot I now am, I try to anticipate the first thing out of his mouth.

"#2?"

"#2. You know what you did?"

"Yep."

"Great. Let's head home. Nice job."

Nailed my approach procedures back to Arlington (except for calling the tower "Mid-Way Traffic" out of habit, which I corrected immediately). Another good landing and we're home. Another logbook signature and I'm officially cleared for solo flight.

Rumor has it that I'm getting thrown to the fast-track wolves starting tomorrow. First solo cross-country (50nm to Corsicana) awaits!

-Alone in Arlington

Sunday, July 27th

2008-07-28T01:26:00.000-05:00

Over 20 years of being close friends with musicians, I have occasionally tried to pick up a guitar and strum a few basic chords. No matter how much time passes or how long I practice, I would always give up after not being able to transition from a D to a G. Something just wouldn't click.

Today, something clicked. 114 landings after I started almost three weeks ago, I nailed 6 out of 7 of them over at Mid-Way. I quite suddenly got the feel for how the airplane is supposed to react to ground effect and my flaring inputs. I'm not sure who was smiling bigger... me or instructor Ben.

"I knew you had it in you. We'll make a pilot out of you yet."

It's 105 degrees here, so afternoon flights are suddenly very unpopular. We got excused a little early for the first time ever so I went over to Dave and Brittany's for dinner. Man, Dave can cook!

Saturday, July 26th

2008-07-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

"That bitch cut us off!"

So began my first exposure to "air rage". Remarkably similar to road rage, but about 100 miles an hour and 2,000 feet in the air certainly adds a quirky element.

Friday was my first flight with lead instructor Matt (of "donut grease" fame) went well. He's a cantankerous Irishman from Kansas with a foul mouth and a cruel streak... two qualities I happen to admire. He's also a hell of a pilot. After demonstrating maneuvers over Lake Bardwell, we flew over to Mid-Way Airport for some touch-and goes, since it's well known by now that soft landings have been my Achilles heel.

There have been two fatal accidents in two days in this immediate area, so everyone's on edge, watching carefully... or so we thought.

After the first landing, which was I was happy with, especially considering the crosswind, I climb out to re-enter the pattern. Just after calling out my position (turning left crosswind for runway 1-8) to the area and preparing to turn left downwind, another Skyhawk (something something Romeo Juliet) appeared ahead and just above us, entering the downwind leg straight on, which is a big no-no.

"Traffic, high!", I barked, and I cut the throttle in half while Matt yanked the yoke to the right to avoid it. It passed across our nose just about 200 feet off. Just then, a female voice crackled over the radio.

"Midway Traffic, Cessna Something Something Romeo Juliet entering left downwind for 1-8, full stop". No shit.

"That bitch cut us off!" Matt was instantly beet red. "My controls!" He pushes full throttle, steers us to pattern altitude behind her and clicks the mic.

"Ahem... Midway traffic, Cessna 9379 Foxtrot is also on left downwind for 1-8, and thanks for the radio call," Matt chirped.

"Ahem yourself... this is Class Echo airspace, sir... it's for everybody."

Matt's face twists into a knot. "I know her! We're going full stop, too. I gotta pee anyway."

We land (another nice one, thankyouverymuch), and taxi to the main hangar. Matt opens the door an bolts the second we stop. While I secure the plane, I scan the area but can't find him anywhere. A full 15 minutes goes by before he returns, grumbling.

"Bitch ducked me and locked the door. Let's go home." I chose to let a seething man seethe.

Today I did my 150nm "cross-country" flight, from Arlington to Corsicana to Cleburne to Mid-Way to home, with more pilotage and landing successes. Gotta refine more items such as falling behind on checklists, but feeling pretty good overall. No word on solos yet, but I know the instructors are looking for more from all of us before that happens. More to come.

Thursday, July 24th

2008-07-24T22:42:00.000-05:00

Discouraged and exhausted, but still hopeful.

