Private Pilot License Complete

December 28th, 2009

Monday at around 5:00 PM in Dublin, GA, my FAA designated practical examiner shook my hand and informed me that I had passed my practical exam. I am now officially an airplane pilot.

The oral was predictable. I was weak in a few areas, but strong on most. During training, we did not spend an overwhelming amount of time on ground school. I was fine on the sectional, airspaces, and cross country planning, but a little weak on the myriad of different weather charts.

What we did spend a lot of time doing was flying. I was happy to be moving on to the practical flight test. Short field, soft field, slip to land, steep turns, emergency landing, go around, recovered stalls and slow flight were all within standards. He didn't like the way I set up some of the approaches, even though that was the way I was taught to fly them. So I just went with it and flew them the way he wanted.

We finished with a standard landing, which I hit very smoothly. We taxied back, shut down, and went back inside. Chris sat in on the debrief. We got the good news, signed some paperwork, and I was handed my temporary airmen certificate. Needless to say I was drained. We flew back to LZU - my first certificated pilot in command flight. I got the night landing. We parked and hit The Flying Machine for a couple of beers to celebrate. I still have a lot to learn about aviation and piloting an aircraft. I am extremely proud of this privelege and accomplishment, but ultimately consider it a license to continue learning on my own.

The one person that made this possible for me is my wife, Cynthia. It costs a lot of time and money to earn a pilot license. Every hour I spent in the airplane was an hour she spent alone at home trying not to worry and taking care of our nest so I would have a warm place to come home to. Every dollar I spent with the flight school was a dollar that did not go toward dinner out, a cruise, or a weekend at the cabin. Every day I took off from work to practice flying was a vacation day that we would not spend together. For 16 months she supported my mission. I am eternally grateful to her. I do plan to continue flight training, but for now it's her turn to be front and center. We are planning an adventure together in 2010 that will definitely be worth writing about.

Lesson 42/43 : 11th hour

Sunday November 22nd, 2009


I flew again Thursday and Saturday in 391JA. I'm as ready as I can be for Monday. Tonight I will plan a cross-country from Dublin, GA to Chattanooga, TN and complete some FAA paperwork. Tomorrow is the practical. All I can do at this point is be prepared going in and do what I've been trained to do for the past 14 months as best I can. I leave tomorrow for Advanced Aviation at 730AM to start the show. The plan is to come back a licensed pilot.

P.S.
Dear Zeus,
If you would please delay the 56% chance of rain for Monday, I will gladly sacrifice a Turkey for you next week. Thanks.

Update: 11/23/2009 7AM
Weather unacceptable. Checkride delayed until tomorrow, Tuesday Nov. 23rd, 2009. Thanks for nothing, Zeus. I know somebody who isn't getting a Turkey sacrifice this year ..

Update: 11/24/2009 7AM
Weather unacceptable. Checkride rescheduled for Monday Nov. 30th, 2009.

Update: 11/30/2009 9 AM

Weather unacceptable. Checkride delayed until further notice.

Lesson 41 : Technical Difficulties. Checkride Scheduled.

Saturday November 14th, 2009

Saturday morning 10:45 AM. Today was to be the second extended time lesson. I was ready for a full day of checkride prep. First, our DA-20 would not start. So we called a lineman to come out and recharge the battery. 30 minutes later, we started up and I called PDK ground for taxi clearance. Nothing. Turns out the pilot-side transmit function is hosed. So Chris would have to do all the radio calls.

Once we got up into air, things went more smoothly. I nailed the slow flight, stall, and steep turn maneuvers. At Winder, we did soft field takeoffs and landings and those went fine. The short field takeoffs and landings went well too, but there is a characteristic of the 546DC that makes precision landing hard. 546DC's throttle is configured such that it keeps some power in all the time, even when throttle is completely pulled out. DA-20s float forever anyway, so with added power it means everything has to be extra low, slow, short in order to hit the point. I hit some and missed some, but was close and in control the entire time.

We headed to LZU for lunch at The Flying Machine. It was a picture perfect day for flying, so LZU was extremely busy and so was the restaurant. Lots of families sitting outside and kids running about. A older gentleman approached our table and asked if we were pilots. We talked aviation for a while until the food arrived. Toward the end of the meal, a very fancy jet landed at LZU and pulled up to the FBO for refueling.

This was the Pink Pony owner's jet. I was hoping to see some pink ponies, but all I saw was the pilot. He looked tired. My sympathy is limited.

After lunch, we got back in the sky and headed to Lumpkin county airport. This is the shortfield strip nestled in the woody hills of Dahlonega, GA that we've practiced on several times. Apparently, the Lumpkin folks had put on a free airplane rides event that day, so there were lots of people around the hangars. This was very fortunate for us because after 2 more close but missed short fields, I asked Chris to do one. He missed the first one just liked I did. And on his second pass, he hit the point and our right tire burst. Thus the end of the flying for today.

DA-20 tires are really the weak link in the plane's design in my opinion. They tend to burst often. Even with a burst tire the plane is controllable though.

The kind Lumpkin county people helped us drag our bird off the runway.

Darrick flew us in a replacement tire, but a bolt in the wheel was damaged. Diamond parts are exotic and nobody had anything that would fit, so I flew back with Darrick and Chris convinced somebody to drive out and pick him up. The good news is that I am now officially scheduled for a checkride on Monday November 23rd.

Ironically, back at home our washing machine that has been running without issue for 5 years broke and my wife spent the afternoon shopping, purchasing, and installing a new one. Cynthia was the only one today who triumphed over technical difficulties.

Lessons 39/40 : Extended Lessons

Monday November 9th, 2009

I flew last Thursday after work for about an hour, and same deal: not enough time. By the time I'm warmed up, it's time to go home. So on Monday, I took the afternoon off from work and scheduled 7 hours with Chris. That was exactly what I needed. We flew for 2 hours, took a break, and flew another 2 hours then went home. Most of that time was devoted to short field landings, which I now feel comfortable with and am hitting more than I'm missing. I have another long session set for Saturday, weather permitting. PPL by Thanksgiving is still a possibility.

