Saturday, November 8th

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

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!)

"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)

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!

Sunday, September 21st

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, September 16th (multi-engine checkride)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday, September 8th (first day of ACPP)

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

First simulator flight at 0730 tomorrow.

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