Yesterday the ATP brass selected two of us to solo, and I wasn't one. I'm stuck on those damn landings and they want to see improvement before I take one of their planes out all by my lonesome. Understandable, but still...

Of the two that soloed, only Daniel made it a successful run. Mike came back deflated... his nerves got the better of him midflight and he'll have to regroup and try again soon. Big congrats to Daniel, though. One down, five of us to go.

I did, however, complete my first cross-country flight yesterday. Well, since this is merely the first of several requirements to demonstrate proficiency of pilotage and dead-reckoning, this was more of a cross-county... 53nm southeast to Corsicana, proud former home of Wolf Brand Chili. Lots of fun. Got to really plan out a trip and use map landmarks to spot my position out the window from 3,500 feet up. Joe Pool Lake... town of Midlothian... Lake Waxahachie... railroad... town of Bardwell... bridge... town of Emhouse... Corsicana! Did some maneuvers on the way back and felt great about them all for the first time.

No flight today, but should be heading up tomorrow morning with lead instructor Matt, who I've been anxious to fly with. I think a new instructor's input might help me get past the landing bugaboo that's been plaguing my progress.

Lots of support around here. All three of my roommates have been through this rigmarole, and sharing experiences with other pilots around ATP about has been really encouraging.

More soon!

Monday, July 21st

2008-07-22T01:34:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry again for being so behind in the updates. This experience really is becoming the grind that I was warned it would be, and my window between tarmac time and bedtime seems to get narrower each day.

Now two weeks without a break but going strong. Each day presents a new challenge, mostly in refining my technique. Still working on the pre-solo maneuvers, including stalls (now with coordinated 20-degree bank!), steep turns, slow flight, and ground reference maneuvers. Takeoffs are good, radio work is solid, and landings still need work... more on that in a minute.

We'll be soloing any day now. Was expected to go as early as today, but scheduling snafus prevented it. I also think that most of the instructors want to see better technique before letting us go, and we're all (5 of us) very nearly there. We're also quite tense about it... just want it happen soon and go well, since it's a huge bolus of confidence to digest if all goes to plan. Most of our day is spent in the classroom, waiting to get tossed a key by the chief pilot instead of one of our instructors. Each time the door opens, five sets of adrenal glands constrict.

Too many single events to catch up on, but one major highlight was my first night flight on Saturday. Ben (an instructor I've been flying with a lot lately, and a bona fide 'plane nut') surprises me by telling me to preflight 2656G at sunset, to the envious groans of my peer group. Preflight now involved some serious planning from the sectional chart. Instead of flying day VFR (visual flight rules) over barely inhabited areas to the south, we're heading north, right through super-busy Class B Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport airspace, under night VFR. It took all of my self-control to keep from bouncing in my seat as we plotted the course.

Take-off was perfect, the night was clear, the air smooth as glass. After ten straight days of flying in some of the roughest air outside of a typhoon, this was paradise. I barely had to touch the controls to keep us straight-and-level the whole way. Ben manned the radio calls and GPS settings through DFW airspace, which we hit just a few minutes after my turn to the north out of Arlington. DFW turns out to be a bit of a letdown, since there's really not much air traffic going on at 2100 on a Saturday night. The Fort Worth Approach controller seemed glad to talk to us. The view was incredible though, as we flew due north just to the west of that immense airport at 3,500 feet.

Destination #1: Gainesville. We had to go this far up to meet night-flying distance criteria for my private pilot's certificate. Past Denton, the ground landmarks become, well, dark, so Interstate 35 led us all the way there. Gainesville Airport turned out to be a difficult one to spot, even when lit. I think it was partly my eyes adjusting to the new experience of nighttime pilotage, but it really was not very well-lit. Nonetheless, I brought her down for a single touch-and-go. We even shared the pattern with another Cessna, which is more than I can say for...