Lesson 38: Airship! (and more checkride prep)

November 2, 2009

I flew out of PDK tonight to LZU and got in 6 shortfield landings. I think I'm going to have to go practice these on my own. 1.5 hrs per week is not cutting it. I need to rent the plane by myself one Saturday all day and get about 50 landings in. I fly again Thursday and Friday with Chris. This snail's pace is frustrating as hell. Depending on the outcome of the next 2 flights, the following practice will be this weekend solo circuit marathon until I can nail these shortfields EVERY TIME.

In other news, I saw an airship at LZU. Pretty blue lights. You're welcome, Direct TV.

Lesson 37 : DA-42! (and more checkride prep)

Thursday October 22, 2009

I flew with a new instructor, Steven, tonight as Chris had a conflict. We flew out of PDK which was busy as usual. I nailed the S-turns. Turns about a point were good, though I did bust the speeds a few times; I still need practice on the turns about a point. We did some short field landings at McCollum airport. I hit all but the first one.

Back at PDK, I got to see for the first time a Diamond 42 Twin Star. Advanced Aviation has a DA-40 (see Thanksgiving post), but I've never seen a 42 up close until tonight. If the DA-40 is the DA-20's big brother, the DA-42 is the hi speed, low drag uncle you never see except on special family reunions who shows you kung-fu moves in the yard while everybody else is inside eating potato salad and telling baby stories.

More pictures of uncle kung fu master:

FAA Written Passed

Thursday October 15th, 2009

Tonight, I passed the FAA written private pilot exam. This is a huge load off. I am now on the final stage of the private pilot license: the FAA oral test and check-ride. I need maybe 4 more flights before I am 100% ready. I should be a pilot by Thanksgiving.

Next flight is Saturday evening, unless it gets rained out.

Lessons 35/36 : PPL In Sight

Saturday Oct 3rd

Back to the short field at Lumpkin for more short field landings. I hit most of them and the ones I didn't, I was very close.

Friday Oct 9th

Ground references maneuvers. The good news with this lesson was that I was on top of the high altitude maneuvers. I hit slow flight, power on, and power off stalls within standards on my first attempt. It's been a while since I've done S-turns. I need a lot of practice on those.

FAA Test

I will be taking the FAA written portion 1 day next week after work. I'm consistently scoring in the 85% range, and that includes basically skipping/guessing a few questions that require a print out which I will have in the actual test but don't have in the practice software.

After I pass the written, Chris and I are going to take a break from the flights and do a ground school or two to prepare for the oral portion.

Lesson 34 : Lumpkin County

Saturday October 3, 2009

This evening we went to a new airport: Lumpkin County Airport, in the city of Dahlonega. This is a very small airport that sits in a slight ravine with tree covered hills on either side and is perfect practice for short-field practice. Here's a shot of valley just after clearing the trees on short take-off.

Tonight was really a big step forward. It's one thing to practice short field techniques at large field where it doesn't really matter if you miss, and another thing entirely to practice where you MUST hit the spot or go around. I think these conditions gave me the focus I needed to improve. Out of 4 landings, I went around on 1, got very close on 2, and nailed the last one.

Saturday we're going back to Lumpkin to really get them own every time. Clouds were broken around 4,000 ft, but as the night moved in the clouds lowered. So on the way back we had to do some dodging and weaving to stay out of them.

Lesson 32/33 : Short field landings

Sept 25 and 26, 2009

Atlanta has suffered record breaking flooding and nasty weather. People have lost their property, houses, futures, and in some tragic cases their lives. So I'm not going to complain about not being able to fly for weeks at a time. Just the same, it has been a major setback.

Weather is clearing up now and I'm back it. Short field landings are tough. There's no faking it. You have to touch down inside 500 feet past your point. Anything before the point or past 500 feet is a failed attempt, and in a real life scenario is a trip through the tress or off the runway. It's the riskiest of all the maneuvers because you're low and slow, which means there is very, very little room for error.

It's worth repeating for anybody interested in earning their wings. Save up money and time BEFORE starting the program. Be patient up front. The longer I string out lessons, the more rust I have to brush off every time, the more lessons it takes, the more it costs of the long run.

Lesson 31 : Maneuver Practice

Saturday September 12th

More practice. I'm executing the maneuvers a lot tighter. I still need work on the soft field and short field landings. Approximately 6 more hours of flight to go until FAA test time. I will be taking the test at Dublin, GA.

Lesson 30 : More FAA Test Prep

September, 3rd 2009

More getting ready for the checkride. I was able to complete slow flight, power on stalls, power off stalls, soft field takeoffs and landings within FAA checkride regulations. Chris said he wants me to test after 10 more hours of prep flight.

The written test prep is coming along as well. I could probably pass the written at this point, but I need another week of prep to really be sure. I'd like to get those 10 hours done within two weeks.

Lesson 28 & 29: Fine Tuning

I've flown twice since the last post. There is not much to tell, except that I'm trying to fine tune the maneuvers to the level of being able to pass them during the checkride. I'm also slogging throught the test prep software.

Soft field landings, short field landings, power off stalls, power on stalls, slow flight, turns about a point, and s-turns.

20/20 hindsight note: If I had it to do all over again, I would have waited and saved up my resources (money, vacation time) and tried to do this all at once .. or at least in a couple of continuous hard charges. I would not recommend spreading out flight training as long as I have. The first 30 mins of flight are "de-rusting, so I end up "wasting" that time and it adds up.

It is conceivable that I could take the written test next week. However, I still need 3 to 5 more fine tuning flights before I'll be ready for the checkride. Additionally I'll need 1 or 2 ground schools with Chris to prep for the oral. They don't just hand out PPLs.

