Monday, September 28, 2009

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.

Monday, September 14, 2009

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.

Monday, September 7, 2009

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.