Destination #2: Alliance Airport. This is really what I had been so eagerly waiting for. My buddy Dave lives right next to Alliance, and I had been staring at that airport every time I came out to visit him the past few years. It's an huge industrial airport, reserved mainly for nearly all FedEx ops in the DFW area, lots of other cargo and irregular traffic, and American Airlines has a huge maintenance hangar there for some of their bigger birds. They've got two parallel runways, each one about twice as long as Arlington's runway and as we found out, very friendly to general aviation like us. Radioing approach, we were greeted by a man who might very well have been Andy Griffith.

"Alliance Tower, Cessna 2656 Golf reporting 15 miles north, inbound for touch and goes."

"Well, howdy, 56 Golf! Boy, we just had another Cessna leave here and I thought I was gonna be all lonesome the rest of the night. You're cleared to land on... which do you want, one-six left or one-six right?"

"We'll take 16 left on a left pattern, if that's okay."

"Fine! See you here."

"No jets tonight?"

"Nope, they only bug me 4 nights a week, and this ain't one of 'em. You got the whole place to yourself."

Our very own airport! Half-disappointed that we wouldn't be weaving amongst the DC-10's, but mostly giddy to be lined up for a landing on a two-mile long runway that's lit like the Vegas Strip. About ten touch-and-goes later, Ben asks, "how many is that"? Before I can start to tally, our controller chimes in instead.

"I'm counting that one as number 11." Ben had had his finger on the mic switch.

"That'll do. 56 Golf departing to the south. Thanks for your help!"

"Y'all come back and see us!"

Back to 3,500 feet. Still enjoying the view and the smooth air, but I was getting a little worried that I wouldn't be able to find my way back, being less-than-familiar with this area, and with a jillion airports of all different sizes around us. Ben knew the way, but I really wanted to do it myself. Fort Worth Approach took care of that.

"56 Golf, traffic, 3 miles at nine-o-clock, 3,500 feet, Skyhawk also inbound to Arlington."

I look to my left and spot him immediately. Just found my way home. I pointed my nose toward him and tailed him all the way back. Won't be this easy every time, but sometimes dumbass luck has to intervene, right?

Another 10 touch-and-goes at Arlington (sharing the pattern with my lead instructor, flying a Seminole after midnight) and we're ready to call it a night.

Oh... landings. All these touch-and-goes are adding up. I'm now sitting on 95 total landings over two weeks, and today was the day I finally got one I was happy with. Good approach angle, near centerline (using some sideslip), floating down the runway, holding off, flaring for a nice soft two-wheel touchdown. Up to today I could get it on the ground, but either too hard, ballooning up instead of flaring, off centerline, or any/all of the above. An inordinate amount of finesse needs to develop in order to really get the feel for it. Everyone keeps telling that this is normal and to just keep at it, that it takes lots of muscle memory and a taught sense of timing, but I was really getting frustrated. Mucho better now, thankyouverymuch.

No pictures yet, I'm afraid. I just can't quite seem to bring myself to start snapping photos while in the air under the watchful eye of my instructor. Post-solo will change that.

My... look at the time. Gotta sign off.

Big thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, and juju waves.

-Ace

Tuesday, July 15th

2008-07-16T01:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the absence and for the quick 'n' dirty update, but we're cramming for the written exam on Friday and starting to go over the oral checkride exam, which comes in a few weeks. All this fancy book learnin' seems to be sapping my time and wit, but I'll recharge after this week's test.

Sunday - two flights. Morning had me doing maneuvers in 2746F over Venus, TX. Disappointingly turbulent flight for such a still morning. Most days the bumps add a fun element to learning the craft, but today I'm in the mood for some smooth air... not to be. Slow flight, stalls, ground reference maneuvers. Getting the hang of them and learning the area more and more. Afternoon flight was also quite rough. Touch-and-goes at Mid-Way again. Had one fantastic landing surrounded by about 8 marginal ones. Took a long 5-mile final for landing into Arlington (which we were approved for by Tower), where a wayward Cherokee drifted from his extended downwind leg into our path. Cleared to our right at the same altitude by about 1000 ft. after veering slightly away. Strange sight.