Lesson 27 : Unusual Attitude Recovery IFR

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Chris was out of town this weekend and I haven't flown for almost month. So, Friday after work I called and got any available instructor to go up with me for some more simulated IFR hood time. The CFI I got was Lana, a relatively new addition to the Advanced Aviation instructor corps.

Today would be more IFR practice plus unusual attitude recover under the hood. In other words: I close my eyes, the instructor gets me totally disoriented and puts the airplane into a steep banking dive or climb, I open my eyes and get the plane back straight and level using only the instruments (under the hood).

Instrument reference alone is a different game than VFR. I was able to recover from them all well enough. I can see how an instrument rated pilot is really in a different class than VFR in terms of skill and safety. In my opinion, an instrument rating should be a requirement for the private pilot license. I already know that I'm not going to be making any long distance flights without the instrument rating.

.9 more simulated IFR hours to go. Probably this means 1 or 2 more flights this week. Then the FAA test. So, I'm looking at 1st or 2nd week of September to have the Private Pilot License.

Lesson 26 : IFR and Short Field

Saturday July 25, 2009

This afternoon I got in another .5 simulated IFR under the "hood". After that we practiced short field T/O and landings. I also got some study material for the FAA multiple choice test : software with approximately 9.2 billion questions about all things private pilot. Once I can give Chris an 80% or higher on the test prep software, he'll consider me good to go for the written. So, studying, fine tuning maneuvers, and finishing out the last hour of hood time. Most likely, FAA test date will be neighborhood of the last week of August.

Solo Cross Country #2 : MCN, MLJ, LZU

Tuesday July 21, 2009





Solo Cross country #2 is complete. This morning I flew from Lawrenceville to Macon Regional and from there to Milledgeville and finally back home to Lawrenceville. To preserve the integrity of this document, I'll be honest. Otherwise what's the point .. to look good? I did in fact screw up badly several times on this trip. But the silver lining is I recovered from those several screwups by myself (shamelessly spinning this to 'accidentally' look good). Here are the highlights.

(1) I got the runways at Macon backwards. I was supposed to set up to land on 5, but I set up on 23. Winds were calm so Macon tower told me to go ahead and take 23 at the last minute. I had to respond "unable, too high and fast" which I felt was the safe route. So, instead he had me fly the pattern into the correct runway. Silver lining: adapted safely and responsibly to a suprise situation and asserted my pilot in command judgment.

(2) I turned down the volume on Atlanta momentarily to hear the automated weather anouncement at Milledgeville .. and forgot to turn them back up. After the 3rd time calling them and receiving no response, I said "Atlanta, if you can hear me, I have Milledgeville in sight with Echo." Just then, I realized my error and raised their volume them only to catch the final part of an exasperated controller saying "THREE JULIET ALPHA. IF YOU CAN HEAR ME. FLIGHT SERVICES TERMINATED, HAVE A NICE DAY." Silver lining: What I experienced was a self-inflicted receiver failure, and I responded correctly by transmitting my intentions even though I was not receiving. Added bonus silver lining - the next time Atlanta Departure appears to be ignoring me, I'll know what's probably going on. That won't happen again.

(3) I bounced the final landing at LZU. I had too much energy on final and forced the flare .. all that energy has to go somewhere, so I skipped my way down the runway. Silver lining : I held it together and bad landings like that are the exception with me, not the rule .. and it was a learning experience. I should have let it ride out down the runway. You can't force it - especially a wispy Diamond that would just as soon take off again as touch down.

Remaining items: a few more hours of simulated IFR "hood time" and FAA test prep.

ETA for PPL: Augustish

Lesson 25 : Fine Tuning

Sunday, July 19th 2009

Yesterday, Saturday, I went out solo for some landing practice. However, after the first circuit I decided the winds were too gusty for comfort and called it after 1/2 an hour.

So today I met Chris for some more practice. We did steep turns, soft field takeoffs and landings for about 2 hours straight. The plan is to complete the final cross country on Tuesday. After that I'll need a few more hours under the hood and then I'll be qualified to take the FAA exam for the private pilot license.

After my PPL, I want to go do something different as kind of a celebration before I jump into the instrument rating. I have been considering a trip to Alaska for some bush pilot training - flying around mountains, landing and taking off from "unapproved" runways (aka beaches, gravel roads, mountain tops) and float planes. However in all likelihood it will have to wait until next Spring. I don't think time and resources are going to permit. I could go later this year, but Alaskan cold seasons (September-April) are not good flight training periods as the weather tends to deteriorate quickly. Not to be outdone by fate, I'm eyeing a floatplane school in Winter Haven, FL. A long weekend in the sunny Orlando area is looking like a more reasonable plan B in the near term.

Most immediately though, tommorow is my final, 3-leg solo cross country. Lawrenceville-Macon-Milledgeville and back home.

Lesson 24 : Maneuver Practice

Saturday July 11, 2009

2 hours of practicing S-turns, turns about a point, and soft field takeoffs. All these maneuvers and more will be on the FAA test.

Chris started feeling ill from the S-turns, so we landed and took a break. Of particular note, Chris's LightSpeed headsets are unbelievably awesome. The ANR makes the cockpit silent. Radio communication is crystal clear. Bluetooth link up with iPhone. Comfortable. Lightweight.

I'll probably do another flight lesson, maybe a quick solo, and then get my long cross country done. Closing in on the FAA test.

Lesson 23: My first IFR

July 3, 2009

Under the Hood

Rather than jumping back into another cross country, Chris wanted to do some more training. So today we practiced simulated flying by instruments, aka flying "under the hood." The "hood" is a visor that limits the pilot's visibility exclusively to the instruments in the cockpit. The pilot cannot look outside, thus simulating zero visibility flight conditions.