It's my last day with Sean... he's been bumped up to teaching the Seminole for the ACPP (career program) and starting Monday. He's been a terrific instructor and I'll probably have him again when I start that program in September. He weighs about half as much as me, so I'll need him back for weight-and-balance compliance.

Monday - no flight. Thunderstorms rolling in but they sent up some of our guys ahead of them. Since I was about 1.5 hours ahead of everyone I volunteered to be last up, and wound up being odd man out. Now we're all about even. Odd.

Tuesday - one flight. Study time and videos all morning, then an afternoon flight in 2656G. My first flight with Walt, an sickeningly pleasant Texas native and ATP grad. He throws a curveball immediately after going full-throttle on takeoff.

"Engine problem! Pre-rotation, and you have plenty of runway... what do you do?"

THINK. "Cut throttle... full brakes... avoid obstacles... stop the plane." It wasn't quite that smooth, but the result was the same... successfully stopped on the runway. After we leave the ground, that drill becomes much more complicated, but now I'll know to watch for it.

Touch-and-goes at Grand Prairie Airport, a towered airport merely 3 miles away. More rough landings, but Walt's really hammering good technique into my head. On to Dallas Executive Airport (formerly "Redbird"), further east from GP and due south of Love Field. Had the opposite trouble at this airport... my glideslope for landing was high almost every time and I had three go-arounds. One good landing to end the day made me pretty happy, though. Back to Arlington. Walt says I'm right where I need to be at this stage, which kept my spirits up nicely.

13.4 hours logged. Rumor is we'll be soloing sometime next week. I'll be ready. For now... bedtime.

-Zulu Zulu Zulu

Saturday, July 12th

2008-07-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

"Hotter'n donut grease," my lead instructor Matt remarks with his native Kansas twang.

It's 102 degrees here in the Dallas area, which means that it's about 122 on the concrete/asphalt surfaces of the airport. There's only one good thing about heat like this... my preflight inspection goes faster and better, because I just can't wait to start that huge fan in front of me.

Lucky for me, my first flight today started at 0800, when the thermometer merely read 90. Did a steep turn maneuver before heading out to Mid-Way Airport again for touch-and-goes. Did 9 of them over 2 hours with a moderate crosswind. After #5 or so I started nailing the landing checklist procedures and a perfect glideslope on final. Working on fighting the urge to float too far down the runway before landing, but I understand landing requires the most finesse of nearly any flight maneuver, so I'm trying not to beat myself up too bad about it. Sean's handling the radio calls during the pattern work (uncontrolled airport, so we gotta call out our position all the time), but I'm gonna try to take that over tomorrow.

Afternoon flight was interesting. Sean and I headed southwest to do more maneuvers. Slow flight, stalls, more steep turns, and some new ground maneuvers... precision steep turns around a fixed point on the ground, S-turns along a road, and rectangle patterns... all while maintaining altitude. Sean took the next one. Emergency landing was next, which involved cutting the power and spiraling slowly down to find a good landing area. Found a freshly-mowed obstacle-free hayfield below us and got down low enough to where I really thought we might actually land. Exercise over... full power, flaps up, climb out. Yeehaw.

During that slow spiral down, I looked down from about 1000ft and spotted our plane's shadow on the ground, then a similar plane's shadow right next to it. Wait... either we've developed another sun, OR...

It was Matt and classmate Mike... about 1000 feet above us, doing similar maneuvers. We were calling out our position to the area and got calls from other aircraft, but got no answer from them. Later they told us that they made several attempts to call us, so we were deaf to each other for some reason. Nobody's pointing fingers... and they were watching us the whole time.

A note about yesterday... instructor Mikey says that the incipient spin wasn't caused by wind, but by a rudder overcorrection on his part. Another note... I botched that flight's radio call for taxi request... "Arlington Ground, Cessna 7265 Zulu at the main ramp, request taxi to the main ramp with weather". WINCE. GROAN. Request taxi to the runway, rookie. The nice encouraging men in the tower that I met the other day are now laughing their asses off at me but spared me the shame of broadcasting it. I didn't make that mistake today and probably won't again for a while.

Cold front coming in tomorrow, which is expected to drop the temp about 10-12 degrees and shift the winds enough to reverse the pattern at the airport, meaning we'll be taking off to the north on runway 34 instead of to the south on the usual 16, if thunderstorms don't ground us completely. Stay tuned!

Weekends? What weekends?

Friday, July 11th

2008-07-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

Tonight's episode... "Ryan and the Incipient Spin" (or "Are My Affairs In Order?")

0800 report time, but this wound up being a study day... nose in the book and watching videos until about 1600, when instructor Mikey (first time flying with this 6'9" dude from Huntington Beach) handed me the key to 7265Z and told to preflight. Ran out to the main ramp and knew it would be an interesting one when I noticed the windsock flapping about wildly. Variable winds gusting to 20 knots with typical July afternoon thermals.

Good taxi and takeoff, but Mikey busts me for not applying elevator trim, which I'll need to get the hang of. Headed southwest toward Fort Worth Spinks Airport , which we crossed on our way to today's practice area at 4500ft. Steep turns go well... 360-degree turn at a 45-degree bank while maintaining altitude. Nailed it. Now for slow flight maneuvers, which simulates a landing configuration. Slow to about 40 knots (which ain't much!) with full flaps and kept her straight and level. Now time to stall her by raising the nose, which she does and recovery goes fine. Now for power-on stalls, which simulates stalling the aircraft at takeoff due to a too-steep climb (critical angle-of-attack). Start at 60 knots and level flight, then full power and yank the yoke back to where we're nose-to-the-sun. The stall horn sounds, the wings tremble (buffet), and we stall. Recovery is pretty easy... not much altitude lost.

On 2nd power-on stall attempt a wind gust struck us just at the point of stall, yawing us just enough to the left, and we entered an incipient spin. I had read all about these, and was aware of the possibility during stall exercises, but you just don't grasp it until you try it. Mine was pretty much identical to this...

More exhilarating than scary, and really not much danger, since we were really high up and Mikey knows his stuff. He recovered before it developed into a full spin, which he can also recover from. Glad I experienced it. Was rather strange to see a golf course through my windshield, though.

Rough ride back to Arlington, with lots of traffic. Had to turn out of the pattern again for spacing, and entered base leg at stall speed to allow even more space for a Cherokee in front of us. Landed her hard, but without visible structural damage. Morning and afternoon flights tomorrow... mostly touch-and-goes, I hear. Need the practice, especially on landings.

More studying, then home and bed. It's Friday, but I get no weekends for a while so I need to grab some Z's whenever I can. Big thanks for the birthday wishes (and warbling... you know who you are) from all of you.

Romeo Papa Tango, out.

Thursday, July 10th

2008-07-11T01:04:00.000-05:00

The productive days just keep on comin'.

Arrived at the airport at 7:45am and was handed the key to 997RA before I could sit down. Went up immediately with Sean for my first a.m. flight. No preflight drama this time. First unassisted takeoff. Smooth air and cool breezes all the way to Mid-Way Airport for touch-and-goes. I requested that we do some taxi-and-goes instead, since my nosewheel control during taxi needs some finesse. On the ground the plane is steered with foot pedals (top half is brake, lower half is rudder), and I'm controlling the ground turns with too much brake and not enough pedals. So I landed at Mid-Way, taxied back to the threshold, then took off again... three times. Feeling much better about taxiing, and takeoffs are now an absolute cinch, but landings are still shaky (bounced one of them), but I'm doing them with minimal assistance from the boss. Heavy traffic at the Arlington pattern on the way in, so we had to peel off to do a 360-degree turn right before turning base (2nd-to-last turn before landing) to get some space between us and the Piper in front of us. Fun morning, and 1.6 hours in the book... 3.6 total.