I'm the computer/technical type, so I have a natural attraction to the instruments anyway. Early in my training, Chris had to actively remind me to look outside and not fixate on the instruments. So, I was right at home. This time I got to stare at instruments with his blessing. I even took off with the blinders on. Apparently I was right of center line, but held that heading during take off.

VOR : Magic Stones and Boxes

We used the VOR equipment to navigate to McCollum field, which was unusually busy. VOR technology was the primary navigation method for aviators starting from the 1960 until GPS was born and began to overtake it. Today, VOR is being phased out by GPS. Regardless, VOR stations are still in use and most avionics packages include a VOR receiver. Numerous explanations abound on the inter-webs on how VOR systems work and they are all wrong.

The truth is .. long ago, wizards created a bunch of magical stones called VOR stones and gave each airport around the world their own stone. The airports loved their stones and even gave them their own names. These stones look in all directions at once. To reveal the stone's wisdom, wizards also created magic boxes bound to the stone's life-force. Using these boxes, you can talk to the stones. The spell to hear the stone's arcane knowledge is as follows:

Whisper into the magic box the name of the stone you want to talk to and a compass direction. For example, "Stone Of Lawrenceville, tell me of your Eastern eye".

A voice will say something like, "I am the Stone of Lawrenceville. Move to your left 100 paces and my Eastern eye will see you."

You move what you think is about 100 paces to your left and again ask the stone, "tell me of your Eastern eye."

The stone replies, "Move to your right 2 paces and my Eastern eye will see you." So you move to the right 2 paces and ask a third time.

This time the stone responds, "I see you with my Eastern eye." That means you are traveling on the stone's West/East line.

If you're uncomfortable with the reality of wizards and magic, here is an alternative crackpot theory on VOR. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZljYaHXvxY

Unusual Attitudes

On the way back, Chris decided to have some fun with me. I would close my eyes and he would put the plane in a steep banking dive or climb. Then he would say "recover", at which point I would open my eyes and get us straight and level. Of course, this excercise had a practical purpose. It served as practice for becoming disoriented and getting reoriented.

I shut my eyes and tried to guess by feeling which way the plane was moving. It was like my senses could detect changes, but could not keep track of their net effect. With my eyes closed, I could feel the first change, i.e. a dive, bank, etc. But then another change would "overwrite" the previous one.

For example, Chris would dive, then bank left, then bank right. With my eyes closed, at the end of the sequence the only thing I felt was that we were in a right bank. When I opened my eyes, I immediately saw that we were in a level/unbanked dive. The right bank just straightened out the previous left bank. Conflicting sensory signals made for a little queasiness, but it was still fun.

So, 0.6 hrs simulated IFR. A little taste of what's to come in the Instrument Rating after the PPL.

Solo Cross Country #1 : Clemson

Saturday, June 27

Saturday, I completed my first solo cross country from LZU to CEU (Clemson, SC). In the movie "Lord Of War," freelance arms dealer, Uri Orlov, describes his first sale.

"Selling a gun for the first time is a lot like having sex for the first time. You're excited but you don't really know what the hell you're doing. And some way, one way or another, it's over too fast."

My first cross country flight fit this description precisely, as does any high-stakes virgin experience.

The Script

In preparation for my solo cross country, I wrote down everything I could think of. I scripted out the entire scenario. Everything I thought Atlanta Control would say, everything I would say to them. When I should change frequencies on the radio. A 2 page of storyboard of the who, what, when, where, why, and hows that could arise. Ultimately this would serve as little more than a confidence builder, although it was probably helpful as a distraction from worrying.

Saturday afternoon was hot and hazy: 94 degrees with a heat index of over 100. I got everything set and rolled up to the line, where I had to wait for 4 inbounds to land. By the time I got cleared for takeoff, I had transitioned from anxious to just plain hot as hell. I was eager to get some altitude to cool off. After I got airborne, I started the climb to my heading.

Per my script, I switched over to Atlanta to get my flight following. They sounded fairly busy. I keyed the transmitter.

"Atlanta, Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha." Script line 1 of 325 complete.

"Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha go ahead," they responded, just as I had planned. I continued the script.

"Atlanta, Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha is a DA-20 approximately 2 miles northeast of Lima Zulu Uniform climbing to three thousand five hundred VFR to Charlie Echo Uniform request flight following."

"Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha squak zero two niner one and ident," they said.

"Zero two niner one ident," I repeated, punched in 0291 in the transponder, and pressed the Ident key.

Five minutes or so passed. Atlanta had their hands full with other traffic. They finally got back around to me.

"Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha I still don't have you on screen." We were off the script now. So much for the best laid plans of mice and men.

"Atlanta, Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha is currently at 0291," I said immediately wishing I had spoken what I meant, which was that my transponder was set at 0291.

"93 Juliet Alpha I have no idea what that means - you're at 0291." Atlanta responded. I deserved that light chide.

"Atlanta, 393 Juliet Alpha, sorry about that. I am currently squaking 0291." Hopefully that was clearer.

"Roger 93 Juliet Alpha. We have you now," they replied.

CEU Big Fish

I made my way to my first 2 landmarks until finally I had Lake Hartwell in sight. Clemson airport would be on the west side of the lake. I got the airport in sight and called in my approach.

"Clemson traffic Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha is 4 miles southwest inbound for left 45 degree downwind entry for 25, Clemson."

CEU is an un-towered airfield. That means pilots flying around there just talk on a common frequency and announce their activities to each other. I didn't see anybody and nobody responded on the common frequency, so I was likely the only one around.

It had been a while since I'd flown touch and goes. As I made my left turn for final, I immediately realized I was hopelessly too high, too fast, too short, too far off centerline, and too-whatever else one can be too much of. So I called in a go around.

"Clemson traffic Diamond 393 Juliet Alpha is sidestepping to the right and going around for another pass, Clemson."