At about 1pm the classmates and I took a field trip to the Arlington control tower. Went up an 8-story elevator, then up 2 more flights of stairs to get to the top, where we were greeted by Ground Control George and Tower Control Tom, both of which I had spoken to on my first two flights. Nice guys, and very accommodating to wide-eyed curious student pilots. Spent a good hour watching the pattern and getting our questions answered in air-conditioned comfort and with one hell of a view. Learned that Arlington is the second-largest general aviation airport in Texas (which is saying something).

It gets better. Returned to my desk to find a birthday card from the folks (thanks, folks!) and a box from Mark which contained a bacon-scented car air freshener, bacon-flavored toothpicks, and bacon-flavored breath mints (thanks, buddy!). My attempt to tie the freshener to the A/C vent was met with considerable hostility. Some people just can't recognize a favor when they're given one, I guess.

Finished the day watching videos and going over the sectional chart. Studied alone at the airport until 9pm. Mundane end to an otherwise fascinating day.

Steep turns and stalls next. Maybe tomorrow, but more likely Saturday.

Pitching for speed, powering for altitude.

Wednesday, July 9th

2008-07-10T00:44:00.000-05:00

It's late, I'm tired and I have a big morning tomorrow, so I gotta make this one quick & sloppy.

Chapter 3 review (aced) and started chapter 4 (airspace and airport ops). Watched more videos while we waited for planes to become available. After 7497F was returned with puke along the left side (classmate Mike had a hard time on final), the crew cleaned it and I started preflight inspection and waited for the gas truck to come around. Then finished preflight, instructor met me, and we taxied to the run-up area (right before the runway, where we go through final checklist and test the engine's takeoff power without actually moving). Just about to radio the tower for takeoff clearance when I noticed a red VOLTS light blinking on the annunciator panel. I check the ammeter and it showed a little below zero (should be exactly zero). I elbowed Sean and he did some fiddling around with the master switch and circuit breakers but no joy. That's a no-fly situation. Radioed tower for taxi back to the ramp. They ordered us to use the runway to taxi and be quick about it, so Sean took the controls and did a fast taxi (with the nose up... weird!) back home. Still got .5 hours in the logbook, though, since time starts at masterswitch on and ends at masterswitch off. Finished the day doing practice written tests... now averaging about 89%. Should take the exam early next week. Brain hurts.

Bad alternator. Now being repaired and we'll try again tomorrow morning (1st morning flight). Doing approx 8 touch-and-goes at Midway airport (SE of here... not Chicago ) for takeoff/landing/pattern practice. Should be fun.

fyi... rumor is that the solo flight comes at about 22-23 hours on average.

also fyi... holding off on camera work for now, since flying is a very full-time job at the moment. I'll have plenty to take and share soon, though.

Tuesday, July 8th

2008-07-08T21:29:00.001-05:00

1st day of class yesterday. Check-in details at 8am (passport, medical certificate, etc.), then introductions and orientation. As expected, I'm the old fart. The remaining 5 in my class range from 21-25. Hell, the oldest instructor I've met is 28. Afternoon spent watching Flight 101 videos. Homework is chapter 2 of the text which I've read about 5 times already.

2nd day today. Review of chapter 2 (aced) and chatted about maneuvers and expectations for the program and from their students. We all got a visit and stern talkin-tuh from the chief pilot, who warned us of the hazards of falling behind (25% washout rate!) and breaking/bending the ATP code-of-conduct. Shouldn't be an issue (as I sit here with a Heineken in my hand).

Airborne by 3pm... first flight in the Cessna 172R, ident N920TA. I missed the opportunity to snap a picture of her, since her next flight was to ATP's Houston location, but I have attached a pic of her twin sister. I'll start bringing my camera to class.