So I went around and this time flew the pattern right. I landed smoothly and felt relieved to be 1/2 way done. The guy at the FBO called me on the common frequency and invited me to pull up beside the Cessna outside. I pulled up, shut down, and opened the canopy.

The guy at Clemson FBO was really nice. He chocked my front wheel, we chatted for a moment, and I followed him back into the FBO. Glorious AC. Inside were 2 commercial jet pilots - white shirts, hats, wing pins, the works. They were waiting around for their passengers and had certainly heard my less than flattering go-around and just as certainly shared a little snickering over it. That's alright, though. I respect the bigger fish in the aviation pond and I know where I stand in the food chain.

I called my wife, called Chris, got some water, and hit the restroom. After I had cooled off for 15 minutes, I headed back out. The trip back was uneventful and a lot less stress. Atlanta was less busy this time. I landed at LZU on the first attempt and pulled up to The Flying Machine, where my wife and her son Matthew were watching for me. Matthew was excited to see the plane. I let him sit in the cockpit and play with the controls.

The final remaining requirements for me to take the FAA exam are:

- A 3 leg cross country solo (which I'm thinking might be LZU to Winder, Winder to CEU, CEU to LZU)

- A few solo flights around LZU to finish off my 10 hours solo flight requirement.

After that, FAA exam prep. I'm anticipating getting the Private Pilot License by August.

Cross Country #3 : Macon Regional

Saturday June 20, 3:00 PM

It had been a damned hot week and today would prove no exception with temps in the upper 90s. We were flying to Macon Regional (MCN). LZU to MCN is almost a straight line south. Flying to Macon has 2 gotchas:

(1) Staying out of Bravo (aka Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Intl. Airport). En-route ATC asked us to veer off to the left 15 degrees to avoid skimming the edge of the airspace.

(2) Making sure you don't confuse Robins Air Force Base with Macon Regional. U.S. Military are rightfully humorless about folks breaching their airspace (aliens). Fortunately the airports are shaped differently. Robins AFB is a single strip. Macon Regional has 2 runways that intersect. Robins AFB "points" to Macon Regional.

So cross country #3 done. Next Saturday is my solo cross country to Clemson. After that, I have my long solo cross country (3 leg triangular trip visiting 2 locations and then back home) and then I'll have all the pre-reqs for the FAA exam.

Part of me wants to be nervous about the solo to Clemson. But another part knows how to manage the nervous guy : put him in charge of all the little details that worry-warts are good at. Let him constantly be looking for other aircraft, checking the gauges and times. But he doesn't run the show. The cool guy does. And the cool guy is going to have a good time on Saturday.

Cross Country #2 : Night flight to Chattanooga

5/28/2009

For my night cross country, we flew back to my hometown, Chattanooga, TN. Night cross country is very different. Lakes are not as good, unless its a very clear night. Better are well lit cities and busy roads. Airports are suprisingly hard to see at night because their lights blend into the surrounding lights.

We got there around 10:00, making the trip just over an hour from LZU. Dinner at Hooters on Lee Hwy. I had a chicken sandwich of marginal quality. Back to LZU. Arrived around 1.

Fumbling around with the maps and flight plan and everything else is a real pain at night. In 10 years, they might not even make student pilots do this anymore. I look at it as part of an overall skillset. I would never choose to navigate visually somewhere unfamiliar at night. However in the very rare event of (1) a total electrical systems failure AND (2) portable battery-powered GPS failure .. it would be good to have had some night VFR navigation.

1 more assisted cross country flight and then a solo cross country. And finally coming into view on the horizon, the FAA exam. Chris was tossing around August as a timeframe for completing the private pilot license.

Cross Country #1 : Clemson

5/10/2009

Cross country #1 is complete. We flew out to Clemson, SC. Navigation without GPS is during the day is all about lakes and roads. Inevitably, I drifted off course a bit but recognized it and got back on course with the help of my instructor. Lakes are a great landmark to use during daytime navigation.

We had lunch at mellow mushroom, downtown Clemson. We used GPS for the return trip. I love me some GPS. Flying out somewhere, taking the courtesy vehicle into town, grabbing a bite to eat, wishing you could have a beer but not having, and flying back. That's what aviation is all about. Good times.

Lesson 22 : Maneuver Practice

04/11/2009

We did 2 hours of high altitude maneuvre review. Slow Flight and power on/off stall recovery.

Lesson 22 : Maneuvers and Advanced TO/L

4/3/2009

Friday was too windy to fly.  Ground school.  METARS, weather reports, VFR limitations, airspace, sectional navigation charts, etc.

4/4/2009

Saturday was a full afternoon of new stuff.  Chris spent much of the time flying himself, showing me some new takeoffs / landings as well as S-turns and turns about a point (TAP).  

All this stuff is fair game for the FAA check ride test.  Next weekend I'm going to practice these maneuvers more.  The following weekend will be my first of 3 cross country flights.  The next big milestone is the solo cross country.  And on the distant horizon is the FAA test, which upon passing.

Short Field T/O, LDG

Used when you don't have much runway and/or need to clear an obstacle.  Get off the ground as soon as possible.  

T/O : Stand on brakes and full throttle.  Release brakes, take off as normal.

LDG : Maximize ground distance by landing right on the "numbers".  Land as slowly as possible.  After landing, stop asap.

Soft Field T/O, LDG

Used when landing on a soft, grassy type field.  Keep the nose wheel off the ground as much as possible.

T/O : Keep nose-wheel up.  Rotate early, ride ground effect until Vy, climb out at Vx*.

LDG : Keep nose-wheel up.  Ride "wheely" all the way down the runway.

S-Turns

Pick straight ground reference, like a long road.  Fly "S" pattern across the road, maintaining constant speed and altitude, crossing the road with wings level.

Turns About A Point

Pick a point on the ground.  Aim left wing at the point.  Fly a circle around the point, maintaining constant speed and altitude, keeping wing pointed at the point.

*Ground effect : cushion of extra dense air just above the ground.

*Rotate means lift off from the ground.  i.e. Rotate from ground travel to air travel.

*Vy is the best rate of climb speed.  i.e. Shallow, fast climb.  Requires more ground distance, less time. 

*Vx is the best angle of climb speed.  i.e Steep, slow climb.  Requires more time, less ground distance.

Michael Jordan's Jet

We went to PDK after maneuvers and there sat what had to be Michael Jordan's private jet.  Of course, pics we taken.  Chris's friend, who works the baggage at PDK, said Mr. Jordan's luggage typically exceeds several thousand pounds.

Note the Nike Air Jordan logo on the tail.  It's a good chance this is Michael Jordan's jet ..

Note the FAA tail number : N236MJ .. "23?" "MJ"?  Has to be his jet ..

The underside of the wing reads 23.  This is MJ's jet.  Later confirmed by PDK folks first hand.

Lesson 21 : Flying at Night

Tuesday, March 24th

7pm-10pm

Tuesday night was my first time flying the DA-20 at night.  Part of the private pilot license requirements are 10 full stop-and-goes at night at a controlled airport.  We went over to PDK for 5 and then to Fulton County Airport for the last 5.  PDK was a circus.  Fulton County was a ghost town.  

Flying at night around a busy airport is above my head right now and probably something I won't do much of until I have an instrument rating.  The lights are however very beautiful from up there.  I look forward to the night cross country.

PIC Flight 2 : Enjoying a Sunday Solo Flight

Sunday Morning

This morning I flew solo again.  I took the same route to the north over Lake Lanier that I flew yesterday.  However today was different:  at no time did I feel nervous or afraid.  My goal was to fly out over the lake and have a good time and that is exactly what happened.  I knew my buddy Lorin was at one of the marinas watching for me.  Later, I learned he saw me plain as day circling the Lanier shores.  It was a lot of fun and extremely satisfying.

Radio

On my way home, when I called the tower at 10 miles out I learned that their radar was down.  Fortunately, it was not a busy afternoon.  They did ask me several times for my position and I had some dialog back and forth with them.  Radio communication is no longer an obstacle for me.  The chatter that used to be totally incomprehensible is now second nature.  I landed and taxied back to Advanced Aviation.

Evolution

Yesterday I was consumed with trying not to mess up, make a mistake, or get killed.  Fear and isolation dominated my senses and it took all the will power I could muster to manage that fear.  As terrified as I was, the experience was necessary for me to evolve.  Demons are never really defeated in the safe light of day.  You have to climb down into hell and face them alone in the dark.  I am truly grateful to my instructor, Chris, for training me to win that battle.

Today, I relaxed and enjoyed a Sunday morning flight over the lake.  Fear was replaced with confident situational awareness.  Instead of isolation, I experienced a deep sense of respect to be exercising a privilege that I've worked hard to earn.

PIC Flight 1 : Ghosts and Fear Management

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Fear

This morning would be my first start to finish Pilot-In-Command flight.  I arrived around 8:30, pre-flighted 391JA, taxied out, did the run-up, and taxied up to the line.  At that point it occurred to me : I'm about to go flying by myself.  I felt Fear building inside.

I got clearance for departure and throttled up.  Lift off at 55 kts.  Climb out at 70.  This was familiar territory.  It was when I turned North toward the lake that I suddenly felt a panicked urge to go back.  I had never flown away from the airport by myself.  What if I get lost or disoriented?  What if I pass out for some reason?  What if I'm actually passed out now and this is all a dream while in reality I sit slumped over in the cockpit?  I should turn around and land ASAP.

I've heard numerous accounts of "fearlessness" and all of them essentially tell the same story: it's not about not being afraid, but continuing to operate effectively in the presence of fear.  I considered turning around, but decided not to.  I was going to reach the lake and then come back.  So I stayed on my North course and focussed on controlling my breathing and remaining calm.

Ghosts

"Traffic" the radar system alerted.  I looked at the radar and saw a blip that appeared to be an aircraft at my altitude, right on top me.  According to the radar, I should be colliding with another plane.  "Traffic" it said again.  Frantically, I looked all around but saw nothing.  I rocked my wings to check beneath me.  Still nothing.  The blip disappeared.  As I discovered later, this is called a ghost.  Radar systems sometimes accidentally register themselves as separate aircraft on the screen.

Going Home

I reached Lake Lanier and felt a sense of relief.  I put in a left bank to circle back South to go home.  10 miles out from LZU I called the tower and they asked me to report 4 miles out.  I was feeling better again as flying in the pattern was familiar.  4 miles out I was directed to turn left into final #2 behind another aircraft and to call it when in site.  I finally saw the traffic and called it in.  Tower directed me to follow that traffic in.  

I was a little high and fast coming into the final approach, but I got my speed and altitude down where they needed to be.  I touched down at 70 kts: textbook landing.  Turned right on Charlie, contacted ground who sent me back to the Advanced Aviation ramp.  My parking job was slightly off to the right, but close enough.

Final Analysis

So, my first full solo is done.  I did not think it was going to be the gut check that it turned out to be.  During my 1st solo TAGs a month ago,  I was keyed up, dialed in, and had a very specific mission: staying in the pattern for 2 TAGs and a full stop.  Never a mile from LZU.  This was different.  I was on my own the entire time and not just flying a circuit, but actually navigating some 18 miles from LZU over water.

So it was a perfectly executed flight on a picture perfect day, and I was more or less scared sh**less.  I'm going back up tomorrow morning to repeat the solo Lake Lanier flight mission, with one modification : enjoy myself.

Lesson 20 : De-Rust

Friday March 20, 2009

Since my first solo, I've had a few ground school classes doing VFR flight planning.  However, between work demands, funds running low, a string of terrible weather, and the flu I had not been able to fly until this morning. 