ANYWAY... preflight checklist, taxi and takeoff clearance, and full throttle up done by yours truly. Takeoff roll and climb done with help, but I was given the controls back at about 200ft and was tasked with taking us to 2500ft and on south to the practice area above Venus, Maypearl, and Alvarado TX . Completed some basic maneuvers, including a 180-degree turn. Not much traffic... just two Southwest 737s above us (both on approach to Dallas Love Field) and a fellow classmate behind and below me in another Cessna. Moderate turbulence (hot day, gusty winds, thermals). Got us back to Arlington and into the landing pattern before instructor Sean took over the base and final legs for landing. He says the next landing is all mine. Sean's a good and patient instructor... he's a veteran of the same program. Finished the day soaked with sweat (heat, not nerves), and feeling pretty satisfied with 1.5 hours in my logbook. I'm happy with the Dallas location choice for several reasons (heavy traffic area, Dave nearby), but there's another reason I hadn't considered... there's no terrain here! These flat Texas horizons make maintaining orientation difficult, and that challenge will make me a pretty good pilot, methinks.

Tomorrow is chapter 3 review, steep turns, and ground reference maneuvers (staying oriented while making different types of turns). They don't dawdle, these guys.

Preflight

2008-07-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt

This proverb has been an important and sentimental one to my family. My parents have had it in a frame on the wall all my life. I've always enjoyed it, but the inspiration it offered was lost on me until recently, when I realized I was a few years away from being a 40-year-old still living in that gray twilight. Something had to change, and soon.

Near the end of 2006, I decided that I'd had about enough of the administrative chores of the corporate travel business and started investigating my dream jobs.

Third baseman for the Padres? Good turnover rate, but outside of my skill set. Saturday Night Live writer? Nope... I have a sense of humor and I don't care for cocaine. Airline pilot? More achievable than I thought possible.

Commence flight school shopping. For a number of reasons I decided on ATP and began the enrollment process, but a medical snafu left me with a long hurry-up-and-wait spell. My folks suggested that I take that time to live with them for a few months so we can spend some gettin-to-know-ya-all-over-again time, which was too good to pass up. I left San Diego six months ago for Nevada City, California, where they have enjoyed a very happy retired life for some time. I took them up on their offer with the goal of shaking up my comfortable but unsatisfying lifestyle in Southern California while my FAA medical clearance was under review, and the experience exceeded all of my expectations.

I arrived in January and was greeted by nearly six weeks of snowfall. While my truck was hopelessly stuck, the folks and I got reacquainted in a hurry, and wonderfully so. Mom and I cooked every day and Dad and I replaced the rear axle on his 1932 Ford Model B. We caught up on old movies (and some new ones) and chatted endlessly about life and history and family. Family friend George Rebane (a local luminary) reserved me a seat at his monthly poker game with the Nevada City elite. It was a fine distraction that improved my game, and I am forever grateful.

By March I was still waiting on the FAA and needed to take a job so I could get out of the house and make a little scratch. A local agency sent me to the Placer County Assessor Office, who put me to work helping to organize the Proposition 8 value reductions standards. A good job with terrific people, to be sure. If you ever need your Placer County property assessed, see them first!

In May, the good news finally arrived. The FAA had awarded me a 1st-class medical certificate and I was free to begin training. ATP set me up with a start date of July 7th, 26 lbs of books and materials to study, and a choice of training locations. I originally had my heart set on a Florida location (Jacksonville or Panama City) but I opted for Dallas (Arlington, actually), mainly because one of my best buddies lives here with his wife and son, and I thought it would be great to be able to reconnect with him like I did with my parents, since he's been here for about 5 years and I only get to see him a few times a year.

On June 25th I said goodbye to work, and three days later I say goodbye to the parents. Since I never went to college, this seemed like a moment that came about 20 years late, but it felt just like I always imagined it would, and I won't describe it publicly.

Texas ho!

June 28th - Nevada City CA to Laughlin NV.
The CD player in my truck is on the blink, so I spent most of the trip listening to and critiquing the local radio stations as I roll through.

Hey, Highway 99 corridor... .38 Special was a pretty good band, but there's lots of other great music out there. Try some.