Chris and I went up today for 2 purposes : (1) to get un-rusty from not having flown in a month and (2) as a dress rehearsal for the next day, Saturday, where I would do a full solo flight.

It turns out I was not very rusty at all.  My TAGs were very decent.  We flew North to Lake Lanier, then over to Stone Mtn, and back.  Nothing fancy, just getting re-acquainted and prepped for tomorrow. 

Lesson 19 : Solo Complete

Friday Feb 13, 2009 (Friday the 13th)







Chris said that everbody always has a really terrible lesson right before they are ready to solo. My last lesson, Tuesday, was mixed. It was more of a learning experience than "terrible". Nevertheless, Chris and I were thinking that was my terrible lesson.

We were wrong. This morning was clearly my "terrible" flight. I was totally off on the first 2 TAGs. Too fast, too slow, too high, off course, flares were off, .. it was a study in how not to fly TAGs. Then on the 3rd TAG, I started to get it right. Chris laid off the radios and inputs completely. Something clicked and I landed about 4 very decent TAGs without his assitance.

On the 4th, Chris got on the radio and requested a full stop. I landed, we turned off into a ramp, and shutdown.

"I'm going to solo you now." This was it. We went over a few procedures. He endorsed my logbook for limited solo flight.  Curtains up.

"Oh and by the way, it's Friday the 13th," he reminded me just before I closed the hatch. I was ready. I closed the hatch, and started the pre-ignition sequence. The cockpit was much roomier with one person. I called ground and got clearance to taxi to 25. I taxied, did the runup, and pulled up to the line. There was a twin taking off ahead of me.

I squeezed the transmit button.

"Gwinnett tower Diamond three nine three Juliet Alpha at Whiskey ready for takeoff two five remaining in pattern."

Tower responded, "three nine three Juliet Alpha you are clear for takeoff two five, right turn crosswind report mid-field."

I responded, "clear for takeoff two five, right turn crosswind report mid-field."

I lined the bird up center line and pushed the throttle forward, anticipating right rudder. It was all automatic at this point.

55 knots, rotate. Airborn. Hold two five on the climb out, pitch for 70. 1500 feet, flaps to cruise. 1700 feet, right turn crosswind 2o degrees, power down to 2,300 RPMs. Reference the runway. 2,000 ft pattern altitude reached. Right turn downwind, power down to 2,000 RPMs. Hold 2,000 feet. Reference runway, stay parallel. Don't crab. Report midfield. Squeeze the transmitter.

"Gwinnett tower, three nine one Juliet Alpha is mid-field right downwind for two five."

"Roger, three nine one Juliet Alpha you're clear for touch and go two five."

At the numbers, first notch of flaps. Pitch for 90. Over the warehouse, turn right base. Power down to 1700. Pitch for 80. Reference the runway. Right turn final, pitch for 70. Track centerline. Adjust power to keep 1700. Runway is made, pull power. Track centerline. Look down the runway. Start the flare. Ground effect. Keep the flare in, keep centerline, about to touch down. Pull back. Wheels on the ground.

I was down: first solo circuit complete. Two more and I'm officially soloed. Stay on the right rudder. Set flaps for takeoff, full power, 55 knots rotate. Airborn ...

The next TAG was right on like the first. The final landing was a little sketchy. I flared too early and hard, resulting in a brief wheely ride down two five. Still, I had finished my solo. Chris congratulated me. I was psychologically spent and happy it was done.

Next flight is Saturday.

Lesson 18 : TAG at LZU and The Flying Machine

February 10th, 2009

2 hours of TAG at LZU. Only this time, Chris was completely hands off. Basically I flew exactly as I would solo : radios, maneuvering, making little corrections, everything. I did have to go around a couple of times, but they were valuable learning experiences. Overall it was a good day because it is a tremendous confidence booster to see that I really can do this alone, even (especially) when I get off course and have to circle around for another pass.

After the lesson I had lunch with Chris at The Flying Machine, LZU's airport. Delicious philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Next lessons are Friday and Saturday.

Lesson 17 : TAG With Crosswind

Sunday February 8, 2009

Flying circuits in 18 mph crosswinds is nothing short of a rodeo.  Even still, I was able to turn in decent landings, albeit with much correction and adjustment along the way.  After Winder and Jackson County, we went to Athens, GA airport for 1 circuit.  Athens is about on par with LZU.  

I need to be flying consistently good circuits.  Right now, about 75% of my circuits are good. This week I'm aiming for 1 or 2 days of flawless circuits.

Lesson 16 : LSAT and The Cure

Saturday February 7, 2009

law school admission

test pain is best managed by

spinning a diamond

Lesson 15 : TAG with Chris

Friday, February 6th 2009

Same thing - more circuits. Practicing for solo. TAG at Winder. TAG at Jackson County.
I talked on the radio most of the time. I'm getting more in tune with controlling the energy of the plane. Working on maintaining coordinated flight via rudder pedals.

LSAT tommorow followed by a 1:00 flight.

Lesson 14 : TAG with Darick

Saturday Jan. 31. 2009
Chris is out of town until Wednesday, so I flew with Darick Saturday afternoon at 4:00. It was mostly more of the same : practicing the touch and go circuit at Winder.

I did learn 3 new things:
(1) A new trick : short field takeoffs. On a short runway, or any take-off situation where you need to climb out as quickly as possible, a short field takeoff is an option. As opposed to a regular takeoff where you build speed on the runway and gradually climb out at an angle, in a short field take off you pull up early and then level off just above the ground. "Ground effect", as it is termed, is the layer of air just above the ground that acts as a cushion. You build speed in ground effect (as opposed to on the runway) and then climb out.

(2) A different circuit. Chris has me fly a faster circuit, that resulting in a higher altitude final. Darick has his students fly a slower circuit, lower altitude final. Neither is right or wrong. They are simply different styles. Flying both circuits helped with my comfort level in estimating distances.