The scenery along Highway 58 near Tehachapi (between Bakersfield and Barstow) is gorgeous. I had no idea.

Laughlin's an odd place, but wonderfully so. I'd already been here enough to know that it's Mecca for toothless cocktail waitresses (I figure there must be a women's prison nearby... a theory as yet unconfirmed), but this was my first encounter with a tattooed female front-desk clerk. Proudly displayed, from armpit to armpit, clavicles to solar plexus, was a tattoo of a birthday cake with crossed spears through the center. I can't recall ever getting away with that long a look at a woman's chest. I was, for the first time ever, hypnotized. Mistaking my stunned silence for art admiration, she upgraded me to a fabulous river view room.

By the way, this is the view from my fabulous river view room (brought to you by The Home Depot). Sorry, but attempting a photo of the front-desk clerk would've certainly earned me a broken bottle to the windpipe.

June 29th - Laughlin NV to Albuquerque NM
Not much to report along this trip, but I was impressed that a radio station in Holbrook AZ was playing The Sugarcubes. I'm either underestimating the retro-hip sensibilities of this community, or they still think it's 1988.

I had to remind myself that I've never been to Albuquerque. Surprising, since I've been around the area several times on different roadtrips. Alamogordo, Roswell, Deming, Ruidoso, but not the biggie. Wish I could say that I saw any of it, but this was my view the entire time...

June 30th - Albuquerque NM to Roanoke TX (Dave's place)
More hum-drum, offset by Baptist hellfire. The radio scan netted a station featuring a minister who was failing in his attempts to fire-and-brimstone his way past his own glaring speech impediment, perhaps a cleft palate. He was also feverishly preaching a Deuteronomy verse that warns of being damned to hell if one is sick and does not seek medical attention for oneself. I've got a balcony seat in the seventh circle already reserved, and I was alone in the car, so I felt fine about laughing my ass off as I imagined that sermon being spat all over the thoroughly moistened front row.

Gas/eats in Moriarty, NM. Across the street from the gas station was a large modular building with "FIREWORKS FIREWORKS FIREWORKS" emblazoned over every square inch of available wallspace. Curious to the nature of this retail market, I went inside to find, not curios, jewelry, or native cultural crafts... but fireworks. Aisles and aisles of fireworks. "Baghdad Costco" was my first thought, which made myself giggle. And there were a handful of people inside, sniffing and thumping artillery shells like they were shopping for the ripest cantaloupe. A pretty, smiling 40-ish lady greets me.

"Do you need a cart?", she asks me, gesturing toward a rack of full-size chromed-steel grocery carts.

"No, I'll just have a look around if you don't mind."

"Yeah, everyone says that and they always change their mind. I'll be back to ask you again in a few minutes. Anyway, you'll find artillery along this wall... missiles and rockets in the center aisle... finale mortars along the back wall. All of it's organized from front to rear in order of report volume. Firecrackers, sparklers, and other kiddie stuff is by the register. Just give me a holler if you have any questions!"

"Thanks!"

I love America.

"That John Denver's full of shit." Greetings from outside Amarillo.

By the way, I've been following old Route 66 (now Interstate 40) ever since Barstow. Hard to imagine doing this trip at wartime speed in a 1939 Plymouth. Amarillo marks the spot to veer off I-40 for Texas Highway 287, following the Red River south of Oklahoma through the metropoli of Memphis, Chillcothe, Oklaunion, and Vernon. Now, I love seeing America by car, but this was one of the longest days of my life. The most entertaining scenery comprised of abandoned filling stations with the price still showing gas at 98 cents for regular and 63 cents for diesel. Echoes of a time long-since forgotten... 1994. Our kids just won't know and won't understand.

Arrived at my buddy Dave's house late enough for him to be in bed and wife Brittany and son Colin up to greet me. Again, after that trip, I was just glad to have a couch to call home. Now for a week of studying and gearing up to be a 37-year-old freshman.

Mighty things await.