(3) I used the ALS for the first time. Granted I am training for VFR - ie no reliance on instruments. But it was neat to watch the runway ALS lights telling me "too high, too low, just right".

Visibility deteriorated from the time we left LZU to the time we returned. So it was hard to see the airport. I got to watch Darick use the ILS to assist our approach to the LZU field. That was neat too and I'm looking forward to learning the instruments. Still, that's a ways off.

Next flight is Sunday (Wedesday was not possible) with Chris.

Lesson 13: Jackson Touch and Goes

Saturday 01/24/2009
Chasing down the solo. The plan is Tuesday if possible. The "if possible" part means 2 things:
(1) Am I ready
(2) Can I get my physical done in time.

Regarding (2), I was supposed to have gotten a flight physical but it slipped through the cracks and I forgot about it. The physical is a requirement for the solo, so hopefully I can get it done Monday or Tuesday morning.

Today was the same drill: touch and goes. We did a few at Winder and then flew over to Jackson county for a change of scenery. Jackson county's airstrip is smaller than Winder's. I did ok today. The winds were higher and gustier, so I would get blown off my headings and then overcorrect for them .. leading to being even more off. The good news is that I managed to convert all of the less-than-perfectly-setup approaches into smooth landings.

Chris said he was happy with results today, so I'm still on track. I also talked more on the radio. Speaking of .. Monday I am going to be doing all of the radio communication.

Lesson 12: Touch & Goes and Slips

Friday, 01/23/2009.
Tonight's lesson ran from 4 to 6 PM and the weather was perfect. Crisp and cool, flirting with being cold. Clear. Low winds.

We flew out to Winder and did 10 touch and goes. We're down to brass tacks and its all about getting ready for the solo. The solo, as previously mentioned, consists of 3 touch and goes and then a full stop. The weather on Friday was so perfect and my landings are getting consistently good.

So here's 1 "touch and go" in the pattern.

Take off at 55 kts. Climb out at 70 kts.
500 AGL, flaps up.
700 AGL, left turn crosswind.
Level off at 2000 ft MSL.
1/2 mile from strip, left downwind. Power down to 2,000 rpms.
At the numbers, first notch of flaps (T/O). Pitch for 90 kts.
1 mile out, left turn base. Power down to 1,700 rpms. Pitch for 80 kts.
Left turn for final. Power down to 1,500 rpms. Pitch for 70 kts. Last notch flaps (LNG).
When the runway is made, pull power. Keep center line. Pitch for 70 kts.
Look down runway. Just before touchdown, flare (pull up slightly).
On the descent, pull back a little more and contact back wheel first to runway.
Once on the runway, full power ... rinse and repeat.

I also learned a new trick: the slip. It's a way to loose altitude quickly without affecting airspeed or power. To perform a left slip, stand on the right rudder and bank ailerons to the left (opposite rudder). This causes the plane to essential turn sideways and angle downward .. "slipping" out of the altitude. To exit the slip, just let off the rudder and level ailerons, and your back at your original heading. It's a handy trick for fixing an overshot final - especially in an emergency where going around is not an option.

Lesson 11: Emergency Procedures

Thursday 01/22/2009.
This lesson was about what to do if the engine fails. We got airborne and for almost 2 hours simulated engine failures by pulling power randomly and seeing how I would respond.

There are 4 categories of engine failure:

1 : Before rotation (rotation means liftoff .. transitioning from ground to flight)

Response: Pull power, full stop.

2 : Immediately after rotation with enough runway left to set back down

Response: Pull power, touch back down, full stop.

3 : Immediately after rotation without enough runway left to set back down

Response: Pull power, pick an open area ahead and land. This type of failure was recently in the news: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/01/15/usairways.landing/

4 : During higher altitude regular flight

Response: Pull power. Try to restart the engine. If engine won't start, secure the engine, meaning cut off all gas from the engine. In the DA-20 that means 6 things:

-Throttle idle.

-Lean mixture.

-Pull fuel cutoff valve.

-Fuel pump off.

-Mags turned to off.
-Fuel prime to off

Pitch for optimal glide ratio speed, which in the DA-20 is 73 kts. Find a suitable open area, or nearby airport, and land.

So basically Chris would pull power randomly, I would run through and then I would tell him where I would land. Then I would steer the unpowered (not off, just idle) plane toward that area just like if I intended to land. Obviously, we would not actually land on somebody's property, but we got close enough to tell if I would make it.

We returned to LZU at dusk. It was a crisp, cool beautiful evening for flying. Solo time is coming soon.

Lesson 10: Steep Turns

Saturday, January 10th. We did "steep turn drills" followed by slow flying and stall recovery, and then a couple of touch and goes. Steep turn drills are as follows:
- Note your current speed, altitude, and heading .. for example 80 kts, 4000 feet, NW.
- Visually pick a landmark in the distance dead ahead .. for example a tower.
- Bank left at 45 degrees, and stay in that turn for 360 degrees until you see the tower.
- Then immediately bank right at 45 degrees, do another 360 until you see the tower.
- Level out. You should be at the same speed, altitude, and heading that you started.

Essentially, its a 360 to the left followed by a 360 to the right. The trick is that more power is needed during the turn to maintain altitude. You also have to pull back on the stick to help keep the turn coordinated. Because of the high power, steep angle configuration, you experience a couple of "G"s during the drill. It was fun.

Here's what was not fun. My pattern work (touch and goes) are not improving at the rate I need them to. Good landings are about a good setup: being at the right altitude and airspeed in the right places in the pattern. Add to that the constant radio communication which I've barely started to do. The problem is that I'm just not flying often enough. Plain and simple. I go in once a week, dust the rust off, and then my hour is up. I have another week to get rusty again.

So I am going to make a concerted effort to fly more often.